MUZZLE-LOADERS AND BREECH-LOADEES. 43 



The objections, however, urged against breech- 

 loaders have not been few, and, if well founded, 

 forbid the use of the gun ; if, as has been said, the 

 target is not so good, nor the shot sent with as 

 much force, the requisites of a first-class sporting 

 implement are wanting. These charges, freely ad- 

 vanced, have been sustained in a measure by the 

 wretched performance of poor guns, but have finally 

 been brought to the only true test — actual experi- 

 ence, under equal conditions ; and by this test have 

 been so utterly annihilated that their discussion is 

 only necessary on account of popular ignorance of 

 the experiments. When breech-loaders first came 

 prominently before the English public, their sup- 

 posed merits and demerits were discussed in the 

 sporting papers in an animated and violent manner ; 

 and in order to settle the questions at issue, the 

 editor of the London Field determined to have an 

 open trial, where the breech-loaders and muzzle- 

 loaders could be fairly matched against one another. 

 The contests took place in 1858 and 1859, and being 

 carefully conducted, settled the dispute for the time 

 being, and, even before the latest improvements, 

 established more fully the superiority of the breech- 

 loader. The best guns and gun-makers of England 

 were represented ; and in spite of occasional varia- 

 tion and accidental luck — as in the pattern of the 

 first muzzle-loader — the prejudices against the mo- 

 dern arm were so entirely dissipated that the old- 

 fashioned guns are at present rarely sold. 



Since that trial considerable advance has been 



