The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-07-10 00:00:00

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

Thursday was, par exerfkiter, a business dim at
Wimbledon. It was, all work, and but little 'how. There
.1,4, Consequent'V. its compared with the three previous
days, hut a thin attendance upon the ground. At the
commeneement of the proceeding,' tleere were scarcely
more visitors than 'nay he seen at an ordinary pigeon
match. Of courses the comictitors for unsex mustered
in full numbers, though the majority of these did not
appear until towards the initiate of the day, when the
great eveute of the nuctinz were to take place. The
first business was the settlenn nt of the ties made in
Wedneolay's shooting. and this necemarily brought out
some first-rate practice, as tha csoupetitors were snell
onlv as had I,moveel thi ir superiority in the preliminare
trial. The nye prizes—one of 13(10, awl four of 115
each—were virtually decided on Wednesday, sod the
Flaunting of yesenlav was merely to determine the rela-
tive degree of excillence of the several candidates for
lionouni. The mutt was as follows :—Whoinas. 4th
Kent Rifles, 20; Sanford, St. George's. 19: Poibertson,
10th Perth, 19; Dove, this Laoark, 1$; and Murray,
Peeblechire, 18 points.
Mont, if not all of the Swim sharpshooters Bred lying
full length upon the ground, taking very cautious and
deliberate aim, and generally occupying from ten to 20
seconds in covering the target and measuring the dis-
tance with the eye before ladling the trigger..M.
Thovel, who not only mines off the Whitworth rifle,
but has earned by the route act • • qualification to enter
the lists for one of the royal prizes on Saturday,
asitoisished all who saw hint by the extraordinary
precnion of his fire. It appears that the till sumrsti•
non of luck in " • honcho." is rifle in Switzs•rlatid as
well as in the rural districts of our own country, and
our Swiss champion, having on his way to the Co 11111 l
foetal one on the road, regard.' it as a talisman, and
hung it at his breast, where he wore it througnont the
day like an order of merit. Whether it was the mira-
culous power of the horseshoe or his own superior sight
and judgment we will not presume to determine, but
certain it is that M. TlioVel's alisctirg astonished every-
body latliu saw it. Three Roma lin succession he hit the
centre of the target, II feat nut accompliaheil by any
other peraun. Engliali or foreign, luring the day.
I For Miss Burdett Coutts'a prize of 4:110, there was no
fewer than 148 entries, and the competitors', when drawn
up at the fir:ng distance, presented the appearance of a
little regiment.
It was late in the afternoon when this last match was
commenced, and at dusk it was not half concluded, one
wing only of the firing ',arty haying e 1111 l eleted their
number of shots at the 804 yanks' range, leaving the
910 and the 1,1•10 yards' range to he begun. As • mat-
ter of course, an adjoartinieut lwcaiie lieceinaary, and
the first business tin Friasy was the resumption of this
interesting match, which was open to sllcottors—voluu.
tiers. military men, or civilians'.
The Duke sof Wellington's prize was shot for after.
war Is.

Majesty's j.rir.e and the gold medal of the ass.,
dation was shut for on Saturday. Her Royal
the lkichess of Cambridge and the Princess Mary gr..
ciously intimated their intention of attending the meet-
ing on Saturday. The adwisaion W Is., and carriages

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF

CANTIRBURT, Thursday.

-
In most departments of the exliibitim a good deal of
excitement and bindle has heen displayed in the imam
of the day, and much that required arranging yesterday
hes now assumed order and system ; still there are
vast piles of goods yet unpacked, and truckloads of
implements on the siding, awaiting time and opportunity
fur their reuioral to the yard.
The trial yard, where the implesuenta were tasted by
the dynsineter, attracted a good deal of attention, and
wax attended by massy of the leading practical apkul.
turista of the district, as well as implement makers or
their representatives from distant mitotic... Thrashing.
machinen. chaff-cutters, wills, oilcake.hreakera, toiruip-
cutters, both hand and .team power, were submitted to
the te.A. and the result* daily recorded by those in
of this part of the show. Nothing absolutely
cgtri% principle or application was produced for trial