The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-02 00:00:00

£22,537,48)

THE ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.

Yesterday. a grand morning performance took place
at this spacious theatre, when the pantomime was pre-
ceded by the laughable farce entitled "A Pair of
Pigeons." The audience was a most enthusiastic one,
and applauded to the echo the celebrated and gorgeous
raise en scene, for which the pantomime is already famous.
The machinery worked smoothly, and the performance
was altogether a most brilliant success. Successive
representations establish more firmly than ever the
claims of this pantomime to public patronage, and the
enterprise of, the management in so liberally catering
for public amusement at this festive season, is likely
to be rewarded with a long run of well filled houses.

THE EARL OF DERBY AND LORD PAL
MERSTON ON THE RIFLE MOVEMENT.

Happily no evidence is wanted to show that the
Volunteer movement has no single characteristic of a
party movement. It is pre-eminently national. It has
all the broad signs by which a national movement may
be recognised. It embodies all classes and conditions in
the ranks, and it has the good wishes of all. But if, at
this time of day, evidence were wanted, it would be
found in the fact that, almost at the same time, the
Premier of England and the Leader of the Opposition
were engaged in recognising its inestimable value and
in promoting its permanence,and efficiency. Lord Pal-
merston, at Romsey, last Thursday, and Lord Derby,
though not present in person but present by letter, and
represented by Lord Stanley, at Preston, were both
engaged in the good and patriotic work, to achieve
which so much time and money has been sacrificed by
the subjects of the Queen.
The latent military qualities of Britons, never dis-
puted, except by sneering despots and cantankerous
peace-at-any-price partisans, having been made publicly
manifest during the last twelve months, and having pro-
duced an immense moral effect upon the Governments of
other nations, in Europe and elsewhere, the question is
now, how the numbers can be sustained, and the newly-
formed reserve made a source of permanent strength
One means is obvious. The National Rifle Association,
which acts for the whole country in the promotion of
rifle practice, suggested the formation County Asfocia-
tions which should carry out the same work locally. The
suggestion has been adopted by more than one county,
but by none with more éclat than Lancashire. The
County Palatine has, indeed, been a shining light in the
volunteer movement. Manchester, shaking itself free of
the stand-up collar and broad-brim influence, and Liver-
pool, never wanting in patriotic impulses, have shown
that neither manufactures ncr commerce have destroyed
in their breasts the generous sentiments of freemen.
The great county of Lancashire has produced, what Sir
James Scarlett properly terms a corps d' armee of its own.
How is it to be made permanent ? What applies to
Lancashire applies to Middlesex and Hampshire. The
means are common to every county in Great Britain.
To make the whole volunteer reserve permanent and
efficient, that is the common object of all who have the
true interests of the force and of the country at heart,
and to accomplish this object we have only to appeal to
the principles of common sense and to, act upon them.
In the first place, we must sustain the interest at pre-
sent felt in the service. This cannot be done more effec-
tually than by promoting rifle contests, which serve the
double purpose of sustaining the interest and increasing
the destructive efficiency of the regiments. Prizes, of
course, are absolutely necessary, and we do not see a better
mode of obtaining prizes than.by the formation of County
Associations. Upon this all are agreed. It is another
example of local action so dear to the British
mind, and so effectual in recruiting Volunteer corps.
But the first requisite is rifle ranges. Without
these there can be no shooting at all, much less good
shooting. To obtain these will be a work of time, but
they must be obtained, or the movement dies of
inanition. We agree with Lord Derby that a County
Association should not concern itself with short ranges
at all—these must be left to be provided by the funds
of corps and the public spirit of localities. The County
Associations should only purchase or rent long ranges,
never less than 900 or 1,000 yards. Great care should
be displayed in the selection of sites for ranges, easy
accessibility being an essential condition. We also agree
with Lord Derby in his opinion that the rifle ranges
held by the association should be let to Volunteer corps,
as practice grounds at moderate rates, and never gra-
tuitously, and that it is of very great importance that
prizes given by the Association should be competed for
only by effective members of rifle corps, or such as
have served regularly for two years. What we want is
not a few crack shots in a county, but efficient soldiers
who are also crack shots ; and indeed it would be better
to obtain a large number of average good shots up to
400 yards, than to stimulate the production of a few
who could distinguish themselves by firing with extreme
accuracy at extreme ranges. We want the largest
number of good shots who are also good drills.—Globe.

THE MURDER BY DROWNING IN THE RIVER CLYDE.
—ln this case. on Saturday, at the Glasgow Circuit
Court, John M'Fadyen was found guilty by the jury of
the murder of the child Alexander Shields. His counsel
craved a verdict of insanity. The jury accompanied
their verdict with a strong recommendation to mercy.
The prisoner was condemned to death at Glasgow, on
the 19th of January next; but the expectation seems to
be that the sentence will be remitted, on the ground of
imbecility.
THE PROPOSED INVITATION TO MESSRS. GLADSTONE,
COBDEN, AND GIBSON.—On Monday a meeting of .the
council of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce was held
in the office of the secretary, in Manor-row, in that
town. H. W. Ripley, Esq., the president, occupied the
chair. Reference having been made to the proposed
invitation of Messrs. Gladstone, Cobden, and Gibson,
the chairman stated that it had been deemed advisable
to request the co-operation of the woollen districts in
giving the invitation, it being intended, if the invitation
were accepted by the honourable gentlemen, to rerest
the French Minister of Commerce, and also the ministers
who acted so cordially with Mr. Cobden, to visit these
districts at the same time. The Chambers of Commerce
of Leeds, Huddersfield, and Batley, were joining very
cordially in this object.
PARTIAL DESTRUCTION or THE RYDE PIER.—On the
night of Wednesday, three colliers, the Thomas, General
Havelock, and Rose, broke from their moorings, and were
driven by a furious south-east gale through the pier, the
largest space left beinr, 150 yards, and the further part of
the structure being left like a wooden island. The damage
is from £l,OOO to £1,500. Temporary bridges are making.
The new pier is safe. In the same storm, a sand barge,
belonging to Cowes, sunk off Beldornie Tower, the resi-
dence of Mr. Warren Hastings Anderson, and the three
men who were onboard of her clung to the vessel's mast,
and while in this perilous position their cries for assist-
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hour these brave fellows rowed, at great risk to their
lives, and ultimately succeeded in reaching, the mast of
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