THE GUN, AND HOW TO USE IT. 95 
stock is expended, and there is no store at hand whence to 
replace it. 
There was formerly sold a patent metallic English 
wad, which I approved, both on account of the small bulk 
it occupied, and that it kept the gun clean; I have, how- 
ever, seen none lately, and they seem to have gone out of 
fashion. A species of medicated or oiled wad is now seld 
for the same purpose ; and it is recommended to mix a few 
with the common stock, so that one will be occasionally 
used, as it is claimed to clean the barrels. These I neither 
praise nor the reverse. I do not know what medicament 
is that applied, and some are highly injurious to metal. 
The best gunpowder for upland shooting, by many de- 
grees, in my opinion, is Curtis and Harvey’s diamond 
grain, No. 2; next to that, Pigou and Wilkes’, and of late 
years, an admirable Scotch powder—I believe the Roslin 
mills. But I consider Curtis and Harvey’s the cleanest, 
quickest, strongest, best, that I have ever tried. Dupont’s 
American powder is undoubtedly strong—perhaps stronger, 
if strength alone were the test, than any other—but it is 
so irremediably filthy, that I abominate the sight or men- 
tion of it. It were not too much to say, that ten shots 
fired with Dupont’s powder foul a gun more than five and 
twenty with any of the reputable English or Scotch 
powders. 
I consider the best powder that ever was invented for 
large guns, especially for sea shooting, where the salt air 
decomposes the ordinary qualities, to be Hawker’s duck- 
ing powder, manufactured by the same makers I have 
named, with preference, above. 
