No. 144.] 581 



/ 

 over seven thousand times. The Sharpe rifles are buslied with 



platina, and to prevent wear at the breech we place a steel ring 



within the breech which every explosion of the charge forces into 



close contact with the breech piece, and thus prevents any wear 



at that point. The breech piece is, at a slight pressure of a finger 



on what supplies the place of the trigger guard, lowered so as 



to let you look through the gun. A cartridge is put in the guard, 



brought to position, in doing which it cuts off the lower end of 



the cartridge; cock the piece, and from a short tube as large as 



a small quill one percussion cap alone is exactly turned off ready 



for the nipple. This cap is about as thick as drawing paper 



made of copper, one side dished, filled with the priming and 



covered with another piece of copper, so as to be water proof. 



The Sharpe rifle can be fired by one a little habituated to it, 



thirty times in fifty seconds. 



The same subject was then ordered to be continued, and the 

 <;lub adjourned to the first Monday of April, at 7 P.M. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



Jtpril 2, 1855. 

 Present— Messrs. Renwick, Pell, Fisher, Bell, Jos. Hall, God- 

 win, Barnard, Backus, E. S. Renwick, Maynard, &c. — twenty- 

 four members in all. 



Henry B. Renwick in the chair. 



Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. 



Mr. Maynard moved that when the Club adjourns it shall be 

 to the third Monday of April. Carried. 



Mr. Fisher moved that the subject of the Minie bullet and 

 breech-loading guns be laid on the table indefinitely. Carried. 



Mr. Fisher, from the Committee on questions, recommends that 

 those subjects be taken up at the next meeting. Carried. 



