The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-22 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence,

The summer inspection of the Ist (Chatham) Division of
Royal Marine Light Infantry, which commenced on Wed-

nesday, was continued yesterday by Major Gen. A. B.
Stransham, Insrector-General. Royll Marines, who was
—.Dante° by Lieut.-O,A. C. -
jutant-General, and Capt. J. C. Travers, Aide-de-Camp.

On the occasion of the first day's inspection the whole 01

the men of the division who had completed their drill and
were returned fit for battalion duty, to the number of about
700 of all ranks, were marched to Chatham Great Lines,

under the command of Col.-Commandant T Lemon, C.B
Notwithstanding the great heat of the weather, the whole
of the men were in heavy marching order, and each man,
in addition to his kit, carried 15 rounds of blank cartridge.

The division having been formed in line, Gen. Stransham,
accompanied by his staff, rode to the front, and was received
with a general salute and colours lowered. Preparations were
then made for a course of field-day manoeuvres, and on the
Inspector-General taking his stand at the fl igstaff the entire
division gave the customary march-post, in slow and quick
time, in open and closed columns of companies. This was
the least satisfactory i.ortion of the day's mano3uvres, and
for once the Royal Marines did not sustain their well-earned
reputation for almost faultless marching. The great heat
of the weather, with the equipment of the men, was the
cause of this—and, indeed, in proof of the effect the weather
had on the battalion it may be mentioned that at least a
dozen of the men fell out of the ranks during the inspection,
overcome by the heat. At the termination of the marching
past the flank companies threw out their skirmishers for
repelling a k-upposed attacking force, and in the course of a
few minutes the entire battalion advanced and were supposed
to be engaged with the enemy. At the same time a variety
of interesting movements were performed, in which the offi-
cers and man of the division acquitted themselves in a highly
satisfactory manner, Major-Gen. Stransham afterwards
inspected the officers in the bayonet exercise. At the close

of the inspection Major-Gen. Stransham addressed the
officers and men of the battalion, and expressed his satisfac-
tion at the highly efficient state of the division. Although
he had not observed the customary steadiness in the ranks
during the marching past, yet he c ,uld make some allow-
ance for the great disadvantage under which non-commis-
sioned officers and men laboured from the intense heat of the
day. Yesterday morning the Inspector General inspected a
wing of the division in the barrack-square, and saw the va-
rious officers of companies go through their company drill.
At 12 o'clock the whole of the officers were assembled on
the parade ground, where they went through the broad•
sword exorcise. The remainder of the day was devoted by
Gen. Stransham to an inspection of the books and accounts,
together with an inspection of the offices, barrack-rooms,
the non-commissioned officers' and privates' library and
reading rooms, and the schoolrooms. At 3 o'clock the
detachment of 70 non-commissioned officers and men who
are now undo' going a course of gun drill with the great
guns were marched to the gun shed battery, where Major
General Stransham spent a )me tine in witnessing the
great gun exercise, under the direction of Captain Bligh,
the instructor to the division. The expeditious wanner
in which the Armstrongs, with the naval 68 pounders and
other guns, were cast loose, brought round, trained, and
fired, showed the proficiency attained by the Royal Marines
in this important portion of their duties. On Wednesday
evening Major-Gen. Stransbam was entertained by Col.
Lemon, C. 8., and the officers of the division at a grand
banquet, wbich was given in the officers' mess-room.

In consequence of the urgent demand made by the officers
commanding the Royal Engineers in New Zealand for an
additional number of men to be sent out to augment the
6th company, now serving in that colony, an order has
been received by Major-General H. Eyre, commanding the
forces in the Chatham district directing lrin to bold in
readiness two officers and 30 non-commissioned officers and
men of the Royal Engineers for immediate embarcation.
The men required have been selected from the depot and
other companies at head-quarters, Brompton, the whole of
them having completed their course of fieldwork instruction
to qualify them for taking the field immediately on their
arrival at their destination. The names of the non-com-
missioned officers and men have been forwarded to the
Horse Guards for approval, and, as soon as the selection
has been confirmed, they will embark.
The screw steam corvette Encounter, 14, Capt. Roderick
Dew, C. 8., arrived in Plymouth Sound yesterday afternoon.
She left Yokohama on Dec. 29—Nagasaki on Jan, 12—
Shanghai on the 20th—Niegpo on the 26th—Amoy on the
29th—Hongkong on March B—Singapore on the 23d—the
Cape of Good Hope on May 14—St. Helena on June 4—.
Ascension on the Bth—and Fayal, July 7. The Encounter
has been in commission nearly five years—her craw will
probably be paid off at Plymouth. She spoke on July 8, lat.
39 52 N., and long, 27 14 W., the American bark Louisa,
from Sunderland, and on the 17th, lat. 45 IC N., long. 9 38
W., the bark Ouse, outward bound.
The military invalids who arrived at Spithead on Wed-
nesday in the hired transports Light Brigade and Copen-
hagen,eert d from
in New Zealand, and Calcutta, as
p yesterday, were transferred from
Auckland,
Sion
of yesterday,
.
those ships yesterday by a Government steamer to the
reported The
Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley, under the
supervision of Col. Shadwell, Assistant Quartermaster-
General, The two ships afterwards sailed for the Thames.
The time-expired soldiers on board the Copenhagen go
round in the ship to the river, and will disembark at
Gravesend.
The Admiralty steam tender Enchantress, 1, Staff Com-
mander John Z. relleY; mind iu l'iyaloutLl Sotllld37"-

Scotland has at length achieved the triumph on
which her heart was set—of winning the Grand
International Match; and it now seems probable
that the Etch() Shield, which there has been some
dabcompleting, will be suspended
fuenratvhoei
first l e
time delay in
publicly
inl
yrood, or whatevern llother position may be selected as most suitable.
Twice the English eight had carried off thehonours of
this match, and at last a despondent conviction was
growing up on the Scottish side that the area from
which their competitors could be drawn was much
toono limitedw n
that
in the
present
in
is withstngland. It was
hs n cEe
the composition
ger than on for-
onaf
etrh
ee
ei re eightssien s
,waansa, itf
hanntytthhei anything,
gs tl ri
sohe
side did not feel
altogether confident of the result, Still the issue of
the International Enfield Matelnwhere their chances
damped their expec•
tchomwhich the
eh day,werepaetifieiwon.p.Ainntds
rationswheenreatricloanjrcoeeynrtnal
satisfactionyinndagstgheosd. ahltl hadd
borew i
vic-
tory, long coveted, was hai ed on its antual attain-
ment. The prcspects of the struggle fluctuated very
When a pause
wmuchasmastd de theiffieerrieunntephertihoedssoefct
ahead, but at the close of the firing at 800 yards the
English were 11 in advance, the numbers being 367
to 356. At the 900 yards' range the Scotch made
their great recovery. It was not perhaps that there
was any visible improvemert in their shooting, so
much as a falling off in that of their antagonists
Capt. Heaton, who had been literally making bud's•
eyes at will all through the previous portion of the
meeting, at this range only succeeded in scoring 19.
Lord Bury, whose favourite rifle had been disabled
the previous day, was still more unfortunate, only
15 marks being put down opposite his name. Lieut.-
Colonel Baker (Cambridge University), Sergeant
Martin Smith (Victories), Lieut, Hawker (2d South
Middlesex), and Corporal Pell (Inns of Court) made
very steady shooting all through the ranges and the
aggregate scores of the two former were higher
than any obtained on the Scotch side. But whereas
there were four on the English side whose total
scores fell short of 114, there was only one Scotchman
whose marks were below that number. The actual
mrjority for Scotland was 25, a result which, it will
hs seen the. effsrts cf the Messrs. Ross and Mr.
Wilken mainly contributed to nri. e .-..,at. It is
said that in the next competition an effort will be
made to bring up an Irish eight worthy of their
rivals, and thus to complete the international cha-
racter of the match. One would imagine that with
the many excellent rifle clubs in the north of Ire-
land, and the love of sport pervading all classes in
that country, there ought to be no difficulty, among
the higher classes, at all events, in making up a con-
tingent which would show creditably at Wimbledon.
The competition for the Mont Storm prizes was
continuedand continued to excite
ery general
was evident from the
ven duringain te thet. dap,t
manner in which the rifle was handled by the vari-
ous competitors that scarcely any of them had pre-
vious knowledge of the weapon. Many fired away
a great number of rounds in the specified time,
scarcely making a hit at all; others, aiming very
deliberately, failed to appreciate the full advantages
which a breech-loading rifle is calculated to afford.
The exceptional case of Sergeant Brook, of the 12th
iNliddleses,was on this account the more remarkable.
oc
In addition to firing off 13 rounds within the allotted
two minutes, he made the good snore of 31 points.
The subject of breeuh• loaders is evidently one of
increasing interest, for Sir C. Forbes has offered as
prizes, watch will be shot for to-day, a Snider's rifle
named Joslyn, both on the
andr on©
eprize of x
breech
loading o n inventor
principle.
00, n
The Marquis of
openTweed-
dale's
to gunmakers, will be
next, it having been found ins.
include that
competition with the busi-
ness
ui fhtoohifree to
n urse of the afternoon a lamentable accident
on Monday
Ao
present week.
Is
occurred, which cast a deep gloom
proceedings. over the remainder
of the day's In its five years' experi-
ence of Wimbledon, and With
rho millions of shots
fired at its ranges, the Association had never known
soeley
any experience of gunshot wends more serious
Splashes of lead from the
ttahragnetstilset cyaeuasre.d by
Yesterday, unfortunately, was
the first black day in its
calendar, and the event
interest from the atten-
dant
acquired
circumstances. iu
e arn more
that at the pool tar-
gets, 500 yards range, firing was not immediately
rs
resumed after luncheon hour, but several minutes
elapsed before any one presented himself to shoot at
that range. When some Volunteers did arrive all
the danger flags of coarse were flying, and the
markers were out of their huts at the other end of
the range talking to one another. The officer in
command of the firing ta melancholy
lan
It eh
tna
point gave orders to wave the
red flags as a signal to the markers to retire to their
huts. His orders were obey ed, and the markers be-
ing rather slow in obeying them be had turned to
some one who had attracted his attention, when he
heard a shot immediately behind him, and, looking
round an Echo screen to s ee Whence it proceeded,
discovered that a rifle had been discharged by one
of the sergeant instructors of musketry with a view
to attract the attention of the markers and to hasten
their movements. This proceeding was a breach of
all regulations, but in extenuation of such act it is
alleged that extreme cage have been known in
which a rifle shot has been employed
as a means of
communication. Be this as it may, a commotion at
the other end of the range was visible only too soon,
and a melancholy procei4°° was shortly on its way
t Seems from the account
to the hospital tent. 0,
"_I"
given by the other markers . as they wero stand-
given
about near the targets without any occupation
the wounded man, Private H. (1
-ooper, of !he Cold-
stream Guards, began to collect billets which had
gone through his target, the only one of pasteboard
at that range, and lodge(' in the butt behind. His
cororsdes called to him to ast back to his hut when
the Lignuls were nvido from 0,0 firing Point, as
•"
danger
they of course eoulii eel; take down thei, ,:sd
figs till ho was under cower, Ha repii,
that he would go its a moment—ac
soon as
ho picked up one more bullet. At that moment a
shot fired from the other end of the range struck
the target which concealed him from view, passed
through its unresisting substance, gn ci lodged in his
back.
s
back. He fell, exclaiming to one of •
Isl am shot ! "when they his comrades,
``ack
at once out,
picked d
picked him up, and helped to our '
y him to the hos-
pital tent. He was promptly attend by Dr.
Westmacott, of the T ? S" ...,ou.kOn vO tt" Lib) MOrliCal.OffiC,tl