The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-02 00:00:00

The Volunteers,

Yesterday the rifle ranges on Wimbledon-common were
used for prize shooting. The competition was for the nume-
rous prizes of the Ist Surrey Rifles, which this year amount
in value to nearly £4OO. The weather was all that could be
desired, and the arrangements, which were conducted by a
shooting committee composed of officers and members of
the corps, were most satisfactory. The principal prizes are
the Pollock Challenge Cup, value 50 guineas, the gift of
Gen, Sir George Pollock, G.C.B„ K 5.1., hon, colonel of
the corps. The let Surrey Challenge Cup, value 25 guineas,
the gift of Lieut.-Col. Macdonald. The Ladies' Challenge
Cup, value 25 guineas. The Kennington (No. 2) Company's
Challenge Cup, value 30 guineas, open to all members who
have attended 24 drills during the 12 months preceding the
competition. The Newington (No. 7) Company's Chal-
lenge Cup, value 30 guineas, to be shot for by eight men
from each company. The Honorary Members' Prize Cup,
value 20 guineas, given by Mr F. Uoulton, 2,1.P.—.£21 for
best score—£7 7s, added by the shooting committee. for
second—X3 3s, ditto, for third. The competition yesterday
was open only to efficient members of the corps. The shoot-
ing will be resumed and concluded on Wednesday.
At the recent competition of the Eton College Rifles for
the silver challenge medals and marksmen's badges, which
came off in Windsor Great Park, the ranges being 650, 700,
800, and 900 yards, five shots at each, the following were
declared the winners :—The Head Master's Challenge
Medal, Captain R. Pierpont, 15 points—Mr Arkwright's
Challenge Medal, Private T. Delap, 12 points—Ensign W.
W. Wood, 12 points. The tie in the latter case was after-
wards shot off at 900 yards, when Private Delap was de-
clared the winner. The following also are entitled to marks-
men's badges :—Lieut. Willa; 11—Corporal Thompson, 7
—and Corporal Oswald, 7.
The Staffordshire Rifle Association held its annual meet-
ing ter competition in riff shooting last week at Newcastle-
under-Lyne. For the Rifle Volunteer prizes, 2.5 in num-
ber and of the aggregate value of £145, there were 250. c mn-
petitors. Twenty-one of these prizes were divided into three
equal portions and given for scores at 200, 500, and 600
yards respectively. The first prize at 200 yards was won by
Private Smith, 11th Company, with a score of 17 ; the first
prize at 500 yards by Corporal Parrish, 6th Company, who
also scored 17, and the first prize at 6.0 yards, by Corporal
Woodward, 20th Company, with the same score as the
winners of the other prizes. Four prizes were offered for
the highest aggregate scores at the three distances just
named, and the first, £2O, was taken by Lieut, Morson,
325 company, who made 46 marks, and who also won the
National Rifle Association bronze medal. The borough of
Newcastle presented a cup of the value of 20 guineas to
competition at 200, 300, and 500 yards. There were 84 com-
petitors, and Sergeant Nicholls, 10th company, won the
cup, with a score of 48. He also took a prize of £2O, offered
by the officers of the Stafford Battalion, for the best score
at 200 and 500 yards, at which he made 34 hits and points.
Mr Sneyd, of Keele Hall, gave £2O for the highest aggre-
gate score made at the competition just named; Lieut Mar-
son, 32d, was the winner. Two prizes offered by the asso-
ciation for competition to members of the Ist Staffordshire
Artillery Volunteer Corps were shot for by 14 members,
and won by Gunner Owen and Corpottl Bishop, who each,
in the first place, scored 29. Four prizes given by the asso-
ciation were shot for by members of the Staffordshire militia
regiments, at 200 and 400 yards, and the first was won by
Sergeant Christie, 2d Regiment, who made 28 marks. There
were 22 competitors. A sweepstakes of lOs each, with £lO
added by the association, was shot for at 100 yards by 33
members of the Staffordshire Yeomanry force ; and the first
prize was taken by Corporal Witton, of the Himlay troop)
with a score of 13. The first All Corners' prize was won
by Corporal Wright, Hanley, who scored 44, at 200, 500,
and 600 yards. On Tuesday evening the officers of the Ist
battalion of Staffordshire Rifle Volunteers gave a banquet
to the Earl of Lichfield, tho Lord Lieutenant of the county.
On Saturday afternoon a grand volunteer sham fight
took place on the grounds of Major Graham of Capellie,
near Crofthead, eight miles from Glasgow. Col. M`Murdo,
Inspector-General of Volunteers, was in command. Shortly
before 3 o'clock the troops defiled into their positions, and
the arrangements were finally completed for the fight. The
attacking force was made up of the second brigade, under
the command of Sir Michael Shaw Steveatt, M.P., the third
brigade under Sir Archibald Islay Campbell, and the fourth
brigade under Major M'Bain. The defending force, com-
posed of the first brigade (consisting of the Lanark Artil-
lery Volunteers, the 3d and 4th Lanark Rifles, and a de-
tachment of the 92d Highlanders, under the command of
Col. Nugent) was posted on Duchielaw-hill (an eminence
on the north of the field of operations), under cover of two
small plantations of fir trees. The men were drawn up in
lines of contiguous quarter-distance columns,
and had the
92d in reserve, towards the rear of the centre. The force de-
fending Duchielaw was protected in front by two howitzers,
placed on commanding ground at the corner of the wood,
and two 9-pounders, planted on the brow of the slope, in
front of the centre of the position. The attacking force,
consisting of the Ist, 2d, and 3d battalions of the Renfrew
Rifles, the Ist, 2d, and 4th administrative battalions of the
Lanark Rifles, and the sth, 19th, and 25th Lanark Rifles
was divided into two divisions, and took ground in the
hollows lying on either side of a small wooded elevation
known as Game-hill, which fronted the declivity of Duchies
law, on which the guns of the defending force were visible.
The battle ended, Colonel M'Murdo, attended by Colonel
Young, Assistant-Inspector of Volunteers, Colonel Dun-
des, Colonel Jones, Colonel Brougham, and Major Walker
took up their position below the Union Jack, which
indi-
cated the saluting point ; and the marching past com-
menced. This evolution took place upon a level field to the
west of Game-hill, and formed one of the most interesting
parts of the days proceedings. The artillery came first,
followed by the 92d Highlanders and the engineers, and
the riflemen came next, their: many-coloured uniforms
affording interesting topics of conversation to the onlookers,
Among the companies that moved past the flag staff, the
925 Highlanders bore the palm for picturesqueness of dress
end steadiness of movement, and the precision with which
they wheeled elicited admiring cheers from all present.
When the last company had defiled past Colonel M'Murdo
asked the volunteers to give the 92d Highlanders three
cheers as they crossed their front, and this request was
heartily responded to. In his address to the volunteers
Colonel M'Murdo said the firing had been exceedingly good,
and when the nature of the ground was taken into account,
the manner in which the force of 7,000 men made respec-
tively in two bodies six changes of front did them great
credit„lt was with great satisfaction that he had come
there, for he observed a growing efficiency in the volunteers
of Lanarkshise and Renfrewshiro. At the close of his
Speech, three cbeers were given for Colonel Wl'sturdo, and
the hoops left the ground.