THE LANCASTER NEEDLE GUN. 



281 



about it for some months, but at length putting my hand 

 upon it among other similar articles, I cut it open, and lo ! 

 it was loaded with two charges of shot and not an atom of 

 powder. The needle and disc had done their duty well 

 enough, as shown by the condition of the adjacent shot. 

 Whether the carelessness was due to Colonel Ashley's or to 

 Mr. Lancaster's man, I cannot pretend to say, but the missfire 

 wns certainly not owing to any defect in the cartridge itself. 



TJie stock has no peculiarity whatever. 



The lock resembles that of the back-actioned detonator, or 

 of the Lefaucheaux gun, except in the shape of the hammer, 

 which strikes the needle with its shoulder, and not (as in their 

 case) with the head, which is therefore absent. 



The cartridge case is the last part to be described, and as 

 its plan is peculiar to Mr. Lancaster, it must receive full 

 attention. Jt consists of a cylinder of strong paper of the 

 same length as in the French gun, and with an extra thick- 

 ness at the lower end, as is also seen in it. This extra part 

 is turned in at the base (see fig. 56), and upon this lip is placed 

 a stout disc of brass perforated with four holes (see fig. 55), 



Fia 65. 



Fig. JG. 



PERFORATED COPPER 



i>i>(. (FULL SIZE.) 



SECTION OF LOADED CARTRIDGE. (FULL SIZE.) 



through which the flame passes to ignite the powder. On 

 the other side, and in the space between these holes, is the 

 fulminating powder; and then the whole is capped by a 

 copper capsule, which is thin in the middle, where it receives 

 the blow of the needle but stout at the edge, where it is 

 somewhat wider than the diameter of the cartridge elsewhere. 

 The whole is put together in a workmanlike manner, and it 

 is so strong as rarely to burst during the explosion. It is 

 loaded in the usual way, and the lip turned over by a simple 



