The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-09-26 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTEER FORCE.

The official inspections of volunteer regiments for
1885 being now all completed, there is every reason
to believe that the annual returns, which will have to
be made up at tho end of next month, will exhibit a
large increase over those of 1884, when the enrolled
strength was reported as 215,015 officers and men, of
whom 208,365 were efficients, and 184,282 were
present at inspection, these being the largest totals
ever attained since the first returns were made at the
end of 1860, when 106,443 were efficients out of
119,146. The anticipation that the returns for 1885
will surpass those of 1884 is based upon the circum-
stance that in by far the majority of cases the regi-
ments in all parts of the country turned out at in-
spection in much greater force than on any previous
occasions; this being, without doubt, due to the in-
flux of men early in the season through the apparent
imminence of war, and the voluntary continuance in,
the ranks of the many men who might under ordi-
nary conditions have taken their discharge. In a list
of a hundred corps belonging to different parts of the
United Kingdom, and representing about a 'third of
the whole force, there are only nine whose inspection
musters were not equal to those of last year, the
most important case being that of the Sutherland
Highland Rifles' whose 861 shows a decrease
of 55. But to compare with this slight
falling-off there are amongst the hundred sixteen
rorps whose inspection musters were greater
by more than a hundred officers and men than inlBB4,
and 23 whose increase was between 50 and 100. The
largest increase of all was in the Queen's Edinburgh
Rifle Brigade, which, with the 2nd Glamorgan Rifles,
disputes the honour of being the largest volunteer
corps in the kingdom. The Edinburgh Regiment had
2114 of all ranks at inspection, which is an increase of
454 over last year's return, 1660; the Glamorgan
Battalion then had 1690 on parade, but its field state
for 1885 is not yet to hand. The 15 cops which,
beyond the Queen's Edinburgh, had an increase of
more than 100 at inspection are—the 2nd Cheshire
Rifles, 765 (increase 112) ; Liverpool Engineers, 728
(102) ; Glasgow Artillery, 1137 (120) ; Middlesex
Engineers, 746 (101); 11th Middlesex, 774 (108) •
Post Office Rifles, 937 (167) ; Croydon Rifles, 806
(150) ; 3rd Middlesex Rifles, 756 (163) ; Clackmannan
Rifles, 705 (122) ; 3rd Aberdeen, 764 (115'; 19th
Middlesex, 875 (121) • 3rd Essex, 676 (101) ; Ist
Lanark, 1536 (112) ; 3rd Lanark, 1013 (111)• and
Glasgow Highland, 1073 (175). These increases,
with those of the 23 corps which had between 50 and
100 more, make up a gain of about 4500 f 39 corps;
and therefore, when the rest of the volunteer force
comes to be reckoned up at the end of next month, it
is reasonable to anticipate that the returns of last
year will be considerably exceeded.

One day a very pious clerical friend who bad con-
sumed an hour of his valuable time in small talk, said
to James Harper, the publisher: "Brother Harper, I
am curious to know how you four men distribute the
duties of the establishment between you." " Sohn,"
said Mr. Harper, good-humouredly, "attends to the
finances, Wesley to the correspondence, Fletcher to
the general bargaining with authors and others, and,
don't you tell anybody," he said, drawing his chair
still closer and lowering the tone of his voice, "I
entertain the bores."

WORST PUN OF THE SEASON. " HOW did yoti
come to fall in love with Matti° Cook, Fred? Her
fac2 isn't the prettiest in the world." "I admit thatt
Bob, but then she's a lovely character, and such a
pretty foot." " Oh! then it was her foot that led you
to adore Mat?"
Bear's grease: Russian "