The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-20 00:00:00

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING,

Yesterday there were two events of main interest
to the public apart from those results affecting the
general body of Volunteers. These were the issue
of the contest for the Queen's Prize, and the match
for the Ashburton Shield between the representae
tives of the public schools. The former was not
decided until close upon the hour when the evening
gun was fired, and the excitement connected with
it was something unusual, in consequence of the
rumour, which gained a general circulation for two
hours, that Colonel Helford had made a score
which there was no likelihood of beating. Twenty.
four of the competitors retired from the contest,
and of the remainder who had to fire it was be..
lieved that, though they might strive among them-
selves for the honour of second place, none of them
had any chance of winning. Great, therefore, was
the surprise when it became known that Private
Wyatt, of the Ist London Rifle Brigade, had first
equalled and then beaten by one point the capital
score of the Colonel of the Leicester Regiment.
The news seemed to spread like wildfire to the
camp of the Ist London ; his comrades were either
round the firing-point at the time Private Wyatt
delivered his last shot, or else arrived immediately
afterwards, and set up such loud and continued
shouts of rejoicing that some of the other compe-
titors who had still to fire complained afterwards,
though without much show of reason as far as the
scores were concerned, that their chance of success
was prejudiced by the turmoil. As soon as the con-
test had finally concluded Mr. Wyatt was caught up
and borne towards the Council-tent on the
shoulders of his friends, cheering lustily as they
carried him in, additional zest being edled to their
victory by the fact that it was gained over one of
the most distinguished rifle-shots in England. As
the procession neared the offices of the Association
a carriage was perceived close at band, containing,
by a fortunate coincidence, the Colonel of the
London Rifle Brigade and Lady Waree. The
successful competitor was at once carried in the
direction of his commanding officer, and in the same
flattering but somewhat unsteady seat he received
the congratulations to which his performance well
entitled him. He was then whisked off to the
Council Tent to comply with the usual formalities,
and ultimately borne away in triumph to the guar..
ters of his regiment in the Associated Camp.
Although the contest was so exciting, the average
shooting for the Queen's Prize was by no means
so meritorious as on former occasions. This result
is by some ascribed to the fact that the Volunteers
shot this year independently, instead of in squads,
military men insisting that by moving about and
by conversation w ith their friends their attention
was distracted, instead of concentrated, as it ought
to have been, on the work in hand. Others are
disposed to attribute the comparative failure to the
quality of Whitworth rifles supplied this year,
which were by no means of that superior stamp
implied in the very name of Whitworth. At a
general parade of the competitors for the second
stage Queen's after gun-fire several of the rifles
were produced and admitted to be faultless, but
instances, on the other hand, were adduced where
sights had fallen off and locks were so defective in
construction that when the piece was at full cock
and the trigger pulled the hammer caught again at
half bent and the piece did not go off. Friends of
Mr Whitworth urged that the price of the rifle
having been reduced to £l5, a high-class weapon
could not be expected for that sum. But, on the
other hand, Mr Whitworth was a consenting party
to the arrangement, and at the small-bore trials at
Woolwich bound himself to furnish weapons in every
respect equal to those of which samples were lodged
with the Association. It is evident that the matter
cannot remain on its present footing. In future
contests better rifles must either be supplied to the
competitors or else some redistribution of the prize
money made, enabling them to equip themselves.
Just at the present moment, when the whole subject
of national armament is notoriously under conside-
ration, it is peculiarly unfortunateithat such a con-
tretemps should occur.
The Public Schools Match was shot at the ex-
treme northern ranges—rather an unfortunate
arrangement as far as spectators. were concerned,
who had no tramway in that direction to save them
a toilsome walk under a sun hotter by many degrees
than on any former day of the meeting., But there
was no help for it. The school elevens were unable
to attend on the day originally suggested for their
competition, and yesterday the long-range firing
for the second stage of the Queen's Prize closed all
the ranges at the nearer side of the common at
which it would otherwise have been possible to
hold the match. In the end, Harrow was again the
conqueror,
A contest, to which the recent decision of Earl
de Grey's Committee attaches considerable import-
ance, will take place to-day for the prizes offered in
the name of Mr Storm. These prizes may be com-
peted for with any muzzle or breech-loading rifle
taking Government ammunition, but the cartridges
must not contain their own igniting principle. The
competitors are to load and fire lying down, the use
of a rest being optional; in one competition the
object is to make the highest number of marks in
four consecutive minutes, and for the other set of
prizes only two consecutive minutes are allowed. A
competition somewhat similar in principle to this
was carried on in the form of a sweepstakes, partly
yesterday and in part on a previous day, at Capt.
M'Gregor's favourite target of " the corning
man." In the former instance the highest score
made in two minutes were the following :—Drane,
London Rifle Brigade, with Storm's breech loader,
13 shots 4 marks ; Hodgins, Ist Surrey, with
Storm's breech loader, 10 rounds, 4 marks ; H. G.
Ross, Cambridge, with Westley Richards's breech
loader, 9 rounds, 4 marks. Yesterday, strange to
say, the firing at the ;same target appeared to give
the advantage to the Enfield muzzle loading rifle
Oyer any of the breech lehdero. it is, therefore, of

the last consequence that the question sh ould be
fully and fairly tried out, and the field at amble.
don affords an admirable opportunity for do. in g so.
We are authorised to state that the distro ation
of prizes will take place on Saturday, at 3 o',,:tlt tek.
EERATA.—In the 4th Series, Extra PrEz,!s, yes-
terdoy, J. A. Suter, written as " corporal," ah cold
be "captain." In City of London Prizes on Satur-
day, Corporal Wortham, London Rifle Brig ade,
was written "Northam;" and in Ist Stage, Quce
Corporal Jermyn, 2d Middlesex, was writ ten
" Germ: n."

Royal Agricultural Show at Newcastle.

NEWCASTLE-O\-TYNE, Tuesday.

Eighteen years ago the society's show-yard aeon-
' pied somewhat over a dozen acres of its present site.
but now the eye-proof hoarding encircles about 45
acres, without wasting at all too much space for
perambulating crowds between the interminable
rows of shedding. It is no easy walk to call upon
the honorary director, Mr Brandreth Gibbs, drop
into the secretary's office in another part of the
ground, step into the bull park, where the machi-
nery is in motion, and then thread one's way across
the great enclosure to the horses' ring, or the " first
class refreshments." Bigger than it was, and with
greater facilities and accommodations of every kind
—with chairs on which to loiter, a telegraph to take
your news, and police-constables from the Imperial
Parliament itself to keep eager ladies and gentle-
men in order, we wish the place could be a little
prettier. If gay red fringes or striped cloth be too
dear, at any rate the society might empower Mr
Manning to grace his booths with clusters of chuer-
ful flags. We may borrow an ornamental idea from
the Bath and West of England Society if we cannot
afford to be smart like the French at their rural
gatherings.
We have here 380 cattle, 160 horses, more than
400 pens of sheep, and 130 pens of swine—a large
increase, indeed, since the Newcastle meeting of
1846, when there were shown about half the num-.
ber of cattle, one-third the number of horses, and
about l?alf the number of sheep. And we have herd
4,000 implements and machines, instead of the 73ii
shown 18 years ago. The society's funds are 113 L.
doubtedly flourishing; the average country meet ilag
receipts during the last five years (excluding 'the
exceptional Battersea) have amounted to 1:9,',3 91,
while five years before they averaged £5,177 ; five
years before that they averaged £4,642.; and. five
years earlier still they averaged £4,134. But t'ae so-
ciety has not maintained its progress i❑ every re spect
for at the time of the last Newcastle meeting there
were 6,970 members, subscribing £7,040 per e innum,
whereas at !present the society can only cor.,gratn•
late itself upon the " steady support" of 4,879
members, the average number during the laf;t five
sears. If the free admission of members on the
.I.os. day and other advantages recently obtained are
followed up by bold measures calculated to w-n the
goodwill of the great farming class, we shall soon
hear no more of such a left-handed style of exten-
sion and advancement.

Among the cattle classes the Shorthorns are the
wonder of the Show, and the most astonishing class
is that of aged cows of this breed. The entire cy.:ass
of 13 animals is "generally commanded," but the
judges also awarded two "high commendations" to
cows but little inferior to those taking the third
and second prizes. Sir Matthew White Ridley's
Evelina IV. is an extremely fine cow; level, broad,
deep, of great girth, handsome, and with a good
coat. Mr Douglas's Maid of Athelstaue is another
extraordinary good cow, and Mr Stratton awl Mr
Edward newly contribute to this splendid class
animals fully equal in merit to some of the prize-
takers of past years. In the heifer class 'Kr l)ou•
glass takes the first prize with his pretty Pride of
~lthelstane, beating Mr Lambert's Queen of Beauty
and Mr Stratton's Diadem. Mr Eastwood's B armp-
ton Butterfly, of the Tewneley -park herd, is not
placed, being evidently out of condition. The yearly
heifers make a largo and grand class, Mr East-
wood's Royal Butterfly Pageant, king third to Mr
l`rlitcheli's Blue Belle, end Mr FoTimbe's beautiful
Gipsey Queen. Mr Richard Booth's Lady Fra-
grant is highly commended in this class. Sir
Anthony de Rothschild wins in the heifer calf class
with his Isabella Graceful, beating Lord Fever-
sham and Mr Douglas. The judges have been
profuse with commendations on nearly all the short-
horn classes, irrespective altogether of any fashion-
able fancying of nothing but Bates and Booth blood,
and no one will question the justice of this liberality.
There are some fine yearling bulls in a remarkably
good class. Among the bull calves Mr Fawkes is
the winner, with bis little Marquis, an animal of.
great size for its age, and of a good red colour, but
not of great substance or expanded frame, and no•;
with a first-rate coat. Mr Booth's second prize calf
is much admired, and Lord Braybrooke and Mr liar-
,
rot show some very forward and pretty animals, in
this class. Of the aged and two-year•old bulls we
spoke yesterday.

The show of agricultural horses is small, hut Mr
Cottingham's Talbot, Mr Boby's Conqueror, and Mr
Giles's Ploughboy, are prime specimens of the Suf-
folks. The Clydesdales are a small show, but there
are some exceedingly fine horses, and two or three
good mares and foals. The hunters make a good
show, but nothing like what we have seen on for-
mer occasions.

The sheep show is remarkable for the grand dis-
play of Shropshires. Here Mr Thornton, Mr Hol-
land, Mr Henry Smith, Mr Cozen, Mr Simpson, Mr
Bowen, and Mr Crane support the high position of
this very valuable breed.
What mechanical novelties may be concealed
among the " extensive assortments" of implements
of the 235 exhibitors, some single stands being over
200 ft in length, it is impossible for a brief report to
say. We can merely name a few. Messrs Clayton
and Shuttleworth have a new traction engine
coursing about the yard. Messrs Tuxford show
another traction engine, fitted with grooved riggers
for steam cultivation, and an application of
Appold's eentritugal pump for draining low
lands. Messrs Rushton and Procter have a
new form of straw elevator. Mr Whitehead
exhibits in action a solid and perforated brick
machine, pugging the clay and squeezing out the
bricks at the rate of 10,000 a day. Mr James
Coultas, jun., has contrived that valuable aid to the
turnip famer, an efficient drop drill. On Mr Cran-
ston's stand is a new haymaker, an American
" notion," in which a series of forks are actuated by
separate cranks, instead of being affixed to a re-
volving frame. Mr Wood has a new self-raking,
side-delivery reaping machine, with rake sweeping
the platform independently of the reel. Messrb.
Hornsby have brought out a new swathe-delivery
reaper, and another reaper with " grated, drop-sheaf
apparatus." Messrs. Barrett, Ezell, and Co. show
a novelty in thrashing machines, the movements
being all rotary. Messrs. Burgess and Key have
introduced a very clever piece of mechanism into
M'Cormick's sheaf-delivery reaper, simplifying and
improving the action. Messrs. Peters exhibit a
steam hoist or crane, raising weights by means of
a Biagio piston, without winding barrel, breaki
wheel, or any intermediate gearing. Messrs.
A me 6
and Bsrford have attached a fan and blastifei
Pe to
chaff
an ordinary ehaff-catting en Rine, blowing
t
to any required distance. Messrs- Ashby exhibit. 1
b
revolvina• harrows, which
'Unary harrows, es3pecially
effectually than the ordinary _
pulverise the soil more
Mr Kelsey shows
when hauled by steam-power. ,
ed barrow ' on purely scientific
an American V-shaped
principles."
Yesterday the
society's consulting engineer, Mr.
Amos, was angag
ea in testing the comparative
mechanical efficiency of
power and by means of the various
steam cultivators some very ingenious
dynamometers, applied to ascertain the draught of
ithe implements, the tension of the hauling and fol-
Szo Ana
lowing ropes,,, the tebulta pre expected to