THE FOWLING-PIECE. 1D5 



As to who is the best gun-smith, will be difficult to 

 decide. There are many country gun-smiths that 

 make excellent fowling-pieces ; but the London guns, 

 generally speaking, are turned out in the neatest 

 manner, certainly. Manton has obtained the greatest 

 celebrity, and justly merits much of the praise that 

 lias been bestowed upon his work; but to rank him 

 as the very pinnacle of excellence, unattainable by 

 any other person, which has been attempted, is cer- 

 tainly wrong. Mortimer is an excellent gun-maker, 

 as well as many others; hut the neatest and best fowl- 

 ing-pieces I ever saw were made by Knox. 



g l wisli not to be understood as decrying the work 

 of Manton; on the contrary, I am willing to give him 

 his due share of praise. Assuredly, he has acquired 

 a name, of the importance of which he seems to be 

 fully aware it brings him much business, no doubt, 

 and enables him to charge rather higher than his 

 neighbours. However, it is not always to the name 

 merely that merit attaches, nor should I be willing to 

 give an extra ten guineas tor that alone Knox sounds 

 just as well in my ears as Manton. 



In thus comparing the merits of gun-smiths, I can 

 assure the reader, that I am actuated by no motive but 

 impartiality. Those whose names I have mentioned 

 are strangers to me I never saw nor had any dealing 

 with any of them. 



