The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-26

the Musee de lArtillerie there is a revolver,
matchbox musket and an arm called PAmusette
of Marechal SAKE. In the Correspondence de
Napoleon l" is letter from the Minister of
Police to the Emperor, concerning breech-
loader, patented by Pauly, gunmaker of Paris.
Pauly received a gratuity of ten thousand
francs and his system was submitted to a mill
tary commission. 1t was rejected as being too
complicated and unfit for a campaign. From
respect for NJ. Pauly the commission Kept
silence and rejected the arm without publishing
its defects The idea of breech-loaders, how
ever, was not abandoned, and in 18l314
mandatory was established at ST. Eustace for
the fabrication of guns and pistols la Pauly.
The result was not satisfactory
The Neede-gun.
In 1885 Lefaucheux (who, like Dreysse, the
father of the celebrated Prussian needle-gun,
had been employed in Paulys manufactory)
produced riled breech-loader, but it was unfit
for soldiers in actual service. The Prussians
took every precaution to conceal the advantages
of their needle-gun from other powers, and
throughout Europe in France especially, officers
of distinction laughed at it. The Prussian cam
paign and sadowa, however, astonished the
military wiseacres. When the thirty-irst and
last volume of the Correspondence de Napo-
leon l" was about to appear, the son of COM
panion of the Emperor at st. Helena found
among his fathers papers The Project of
Napoleon himself, and in which appears the fol-
lowing:--
The infantry musket with its bayonet, is the
most perfect arm invented by man. Clever
mechanicans have made attempts to load the
musket at the breech, to charge it with fulmi-
mating powder for fifteen or twenty shots at
time, to suppress the fintlocks. These attempts
have not yet answered the requirements but
everything leads to hope for success from the
progress made by the chemical and mechanical
arts. When these ameliorations are adopted
the firing will be more active. At the present
time, of six or seven shots. one, at least, misses
either because the priming does not take fire or
because it does not ignite the charge.
Terrible Engines Both sides.
Should war be declared the carnage will be
frightful. Both France and Prussia are in pos
session of engines for the destruction of human
life more terrible than the Chassepot. The effect
of Les files du Con1nadaddnt, as the new n,trdil-
leuseS are playfully nicknamed, have been tried
at Satory on three hundred horses bought from
! q knacker for few francs each. There were
| two mitrdilIeuses on the ground. In less than
| three minutes the three hundred horses were
! killed. On Thursday a similar experiment was
tried on five hundred with even more startling
| effect.
| All soldiers, however, are anxious to press
forward to the frontier for death or destruction,
| Marechal Canrobert, commanding the Army oi
Paris among the rest. He demanded to be
actively employed but the Emperor replied
eyes, my dear Marechal. During my absence
require a man in Paris on whom | can rely
There is no one in whom have more confidence
than yourself"
The French NIitraiIIeur.
The nlrd1LteuT, referred TO In the a0oVe cor
respondence, which is as yet untried in practi
cal warfare, is considered by the French as the
most destructive military weapon known. Re
Gently three hundred wretched horses, ALREADY
condemned to the poleax, were purchased at tn,
rate of four or five francs each, and ranged at
considerable distance. Two mitrailleures wer,
brought to play on them, and in three minutes
after two discharges not one of the animals re
mained standing. On second occasion fiv
hundred horses were brought down at a single
trial. This formidable weapon is constructed a
follows:-
1t is a light 37-barrelled gun, arranged that it
barrels may be discharged simultaneously, con
secutively. The 81 cartridges, intended for on
charge, contained In a small box. A steel plate
with corresponding holes is placed the open box
which is then reversed, and the cartridges fal
points foremost into their respective holes. The
are prevented from falling through by the rim
at their bases The loaded plate Is then in
troduced into the breech-slot and when tn
breech is closed by lever, a number @
steel pins, pressed by spiral springs, are onl
prevented from striking the percussion arrangement
in the cartridges by plate in front of them. Whe
this is moved slowly by handle the cartridge
are fired one by one. II the plate be withdraw
rapidly they follow each other quickly that thei
| discharge is all but simultaneous. The inventio
seems very well adapted for use in forts or Othe
permanent places of defense offense but its cal
| riage and management In the field would proven
many and insuperable obstacles to its general use