The Portland daily press., 1872-02-22
THE PRESS.
THURSDAY MORNING, FEB. 9s, 1879.


exquisite for the defence of barricade. or th,
contest in the street, up to the armament
necessary for whole army corps during a 81,
months campaign, what a number of Stat,
secrets one might learn. Monaco, to all in
tents and purposes, is at peace with all tn,
world. Suddenly comes stranger into tn,
arm market. He buys derringer and paw.
for it. Next day revolver tempts his fancy
The next day he purchases gross of them
and orders them by express, c.. o. D., fol
Monaco. Before the week is over thousand
Remingtons, or Enfields, or Sharpes, or Gal
lashers, of the most approved pattern, with a
million or so of cartridges, follow. Two OF
three weeks elapse, when suddenly, like a
storm in the summer skies, bursts forth to
the world the horrid news that either barri.
cades, defended with armed men, have
sprung up like enchantment in the streets Of
Monaco, and that the prince is fighting fol
his life, or that that mighty potentate has
formed junction with the pope, to fight over
again the Schleswis-H -Holstein question. All
the world, even the astute Bismarck, is as
tonlshed, and several diplomatists hang them
posted. Yet two or three very quiet men
either in l. ndon or New York have been for
some time perfectly aware that some trouble
was brewing there, and have been expecting
news OF a bellicose character from this QUAR-
ter for the last month. OF course IL was none
OF their business to inquire what the arms
We're to be used for. Regarded as simple ar
tlcles OF merchandise, put on precise footing
with soap or sugar, somebody wanted them,
paid the price for them, and that was the end
OF it. OF course they knew q row of some
kind was Matching there, but that was some
body else's lookout.
The business of buying and selling arms.
though an important one before the civil war,
during the rebellion reached to an enormous
extent. Since that period with occasional
lulls, 1t has been very constant one Save
England and Prussia, there is not a single
country in Europe, Africa, Asia or South
America that has not been a large purchaser
OF arms from the United States. South Amer
lea and Mexico seem to be wanting some
thing to blow their heads off with, or to rip
out their vltals with all the year round. They
may be described with Cuba as being ALWAYS
in the market. Lead in musket-balls is never
heavy in these marts, and lines of guns are
always going off. An insatiate desire for
every kind OF weapon of destruction seems to
influence them. In Mexico, revolutions and
counter-revolutions can be counted upon
with the same certainty by the trade, as gro
GERS are sure OF disposing of their extra stock
OF plums and citron about Christmas time.
Minor South American States are ALWAYS
making pronunciamientos, and all such long
sounding terms have for Interpreters gum
shots and sabre slashes.
The revolution made in late wears in
breech-loading pieces did for while unsettle
the market, yet there Is demand for muzzle-
leaders, Even the old-fashioned 'Brown
Bess," with the gaping muzzle and gun-fiint
arrangement, at present considered as q pre-
Adamite weapon, has its admirers. In fact
there is good demand for them. Did you
hunt the market through you could not find
1000 OF them. East and west coasts of Africa
want this kind of gun, and when they can be
found, they may be shipped to our African
brothers with goodly chance of profit. Some
time ago paragraph ran through the Amer
lean press in regard to large quantity of We
ry fair muskets, bought at very low figure,
and shipped to China and Japan. They
found no sale there, the Chinese and Japa-
nese disdaining anything else than breech-
leaders. The large houses selling arms of all
kinds and qualities, strange to say, occupy at
times the position of being neutral ground.
During the Crimean war, Russia and Eng
lish ordnance officers met very frequently in
e.AS ceiAS SoeoDiiohiAiOlbs CdCA OlC DuSy DIS 10
the interests of his government, only occupi-
ed with heidea Of getting the best arms in the
quickest possible period, knowing, of course.
all the time, that they might be buying the
exact weapon which might be the means of
exterminating each other. To-day, Spaniard
siealtfEYY sRa tfEYban buy side by side, exchange a
about one another's health, each one HR89pHlfs
internally to see the other garroted.
The business is one requiring enormous
capital, and no end of acuteness. Credits are
out of the question. If war is pleasant
amusement, it must be settled for, as far as
powder and guns go, on the spot. ''No
money, no fight seems, and very properly,
to be rule with the trade. Timbuctoo may
have it all its own way to-day, and may have
paid millions for its guns, and Sackatoo may
be at its last gasp. The former might ask a
credit for just thousand dollars more. But
war at all times is risky business, and before
a week is over the Sackatooans may be rout-
ing the Timbuctooans, foot, horse and dra-
goons, and yonr money risked in Timbuctoo
will be good for nothing.
The enormous character of the business
can hardly be appreciated at single glance.
1t is perfectly impossible to say what coun-
try may want after single engagement. A
defeat costs millions ON millions of dollars,
and victory but little less. A house in this
,or,,;,o 80 onl,, e.. r,,,,,a ~ g. a,N.i.
amI abe n4o co. o hs.tn; ,U Dd. ,oa oio.nes
auu 'hooS, nv ~, 1as'ols @ anu a., naai..ess, aau
nuS' uo pioparou W "uI wen euI:iseehce ~ 70
!ne eateSory Vi wants. napluI.y ., execution
IS Is eVelytnlhg. ~ o may De worth wnile 70 pay
IN IN oraer & 70 get o,ooU guns 9. certain place,
AZ gwen tilne, Miliion oi Gohars, When
uenery d week Iater wouIu oe worse tnal
useless. Inc scope OF m'nd, the power o.
complnatioh, tne precision as 10 aetaii ac,
CURED oy tne ieaaihg houses IN TINS KIND o.
.raoe partahes ol tne miraculous. once an
inpoitaht contract gwen Lhem tne utmost
care Is taKen tnat not only tne quahty OF the
az arms snaii De sucn as is required, put tnat al
tne mhuIl@ OF detan as 70 dehvery ana snip
menu EN- snan De stricIly l0howed.
Inc pronts IN tne business must be I'M
mense. When Tunes are peaceful, stock may
De accumulated az very low ngures. Good
guns may De nad then at prices ranging irom
3ne on, dollar anu even less up 70 n'e OF seven, ven
Ihey may stay III she walehouses 5 one VI 'mo v.
years OF more, wnen % suuuenH .ne iaSe , ror
I tha Sann o oa@ar nuroh Of thaS
anu tues De.ono nc easo. A.;u VI 'io.e me.