The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-16 00:00:00

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of the National Rifle Asso-
ciation was held yesterday at Wiltie's Rooms;
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge in the
chair. Amongst those present were Lord Longford,
Lord Whorneliffe, Lord West, Lord Herding°, Earl
Tankerville, Lord Talbot de Malahide, Lord Spen-
cer, Earl Ducie, Lord Truro, the Hon. Mr. Lindsay,
Sir T. F. Buxton, M.P.,Capt. Ross, Capt. Mildmay,
Capt. Templar, Hon. A. Kinnaird, M.P., Sir R.
Hamilton, Mr. John 11I'Gregor, General Boileau,
Col. Bigge, Sir John Burgoyne, Cot. Kennedy, Col
tSteele,
Hon.M r.
C.
.o u field,
Lindsay,
ind yll.,
e.
u, North,llrar
dMe PL.
Lieut.-
Col. Loyd Lindsay, Col. Clark Kennedy, the Hon.
Col. Cust, Hon. Col. Charteris, Sir P. Do Grey
Egerton, Capts, Macgregor, Page, and G. St. John
Mildmay.
His ROYAL HIGHNESS said-1 need not detain
you long, as, since the meeting which was held re-
cently, nothing of any importance has occurred. I
have to state that the arrange-image have been made
for the rifle meeting at Wimbledon on the 7th July.
The balance in favour of the association amounts to
13,613, which includes the Ladies' Prize of I:410.
I have further to inform you that the mimes of the
ladk,s forming the committca will he published im-
mediately ; and I have further to state that the sub-
scriptions
have not increased to the extent the
council had hoped. lam afraid I have alluded on
various occasions to this subject, and I am almost
ashamed to advert to it again ; but I may be per-
mitted to observe that the annual subscriptions are
most essential to any body conducting its operations
from year to year, and unless those subscriptions are
very considerable it, is most difficult for the council
to know what arrangements it can properly make.:
Therefore I notice the fact once again, that the
annual subscriptions are not so great as we
could wish. I hope the council have met the feel-
ing of the volunteers in the, country, as we all
know there was a strong feeling that the arm in
use by the volunteers should be brought more for-
ward, and arrangements had been made with that
view. They thought it would be of great advan-
tage to carry out that view as far as possible, and
am happy to say that the committee have met the
case by establishing prizes for the next competition,
which I hope will effect the object we all have in
view. I allude more particularly to the 60 new
prizes for all comers, rank and file, using the Go-
vernment rifle. The winners of the 60 prizes will
also be entitled to compete for the Alexandra prize
of £6O value, to be given in honour of the Princess
Alexandra. The House of Lords prize amounts to
£l7O, and will be competed for by enrolled volun-
teers with any rifle of bona fide government pat-
tern carrying .577 bore diameter. As I have already
said, our neat rifle association meeting takes place
on the 7th July ; and as we have hitherto found the
review very successful we shall have one this year,
and it will take place on the 18th July. The en-
tries. for the Queen's price already amount to 970,
and it is hoped that before the day of the competi-
tion the number will be increased. Tents will be
erected as usual, and there will be two officers or
four men in a tent. Already 40 officers and 100
men have sent in applications for tent accommoda-
tion; and members of the association desiring to
have tents of their own can do so on application,
The general rules have been amended, and are sub-
mitted to the meeting, together with the bye laws
and the programme, which I think is more attrac-
tive than it has hitherto been. The arrangements
are made with a view to enable volunteers to com-
pete with their own arms, and in that respect no
doubt they will give general satisfaction.

COI. BIGGE moved that the rules, as amended, be
adopted ; and Sir R. HAMILTON seconded.

Captain TEMPLAR called the attention of the
council to the desirability of trying the experiment
of handicapping the different rifles, and of offering
prizes to be contested for with the long Enfield, at
800 or 1,000 yards. He believed that some excel-
lent practice would be made with that weapon.
The Earl of DuclE said the council had considered
the question, and, acting on General Hay's opinion,
did not propose to go beyond the 600 yards' range.
General BOILEAU suggested that prizes should
be offered, to be competed for with the various kinds
of rifles.

Mr. M'GREGOR thought it desirable that all
should compete with rifles of the same make, and
not that one man should use his rack rifle and
another should compete with him with one of a
different and superior make. To avoid this
it was desirable that the prizes should be offered
to be competed for with the various kinds
of rifles. At present many were excluded because
they did not use the weapons to which they were
accustomed. This was the case with the Inns of
Court, who had the s•groove rifle, and the artillery,
who had the carbine. He concluded by moving a
resolution to carry out his views, but it did not
find a seconder.

Colonel LINDSAY said that the 5-groove rifles
were excluded on account of H.° advantage they
gave, and the competition was restricted to the
rifles of the Government pattern as served out to
the volunteers.
In reply to Lord Truro,
His Royal Highness the Duke of CAMBRIDGE
and the Hon. A. KINNAIRD, M.P., stated that the
association was not entirely self-supporting.
Colonel CoLEs moved that the 60 prizes for all
corners (No. 3 in the bye laws) should be restricted
to long and short Infields.
Major PIPON seconded the resolution.
Captain TEMPLAR suggested that the entrance
money for the competition for the 60 prizes, namely,
LI, was too high, and excluded many volunteers
from it, and again urged his views in favour of long
ranges.

Lord TRURO expressed his entire disapproval of
the long ranges being introduced.
The amendment was negatived.
Some other suggestions were then made as to
off:ring a prize forshooting at unmeasured distances,
when

Lord WuARNCLIFFE said the great difficulty
they all felt, and which gave rise to differences of
opinion, was occasioned through the Government
serving out different kinds of rifles. He thought
the council would do well if it endeavoured to in.
duce the Secretary of State for IVar to issue only
one kind of rifle to the volunteers.
The amended rules were adopted, all (1 a vote
thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings. Of