408 lewis' AMERICAN SPORTSMAN. 



Before the introduction of guns into England, tlie longbow 

 and crossbow were the weapons mostly employed in war, as 

 well as for the chase. The latter instrument was most in favor 

 with Sportsmen, owing to the greater strength and certainty 

 with which it threw its arrows. Although the use of fire-arms, 

 as before stated, was somewhat known during the reign of 

 Elizabeth as well as that of her predecessor, Henry the Eiglith, 

 and even as far back as Edward the Third (1327), who is said 

 to have first used a species of mortar for the purpose of ejecting 

 larsre stones aorainst the Scots, when bombarding them in their 

 native fastnesses, still, these rude weapons were of so unwieldy 

 a character that it was not thought of introducing them into the 

 chase. Even in the reign of Elizabeth, the muskets made under 

 her directions for the use of the army were so large and heavy 

 that it was impossible for the soldier to travel any great distance 

 with them, or to hold them out at arm's length for the purpose 

 of firing, but each one was obliged to carry a staff with him, 

 which he stuck in the ground to rest the instrument upon while 

 taking aim at his adversary. It was not till the reign of Charles 

 the First (1625) that small-arms were made of such proportions 

 as adapted them to the use of Sportsmen; and even at this late 

 period — nearly three hundred years after the introduction of 

 gunpowder — the small-arms, though vastly improved, were still 

 rude and cumbersome instruments, and suitable only for the 

 pursuit of large animals, as they could not be handled or dis 

 charged with sufficient ease to enable the bearer to kill a Bird 

 on the wing. These weapons, like many other articles, have 

 gone through a regular series of improvements, until at last they 

 have in the present age arrived at a state of perfection beyond 

 which it is difficult to conceive anything superior, unless the 

 general introduction of the explosive cotton, or some other com- 

 pound, should originate something new. Notwithstanding the 

 manufacture of guns has arrived at its present state of perfec- 

 tion, there are thousands of miserable guns thrown into the 

 markets of this country, and very few really good ones are to 

 be obtained, except from those who import directly from some 

 one of the celebrated makers of England, or by applying only 

 to some two or three of our own Gunsmiths either in New York 

 or Philadelphia; and then it is no easy matter to get exactly 



