, 1861-02-05

lQe latest euInI5tS - W tu6 Ichult u tuc
contest are the following from u correspor-
dent Of the N. 7. Herald:
A1aAsT. Jan. al, 1861,
The Senatorial controversy is the main sub
ject II attention, aGlde from those who are
tukiug part in the convention. Evarts mt
uarris are both anSioualy looking aftet' their
chances, and both exhibiting 4 great deal OF
feeling on the question. Eyarts has its agents
out III NIL directions inviting members to lis
room, where hc urges his claims With nil the
carncstness within his power. In this work
lie ia assisted by Robert T. Hawes, who seems
to be exceedingly anxious just now that the
5tatc shall not tie smashed, but that Egarts
shalt be the successful candidate. 1t seems to
be thegencral impression that Eyarts has in
jured his cause ty coming here, he docs not
appear to have the 1acu1ty Of winning
members over to him.. Never having been
politician, and always distracted il.
his business, he does not understand ,le acts
of the professed politicians, ,and candot rally any
great support upon his own personal efforts.
It is said that he declared this morning that &c
wou1diretnain in the field to the last, be beaten
Or win, whether Weed continued to support
him or not. Th.t being his determination, 1t
slate. Yet II anot4er person is brought for.
ward BY that faction there will not be ovcr
tour vutes that will support him, that number
is al1 the strength that EYarts has rot OF his
uwn perRonA strength. I doubt If, without
tho support Of the Regency, he can get one
morr vote than that. His friends were quite
saDguine this morning, but later in the day
the friends Of Greeley were declaring In all d.
rections that they were gaining strength. The
friends Of Hurris claiIn that they have ut least
thirty votes for their fayurl1e, but have not
as yet discovered any real change from the tlgy-
There is; however, q feeling OF favor Of going
over to Harris on the part Of q portion ofthe
Most Of those engaged in this contest, who
are trying to influence the members, do not
take the real view OF the atfIr. It is 1ot per-
eau it DO utterly confined TO contest between
Greeley and Weed. There is another issue
behind all this, or, in other word., it Is the
Tribune and the nu-c3n,promisa doctrine adyo-
cated by that journal, and not Greeley person.
ally considered, that enters into this coutro-
versy. Members may be influenced to yotc for
him On thc ground that be Is runniny against
the State; but as the lines are drawn between
Greeley and Eyarse, it il no compromise against
couclliation, and On those two issues they ure
salIy:uy their strength. II Weed wi hes to
defeat Greeley, do not see how he can accom-
plish it Without dropping Evarts aud taking
up some other man. Eaarts may be upon the
Garden speech goes down hard with the mem
bess from the western part OF the State. There
are men here to-day working for Greeley, that
one week ago would have nughed at tile idea
Of making INN Senator, aud nfe fighting upon
tie the issue STAGED uhure-
Although the friends Of Greeley continue to
be over eansuinc, get / cannot to-day see any
thing to change my figures from yesterday,
except by stating that more Of the Hafr.s men
will finally fall upon Greeley than Eya1te, ii
the contest remains to the Last between Greeley
and Evarts; yet ! cannot as yet find enough
members who will 60 upon Greeley to nolni-
nate him, neither do 6ee any possible chance
for Eva1ts to reach over dfty, or nine less than
the number requisite tor nomination.
= [Ftom the Scientific Americana
It may seem strange to many persons thai
the name Of the present Emperor Of France
should have been 30 often mentioned In arti-
cles which have appeared In our columns on
implements Of war. The re2sou Of this will be
told in few woods. Napoleon ILL is the rul-
ing spirit who has effected the cntiro Tevolu-
ton that has recently taken place tn the equip
ment Of soldicrs in all armies, with the rifle
instead of the musket; and he has given more
attention to this subject, perhaps, than any
other person living. About Elk years ago he
published d treatise on the" Past and Future
Of Artillery" and laid down IS fundamental
guide to all those who sought improvements
III Ennnery, that" such implements, to be re-
ally seryiceatlc, must be simple" "Whateyer
Is complicated" he eaid, :" will fill In produc-
Ing conclusive results In wnrfare-" He con-
deinned routine rs teuding to retard improve
ments, aud sligmatized those persons as aupid
who were "too much enamo1ed OF old ways
and practlces."
The idea Of simplicity in implements ofwar
has been adhered to by Napoleon with great
tenacity. The WAitworth and several other
breech loailin. cannon, famous in story, we're
offered to him, hut it Is stated that he rejected
them ali; aud We think he was right. 1t ap-
pears to ps that it is much easier to load d
heavy gun at the muzzle than ut the breecb,
because moyeab1c breech piece for a cannon
is SO very unwieldy, that it cannot be so cas.ly
handled, Us the charse aud ramrod at the muz-
zte. Such guns a1o also liable to get OUT Of
order by their breech screws expanding with
heat and stripping BY the Eecoil Of the dis
charge They have one advantage, however,
and only one; that is, they are we'll adapted
for washing cut, is they cal be rapidly sponged
by thrlstibg the swab through them from end
to end. But this does not afford sufficient
compensation for many Of their defects.
Common breech-loading haud rifles are lia-
bic to leakage, By the frequent opening and
shutting oi the bseech- To avoid this in
Shorpes rifles, they can be loaded at the muz-
zIc und the leakage prevented When one re-
quires to be wiped out" the opening OF the
treech afords most convenient Arrangement
for this purpo:a. Small aims may be more
subject to- the same objections, as the light
breech piece OF the former may be very easily
moved, while this can neyer be the case with
cspt. ]. Norton. q retired British officer,
who has been m active and scientific expert
projcctiles, has recently sent Us little volume
Containing notices Of Ills military inventions.
and in it We tind the description Of curious
prejectile, which may render iron war ships