The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-29

ChaAsSSos We No00lo Guns
| Technical plans and statements OF the con-
struction, range and efficiency Of the Prussian
needle gun and the French Ohassepot rife
have been so repeatedly published in our col
unns that it were useless to give them again
upod this ocoas:ca. The 6rst was tried
with results disastrous to the Austrian on the
bloody field of Sadowa. The second utterly
overwhelmed and appalled, Garibaldfs red
shirts at Montana. Now they are set over
against each other, and are to be welded by
the steadiest, the best disciplined and the most
renowned troops in the world. Military science
breathlessly awaits the result
Against the needle-gun it Is practically al
legged that after it has become heated by con-
tinuous firing, 1t gets clogged and stiff, 80 that
the soldier using it has sometimes to set the
butt on the ground and work the mechanism
by the pressure of his foot-a most awkward,
inconvenient and dangerous necessity. If
this allegation be strictly true the piece would
be a poor reliance at the critical moment Of
prolonged contest. But there are enthu-
siastic friends of the acknowledgement who
fatty deny that there is any drawback of the
kind to their favorite weapon. On the other
hand, the Chassepot rife throws out powder
behind, it is said, in such a manner as greatly
to confuse the soldiers aim while using it and,
moreover, should cartridge miss fire, he has
to open the chamber-nay, almost take it
apart-to get rid Of the useless encumbrance
and replace it with proper charge. The
hou full nf
this difficulty for some time, and were making
their preparations to distribute an improved
weapon; but the force of events and the press
ing difficulties of the situation leave them no
time to ''swap horses" They are in for the
fight, and should their reliance on the Chasse-
pot prove to be as delusive as some old war
veterans predict that it will, fearful demorali-
cation, similar to that which overlook the
brave Austrians in 1866, must ensue. In this
dilemma the Remington rife has renewed at
traction for military men. Officers recently in
this city, on mission to purchase firearms
for the Khedive of Egypt, expressed and
practically manifested decided preference
for the American article, and 1t is rumored
that European agents for the belligerent and
other Old World governments are eagerly
looking for the warlike productions Of Ameri-
can genius The most formidable vessel in the
great French navy is our old American IRON
| clad, the Dunderberg and the Stevens battery
on this side of the ocean is coveted by two or
three foreign competitors as being better than
anything that they can construct Why, then,
should not this war, since it must 60 on, afford
fresh opportunities for the triumph of cis-At-
lantic ingenuity? Why may we not invent
something that will utterly eclipse both Chasse-
pot and needle-gun, and, by the time that Gau'
and Teuton have grown tired of mutual
slaughter, show them in their exhaustion that
we have both the will and the means to keep
the peace hereafter 1t is quite certain
that If all that is said of both the weapons to
which we have referred and on which the issue,
for the moment, hangs, be true the fable OF the
Kilkenny cats will be illustrated on a stupen-
| dous scale in this Franco Prussian struggle.
| For loss and massacre victory will only be
little less disastrous, materially speaking, than
defeat Morally, however, defeat can amount
to nothing much better than utter demoraliza-
ton, instant loss of self-confdence and total
rout. Thus, in the wondrous ways of Provi-
dence the Chassepot and the needle-gun, 80
recently the rods of terror held over the heads
of two great populations, become, by being
| turned against each other, the ultimate coz
| joint allies of peace ard the people.