The Express.
London, England, 1860-12-24 00:00:00

THE COURSE OP MUSKETRY INSTRUCTION

- A firiiiii

(From the Observer.)
Notwithstanding the unpropitious character of
the weather for outdoor exercise, that are smoothie( like
one hundred gentlemen connected with various volunteer
corps throughout the kingdom who have jest mimed a course
of musketry instruction and rifle practsoe at Hytbe. No
stronger evidence can be adduced of the spirit and determi-
nation of the volunteers to perfect thotneelmo hi the art.
Though many public notices of the results of the akin and
rifle practice, as taught at the School of lineketayat Bythe,
daft some of the courses of instruction, have been issued,
the volunteers generally have been left in the dark as to
what the actual character of that instruction is, and what is
the ordeal the volunteer rifleman hes to tioder;o in passing
through his comm.
On reaching Hythe the first duty of the volunteer is to
repeat himself to the orderly officer, and his next proceed-
ing is to secure lodgings, which are numerous, and obtain-
able with pest facility before the nouns eoninterices. On
the rearming appointed for the commencement of the course,
believer, the cards "ib Let' are all removed, and the
volanteer who lies not had the forethought to run down the
day before finds, to his chagrin, that he can only obtain
accommodation at double the price of his more fortunate
colleague who has preceded him. Even at the Swan Hotel
the answer to inquiry for apartments is " Quite full," or
" All let." _ _

The first day of course is naturally an anxious one for
the volunteer who in all probability at the butt of his own
regiment has been hooked epos as a " creek shot" sit so
loug • range as five, or even etz. or seven kundzed=
When, however, Jio reathes Myth*, matters leeks° di
the ceder and discipline, end the movement', are so opposite
lodise mina he hes been esemehmei eat fish he does sot
seem at all up tp the work. This M Inefhari7 the an. with
these who are undergoing the Premed 'come, termhating
with Christmas, and is no doubt heightened by the cheer-
less prospects of sea-side country, and grim aspect of a
cloudy December morning. The volunteer, howeven aeon
becomes initiated, and having passed the ordeal of his bet
introduction to General May or Oolovel Wilford, es the me
may be, and takes a seat at the Lees-table with his aide,
letiguocalafftlaertithie filet day's "course," he speedily mums
his and he Mires to rest with the pleasant ems
elitism Mint index hod to return to his regiment mist* • •
=iitahnimikethgeoef distioctiort worn on the arms of ,
bet with other still more substantial ieride.ed of
hip adial skill in the use of the Rifle. On the &stay elf • ,
the "seem" the volunteers, to the number of about one
hundred (o(ority.six being the number of gentlemen who have
pot passed at Hythe), are divided into sections of ten each,
sack section being leader the esmiand if a lint-class in-
structor. Those sections are stanoloth to a right and left
wing, commanded respectively by Capt.
_Coles and Capt. '
The wings having been marched to a gine spot,
the ermine OnennelnWil by tesig the elicinacy of the volue-
teen with regard to their position drill." A sufficient
amount of perfection having been attained in this pestilent-
eery indirection, the two wings an mrehed to the lecture-
rem, where Colonel Wilford &lime en mwsdiaglY inter-
Min lecture on the musket and rifle, the proper mode of '
Oenalfoa it, and the principles which go tern the bullet in
, it* flight towards the target or other object at whisk
the portyezeZ may atm. The second and thud
aare wen with position and aiming drill and
phloem • and Ooloael Wilford again datives
lectures upon the laws of gravity, as pertaining to .
and regulating the ascent and descent of the ball when die-
charged from the rifle. Hi otaeterstions are terse 'tad to
the point, and he %%dards hi lectures with quaint sayings
aid equally amusing doings, which at once impreeme the
substance on the minds of his audience, the plain eimplf- •
city of his language bringing his observations home to the
mem% capacity. The fourth day aria consists of position
sad aiming drill during the morning, and In the afternoon
the whole of the 'actions are marched out on to the sot
shore, for the purpose of testing their mpthilitiee of judging
distances. This practice is performed in tbe following
order :—The sections are marched over the shingle and
are suddenly celled to the " bait," and then to the " right
about fan. " In the interim several soldiers of the hue
have been despatched by the senior officer in command
(Captain Coles) to a considerable distance, and when he
Was dead the piece for the soldiers So " halt" be give.
the word at °mimed to the sections to " front," and be
then fixes our as. of the soldiers, whose uniform may be
either grey or red, as being the distance upon which he
wishes every celeste% in the sections to form • judgment.
Bash section is marched up, wider the command of re seer
guest, h succession to the spot at which the first may have
base kswagW to the "halt," mid eachvolttnteerin succession
is challenged to advance from the rank three or four paces,
and state to the ofecers his judgment of the distance at
which the nattier holicaled is peated,which judgment is then
and them meorded is a register opposite the name of each
volunteer. The whole oldie sections having passed through
this ordeal, a chain % made use of to measure, and the
sections then receive the word of commend, " quick
march," and era made to make the best of their way to
the point of distouco which they have been called upon to
judge. The true distance is then dieleted, and the judgment
of each part y tested. Thie is carried on continmilly as a
portion of the "course," and at considerable distimees,
varying from 100 to 600, sod front 600 to 1.000 and 1,200
jaids. The @Mica which has eviimed the most correct
udgment is rewarded by being permitted the honour of
manhing first from the practice
.ground, and so on in rota-
tion. The fifth day is occupied in receiving lemon on the
rifle and musket luck, which is taken to pieces, and its
various parts explained ; and each volunteer ts exercised in
taking the lock to pieces and putting it together himself.
After this the sections ere again marched out on to the
shingle to judge distances ; and on the sixth day position
drill, snapping caps, cleaning of arms and judging distances
again form part of the exercise deemed necessary by 111111
military authorities at Hythe before a volunteer who visa I
down there to pass through the iesuree, no matter however
proficient be may have been previously believed to be, is'
permitted to Ire a single shot.
The seventh day the volunteer who has passed through,
the entire course of preliminary instruction takes his first
lesson in target practice. The sections are, in the first,'
instance, formed for target practice into a third alms, with'
20 rounds of ammunition each, the practice conuneucang at
targets placed at a distance of from 150 to 300 yank Those
wbo mks 15 points out of 25 shot. at these tangos are pro.
meted into the second elem, which fires at targets griced at •
rnage of from 400 to 000 yarda, at which distances those who'
emceed in making 12 points are promoted by being formed'
late a tint elasa, who then have their target practice in-.
creased to ranges of from 650 to 900 yards, and those who
make 7 points in this chum at the greater distance are
entitled to mar the badge of distinction, and to the name of
• " inarkman." The target practice is carried on for a
period of sax days, and the remaining two days are occupied
with platoon, skirmishing, and file firing from 3Miaod 400
yards with hall cartridge, and this ends the system or
' course" of instruct so.
In the " course" just completed the various metropolitan
amps were well represented, mud the prizes awarded to vo-
lunteers under Instruction have been very severely con-
tested. The first price, a Whitworth rifle, value 2.1 guineas,
to the volunteer who iade the most points, from 4(K) to 900
yards, was won by Captain House, with 36 points. The
second prize, • Weetley Richards rifle, value lbe, to the
volunteer who made the most hits, from 400 to 900
ma by Oapthin M'Gregor, of the London Scottish, with
bile sad 31 points. The third prize, • cup, value 5/., t the
volunteer who made the most points standing, woe by Cap-
tain Gough. The silver cup, given by the second section,
was closely contested by Mr. Talfount of the London
Artists' Corps (38th Middlesex) and Ensign
,Clark, of the
London Irish, the former gentlemen winning it bv one point
only. Amore the gentlemen who obtained the position
of Est-epos marksmen were Mr. J. J. M'Swiney, Loudon
Irish, late lieutenant of the 2nd 00121311101, of the 29th North
Middlesex, Lieutenant Phillips, of the *eat Middlesex, and
Mr. Waller, of the fth Georges Sides. The next course ad
musketry iestruotim at Hythe is appointed to take place in
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