The Sun.
London, England, 1852-09-24 00:00:00

SELF•LOADING REVOLVER.

The New York Courier describes a newly-invented
revolver and self-loading rifle made by Colonel P. W.
Porter, of Tennessee, and said to be capable of dis-
charging fifty loads in a minute and a half. The
rifle is a little over the ordinary weight, and, although
a revolver, can be used as a single gun, the revolving
agent being the guard of the gun instead of the ham-
mer, as in other revolvers. The guard, after revolving
the cylinder, returns to its place, and firmly
fastens by means of a spring in the stock.
The cylinder, which is perforated with nine
chambers on the exterior rim, turns in the breech,
presenting in rapid succession each loaded cham-
ber to the barrel for discharge. The part that comes
directly in contact with the barrel is protected, first
by the cylinder pressing firmly against it, and next
by springing plates which catch and turn off any fire
that might possibly escape through the junction.
The ordinary trigger is used, and the rifle is dis-
charged by percussion caps, and primes itself by an
arrangement which presents itself to the hammer in
succession. The caps are placed in a rim, and
the hammer is on the side of the gun.
The nine chambers mentioned above being
discharged, another cylinder, which may be
kept in the pockets of the person using the gun,
may be inserted in place of the one deprived of its
contents, without a loss of mare than three or four
seconds, and nine additional discharges made in suc-
cession. Then, by placing over the top of the cylinder
a flask which contains both powder and ball (or shot
if necessary), the chambers are loaded by every re-
volution of the cylinder, so that the supply is only ex-
hausted when the flask is empty, and in this manner
fifty discharges ore made in the short space of a
minute
and a half. The flask or magazine over
the cylinder is water-tight, and affords good
protec-
tion to the works it covers. The rifle can be dis-
charged as long as the magazine contain'ammunition holds out, and by manufacturingingg the
with proportionate arrangements, the
consequently be larger and capabl
would,
magazine - would
0-uul da
fifty or one hundred charges. Ehot()containinge
placed in the magazine, anl can . also
~b_
barrel, which is often done, by changing
.tnn.
By these means the newly-invented
sides having
about forte times a
the fowling pie ~
having the advantage overmin u
fte
The priming
part is *o arranged- that the firs ies.tead of setting
off the powder at b tee' of the charge,
all the
ignites it on top, but tit the
d rottohe ball, thus burn-
inglie.ecihuealltlytteravoatijadDie
some and throwinthe residue out of the gun in its
crude state, having greater
thisresi.sting effect.
powder insertedun e instead of destroying
and a
The charge used is veryarna
found to carry a great distance, and. in all experi-
mentsll, yet . rifle has been
made drives ite bullets deeper into. timber. than.
The gun in question is
n as yet manufactured,
the only one of the descripdtio
any other tested against it.. .
several will be but in the course of
com-
pleted. Colonel Porter anfteoiwns ai‘atiyaspresent having 10,000
gsachusetts. The manufactured at 1:
successful, highly
ex-
periments
made were very ' and
. Eae
those who attended the exhibition.
tiefectory to

EMIGRANTS' HOMES AT THE OUTPORTS.—The
Ernigation Commissioners have called for contracts for the
erection and furnishing with beds, bedding, and messing
uutensil', several emigrants homes, or depots, in London,
Liverpool, Plymouth, and Southampton, where the emi-
grants may live at the smallest possible cost during the time
they are waiting for the sailing of the ships, and also to
prevent them from being fleeced by the heartless landsharks
that continually beset their path. The London depot will
be either at Greenwich or Blackwall, and will contain 300
emigrants; Plymouth and Southampton the same number;
whilst the Liverpool home will be for 600 persons. Th
apartments will be on the same plan as the cabins on board
the vessels.

THE LATEST PUBLIC FUNERALS.--Among the
latest instances of public funereal honours being paid to il-
lustrious men of Great Britain, and voted by Parliament as
national demonstrations of respect, are the tollowin : Duke of Rutland's funeral OH Ireland), Nov. 17 .—The
, g 1787 ; Lord
Nelson's funeral, Jan. 9, 1806; Mr. Pitt's funeral, Jan. 22,
1806; Mr. Fox's funeral, Oct. 10, 1806 ; B. Sheridan's
funeral, Aug.
funeral, July 1316, 1882716; .
I Right Hon.
, 1t George Canning's
funerals of Nelson, Pitt, and Fox will be observed that
all occurred in the samthe
year. e

LETTERS FOR THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA.—Her
Majesty's Government having
month, to the West Coast of Africa,
innteowa
the conveyance of mails by -
Steam-vessels, once in every
as that come into partial operation al
101 l on the 24th instant, on which
day the first packet
Will be dispatched from Plymouth.
This packet, as wellecoeryntrinaectwfillor
be dispatched on the 24th
October next, will proceed onlyt toto Madeira, Teneriife, Goree,
Bathurst (Gambia), and Sierra Leone, and then return to
England, calling at the laces ;
but the service will
hereafter be extendedtosanFeernpando Po, when a further in-
struction will be issued. The following are the rates of
postage to be taken upon letters and newspapers addressed
to the several
ot at which the packets will touch;—
places.
Letters n exceeding half an ounce—Madeira, ls. 10d.;
Teneritre, Is. 10d. ; Goree, is.; Bathurst, ls.; Sierra
Leone, is. Newspapers will be carried to Madeira, Tene-
rife, and Goree for 2d. each, and to Bathurst and Sierra
Leone, free.
The Baron Blue Brahe and family, Mdlle. Brulard,
and Madame Cavoneare, embarked yesterday morning at
the St. Katharine's wharf on board the General Steam
Navigation
Company's steam-ship Ravensbourne, for Ant-
werp.
DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT REMAINS __A curious
discovery has just been made at the village of Offenham, in
Worcestershire. As a man was ploughing in a field he un-
covered the skeleton of an ancient warrior, at a depth of
about two feet from the surface. The body had been buried.
in a complete armour of steel from head to foot, the remains
of which were on the skeleton, and by his side were laid his
sword and javelin. The wooden shaft of the spear was dust,
and the armour also crumbled to rust after a short exposure
to the air. The only postion preserved is a small button-like
ornament belonging to the crown of the helmet, and was of
iron plated with silver. The shape of the sword, and the in-
dication of the form of the armour, would lead to the belief
that the body was that of some ancient Roman or Dane.

The amount received at the East India House for
bills on India from the 7th to the 23d inst, has been 464284