The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-22 00:00:00

Ross and Sons being ;fully determined not to be
" punched " down, even by that inimitable merry an-
drew, or " merry angry," Mr. Punch, beg to inform the
public that they intend killing an enormous bear on
Monday, the 21st inst., and exhibiting it on that and the
three following days, at their establishment, when any
one preferring it can have the fat cut direct from the
animal, thus ensuring its genuineness. For preserving
and strengthening the hair there is nothing equal to the
genuine bear's grease—Vide " Mr. Catlin's account of
the quantity used, and the length and thickness of hair
obtained by the North American Indians." Address,
Ross and Sons, 119 and 120, Bishopsgate-street, London.
STATE or TRADE.—The continual advance in the
price of cotton is beginning to be felt by the handloom
weavers of Wigan • several of the manufacturers-having,
during the past week, stopped their gingham weavers, from
inability to obtain an advance on cloth in the market
commensurate with the advance of cotton yarns for the
manufacture of those fabrics. Diaper weavers are in a
similar situation, and there are loud complaints of wait-
inganbgea been
dn
tsot held
ltahseta
tmhoen amongst the
of work. Some consultations, we are informed, have
short time, but as some of them have a supply of cotton on
millowners respecting working
seem inclined to agree to the pmroopnct,hsasltaotiperoeljaseentt.h. Teyh.deocnrYt
more
induce ve
artificial scar • city for the sake of exorbitant gam,be-
comingmh cottonefmo reannatd,
afecnwodrnsospmeecuplautbolrs for causing an
public movement to
We of Parliamentcourse do
to notice their practices is talked of.
suppose Parliament would inter-
fere.-- Preston Chronicle.
of " American Rifle '
i,
THE AMERICAN
of a rich treat in the descriptiontrhALe
but —ewa
edFer RIFLE.—From
oogwmfreitlhttlhethev
expectaastro utohnuesdt sounding
peculiari-
ties partakeciaaamrni e:
ties attached to them'
scienmeeerian rifle is only
not be realised. The
fame. There is no displayedi in the construc-
tion, which it not to be met with
of groove,t hasa
great in
they have every degree of spiral in eery
P everrt o f
been Europe;re .
111. the—every variety
nd every size of
commended, every variety
bore—from 16 to the lb. to 140 to the,
their arms,
they
arms, for
of length and every weight. In truth
attentiont to
have obtained is not for any perfection in
a vast majority of those they have are the commonest
" Brummagem rubbish," made with no
science, but only for profit. No, the truth is
ricans use the rifle more, probably, than any' nianetiAolnimien
the world. They are more expert generally
shooting practice, and this has done everything for them,eir
and not the merit of their rifles. We have seen American
rifle barrels which were far from straight, and far from
being correctly rifled, yet they shoot well. Why! Be-
causern the bore is very small, the barrel burning powder
sufficient to give a high velocity up to 100 yards, and,
as we have already remarked, accuracy at short distances
is the American rule of perfection. Occasionally the
back woodsman may venture a long range, but in a vast
majority of cases the balls used are so small as to be per-
fectly useless at greater distances than 150 yards. To
write a long article on the American rifles would be but a
repetition of previous matter, as they have no established
rule or principle, save in their military arms, and here
uniformity is necessary, and the display of scientific princi-
ples in these is not very apparent. The military rifle is
2 feet 9 inches long, carries a ball 30 to the lb. The
rifling is different from any used in Europe. The
grooves are 14 in number, with 7 projections more pro-
minent than the others, an arrangement very objection-
able, as it is clear these " projections" must either grip
the ball so to indent it, or to allow the extra cuts to
be of no use or if not gripping it, why have so many
" furrows and lands ?"—two sizes remind us of cutting
a file with ha'f the teeth higher than the other half.
The rifle, as a whole, is a handy weapon, but with the
" old plan" of a " hook main spring" and " tumbler," it
is what we may designate as a very nice " tool" for a
gentleman's amusement, certainly not a military weapon
as it ought to be. It is very near akin to the Prussian
rifle, will shoot well at 200 yards, but no further.—
Greener's Science of Gunnery,
DR. M'WILLIAM.—We are happy to state that
Lord John Russell has given to this eminent officer the
valuable appointment of medical attendant to the Board
of Customs, recently become vacant. This appointment
was conferred in the most handsome manner, without
any application on the part of Dr. 3114 William, Lord
John's secretary stating, in the letter which announced
it, that the appointment was conferred on account of
Dr. McWilliam's distinguished services in the River
NigeT, in the year 1841.