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

THE RACE FOR THE NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

HANDICAP. -----
The following threatening letter was received by Mr E.
Brayley, the owner of the Pearl Diver, at Nottingham,
yesterday, and handed to our reporter. The writer of the
cowardly effusion, however, was saved the trouble of carry-
ing his threat into execution, and Mr Brayley would have
treated the matter with the contempt it deserves but for the
reason that the publicity given to the circumstance in our
columns might put the ruffianly writer to shame ; or better
still, possibly lead to his detection :

" To Mr Brayley.
" Sut,—lf you dont run your Pearl Diver straight in the
Nottingham Handicap to-morrow and win (which you can)
look out for your last visit to the racecourse.
"Come, it's all over with you; the milking must be
stopped.—From "A VICTIM VERY DEEPLY TAKEN IN.
" They'll all have it, if not run straightforward.
"Nottingham. To Mr. Brayley, owner of Pearl Diver,
Nottingham Racecourse; or Cannon, the jockey."
TEE WIMBLEDON MEETING,

Yesterday there were two events of main interest
:o 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 representas
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 Milford 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 tiring-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 added 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 hand, containing,
by a fortunate coincidence, the Colonel of the
London Rifle Brigade and Lady Warde. 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 eomply with the usual formalities,
and ultimately borne away in triumph to the quay.
ters of his regiment in the Associated Camp.
Although the contest was so exciting, the average
shooting for the Queen's Prizo 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 with 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 Whit worth 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 unfortunateathat such a con•
tretcnaps should occur.

The Public Schools Match was shot at the ex-
reme 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 aide 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

,aking 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 is part on a previous day, at Capt.
M'Gregor's favourite target of " the coming

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 loaders. It is, therefore, of