THE HUNTING GKOUNDS, ETC. 4G7 



the armament of our land and naval forces, for Sir 

 William Armstrong and Mr Whitwortb, of Man- 

 cliester, have satisfactorily proved that rifled cannon 

 on the breech-loading system exceed all others iu 

 length of range, jwwer of penetration, and accuracy 

 of fire ; and all our first-class guumakers — amongst 

 whom I may enumerate Purdey, Lancaster, Lang, 

 Westley Eichards, Boss, ]\Ioore, Terry, Needham, 

 Whittou and Daw, and Leetch — are manufacturing 

 small-arms (both guns and rifles) that load at the 

 breech, of one description or another, Lancaster, 

 Westley Richards, Terry, and Leetch have peculiar 

 systems of their own invention, but most of the 

 others have adopted that of La Faucheux, which, 

 although it has been invented for upwards of five- 

 and-twenty years, was very little known in this 

 country until that excellent shot and practical me- 

 chanic Mr Lang, of "Old Red House" notoriety, 

 took it up ; and it is to him that we are indebted 

 for the efficient carrying out and improvement of a 

 principle, which is almost as great an era in gun- 

 making as the invention of the copper cap. 



The following are some of the great advantages 

 that the new system has over the old for fowling- 

 pieces. 



I shall begin with the extreme facility and quick- 

 ness in the loading, whereby any person armed with 

 a breech-loader can load and fire at least six shots 

 in the same time that another with a common gun 

 takes to load and fire two, with much greater com' 



