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It will be recollected by most of our readers that Congress, at the last session, made an appropriation of $25,000 for the purpose of altering the government muzzle-loading firearms to breech-loading, and authorized a trial to be made of all breech-loading arms susceptible of adaptation to this change, whose owners were willing to compete, with a view of ascertaining their relative merits. The Board of Ordnance officers, consisting of Col. Ripley, Captain Maynadier, and Major Ramsay, detailed by the Secretary of War to examine and report on such plans as might be submitted by inventors, have lately concluded their examination, and it is presumed will soon furnish their report to the Secretary. The programme of the recent trial, which took place at West Point, was as follows : 20 rounds for accuracy, at 100 yards ; 80 rounds more, to make 100, for endurance ; 20 rounds for rapidity ; 20 rounds for accuracy at 600 yards ; 3 rounds for penetration. The competing guns, named in the order in which they were filed before the Board, were Morse's, Joslyn's,JMt. Storm's, Merrill's, May-nard's, and Sharp's ; and all of them had been altered from muzzle to breech-loading, Storm's having been altered from an old U. S. rifle, and although,' in consequence, somewhat rough in appearance, elicited marked evidences of approval from the general ease and facility with which it was handled throughout the trial. The following is the tabular statement, as prepared by the correspondent of the New York Times, the guns bSing placed in the order of their apparent superiority in each branch of the trial : TWENTY BOCNPB POE A00UEA0Y, AT ONE HUNDRED YAEDS. Mt. Storm............ 11 Morse.................. 4 Joslyn................ 2 Maynard............... 5 Sharp.................. 31 Merrill.................. 6 FOE ENDCBANOE— ONE HUNDRED ROUNDS. All the guns stood the test in this respect, but Sharp's evidently worked hard, and Morse had twenty-eight miss-fires. EAPIDITT—TWENTY BOUNDS. M. S. if. S. l..Mt. Storm....... 2 10 4..Joslyn........... 2 65 2..Merrill.......... 2 25 5..Morse........... 3 40 3..Sharp............ 2 45 6..Maynard....... 4 15 TWENTY EODND8 FOE ACCCEAOY—BIX HCNDBED YABDB. Balls in target. Sails in target. l..Mt. Storm.......... 11 4..Joalyn.............. 5 2..Sharp.........-..... 7 5..Maynard............ 3 3..Morse.............. 7 6..Merrill.............. 3 PENETEATION—INCH BOARDS, INCH APABT, THIBTY YAEDS. Mt. Storm.............. 1 Joslyn.................. 4 Morse................... 2 Sharp.................. 5 Merrill.................. 3| Maynard............... 6 This result being estimated by allowing for different weight of powder and ball, and not merely for the number of inches passed through, which were in the order of firing first named, to wit: THREE ROUNDS EACH. PT&ight Wright Rounds. of ball, afp'der. ,------------'------------, Total. grains, graitu. 12 3 inches. Morse...... J44 70 12% 12% 13M 37% Joslyn...... 660 60 VOi 11 9 32X Mt. Storm.. 600 60 12 11K UK 34$ Merrill..... 744 70 13 \%y, MX % Maynard... 744 70 11M 11 Wi SSK Sharp....... 551) 70 10 11X 10 SIX After these results were obtained, Storm proposed that all the guns should be immersed in water for a stated period, and afterwards tried, to see what effect this exposure, to which they are likely to be subjected to in p ctice, would have, but this was objected to. He also proposed that they should be thrown against rocks, or down precipices, to further test their powers of endurance, but all refused compliance to this course, except Sharp. Four of the guns tried were loaded with the usual cartridge, and Mt. Storm's had the additional advantage of capability of being loaded with loose powder and ball.
