SOMERVILLE'S GUN.
Two more instances of death by gun accidents are recorded in our columns. We were about to express our regret, for the hundredth time, that such disasters—which, to u s at least, appear of so easy pre vention—should be ever and anon occurring; and to call the atten- tion, once more, of such gentlemen readers and shooters as have no fancy for shooting themselves or their friends, to SOMERVILLE'S Safety-gun; when our eye lighted on a letter from a correspondent, begging for a description of that most useful invention, and asking where it was to be procured, and what it cost. We can only answer the latter part of this question by stating, that Mr. SomsavtLy:P has a patent; that he resides in Scotland; and. that in Edinburgh un- questionably, but we should think also in London, the gun may to got—we ourselves have seen it in London, but in the hands of a sportsman. Its cost above that of a gun of the ordinary kind, we cannot estimate exactly, for much of the price of all guns depends on the name of the maker and the fashion; we believe, however, that the cost of adapting the safety-apparatus to a common gun is some four or five pounds.
Mr. SOMERVILLE, we have said, resides in Scotland be is, in fact, the worthy clergyman of a rural parish a few miles from the Modern Athens ; and his happy invention—for so 'we truly deem it—was first suggested by the tragical death, from a gun accident, of the son of one of his own parishioners. It is not easy to describe his Safety-gun without a diagram; but the principle of it is easily understood. In firing the ordinary gun, one motion is alone ne- cessary, and hence its danger. A twig, a stone, a shake even, any force sufficient to draw the trigger, puts the life of the owner of the fatal instrument, and of his companions, in jeopardy. To dis- charge the Safety-gun, two motions are required, one with the left and the other with the right hand; the left must release the guard spring, the right draw the trigger, before the gun can possibly go off—hence its safety. The simultaneous application of two sepa- rate forces to two separate points, for the production of a common effect, naturally indicates, as Mr. SOMERVILLE, in his printed de- scriptioñ of it; well remarks, *not accident, but a combination and forethought, that exclude the idea of accident. • Now, it must not be imagined by sportsmen, that the spring, operated on by the left hand, impedes in any degree the free use of the gun. The very contrary is the case. As the Safety-gun cannot possibly be discharged until the moment when the bearer desires it, it is always carried cocked. Thus, instead of losing time, the spring saves time. The sportsman has but to raise his weapon to his shoulder and fire; whereas, withan ordinary gun, he must first cock, then level, then fire. The perfect practice of the spring may be acquired by the dullest dog that ever followed a four- footed brother, in an hour or two's exercise, in his room, previous to taking the field; and, in a very short time—a day or two at most—the left hand is found to .perform its function with the same readiness of instinct that the forefinger of the right performs its function. Soon after the Safety-gun was invented, Mr. SOMERVILLE cir- culated, among a few of those who were content to try its efficacy, a set of queries; among which were the following- " 1st. Can you kill more game with Mr. Somerville's gun than with an or- dinary one ?
"d. How much more, calculating on the whole season, and taking into the account accidental rises ?"
The answers were uniform : we need only quote those of Lord HOPETOUN'S gamekeeper- " 1st. Certainly I can kill more game with Mr. Somerville's gun than with
the old. "2d. I think Mr. Somerville's gun gives a superiority of one fourth absolute safety,'' and 25 per cent. of additional execution. Is any thing else required? •
. * The "absolute safety," against accidents; is not in the ratio of one fourth, but be- es an Indeeil, va! have i2dways.considered accidental discharge to halm m rendered, by this invention, impossible. Even against the bursting of the barrel, Mr. SONERV1LLE has provided a safeguard.
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