The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-18 00:00:00

id 30 Badges, N,R.A

yet.
When the 600• pounder came -•• t,-,
Shoebury it was the
largest rifled gun in the world. It is
they
so no longer. Many
Governments have got, not one, but many rifled 600-poun-
d ers,
pounders,and ,
aboutwhat is
thev
still
al
valve
worse,e
of
h there is no second opi-
nionthey have been used.
Even the Danes, whose want of preparati3n and general un-
w which
e have numbers of 300-
in any part of the world where
readiness we sometimes look t
down upon with so much self.
complacency, have not failed ! Provide themselves with
some of Sir William's 300-pounder shunt-gnus, while we
not only have none of this kind yet in the service, but we
believe almost none manufactured, except those now lying
idle in front of the targets where they have been used only
to demonstrate their value to other countries. The Ameri-
cans have now literally hundreds of 600-pounders, and have
just succeeded in casting atrittsburg a 20-inch gun to throw
a spherical shot of 1,600Ib.1b. To be sure, all these guns are
smooth bores fired with weak Powder in low charges, but
the experiment of last week shows that the Americans
are not altogether wrong in trusting to heavy shot at
low velocities. There is no charge that could be expected
to send the 1,6001 b shot we have spoken of out of its gun
which would not at close range be sure to tell with almost
sinking effect on the very best of our ironclads. In Sir
William's large shunt guns, however, we have ordnance
which are strong enough to be equal to thehighest charges,
and a capable of throwing 150 Ror
-00 pounder shot to a
range and with an accuracy which no other gun claims to
effect but Mr Whitworth's 150 Pounder; for Mr Whit•
worth has not yet brought forward a 300 pounder.
If there could be only a competitive trial with Sir
William's 150 pounder and Mr Whitworth's against
armour plates and with shot and shell for range,
accuracy, and destructiveness, a result would be gained
one way or other on the finality 0 i which, as far as these
ordnance are concerned, the public might depend. At the
same time it is in a manner unfair to Mr Whitworth to
proceed to try Sir William's shunt guns of large calibre
without inviting him to supply 150 or 300-pounders, it he
can do so, to be tried as soon as possible afterwards.

-- ,
Points.
Private Dolamore, 27th
Middlesex . • .. 41
Col.-Sergeant Hart, 38th
Middlesex .. .. 41
Corp. Germyn, 2d South
Middlesex .. 41
Private Bruce, Ist Edin-
burgh • • .. 41
Private Brooks, Ist Devon 41
Serg. Deacon, sth North-
ampton .. • . .. 41
Ensign Black, 22d Middle-
sex •• •• •• 41
Private Hepplestone, 6th
Lancashire .. 41
Private Holland, Ist Mid-
dlesex .. .. 41
Capt. Millican, Leicester 41
Private Hemery, 11th
Middlesex .. .. 41
Serg. Snelous, Bth Che-
shire . • .. 41
Private Popplewell, 37th
West Yorkshire.. .. 41
Private Simmonds, 12th
Berns 91

Ensign Lockhart, 7th
Ayr
Corp. Allen, 14th Wilts.. 42
The following are winners
in the 2d stage (Queen's) :
Points.
Private Hall, 9th Middle-
sex • • • • 41
Sergt. Porteous, 9th Mid-
dlesex .. 41
Priv. Cr.ddle, 11th Corn-
wall 41
Ensign Hooper, 40th Mid-
dlesex 41,
Corp. Day, 6th Cheshire 41'
Lieut. Fryer, 4th North
York . 41
Priv. Wyatt, 13th Salop.. 41
Priv.Blackmore, 2d Devon 41
Priv. Birkley, 2d Tower
Hamlets •• .. 41
Sergt. -Instructor Robin-
son, 16th Middlesex .. 41
Capt. Hadden, Ist Notts .. 41
Priv. Atkins, 12th Essex 41
Priv. Pavitt, 10th Somer-
set .. 41
Sergt. Milner, 2d South
Middlesex .. .. 41
Sergt. Charles, sth Dorset 41
Lieut. Brown, Ist Wilts.. 41
C.- Sergt. Churchill, Ist
London .. 40
C.-Sergeant Delves, 17th
Ken t
Corp. Roberts, 6th Salop.. 40
Priv. Harper, 2d Salop .. 4
From this list it will be seen that although the
top scores made with the Enfield rifle in the fitst
stage of the Queen's Prize have not been as high
this year as in 1863, the competitors shot very
evenly and steadily thropghout, the figures descend-
ing in regular gradation and without break or in-
terruption, from 47 downwards. In fact, calculations
have been entered into with a view of showing that
the general average of the shooting for the Queen's
Prize this year is higher than it was in 1863—a
view which is certainly supported by the fact that
last year three men who had made 41 were included
in the first class of 30, which this year contains no
competitor who scored less than 42 ; and that the
second class of 30 then contained 19 volunteers who
qualified with 40 marks, whereas this year the first
name having 40 opposite to it, is pushed down to
the 77th place on the list. The small-bore shooting
exhibits an undoubted improvement this year. In
competitions where 20 is the highest possible num-
ber, 19 marks have been made and beaten over and
over again. This was the case notably at the second
series of extra prizes given for the highest score at
800 yards with any rifle. Lord Ducie made what
was apparently the fine score of 19, but just after-
wards the statistical department received intelli•
gence that there had been ties at that number, and
finally, it was exceeded by a gentlemen from the
noble lord's own county. Experience shows
daily more and more what a fund of experience and
observation is indispensable to the rifleman who
seeks to compete on anything like equal terms with
the first-class shots abounding at Wimbledon. The
wind, the light, the character of the soil, the lie of
the range, all these are points that cannot be too
carefully ,'studied. The day has gone by when
buying a good rifle and holding it straight was all
that was requisite in small-bore contests, and the
volunteer who has never shot anywhere beyond
his county range, is as much at a loss when
he comes to the head-quarters of the National
Association as an untravelled person on his
entrance into society. As one instance of what it
is in the power of practised shots to accomplish,
take the case of Captain Beaton. In the course of
the present meeting he has fired 61 shots at the
Swiss target. Of these 58 were bull's-eyes, 26 of
the shots lodging within the 11-inch carton.
A point which is being forced into prominence by
the high average shooting, both with smooth bores
and regulation rifles, is the manner in which ties
ought in future to be disposed of. Matters have
reached such a pitch now that in the Alexandra
competition, if targets were given up in adequate
numbers to allow the ties to be shot off expedi-
tiously there would be enough to throw back the
proceedings of the Association fora day. Irre•
spective of equal scores for higher prizes, there are
no less than 109 of 15 for a prize of £3. Remem.
bering that 108 must be disappointed when these
ties are shot off, and that the net value of the prize
if distributed among them would be a little over 6d.
per man, it sounds like an absurdity, but it is never•
theless true, that each out of those 109 competitors
will incur an outlay of 2s. for sighting shots before
the question of precedence can be determined.
Suggestions have been made in some quarters that
the matrer should be decided by lot ; in others that
a gradual process of elimination founded upon a
comparison of the scores made at the different
ranges should be employed. It is evident that some
general principle as to tics must be adopted, once
for all, now that between 2,000 and 3,000
competitors enter for a single prize. The extent of
the difficulty in the case of th.e Alexandra Prize
will be seen from the following statistics :
ALEXANDRA PRIZE.
At 200 Yards.
2 ties of 16 to shoot for first prize of £2O.
14 ties of 17 to shoot for one prize of £l5, and six prizes
of £lO.
28 ties of 16 to shoot for 16 prizes of £5.
109 ties of 15 to shoot for
At one prize of £3.
Yards.
6 ties of 18 to shoot for two prizes of £l5.
19 ties of 17 to shoot for two prizes of £lO, and 16 prizes
of £5.
52 ties of 16 to shoot for 19 prizes of D.
No sooner has Captain-Page, the executive officer of

of £3 each, but do not shoot

Points. '
Priv. Buxton,
teBth
BthK Derby 45
40
C.-Sergt. Whi, ent
Capt. Mitchell, Ist Clack-
mannan .. • . .. 40
Capt. Bass, 25th Stafford 40
Ens. Gruning, 14th Mid-
dlesex .. .. .. 40
Priv. Clarke, 41st Kent .. 40
Sergt. Spurrell, 12th Kent 40
Sergt. Kimble, 25th Kent 40
Private Norsworthy, 23d
Middlesex ~ .. 40
Private Holloway, sth
Glocester .. .. .. 40
Corp. ilissett, sth Forfar 40
Capt. Greg, 22d Cheshire 40
Private Seaman, 2; th W.
York .. .. .. 40
Corp. Dunn, 7th Kent .. 40
Col.-Sergt. Baines, 23d
Middlesex .. .. 10
kEnsign Hitchcock, 6th
Wilts .• .. .. 40
Sergt Livesay, lst Sussex 40
Priv. Farrow, 11th Lin-
coln .• .. . 40
I Priv. Anderson, 3d Lei-
cester .. .. .. 40
Sergt. Muir, 3d Kirkcud-
bright .. .. .. 40