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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 200, 25 October 1866, Page 2

We have no sooner come to know the efficiency of breech loaders, remarks the Globe, than an inventor steps in to neutralise them. The game of guns v. armour, which has been played so long on a great scale, must henceforth he transferred to the case of smaller fire arms. We'write thus on the authority of a report furnished by Le Nord of a remarkable test to whicii the invention of a light coat impenetrable to Musketry fire has been subjected, the inventor being M. C. Bernard, with whose inven ti on ; rumor has for a few weeks been busy. According to Le Nord the trial took place at the Belgian Tir National, in presence of Mr. Dailly, president of the competition, and of a great number of marksmen. The experiment was made with a cavalry carbine, charged with three grammes and a half of powder, and the conical ordonnance ball for that arm.' The carbine, after having been tested and regulated, was placed upou a stand pointed at the level of the breast. M. Bernard, placing himself at the distance of oue hundred metres, commenced by taking off his coat, and showed that between his breast and his .capote there was absolutely nothing but his shirt and his waistcoat. He then put on his capote, which is a flowing garment falling to the ground, and covered his head with a steel casque. The shot was then fired. The public were greatly moved when they appeared to see M. Bernard stagger and fall. Happily, he had only made a false step in stooping to pick up the ball, which had struck him a little above the waist • and to the left side. The ball, deadened against the stuff had fallen at his foot, and he came running towards us to show it. At a short distance he threw the ball to the marksmen, crying to them not to approach. Not yet having taken out a patent, M. Bernard resolutely refused to let the garment be examined by which he obtained so marvellous aresult. The ball was only slightly beaten out of shape, and bore on its point the impress of the stuff. The inventor offered to renew the experiment; but, in presence of the result obtained, those present declared a new experiment uuneccessary. The coat is said to weigh very little, so that there can be no objection to it on the score of burdensomeness. Are infantry henceforth to be useless against each other unless armed with heavier weapons, which it will certainly -be a novelty to introduce, after all the desire of military men to have the lightest possible weapon? But there will be no help for it if it is possible, by increasing the weight and power of the infantry soldiei-'s weapon, to make the necessary defensive armour, even with the advantages of the present invention, too heavy.