ELEY'S PATENT SHOT-CARTRIDGES.

I have taken as much trouble about these cartridges as if I had been a partner in the concern; because I found the invention to be one of great merit. But, for want of their being brought to perfection before they were served to the public, there arose many prejudices, which it has been a work of time to overcome. This having been effected, they are now in universal use, and for a wild open country when the season is advanced, or for shooting by day at wild fowl, I cannot say too much in their favour. Mr. Eley's sons still carry on the business in Broad-street, Golden-square, which I am happy to state is deservedly flourishing.

Through the hard winters of 1837 and 1838, I generally loaded one of my large barrels with a light patent cartridge (made expressly according to my directions), and the other with a heavy charge (20 ounces) of loose shot, put up, for the convenience of drawing, in a common cartridge, and was thus prepared for all distances. To show that the new cartridge will kill well, even at short distances, I need only state that one evening coming home, under the moon, I suddenly got within about 60 yards of 12 geese; and having only my left barrel loaded, I was obliged to shoot with the cartridge. I expected to blow one or two birds to pieces, and lose all the rest. But to my surprise, on rowing up, I found 11 of the birds quite dead, and the other giving his last kick.-Now, on the other hand, to long distances:- I fired a cartridge, from the same lot, at not more than 100 curlews, on the ice,

at about 140 yards. I picked up 28 of them; and nearly a score more escaped, wing-broken, across the creeks.

Now for a proof of the small cartridges. I fired above a gross of them in stopping crippled wigeon and geese afloat, where I could, of course, observe the effect of every shot on the water, and I never once saw an instance of their balling. I sometimes used the "Reds" (which are my favourites), and, at others, the "Blues" (which are now recommended for general shooting) and stopped my cripples, at all distances, from 10 to 50 yards: and although, by trials at quires of paper, I had found that the new cartridge shot better with a wadding on the powder*, yet I here dispensed with wadding altogether, for the great convenience of loading in an instant, by which I can safely say I was a gainer of 100 more geese in the season. It was quite delightful to see the rapidity with which I popped them off (leaving my follower to pick them up), after stopping my 40 or 50 (and, at one time, near 100), with the double stripe of the great championI found the little red cartridge a glorious dose for the heads of winged hoopers, that were all but beating me in a heavy sea. In short, all was perfection (except the repeated failure of copper caps); and I have, therefore, now only to say, that I can conscientiously give my unqualified approbation to the patent cartridge of Messrs. Eley; who, I hope and trust, will recover all former losses, and ultimately make a fortune by it.

gun.

[1844.-As I found that the cartridges were often spoiled by the splash of salt water, I, of late years, got Messrs. Eley to varnish them. If a cartridge is too tight,

I have now a letter before me, of the late Mr. William Eley, admitting this.

roll it hard on a table: if too small, ram it down with extra force.]

I will now conclude on these cartridges, by copying from my memorandum-book a trial (and here, for brevity's sake, giving merely the average of it), that I made on the 21st of July, 1837.

Messrs. Eley now manufacture what for a long time I was felt to be a desideratum -a portable case for holding their cartridges, which, without this contrivance, were inconvenient to carry, and apt to break in the pocket.

FLINTS.

NONE are better than the most transparent of the common black flints. Great quantities (considered as good as any) come from Lord Cadogan's estate, at Brandon. They should be put in with the flat side upwards, stand well clear of the hammer, and yet be long enough to throw it. Screw them in with leather; as lead strains the cock, and cloth is dangerous, from being liable to catch fire. If very particular about the neat appearance of your gun, get a punch for stamping the leathers, and change them as often as you put new flints.

To make a flint strike lower, you have only to reverse the usual way of putting it in; but if you want it to strike higher, you must either put a very thick leather, or screw the flint in with a bit of something under it. This temporary way of regulating a lock, so as to make the hammer fall, is worth knowing, as it often saves vexation and loss of time.

WADDING.

PAPER not being stiff enough, hat dirty, card too thin, and leather apt to soften with the heat of the barrel, the common, and perhaps the best punched wadding, is pasteboard. The larger the bore, the thicker should be the wadding.

All this attention, however, is only required in covering the powder; as (except in double guns, where the charge of one barrel has to encounter the explosion of the other) it would be better to wad the shot with common card, or even paper, knowing that much resistance on that does more harm than good.

Common cartridges are bad, as they do not keep the powder sufficiently air-tight, like the proper wadding; add to which, they sometimes fly unbroken, and can never be depended on. I should therefore make use of them only when I wanted to load in a hurry. I have a friend, however, an old sportsman, who would for many years never even hear of any other mode of loading. He was at last persuaded, by a gentleman in Dorsetshire, as good a shot, and as good a judge of a gun, as any man living, to try some experiments, which he readily agreed to do, from a confidence of making good his argument in favour of cartridges. What the particulars of this trial were, I do not exactly remember; but I know that my friend has never used a cartridge since.