lead to fatal accidents.

In hot damp climates it became necessary to fire off and clean the
entire battery every evening, lest a miss-fire should be the consequence
upon the following morning from the condensation of moisture in the
nipple during night. This was not only great trouble and a wasteful
expenditure of ammunition, but the noise of so many loud reports just at
the hour when wild animals were on the move, alarmed the country.
Trustworthy gun-carriers are always difficult to procure, and it was by
no means uncommon that in moments of danger, when the spare rifles were
required, the gun-bearers had bolted from the scene, and the master was
deserted.

The introduction of breechloaders has made shooting a luxury, and has
obviated the necessity of a large battery of guns. For military purposes
the breechloader has manifold advantages--as the soldier can load while
lying down, and keep up a rapid fire from a secure cover. It was
remarked during the Crimean War that a large proportion of wounded men
were struck in the right arm, which would have been raised above the
head when loading the old-fashioned rifle, and was thus prominently
exposed.

It is not my intention to enter into the minutiae of military rifles,
but I cannot resist the satisfaction with which I regard the triumph of
the small-bore which I advocated through the columns of the Times in
1865, at a time when the idea was opposed by nearly all authorities as
impracticable, owing to the alleged great drawback of rapid fouling.
There can be no doubt that the charge of 70 grains with a small-bore
bullet, '303, will have a lower trajectory (higher velocity
(equivalent to long range)) than a heavier projectile, '450, with the