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Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 29, 6 August 1864, Page 3

MOETALITY FEOII SHOT IN BATTLE. — It has been questioned whether, without the invention of tlie bayonet, the musket of the last century would have permanently superseded the crossbow of the middle ages. And it admits of no doubt that, often in our own times, tbe consciousness of the defects of the firelock, impelled our men to resort to the strong and certain thrust of the bayonet, rather than to rely for their safety on the chance performances of the clumsy and capricious " Brown Bess." Nor was there wanting authoritative testimony to sustain this mistrust. At the battle of Sxlamanca only 8,000 men were put Jiors de combat, although 3,500,000 cartridges were fired, together with 6,000 cannon balls (besides which there were charges both of cav.ilry and the line) ; so that, as regards the line, only one shot in 437 took effect. "Au [ officer engaged at "Waterloo says that he could not see more than three or four saddles emptied by the fire of one side of a square of British infantry upon a body of French cavalry close to them ; yet Buonaparte complimented our men on the superior steadiness of their aim. During the continental campaigns, he and his marshals held that 450 yards was a safe distance from all small arms, the rifle included." Colonel "Wilford, in the course of a lecture delivered at the United Service Institution in London, in November, 1859, stated that during the Caffre war, 80,000 cartridges were fired in a single engagement in which only twenty-five of the enemy fell. An engineer officer, who, in one of the great battles of the last war, had on opportunity of witnessing the effect of musketry upon cavalry charging a square, states that a volley at thirty paces brought down only three men. The French admit that during the Crimean war they fired away upwards of 25,000,000 cartridges, and certainly did not hit 25,000 men, nor kill one-half that number by musketry fire. "We believe," says the Tmes, writing about that period, " that the calculation used to be that one bullet in 250 carried death ; and that estimate is probably not far from the truth." — The Story of the Chins, by Sir E. J. Tennant. Cheap Love-making. — A good story is current ,about a certain gay cab-owner, plying not a hundred miles from Sandhurst. It appears cabby is ardently devoted to the fair sex. Some twelve months' since an interesting widow attracted the attention of the amorous Jehu, who was speedily mesmerised, as like mortals are wont to be under similar influences. The enraptured swain confessed his affection, and with the view of smoothing the course of love, presented his " flame " with a clock and his portrait. These gifts, however, had not the effect desired, and his fair one, considering him not exactly what she approved of, subsequently confided her happiness to a moi c favored lover. Some months after her marriage, cabby, wreathed in smiles, presented himself at the bride's house, , and requested the portrait and clock, which he stated he had lent to her. Having learnt that the same clock had been, on a previous occasion, lent to another female to whom he had been paying his addresses, and judging that cabby wanted them for the purpose of lending them to some other sweetheart, she stoutly ; refused to assist him in making, love tinder false .pretences, and declined to 1 surrender the ..tokens pi his: affection, and at ■ the. s^me : time.; in^ formed him that his portrait had been given by her to a photographic artist' to -lurnish his gallery, conspicuously situated in? 'the.' tpwnshipy: ..; ;i Caljby's itidignaiiioii may M easily imagined. Legal proceedings, are threatened, and; -no doubt some fun will result!' "