THE GUN, AND HOW TO USE IT. 117 



away the metallic faces at their point of junction, so as to 

 render the arm useless ; independent of the fact, that if, as 

 must necessarily be the case, the escape vent be contiguous 

 to any portion of the shooter's person, this fluid will 

 seriously scorch him, and may set his raiment on fire. 

 Secondly, the liability of the movable portion of the arm, 

 and the crank which turns it, to become clogged by foul- 

 ness, after repeated and rapid firing, so as to be bound, 

 stiff, and, at last, wholly immovable. Thirdly, the com- 

 plicity of their workmanship, the difficulty of cleaning 

 them, their liability to get out of order, and their incapa- 

 bility of ordinary repair. Fourthly, inadaptability to any 

 but their own peculiar ammunition ; and lastly their 

 want of symmetry, and consequent unfitness for fine, rapid, 

 accurate and workmanlike shooting. 



To two of these faults, and two of the most serious of 

 these, Sharpe's rifle, which has of late acquired so much 

 Kansas notoriety, is with justice held liable. The gaseous 

 fluid does escape dangerously, where the two metallic faces 

 slide one against the other ; so much so, that I have seen a 

 person seriously scorched, in firing a few shots rapidly ; 

 nor can I doubt that, after a few hundred shots, the effi- 

 ciency of the weapon would be seriously affected by the 

 burning away or melting of the metal ; as occurs in the 

 vents of cannon and the touch-holes of flint-and-steel 

 guns, after much rapid firing. The other fault is its ex- 

 treme clumsiness and want of symmetry. 



Perry's arm, which I have mentioned above, and of 

 which a sketch is inserted below, is liable to no one of 

 these charges. 



