The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-29 00:00:00

A company has been formed for the purpose of building a
large hotel on Wimbledon-common for the accommodation
of the members of the National Rifle Association and those
who visit the locality for rifle practice and military ma.
neeuvres. A site for the building has been obtained on the
common commanding a view of the ground on which the
National Rifle Association holds its annual meetings, near
the rifle ranges of the 15th Middlesex (London Scottish)and
Civil Service (21st Middlesex) Rifles, and within a mile of
Richmond-park. It is proposed to provide cabs, carriages,
and horses for the convenience of the visitors. The build-
ing will be a handscme Italian structure, divided into two
separate departments. It will contain club, billiard, and
ball rooms, and a masonic lodge, and upwards of 200 bed-
rooms. Among the directors of the company are Col. Colt,
C. 8., of the Ist Administrative Regiment of Surrey Rifle
Volunteers; Col. Creed, C. 8., Ist Middlesex Artillery Vo-
lunteers ; Major Wright, Ist Middlesex Engineers; Mr. B.
Smith, 23d Middlesex (Inns of Court) Rifles. The archi-
tect is Mr. A. Trimen, of Adam-street, Adelphi.
On Saturday last a large number of both battalions of the
Queen's ( Westminster) Rifle Volunteers assembled at West-
minster -hall, and after blank cartridge had been served out
to each member marched, accompanied by the bands, to
Hampstead, where they were put through a variety of
movements in light infantry drill. A sub-committee has
been appointed to consider the whole question of the finances
of the corps, which will be reported to the meeting of the
central committee on Jan. 8. The result will be communi-
cated to the corps at the distribution of prizes on the 9th,
and it will then be notified what reduction can be made in
the annual subscriptions in consequence of the Government
grant,

The quarterly competition among the second. class shots
of the London Rifle Volunteer Brigade for three University
tankards given by the Brigade Rifle Association has been
brought to a close at the rifle ranges at Plaistow, Essex.
The ranges were 200 and 500 yards. On account of the
shortness of the time allowed for the contest and the large
number who competed, the 600 yards range was omitted,
but, as the winners of the tankards and several other com-
petitors made more than the proportionate number of marks
in the two ranges, they qualified themselves for future badge
competitions. The tankards were won as follows—Private
Woolley, N company, 27marks; Lieut. Christie, C company,
24 marks; and Private Thomas, E company, 20 marks. The
condition of these association contests are five shots each at
200, 500, and 600 yards, all who make 25 marks and up-
wards being entitled to shoot in the next competition for
the gold champion badges.
The grand volunteer rifle contest, open to all the world,
for prizes amounting in value to nearly £2OO, will be held
to-morrow at Tomes. The money will be divided into '
prizes of £lOO, £2O, £l5, three prizes of £lO each, and four
of £5 each. The ranges will be 300:and 500 yards, seven
shots at each, hits and points added, at 300 yards Hythe
position, at 500 yards any position. There will be a Rifle
Derby for small bores, and Rifle Oaks for Enflelds on the
following day.
The fourth annual distribution of the regimental and
company prizes of the St. George's Rifles will take place at
St. James's-hall on Tuesday, the sth of January, at the
oonclusion of the concert which the regiment holds on that
evening. The regiment mustered in force last week, at
Burlington-house, to welcome the return of Col. Lindsay
from the Continent, and his recovery from the accident he
met with on Wormholt Scrubba. He will present the
prizes on Tuesday.
The companies forming the Ist Administrative Battalion
of Somerset Volunteers had a field day on Saturday. The
men of the Ist, 2d, 14th, 27th, and 18th companies paraded
in Queen-square, Bath, and afterwards marched to Kilaton-
park, the residence of Col. Inigo Jones, colonel command-
ant, where they found a detachment of the sth (lieynsham)
company awaiting them. The force was divided into two
bodies,—one under the command of Adjutant Bampfylde,
and the other under Captain Ford. The former were sup-
posed to hold the mansion of the colonel, which was sustain-
ing a siege from an enemy, repesented by Captain Ford's
divisions. After some preliminary skirmishing an assault
was ordered, which resulted in the defenders being worsted
and taken prisoners. At the conclusion of the:manceuvrea
the men were regaled, and after the repast Mrs. Colonel
Jones presented the silver challenge cups offered for com-
petition to the battalion of Colonel Jones and Mr. E.
Lovell, clerk of the peace for the county of Somerset.
They are held for this year by Privates Hay and Drake,
of the Ist company. Colonel Jones also said a few
words. He congratulated himself on commanding a bat-
talion in wbich there were 90 marksmen, and expressed a
hope that there would be a meeting of Volunteers in that
neighbourhood next year. The recipients of the cups having
returned thanks, three cheers were given for Mrs. Jones and
the gallant colonel. The officers on the ground then accepted
the invitation of Colonel Jones to partake of luncheon, the
band playing in front of the house. Shortly afterwards the
companies fell in, marched past, and saluted. They then
returned to Bath.

We are authorised to state that there is no truth
in the report that the Earl of Cardigan has subscribed
either £lOO or £5OO towards paying Col. Crawley's expenses,
or that pending the proceedings of the general court-martial
he has placed himself at the head of a list of subscribers.—
Morning Herald.

MISSING VESSELS.—The Philo, Stevenson, sailed
from Montreal on the 16th September for Queenstown, and
is supposed to have passed Quebec on the 18th, and has
not since been heard of. The Promesa de Torrevieja, Tor.
rents, sailed from Buenos Ayres on the Bth July for the
Channel, and has not since been heard of.

The Figaro-Programme publishes the following
curious detail—" Alexandre Dumas, the novelist, is no
longer paid by the line, but by the letter. Yes I the Sat.
Felice,' which is now being published, is paid for at the rate
of a centime a letter. We can guarantee the exactitude of
this fact.'

PRIZES CAPTURED BY THE FEDERALS.—The Sec-
retary of the Federal navy, in his official report to Congress
refers to the number and value of the prizes captured since
the C :..11aration of the blockade. He says that the capture
of I,L 1J prizes, representing property to the amount of up-
wards of £3,000,000, have been submitted to the judgment
of the Federal prize courts. About half that slum has been
adjudicated upon, leaving, after paying all expenses,
£1,200,000 for distribution amongst the captors of the seve-
ral prizes.
A FRENCH VIEW OF ANCIENT ENGLAND.—The
Scholar of Oxf3rd, a comedy in three acts., and . in
prose, by Feu Waffiard, represented for the first mfrs in tbe
Second Theatre-Franiais, July 29, 1824; price 2ncs 50
centimes, Paris, Madame Virginia Dabo, Publisher. I
ought, perhaps, to say that the copy lying .before me, stained
and dingy, but yet in tolerable preservation, I found with
courtier,.
a heap of other works in a by-street, offered at a penny a
volume. It is neither the better
.nor the worse for that,
The time of this comedy is the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
The characters are Lord Morden, an ambitious
with a noble mansion in Lombard-street,. in a magnia
personages to be mother, but cer.,t
park ; Lady Morden, his sister ;
their Miss Maria, Who .
is said
Oxford t who is, in
ifnactth, easlinsteaorfly
as I
‘can judge from the drama their niece
(Miss Maria, leur mere, has an awkward look\
1 ; Lord Strat-
ford, friend of the Morden family • la
1 Robert, Professor
of Humanities in the College of la
Student of the University of
.r. Jackson; Will,h.
, and several cs i;ji
meters of lesser importance. The first scene opens
a forest, which turns out to be in
There
is a tavern, kept by Goot, on whose
in
.Hyd.s Park."
Excel-
lent porter—loge a
boo.ka under
Pied et a °Be,B,lP-&-‘lB tseeWn ill with
He has just left the cheva,
his—ther
13:tvderslity of Oxford,
his
unknown
He is 18.
abren:a4ase he has
completed his studies, a 8 C. because.t
pro-
tectors have forgotten to quarter's expenses.
He has a vague idea that his father, wose name he does
not happen to know has died in Lail°.
ex-
claims Will, "Here I am,"
"at 18,
worldrespire at my ease low the air is good I
, without
Row I • knowing
where
go.
-
, free, my owlnmaster, and running the
of Al'Ali I this day is the most beau-
tiful-- my life. rife throws his books info the air,) Good-
by Quintus Curtius I good-by Virgil 1 good-by Horace!
Your immortality has cost men many a flogging. Will, if
You believe me, you are fatigued ; you want some rofresu-
ment. Ah, here is a tavern where I can change my last
guinea, Hollo I Mr. Host, Mrs. Hostess, Mr. Goot I "
Enter Mr. Goot, with a pot of beer in his hand. "Well,
young gentleman," ho says, "You make a good deal of noise
for one," "A pot of your best beer, Al r. G,,ot, and I will
not beat you down on it." " here it is," said the publican ;
"taste that; by the tune you have drunk two glasses you
will feel a vigeur,a fire in the head, you will be furious, and
' ready to box with all the world. As for my porter, I reserve
j
that for great occasions, such as a prize-fight or my wife's
birthday."— D ickens' 54 cAll the Year Round," just published.
THE ENGRAVING FROM SEBASTIANO DEL
PIOMBO'S PICTURE, ". THE RAISING OF LAZARUS,' now
in the National Gallery, upon which Mr. Doe has been for
several years engaged, is almost finished. '