THE FOWLING-PIECE. 181 



winch it is driven must consequently be diminished, 

 from the causes mentioned before. On the con- 

 trary, should the shot be discharged from the muzzle 

 (owing to the shortness of the barrel) before the 

 elastic fluid has become sufficiently expanded to ac- 

 quire ifs full strength, it is very evident the impul- 

 sion must be less than if the barrel had been of the 

 exact length for this purpose. But the difficulty is 

 to discover this critical moment; and though this 

 point has not been ascertained with precision, enough 

 has been proved to supersede the antiquated notion 

 entertained of very long barrels. 



Scattering of Shot. 



On this subject many experiments have been made, 

 and much has been written, with no better success 

 than with respect to the range of barrels. Marolles 

 informs us, that a barrel, in order to throw its shot 

 dosely, ought to have the calibre narrower in the 

 middle than either at the breech or muzzle ; while 

 others again insist, that the barrel ought to contract 

 gradually from the breech to the muzzle. The ab- 

 surdity of both these methods is too obvious to need 

 refutation ; but, it must be allowed, that they are 

 well calculated to burst the barrel, or at least to make 

 the piece recoil insupportably. 



Bell-muzzled pieces formerly were much used, on 

 account of the greater closeness with which they 



