LOADING. 247 



" These cartridges are composed of a cage of wire, inclosed 

 in a thin paper case, with a wadding attached, fitting the bore 

 of the gun. The shot are placed within the wire ; and the 

 principle of their action is extremely simple. On leaving 

 the gun, the paper is torn in pieces, and the shot immediately 

 begin to quit the case, passing through the meshes of the 

 wire net. The wire is carried forward with the shot so long 

 as any remain in it, and, when empty, falls. Thus, the royal 

 cartridge, when fired through a paper screen placed at 10 or 

 15 yards from the gun, will be found to have spread some of 

 its shot like a loose charge, while the remainder will have 

 been carried through the screen in the form of a ball; and 

 if a target had been placed behind the screen at 25 yards, the 

 wire would be found to have dropped short of it, and the 

 shot entirely separated. The green will carry their shot 

 further. 



" The royal are intended for the second barrel at the com- 

 mencement of the season, or the first barrel when game is 

 wild; they make a good spread of shot 20 yards from 

 the gun, and will kill 20 or 25 yards further than a loose 

 charge. 



" Those in green cases are for wild fowl and very long 

 shots ; they will kill twice as far as a loose charge. 



" The universal shot cartridges are intended to supersede 

 the use of the shot-belt ; they are composed of shot packed 

 in a paper case, between layers of soft bone-dust, with a wad- 

 ding attached, fitting the bore of the gun. They contain no 

 wire, thereby removing the objection (however fallacious) 

 sometimes urged against the wire cartridge. On leaving the 

 gun the paper is torn in pieces, and the shot at once separate, 

 acting precisely as a hard-hitting loose charge, but much 

 more uniform. Balling, or clubbing, at any distance is im- 

 possible, the shot being quite as much separated, and cover- 

 ing as large a space, even at the distance of five yards from 

 the gun, as if loose shot were used. And whatever is the 

 performance of a gun with loose shot, a cartridge of equal 

 weight will put twenty-five per cent, more shot in the same 

 space at 40 yards, and with great additional strength ; so 

 that a gun that will throw loose shot strong and close is im- 

 proved in the same degree, making it shoot in a very superior 



