MORE ABOUT THE PRUSSIAN NEEDLE GUN.

West Coast Times, Issue 332, 16 October 1866, Page 6

MORE ABOUT THE PRUSSIAN NEEDLE GUN.

As any information relative to artillery and breechloaders, says "The Times" Vienna correspondent, must needs be of some interest to the British public, I will now give you a su .unary of the multifa-* nous remarks on the two subjects, which during the last three or four days have. - been made to me v by officers, physicians, surgeons, and wounded men. According to a Saxon officer of rank, the Austrian artillery, and more particularly the'eiglitpounders, is extremely good, but unfortunately for-the men under their command the Austrian commanders did not use it to the best advantage. "During the eno- a o e . ' in Bohemia it continually happened that this guns belonging to the different brigades were taken fr -m th§m in order to form long lines of ih-tnlery, which rendered little real- service. The needle-gun is not such a formidable as it is repre- y sented to ,be v and I verily believe that' the Austrians would have been victorious •at Koniggratz had they not been outmanoeuvred. The superior intelligence of the Prussians, and not their needle-gun,^ led to the defeat of their adversaries. As" 'the Prussians begin to fire at a distance of 700 or 800 yards, and continue to fire until they are within 200 paces of their enemy, there is an enormous consumption of ammunition. According to the surgeons, the wounds inflicted are in general very slight. In fact, the , medical men employed ,111 the Vienna hospital say that the great majority of their patients will boon be ready for active service again, as most of the wounds are mere flesh wounds." It cannot be doubted that the statement is correct, for the streets of the city and of the villages in- the environs are now full^ of soldiers who have one of ' their arms in a sling. The 'day before yesterday an Italian, veteran, who has ' three wounds, told me that he would •' rather have half- a-dozen Prussian " pellet 1 ' in his body than one French conicul bullet.