The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-07-01

,lho,ob the war with Mexico is yet II stll be-
.,nss us to preserve ian attitude demanded by the
5SsD We have Indians upon our fronuer' VINO nave
ham. and may vet be, troublesome The Indians who
. :. a, work in Oregon, and those with whom we are
10 Mace ourselves in contact in our newly
,.,rtorv win render il necessary to throw certain num-
-. If troops in these directions. These ought to be
,.n armed and it is the opinion of who are con-
sant with Sharps newly -invented rifle, that smaller
number of troops who provided with this rapidly
,..dsa weapon, will answer the purpose of larger force
,msd with the common musket rifle. True economy
s.aore recommends to our government the proper
n.mepts TO be made with it and, if successful then the
urooae use TO be made of it in military establish
uent
tail events we deem it our duty to lay the following
LATER before our readers, from the pen OF Gen. Thomas
Rusk, senator OF the United States from Texas, and
Quinn Thornton, late Judge of the supreme court of
Oregon w 900
Having been desired by Mr. C. Sharp to examine his
recently invented breach-loading and secapping lever
rife and 10 be present at trial OF the manner OF using it,
for the purpose of showing its practical usefulness as
upapon OF warfare have hesltancy saying that 1t
Is :ha most convenient and fatal weapon ever used by
either infantry mounted rhemen, and that il is well
adapted to both The following, from the Mississippi
this most formidable weapon:
ats perfect simplicity and stronghold fabric constitute
its chief recommendation for adoption in the Uniled States
svce: to which must be added frequency of discharge,
that lit does quite come up to the rapdy of the
vover will continue longer without nerruPtionbeing
n,he of carrying fifty caps in side tube which
Are pressed down by the action of spring. and presented
to The percussion hammer one after another, as the dis
charges made without other power than the throw
ing of crooked lever which plays over and when
messed up, covers the guard
The action Of this lever most simple and at the same
time curious To throw It out from the guard to position
perpendicular the barrel the steel breechpiece OF
HE barrel sink down. that the eye run through the
entire hollow Of the gun; at the time throwing cap
under the hammer and over the printing nipple. The
cartridge pushed in by the fingers at the breech the
lever Instantly drawn up close over the guard by which
the breechpece rises up, securely closing the
able printing nipple rises also in positions bringing the
cap its top lis cooked and fred when instantly
moves down. and the breechpece sinks in readiness to
receive the cartridge.
r. deadly weapon nine times in minute. The fifty
caps will keep up deadly stream of fire for five minutes,
when pause from minutes win be required
TO place ifiy caps in tho exhausted ube when fifty
discharges may take place, giving the weapon the
minutes Indeed the tube can just well be made long
enough to hold one hundred caps or more
will y be- bringing he piece
from the position held in a charge, against cavalry,
ssa the hip and sde while action right
aone even without exposing the elbow In range of dan
cartridge in position and fire the piece! 1t would be
equally dreadful to oppose boarders shp-board-held
firmly bulwarks shrouds it would pour continu
Gus fire upon the foe.
can be loaded full speed by the mounted men,
BY infantry wedged close together against cavalry
when lying the ground and should the action OF The
side lube for be destroyed 6y so py any o,ner
cities of Halls breech-loading rifle"
IT, under any circumstances, the fixed ammunition is
exhausted the gun be charged in the ordinary way
&c. Also if the caps in the tube which supplies the nip
pie should all be used the weapon may be capped by
hand in the usual way. The removal of single screw
by dsplacing the lever and sliding breech admits of the
facility The strength of its fabric, ALSO no less than the
simplicity of its construction give 1t decided advantage
over every other rifle we have The lock is the od-
nary percussion lock- and this part, therefore, is not
obnoxious to the objection of being easily deranged in
the hands Of unskifu persons In this respect then i
is decidedly preferable to the revolving rifle. and will
doubtless supefsede it, as we'll the musket and
the ordinary rifle 1t is much superior to any
thing now in use, the best weapon heretofore in
vented supsses the clumsy and tardy matchbox OF the
be attached, and then it be used for all the pur
poses of musket, and with vastly more effect would
be impossible for any body of the best disciplined troops
in the world, armed in the old way to stand before
We saw Mr. Sharp load and fire this gun twenty four
times at target sixty yards distant, in little less than
three minutes. Twenty shots struck near the paper,
while four missed the board upon which the tar
get was placed
Upon the whole therefore, we doubt whether human
ingenuity has ever invented more destructive and efec-
tive rifle, perfectly adapted in all respects to the
wants of people upon the border settlements and
we believe that the introduction OF them into Oregon,
especially at this time, would be of prudence
and economy, by greatly diminishing the number of men
otherwise necessary to the defence of that country
THO. J. RUSK,
QUINN THORNTON
The late conduct of Mr. Van Buren has drawn upon us