The armoury is situated apart, and con'tains 91,000 stand of arms, simply but neatly arranged. The average price of each musket is eleven dollars--fic upon England! I mean Old England, that gives so much more niggardly a price. They are all in high order and with agate flints, the flat side uppermost—a plan which I cannot get my fellows to adopt. This noble national establishment is calculated for 250 operatives when in full work at present only 140 are employed, earning from thirty-five to fifty dollars per month. Some work by the day, others by the piece. The shops are opened at the ringing of a bell at half-past four both in summer and winter. Those who work by the day must perform ten hours labour, and no intemperance is permitted; for a man observed to be the least excited by liquor is instantly discharged. A most obliging and intelligent opera AMERICAN MUSKETS. 87 tive, who walked round with us, explained every thing; he first shewed us the barrel, stock, &c., piece-meal, and then the musket complete. We went to the provinghouse, very simply and well arranged, where fifty barrels are proved at a time; the first charge is the sixteenth part of a pound, or one ounce; the second twenty-two drachms. Each barrels weighs four pounds five ounces; the whole complete, with fixed bayonet, ten pounds and a half. The bayonet enters on a pivot and is then turned, and all have brass pans. I blushed when I thought of Brummagem jobbing and contracts; for here all, every, and cach component part of a firelock are made according to pattern and in one mould.. The stocks, all turned from the walnut by the same machine, and at the same time a spring is fixed for the ramrod; the locks are all tested in a steel gauge; the hammers, pans, pins, barrels, stocks, &c., undergo the 888 A HINT TO THE ORDNANCE. minutest examination; there being a chief inspector in each shop and for cach article: thus every part may be taken at random, and will supply any deficiency that may occur. They have no armourers with their regiments, but have depôts in cach state, so that when a soldier breaks or spoils any part of his firearm, his piece is immediately taken into store and replaced by another. It would, I conceive, be a better plan to furnish a certain number of cach part to the quartermaster of every corps, and make him charge the soldier for such as are issued to him. Every thing we saw appeared to be of the best, and all forming part of a great whole. Their powder is also firstrate and beautifully glazed. Why does not our Ordnance Board now and then take a hint from other countries -abolish contracts, and set up for itself? We had inquired before we set out, NO FEES IN AMERICA. 89 whether it was necessary to offer any fee: the answer was, that the Americans like themselves to see, and to shew to strangers all that is going on in their public works without payment; and that the proffer of money would offend. Ye Tower Beef-eaters, hide your diminished heads! Ye well-tipped Swiss at St. Denis and elsewhere, keep your well-greased palms for ever shut! and ye pampered lacqucys at England's proud show-palaces, take a leaf out of John Ford's book-from whom we parted with mutual kind feelings and gracious smiles; we thankful for the valuable information he had clearly and concisely given us, and he delighted with our approbation of all we had seen. Adieu! Endfield LETTER IX. Shakers and Shakeresses-Their Dress, Evolutions, Dances, Tunes, and Doctrines-John Pease-Ann Lee, the Foundress of the SectTheir Social Economy. Springfield, August 30, 1840. "Tully Goram's my delight: It maks us a' in ain unite, To dance away with all our might, You will call this, my dear friend, a singular commencement of a Sunday's epistle. I admit that it is so; but it chimes in with the scene we have just been witnessing. If the Shakers' doctrine be the true one, our system of kneeling and praying ought immediately to give place to singing merry songs and dancing Scotch reels. One thing |