The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-27 00:00:00

National Rifle Association

The May general meeting of this association was held
yesterday afternoon at Willis's Rooms--the Duke of Cam-
bridge, president of the association, in the chair, supported
among others by Lord Grosvenor, Lord Duels, Lord Tan-
kerville, the Marquis of Donegal, Lord Radstock, Lord
Bolton, Lord West, Lord Ele.ho, M.P., Lord Bury, M.P.,
Hon. Arthur Kinnaird, M.P., Mr Frederick Byng, Mr
R. Forbes, Lieut.-Col, R. Loyd Lindsay, V.C., Hon. Lieut.
Col. Charles Lindsay, Col. J. S. North, M.P., Major Tin-
bey, Lieut.-Col. Grey, Bigge,
Major Harrison,
Mr. Martin R. Smith, Major J. S. Oxley, Major H. A.
Templer, Lieut.-Col. Hon. A, Egerton, Lieut.- Col. Man-
ners. Mr W. Wells, Mr A. G. Mackenzie, Mr J. C. Lux-
moors, Captain Macgregor, Lieut. Thos. Scott, Lieut. Mar.
riner, Lieutenant-Col. Bower, Lieut. Hawker, Mr F. G.
Goodliffo, Major Aldridge, Mr. Westley Richards, Captain
Lech, Mr C, D. Bedford, Mr A. S. Tonikins, Capt. Wil-
liams, Capt. S. Flood Page, and Capt. Edmond St. John
Mild may.

The meeting was announced to ccmmence at h4lf-past 2
o'clock, but as the Duke of Cambridge had not arrived at 3
o'clock,

Lord ELCHO stepped on to the platform and sail that
having waited halt an hout he would read a few notes that
he had put down for the noble chairman. By the time that,
he had real thorn he hoped his royal highness would be in
the room ; until then they would have no formal chairman.
The association was very prosperous. They were receiving
additional favourable support, and two new county associa•
dons, Cornwall and Northumberland, had joined them.
They had invested £3,245 98 5d in Exchequer Bonds, and
upwards of £127 in India Bonds, making a total of £3,673
4s od invested in good securities. They had a balance at
the banker's of £744 18s 7d, and a sum of £222 13s 5d in the
hands of the secretary. The balance in favour of the associa •
tion was £4,646 16s sd. (Hear, hear.) The prize list showed
a considerable increase. In 1853 the number of prizes com-
peted for was 316, amounting in value to £4,128, while this
year they had 626 prizes to be shot for, of the aggregate
value of £5,173. Altogether there were 1,070 more prizes to
be competed for by volunteers this year than last year. The
entrance fee for the Queen'B Prize had been increased to
20s, giving corps more representatives to shoot for it. The
change had already proved advantageous, as there were
1,675 entries as agaiest 1,145 last year. That gave a certain
income to the association of £1,675 to face the Wimbledon
expenses. With regard to the prizes, he had the gratifica-
tion of stating that the Earl of D-rby and the Duke of De-
vonshire, as Chancellors of the -Universities of Cambridge
and Ox:o.d, had presented a challenge plate. The Marquis
of Tweeddale had given a prize to be shot for by gunmakera.
Lord de Grey and Ripon had given a £5O The Wine
bledon Cup was also a new ptize; it would be only second to
theQueen's,and was intended for those who had distinguished
themselves on former occasions. Then there was the Enfield
Association Cup, Mr Bass's, M.P., prize of £5O, Mr Dill-
wyn's, M.P., prize, value £5O. The City prizes would also
be a feature; £520 had been collected through the exertions
of Mr M. Smith, of the Victories, and Major Oxley. They
would be shot for by volunteers in two classes. Among the
donors were the Lord Mayor, the Bank of England, /cc.
Out of the 30,000 Volunteer artillerymen only 14 shot at
Wimbledon last year, and to induce a greater number to
compete prizes this year would be given for their weapon—
the carbine. (Hear, hear.) The targets would be the same
as those hitherto used, Last year it would be remembered
that Mr. Hill's system of marking was adopted, but with
considerable departures from his plan, resulting in acci-
dents. Cardboard targets on the the Swiss principle had
been introduced to them, but would entail £5OO additional
expenditure. They had seen Mr, Hill's system on his
ground, and considered it safe, and therefore resolved, if
possible, to use it. With a view of scertoining if it was
safe they had communicated with Lord Paulet, who sent
down Captain Wigrem, of the Coldstream Guards, to see
the system in operation. That officer, in his report, said
that it was impossible for any accident to happen, and that
the markers were safe. They would, therefore, adopt Mr,
Hill's system of marking in its integrity. They would
have a tramway laid down, horsed by the military train,
which would be a great improvement and save competitors
the fatigue of walking from one firing point to another. It
weuld cost from £2OO to £3OO, but would soon repay itself.
There would be a great many men in camp ; four corps had
arranged to pitch tents. Corps could have tents, provided
that they had not more than 50 men on the ground, and
not less than 20 men, two-fifths of whom must, however, be
members of the association, The distribution of prizes
would take place at Wimbledon, and not at the Crystal
Palace as heretofore. Lord Elcho concluded by announc-
ing that the Duke of Cambridge (who had shortly before
this entered the meeting and taken the chair) had consented
to review the Volunteers on the last day of the meeting.
The Duke of CA3iBRIDGE said that he was now ready to
receive suggestions, and he invited discussion.

Captain TEMPLER complained that a sufficient number of
prizes was not given for competition by the breech-loader.
A. trial Lad taken place on Saturday at Harrow between
the Prussian needle-gun and the long Enfield, which gave
the palm to our weapon.
Lieut. GOODLIFFE, London Rifle Brigade, did not approve
paper targets, and considered that " auy position " should
be allowed for the second stage of the Queen's Prize.
Mr. LuxMooßE said that the volunteers were taught to
fire kneeling, and that it would be unfair to have any po.
Lion for the second stage of_the " Queen's."

After some further dlicussion, in which Capt. °scamp,
3d City, recommended prizes for unknown distances at
Wimbledon,

The Duke of CAMBRIDGE said, as the owner of woods in
rear of the butts, he must uratest against prizes for unknown
distances, as already, with known distances and good shoot-
ing, bullets found their way into his woods.
After some further discussion, in which Gen. Boileau,
Col. Bower, Capt. Williams, .Nir Hemming, Mr. M. Smith,
Capt. Macgregor, Lord Bury, Lieut. Marriner, and others
took part, the Speaker of the House of Commons was una-
nimously elected one of the trustees of the association.
The Duke of CA3IRRIDGE then said that he hoped they
would not be led away by the Prussian needle-gun. He
hoped they would encourage
breech-loaders. He had seen
the needle-guns in the hands of troops, and there was a great
escape of gas from them. He must remind them that In the
they question of ammunition
must bear in mind the replen-
ishing the supplies and the difficulties in the way of doingY
so. He did not say that they would or would not come into
use. As regarded tho rules, everybody had his fear and
fancy. He was sure the council were anxious to meet the
views of everybody, but it was impossible to please all. Last
year he had asked thorn not to overlook the claim of the na-
tional weapon, and he still had to do the seine. As regarded
the position for shooting,
"any position" would give an un-
due advantage to one man over another. He concluded by
apologising late, Which was owing to the day of
the meeting having been altered.
O n h
motionforbring
beoifGen. BOILEAU a vote of thanks was
passed
ttoe the Chairman, and the proceedings terminated.

TERRESTRIAL REFRACTION.—An extraordinary
instance of this phenornene
was lately witnessed by a party
of Portuguese philosophers,. 14
effecting the ascension of the
Peak of Teneriffe. On their reaching, a t aboutthe horizonsun; ls, the
massestop
o
of the volcano, which has theshape of an enormous pyramid
and an altitude of 2,000 metresabove the level of the sea,
belong to some vast
continent. The archipelago of but
the
n r et
o Canaryrt they
mountainse ywer e as
t e
which
nis hed
could
1d
perceive
netwas at their feet, as it were, and it w
to mistake the appearance at thehoras
i h impossible
to
one
horizon for
e these—and
i Islands
of the tourists, who had been in North America, at length
recognized the Alleghany mountains, which were at least
2,500 miles from the spot, This
spectacle was due to a sin-
gular ~ effect of mirage, or terrestrial refraction, produced by
the moist W.S.W. wind which blew at the time. As the
utmost extent of vision which can be obtained from the top
of the Peak of Teneriffe is not more than 150 miles, the dis-
tlnce supplied by retraction
.was in this case not less than
2,350 miles I The Alleghames extend for 1,200 miles from
the frontiers of the State of Georgia to the mouth of the
Saint Lawrence.
A SOLITUDE, FIT FOR Z. IMMERMANN !—Ono of
the law reporters in the 2tmes yesterday indulged
himself and the public generally with the following im-
pressive reflections I—Any1—Any man who says,
"I want to be
alone, to find some shade, some solitary gloom, there to
shake off these harsh tumultuous cares that vex my life,"
had better visit Westminster-hall on a Derby-day. There
g
he can get as much shade and
loom as he pleases. Some-
body speaks somewhere of the
"sunbeams dancing as the
zephyrs play." No one need expect to see such a ballet in
Westminster. hall on the Derby-day, for the sunbeams avoid
the place, however invitingly the zephyrs may play; and
the only thing that he has any pretensions to shining is the
crown of the ono policeman's hat, as that worthy thrusts his
head through the entrance doors to see that the hall has not
" 'newel on" or off. The superior courts are nearly de-
serted,
and the few persons to be seen move about as though
the day were Sunday and they hadno business there. Even
the stentorophonic usher seems afraid of his "silence,"
and
subsides into a whisper. Fverybudy appears to ask him-
self " Why am I here ? The lawmakers have taken a holy-
day, Why am I here?" If any man had the courage to
put the quession aloud, be might not find echo's answer
very complim,mtary.
[ADVERTISEMENT j—COCSUIll?t1011, all nervous, bilious
liver, and stomach complaints, It every stage, are only a(r.
gravatea and accelerated by drugs of every description but
t.erfecaly curable by flu Barry's health restoring
=Zevalenta
Arabica Food, as proved by thousands of cases which nad
been considered hopeless. We quote a few.—Cure No. 62,914.
Miss Lange, 18 years of age, cured alter the medical men had
abandoned all hopes of her recovery from the last stage of
Pulmonary consumption, with fearful cough, expectoration.
exhaustion, spitting of blood, perspirations, hollow cheek.
emaciated to a skeleton. She is now, thank God, a perfectly
healthy, blooming, fleshy girl.—N. Lange, Comrnissaire (lc
Police. Cure, No. 46,270. Mr. James Roberts, of Primley
Surrey, of thirty years' diseased lungs, spitting of blood, liver
derangement, and partial deafness.—Cure, No. 47,121. Miss
Elizabeth Jacobs, of extreme nervousness, indigestion.
_fathering's, low spirits, and nervous famcies.--Oure, .No.
4,816. the Rev. James T. Cam:bell, Fakenham, Norfolk,
of indigestion and torpidity of the liver, which had resisted
all medical treatment. In tins, 11b, 2s 9d; 21b, Is 6d; 51b.
i is; nib, 225; 241 b, 40s. Barry du Barry and Co., No. 77,
Regent-street, London ; also Fortnum and Mason; and all
grocers and chemists in every town of the United Kingdom,