Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-06-30

bc excelled when their practice is undisturbed
II was Intercollegiate as the man Of pleasure
in increiius liked to sec the sea rage when he
was not on board Of ship---io Look at the shell
! dropping, AID 10 sec our active little allies
scampering away to their cover, and adjusting
themselves to the closest possible connection
with mother earth, till the hurling masses had
gone by them. Any man with moderate conf
dence and experience may despisc round shot at
long ranges II he only sees the guns from which
they came discharged. Well wo won't. saw
dcspise exactly. but at all events "eyade. - But
a shell is diabolieal invcniDn, which no one
can regard as it approaches without certain
degren Of misgising that triangular piece OF
jagged iron may be whizzed through his inter
nal economy at the shortest possible notice af-
icrwarj.
II il is sent from gun. il izzes and roars
through the air and sends its fragments before
it, the conc Of dispersion. which is the neat
phrase used by the learned militant to imply
the direction Of the bits Of she'll Tor its contents
when it is filled with bullets &c, J being in
the direction tho shell has taken from the gun.
and the fragments being propelled with pro-
portion on The velocity Of the shell at the mo-
ment Of explosion. II il be discharged from a
mortar, il whistles gently aud delicately, giving
a squeak and roar now and then as 1t rises to
lis greatest elevation, and then, rushing down
ward with a shriler whistle toward the point,
its fragments are projected all around radaly,
and are propelled merely BY the force Of the
bursting charge. A man behind bomb or at
the side Of il just as likely 10 be hi, as a man
befure II when il bursts in that way whereas,
the pieces from she'll from a gun in nearly
every instance fly forward, so that person be-
hind il or outside OF the limits Of the cone Of dis
pcrsion is safe. Unless the shell OF bomb bursts
in the front of body Of men ia the air, very
considerable degree Of safety may be attained
by the men ilnowing themselves fat on the
ground inasmuch as the pieces Of a shell which
bursts on tho carri' ~ pP-asd from the Paini
where they encounter the maximum resistance.
OF course il bomb burst over man on
the ground, or If a shell explodes in the air in
front Of man, there is no great safety gained
! by his throwing himself down beyond the con-
seqUeni reduction Of the amount Of vertical ex.
| posure. This little depression is all Apropos Of
: the conduct Of our. allies which have Just
mentioned, aud is made in order 10 explain the
rationale Of their proceedings. Il is rather an
unpleasant reelection, whenever one is discuss.
ing the range OF missile, and is, perhaps, ex
claiming ''ihere is a splendid shot," that il MAY
have carried misery and sorrow into somo hap
4 py household. The smoke clears away, the
, men get up, they gather round one that moves
not, or who is rsckcd with mortal agony ,hey
, bear him away, mere black speck, and few
shovelfus Of mud mark for little time ihl
/, resting place Of the poor soldier, whose wife
or mother, or children, sisters are lefl of al
= solsce, save memory and the sympathy Of tho
A country Ono such little speek ! watched 10
day, and saw quietly deposited on the gronn'
inside trench Who will let the inmates q
. Anjou know Of ihci: bereavement However
d there goes another shell, and il does noihinl
i bot knock up a cloud of snow and dust.
o Variay and Yocories Of the Russian Prejee
= hies.-The Russians treat US to a pleasing va
II riety in the way Of projee,iles. First come
the round shot Of all sizes, which rushes pas
= you with shrek something like railwa
e whistle badly blown. Next comes tlA grape
n which flies slower and round, like large cove
d of strong birds flying very swiftly. Then come
c gun-shell, which approaches like round shot
n but has the pleasing trick Of bursting when
c reaches you, 50 that you have 10 run a doubl
n risk-frst Of the shot itself aud then Of ,h
II pieces. Next comes tbs mortar shell, which
n though really the worst Of the llrgo projectles
= somehow dread the least il remains 10 th
N air for nearly half minute, and IN the nigh
n you can see il quite plainly, owing to its bear
,r ing The fuse Ii glances along very gracefully
=, rising 10 great height, and making gen,l
= whistle every nov and then like peaiwit O
ployer, which becomes louder and louder till
y drops. Although you can see it all the way
il is most difficult thing 10 tell where il wi
fall, and mono bu, the oldest hands (men
ne whom it is said they had got so Injured to fl
~ that eannon-ball would hop of the pit
,r their s,onachs) can really make good gue'
"a as TO where il will drop.
70 What makes it worse than gun-shell
'. that the former flying 50 low retains its imp
ar ius that il il is past you before burst
10 all the pieces will continue to fly forward an
ro you are safe; whereas, as the mortar shell
Of pitched as high as it will go into the air, az
81 then drops, the pieces have no other impeiI
in than what The bursting charge gives them to
he in every direction for a radius Of upward Of 2C
~ yards, and sometime considerably more. b.
Il. my greatest horror of all, and the deadlest iS
,is we have, is the Russian riae-bullet. Il is NJ
so perfect as ours, but, as MercutiO says, "
he will do well enough" give you sketch
90 it the size Of life. (IIere is given an admir-
en- Bile pen-and-ink sketch Of the bullet, which
cb like the English cOnical.l This little genil
IN. man gives you no warning, but flies about I
he day long, and ranges / 200 yards.
ey
on ExTRAvAGAsT HABITs-THE Evils TIL
en- TSrftcr ON Socffry-DATcuEIoRs kSD o.