New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-12-02
l.esaen shot and FowiinH Pieceu.


We copy the following curious and interesting
paper from the November No Of the J0arH0l Of
the Franklin Institute;
OF the origin Of small lcaden, dropped shot-per
haps the simplest and certainly the most purely phio
sophicsl of man iacures-htile nothing Is known
This 10 be regretted for knowledge Of the thoughts
and circumstances that led 10. and attended, its deye
opment would have been exceedingly interesting
In other departments OF mCtalluigy, workmcn toll,
with many tools 10 mold cast turn hammer, snd
file substances into desired forms but the modern
sho, maker az II soaring in science aoose ms neigh
bors well as operating over their hesds mounts a
tower and lstessy p0urs his metal into free space,
confident that ~ il falls. Mature will break sud mold
into the form he wants, while he stands looking on
Nor IL he disappointed BY the same law that sphe-
rules OF dew Of hail and rain, are shaped shot Ia
nsdeih the law by which the materials of the and
moon, the globe we inhaDit and all the highest and
ninutest orbs whrlng through the heavens were
gathered round their common centres. OF creations
paramount Influence and its operations In space WHIST
more beautiful illustration The artist initiates biz
Maker for of what IL the universe composed bu, of
vsrously sized shot dropped from the hands Of the
Deity
The facility with which streams of rnesl changed
in this way into spheres the accuracy Of outline and
the beauty OF finish attsnabe, are remarkable But
for Immediate oxidation the surface OF the gobues
would be- smooth and bright those OF water quick
silver Whether the invention came In with the match
lock from the Esst 10 European one has not that
| am aware Of been sscer,sned some persons have
supposed that Watts OF Bristol, who patented pro
for making In l7s2 was the fret mskor "A great
mistake. HE mode differed in nothing from the an
eent one. except In dropping the fused metal IRON
greater elevations than had been the previous practice
"For small shot he says feet and tor the largest
$50 feet OF more" See Rsp. 4frts, III. l195.
That this missile early accompaniment Of
portable are pretty evident but the date Of its
cloud.
That primitive muskets were devised 10 Kill men,
and, for while confined to that purpose, is probable
but their application for destroying smaller game was
too obvious to be overlooked Beckmsn says they were
too long and heavy to be fired without sprop and were
Era used In a, the siege Of Parma. in 1921. Not
Edward " had 800 Flemings In his service, aimed
with them, In lin They formed par; of the srms
ment Of Columbus and farther, soldiers are repeated
~ ngured In the act OF firing hand guns, without rests
and with triggerlocks taking sight and handling them
like modern troops the German translation OF Nege
tus (ESgayi. lSll) They sppesr there ss common
artillery Of which greater varieties are portrayed than
are now In
There 10 passage in Petrachs PAis,css saasi For.
tsss *" Engy shed by Thomas Thyme, Lond l3l9)
which implies that in his day, they were common tie
died in l3si occurs in the 18th dialogue when
Reason" remarkng on personal arms, ssys
A father can leave none other Inheritance To his
than he hath 10 wyt his bo~e and srrowes his
pscs his shelde hs swoorde and wsne and tina, also
which makeih up the game, his golden spurres"
Now piece wss the old technical name for portable
guns; hence, as their variety increased. arose Wal
Pieces" Birding Pieces" Fowling Pieces
The Goth Dialogue l. On Engines and Artillerie, -
One passage thoagh not relating to the special object
OF this paper, IL worth extracting.
"ye,-f have innumershe engines and srterie.
"Ressos-It 10 marueylo but thou hast also pellets
of brssse which hrowne foorth with terrible noyse
OF nre Thou miserable man, was II not yenough &c
hearc the thunder OF the Immortal God from heaven
O. eraelne joyned with pryde From the earth, also
was seat forth unimitshle lightning with thunder. ~
Virgil ssyth which the madness Of men hath counter
eised to do the hike and that which to be
throwne cut oil tho cioades Ia now throwne sbrode
with rceass NJ instrument but OF deavs.h deuice
which IS some suppose, was inueoscd by Archiuedes
at what time Msrceiius eescised syracuse. Howbet
he devised u TO the extent 10 drtende the hbcre of hi.
citizens. and t. sGoyde defende the destruction OF
his country which you new 10 the Subsection O,
sabuerton Of free people. Tau Ptasus q las dass,
xas Oct r9rs insomuch ss IL WA behelde with grea
wconder but now, your rnyhdcs are apt lesrps
the worstthyngs, so u IS as e0n"eN as ssy ot'o rss
Of nHsifiea'"
This extract removes all doubt respecting the Cra
sys Of Var alleged to have been employed IN 1884, by
Edward Ill in Scotland and subsequently NJ Crescl
Chaaeer speaks familiarity, too OF gonnes
Hand guns. apparently with mstchlocks, were in u.s.
BY English gentlemen and yeomcn. under Henry vi
and must have been rather extensively used in fowl
ing. and killing small snimsls SINCE siTingest game
Law, passed In the sixth year Of Henry VII res~si
former statutes touching shooting with cross bow
and hand guns" and ensc;s that whoever keeps in hi
house or shoots with hand gun shall forfeit H. snt
pay ten pounds for every shoot" unless he have
yearly income of three hundred marks.
In the 33d year of Henry VIII fresh regulations wers
made respecting hand guns, hagbuts. deny hskes
The former 20 be yard long the lser three quar-
sers The preamble states that people went about
with little short gans and little hsgoIts. furnished
with gunpuwder Ore. and touch" al persons wers
prohibited to XIII fowl and deer with them. except such
persons were worth In land shundred pounds year
y One section applies 20 the saAcrs OF them From
the expression Ere and touch IL would seem that the
nint lock not then known but hale known &c
Brtsh sportsmen.-(See keble's Statutes al Large
Lond- 1881
Up to hi. time. Qs4al there /. no in,irns,ion OF
dropped -shot and lett to conjecture what the
nissiles were hch iowlers used Bslfshot- were
10 vogue. and they, suppose were small bullets or
buck shot IL appears however that dropped shot
known toward the end Of the Of ths reign Of Hsary
WIN. snoe Il sxpressly msnronsd and By IL Oh