In a proclamation of Queen Elizabeth dated 1596, it is stated, “You shall bring with you all such furniture and weapon for footmen as you stand charged withall by statute, or have formerly shewed at other musters heretofore, changinge your billes into pikes, and your bowes into muskettes accordinge to our sayde former letters.” ~Muskets with two locks.~ ~Match-lock preferred.~ ~Match made of.~ In France, as late as 1702, when the flint had wholly superseded the pyrites, and the structure differed very little from our present musket-locks, an additional cock was attached to the end of the lock-plate, and a sliding cover placed over a hole in the hammer-seat, for the purpose of lighting the powder by a match, if the flint failed. The match was therefore from its simplicity, preferred from all others for a considerable period, and is still used by the Chinese, Tartars, Persians, and Turks, in some provinces either wholly, or partially. The match itself was made of cotton or hemp, spun slack, and boiled in a strong solution of saltpetre, or in the lees of wine. ~Iron ramrod 1740.~ In the time of Frederick the Great, (1740 to 1786), the invention of the iron ramrod by the Prince of Dessau, trifling matter as it seems, doubled the value of the fire of infantry. Prior to this the rammer had been made of wood, and was called the scouring stick. ~Dimensions, &c. of English musket, in 1800.~ ~Charge.~ ~Priming, 1st. mode.~ ~Priming, 2nd mode.~ At the commencement of this (19th) century, the weight of the English musket and bayonet was, 11lbs. 4ozs., bayonet 1lb. 2ozs., length of barrel 3ft. 3-in., bore ·753-in., bullets 14¹⁄₂ to the pound. Charges of powder 6 drs., F.G. Every soldier was furnished with three flints for 60 rounds. Originally it had been necessary to put the priming into the pan from a flask, containing a finer grained powder, called “Serpentine powder,” but in the early flint-lock musket this was rendered unnecessary, as in loading, a portion of the charge passed through the communication hole into the pan, where it was prevented from escaping by the hammer. Latterly a portion of the cartridge was bitten off, and the pan filled with priming before loading. ~Objections to flint-lock.~ ~Priming by detonation, 1807.~ ~Experiments, 1834.~ ~Advantages of percussion.~ ~Reduced charge.~ ~Reduced pull of trigger.~