Sept. 1, 1870] _ NATURE 359 
projection rising at the end of the breech-covering nearest | revolving, “they play,” to quote the words of the manufac- 
the barrels. When it is in operation the cartridges are | turers, “back and forth in the cavities in which they work, 
placed in the rear ends of the barrels, and the breech is | like a weaver’s shuttle, performing their functions of load- 
closed at the time of each discharge by a forward motion | ing and firing by their impingement on stationary inclined 
of the locks, A return movement extracts the shells when | planes or spiral projecting surfaces.” The weapon can be 
the cartridges have been fired. In the ten-barrelled gun | loaded and fired only when the barrels, inner breech, locks, 
five cartridges are being loaded and fired whilst as many | &c., are being revolved, all of which operations are set 
shells are in different stages of being extracted. The | going by a man simply turning the crank. In the most 
locks are not attached to any part of the gun, and operate | recent guns the covering and back diaphragm in the outer 
on a line with the axes of the barrels. Whilst the gun is | casing are perforated, the apertures being closed by 
Fig. 4 
means of a single removable plug. In this way the locks | structed that the latter may receive, when being fired, a 
may be inserted and removed without taking off the | lateral motion, “so as to sweep the sector of a circle of 
caseable plate, obviously a great improvement, as it |} more than twelve degrees, without moving the wheels or 
renders the inspection and repairing of the locks much } the trail of the carriage.” Five hundred yards or more 
simpler. The newest guns are also cocked by means of a | may thus be covered without the continuous fire of the 
knob placed at a point on the right side of the weapon. | gun being interrupted. 
When turned, this knob permits the gun to be revolved | We turn nowto the Mitrailleur Gun, of which there are 
without being snapped while not in use. If its position is | two kinds, the French Mitrailleur and the Belgian, that 
reversed, the gun can be made to snap or fire at once. , of Montigny. The gun of which in Figs. 3 and 4 (also 
The carriage on which the gun is mounted is so con- | taken from photographs of the original) we present views 
