The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-07-28
VAR. TOPICS.

VAR. TOPICS.
vhe Rival Breeeh-Loaders-The Needle
Gun and the Chassepot.
If this new war does not produce some
other weapon hitherto known only 10 tnose
accustomed to manipulate it In secret Wactce'
the Chsssepot and the Prussian breech-loader
win be fairly tried against each other. su.
there are already suspicious or rumors 'ha'
each foe brings into the fight new ~esposo
which win contemplate the test. There Is tio
French mitrai]leuse, it is said, which ca1' ram
. bn,iets like hail. There Is also the Prussian
k,ooihitsen Whether hail or conlca snot
will carry the day it is impossible to say; but 1t
Ia noticeable that the war Of the nineteenth
J. century ia transferred to the artisans shop,
and that diplomacy and "tested fields" are
but agencies and instruments wherewith is
Obtained q trial of the inventive genirs OF bel
ncoss nations. II . ..,..
Y The Prussian needle gun Is the invention OF
Mr.. Drevses a manufacturer OF arms at SOM
merida. Who spent over thirty years 10 trying
TO construct perfect breeen-ioaong an r, E,Se
ignition is produced BY the intrusion OF nee
die into the illuminate attached to the cartridge:
The barrel Ia 36.o6 inches long, land .ts rined
). with .fonr grooves down:to the bresch. %nere
the chamber, or bed for the cartridge 9s
%Sets ass ,s1 s sIg asI egse as
yfhN 6affYfdRs freely; and the lower part Of the
shfife for distance OF 6. II Inches is enlarged
40 that the ball Is gradually compressed Into
The groves The rear Of the barrel Is conicai,
and Is called the :n0uthpaece: Over TINS part
there Is six-sided, cylinder, WlncD. 1olass at
next to the cylinder, has The nee
ale pine screwed; into: its ;breech.. The
bail, is spheria- -vvnical. The charge OF
powder is sc gTatne. The weight Of the Pr9s-
sian needle gun is q pounds to LIZ P0unas:
crew.driver, vice, &c. It can be safely and
easily cleaned, and the gun being small IS par,, p,
ticnlarly adapted for use In the contracted
space- of loophofes, on horseback, &C.. lne
objections to the Prussian needle gun are1ne-
danger OF weakening Of the splra sp.ipg
nropelled n with suficient force 4" pierce the
tesrtrid0e.sa On account OF the ease and rapid
tNitks ThicM It 81 loSded. there fs also danger
EtEf q WasSt or Ssa Tug sgialer,; IN
e.fhe heat 0f bstties VIII :pfseh hkeT hls {eeeS as
yfass Is possible, even when he kn0Te tae allng
snas NO effect To make theg nese, ,uss os.a1p ,s1
llffsirS The ePrussian: armyis very wei: trained
10 It's use and In this respect has an adyantags
French, who have never; Deem IN
lo3fS1S bassIe With their Chaasepot !
ffeaSm which has been ad0pted, Dy sne.
renEh army y he Celebrated GnasaePok lMs,i
.'r,Npaf mt apIthe hands ofan army obinfantry
9ItreSmbles the PrusAian needle gqn;t pue PCS
saesaa several improv During the iate
!, WSrbetEeen PrusslA and Ans1ia, the eheetVe
.awork ,of the newly invented needle gun at
tirttttsd tho notice Of all fighting nationR; ana
hhtrench. anticipating that theH Wolldsome-
!, called upon to punish Erossaa lor nsr
$ $ SSs3He eeflto work to invent % weapon that
! should surpass theineedle! gan IN Its power as
-.Susnafnem war. TIE result was the nVen-
) Sti6h Sy:N. iCAassepotx alter long and careful
ESeiifys hSyfug the PrussIan gun to aid him and
1&h fmptDvs ppon. q After the d new rihe
I'D beans I, tested !, oYer land over again,
sathee attention OF. the Emperor was hy1ted 70
afSSRa TWAS not; long before he was con-
I yfnce0 sel Ids superiority, and ordered fts
D aidobti6n in the; army; One Ok the principal
aanirrovenishts which; the Chassepot has over
. aiene6dfa gun or Prussia ls; that its movement
ID SimIlea and instead of being tightly inolos;
edifi edi $ke breach by-a cyftnder,tt ts almost
fully, Hx6bsed, Fsn6 thet temploymento India
SIsSs 3 an 9os9ste has besg bssaeai ischs 2 ed
: several times in. quick succession, becomes
,Hos:aSl damp fnthe cSfn1er, owing to. the I'M
fIsbiiity of the gas, Wh1Gn Comes back after
.-eIpl0sion Of the cartridge lt0 escape. Th6 mi
yAida soon. becomes dirty, and the solaierls rei
s@iped tOa take. his. psece19part and: clean It,
there tsino gas shut up in. O. chamber TO COT;
rode the metal, itcan ina moment be cleansed
offomi dirt 0f rust, and the soldier is always
aide to. quickly discover any accident 70. his
HE. his claimed that this gan is not 80 easily
Sloggsd as the Prussial needle egun, and ismore
: Substantially built. The Chassepot ts, ,asndled
,ths Sim In tie etthaHd WITH the butt end testi
ing on the left Mps. The oleter Is then turned
With bpt,,one moyement) from right; t9leti
and WITH aanth null leh hbasks aNeriwhich the
cartridge y inHefted into the opening thus et!
footed. j Ry ., third d.lnoyament- pushing back
CsT1cs ready to be fired Of. Theopfo}eeAe ID
.a-rathAf long sing uith the: end rounded and
& % sstssied to 4 II 3 paper @ 6 Covering, is COM
posed OF q peculiar powder, specially manu-
aGbfddS for the purpose The .distance az
which this gun carries with certainty, is very
considerable 1000 metres BON luz sne IN IN,
hntry and the, chasseuTs have only the one
model, but the bayonets differ, In 30 tar as
those Of the chasseurs are sword bayonets.
yats..7se- The Health OF Napoleon. 30 =
AParis correspondent Of the New York Eve
ming Post, referring to the health Of the EN-
peror Napoleon, states that the physician of
his Imperial Hghness declares him to be an
..impossIble" patient, who Is always in such g
.hary 10 gyt yen that his convalescence is re-;
tarded BY his efforts to help nature in doing
more than the doctors prescribe. AZ one time,
in the midstot q severe attack OF the g0ut, ne
WAS found by his attendants applying lighted
luclier matches to the soles of his feet as coun-
tar.irritants. 1t another, when troubled with
q headaIhe,tle pat so much emetic ointment
on The nape Of his neck that he was blistered
down to his ehoulder-blades. II have overdone
II. doctor. he said, In reply to remembrance
fYom tie latter, and It is all very well for you
to. say, that ! had better walt for you. but
yo1 see, I haven time to be SICK" Indeed,
Ills impatience has ;bepomei quite teverish; he
seems to think that he will die before he can
establish his son on the throne, and directly he
begins to benefit by change OF air or Of medi-
1oAf treatment, overtaxes his strength. bodily
and mentally, taking long and fatiguiDg walks,
and working with his secretaries, during all Of
which time o cigarette Is never oul Of his
mouth 1t is also stated ethat the Emperor has
done what great many people far less mag
nifcento have. dnns tbetore him. While con-
thinning Tn take the nreScrlptiOns Of the all0-