The New York herald., 1870-08-13
The French Cannon.


To destroy your enemy IN the shortest time, in the
easiest and at the least possible expense Is
the first maxim OF war. The stone that whisted
from David's sling, the bullet OF the "zundnaael-
gewehr," and the voliey Of the ''machine gun" had
all the same object. Since the days OF Roger Bacon
the aim Of all improvements In firearms has been to
carry the greatest possible number of deaths
to the greatest possible distance, Grape
canister case and shrapnel all contain
bullets, and are all me ins for multiplying
deashs. The field gun mows down It's hundreds by
showers OF case at close quarters, at longer dis
tanceS rains bullets from the bursting snrapnel.
The mitraleur, or machine gun, on the contrary,
sends large number OF small prolecties Indspend-
entity, ana with precision, 10 con siderable distance
We may divide arms on the latter principle INTO two
ciasses-firs, those which discharge their bullets
breech; and. secondly those In which each cartridge
has It's corresponding barrel, the charging ana dis
pie. 1t Is obvious tnat for rough usage and coniiDu-
Gus ring II Is be.te that large nhmber OF rounds
should be fired from considerable number OF bar
reis SO placed az to support each Other and add
strength to the whole machine.
The French mtra.lleuse, as well as the Belgian
Montlsny belongs to she second Glass; and the fol-
lowing brel description Is equally applicable TO both
atms:-The Machine Fun con lists cluster OF bar
rcs. either bound together Or bored out OF The solid.
and mCunted on the same principle as an ordinary
field gun. At few hundred yards, indeed, iG would
be diIicult to Distinguish between these Weapons,
attached MASSIVE breech action, capable ol being
opened and closed by q lever. IN the MOntlgny arm
the cartridges are carried in steel plates perforated
with holes corresponding in number and position
to the holes III the BARREL Tins steel plate i'm
fact forms the event piece of the system.r The
central fire cartridges Deing dropped into the
holes III the steel plate, stand out at right angles
from it, and the plates. thus ready charged, are
SO carried In Timber and axletIec boxes speclaljy
fitted Tor their rec .ption When the gun comes into
action the breach Is drawn back, steel plate tnli or
cartridges is dropped into It's corresponding SLOT
and the breech block thrust forward and sectii ed.
The gun Is now on full COCK and contains from
thirty to forty cartridges, which are fired by 'bar
rel or laln handle citier one 10y one as the hanlle
WORKS round cck.click, or III vollcy by the rapid
turn Of the wrist When The gun s empty the breech
block Is again Withdrawn; the steel plite, carrying
the empty cartridge cases, lifted out, and fresh
plate opped In, II necessary. The advantage pos
sessed by the machine gun over Infantry IRE Is
that 1t IS never In "funk.n Bullets may ram
around, bursting shells may nl the air. still the
thirty barrels OF the mtrailleuie shoot ike one
man, and at 500 or LOG Yards WIN pour yolley after
to Twelve Ieet in diameter. No boring OF fixing of
fuses IL required, and the whole operation is per-
formed 50 rapidly that two stea ly, cool men, could
maintain fire OF ton discharges per minute. ON
the other hand, the Mltraeuse could not well COM
bon IL viii assuredly be met. Its bullets would Nave
Comparatively slight effect at the ranges at which
field artillery proectiles are perhaps most oIrectivc
whIc its SIZE would Oncr n very fair mark 10 the
gunner. The foreign press are welcome TO write
JSrftronndoes about the sud len death OF wretched
horses at incredible distances, This IL peace prac.
tee. The horses came from the knacker's yard not
from the banks OF the Ellc, ana there were no
Unlans sitting en- them. We are aIso tempted on
such occasions TO take the square root OF the re.
ported distance as the actual range. The future of
The MItralleuse however, depends on com ng facts
The days experiments are over; there are hundreds
OF machine guns trundling toward the Rhine. 1fie
drum-liKe roll OF their vOeys may long be heard
III the vineyards OF Rudeshem or the edge OF the
Black Fo est and TIE "thud' OF the bullet NAV
come from something softer than wooden target.
Yes, tho machine gun Is en- route Tor the Rhine, the
experiments Will be on gigantic scale: and
Mr.. Cardwell may adjourn his special commission
uutt after Christmas, at any rate. BY that time the
voice Of war viii have given the vtrdct by that
time the Chassepot, the acknowledgements, the
shrapne and tue volley gun will each be credited
with glastly account, we shall know which
engine dest Oys human life in the shortest time tho