The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-22 00:00:00

Montrose Rifle Gathering,

AloNno SE, June 21.
The Montrose rifle gathering, the first of the
Scottish Volunteer shooting competitions, and still
one of the most popular for the excellence of the
marksmen who enter for the prizes, commenced its
proceedings on Tuesday. The weather was all that
could be desired, and a number of the finest shots in
Scotland were on the ground. The chief feature in
the proceedings was the contest for the " Scotland's
Cup," carried off, it may be remembered, on the
first occasion of the gathering, by Mr. Edward Ross.
Since then the shooting has greatly improved, and
the principal scores in the present contest are said to
be the highest ever made in a public competition.
The conditions of the contest for the Cup were seven
shots at each of the following ranges :-700, 800,
and 900 yards. Annexed are the highest scores :
Sergeant Forbes, Gth Aberdeenshire, 28, 27, 26 ;
total, 81. Mr. Edward Ross, London Scottish, 27,
27, 23 ; total, 77. The Hon. Captain Arbuthnott,
Kincardineshire, Captain Morison, Peterhead, and
Captain Fordyce, sth Aberdeenshire, made 74 each;
the Earl of Aberdeen and Mr. Grant Peterkin,
Cambridge, following with 73 each. All these crack
shots, with the exception of Captain Arbuthnott
(henry), used the Whitworth rifle.
In a competition for a challenge cup among eight
of the best marksmen present, at 800, 900, and
1,000 yards, Mr. Edward Ross stood first with a
score of 74. Forbes, the gainer of " Scotland's
Cup," is a brickmaker in the little village of Ellon,
to the north of Aberdeen, and was one of the Scot-
tish eight who shot for and won the Elcho Shield at
Wimbledon last year. His score to-day was com-
posed of 18 bull's-eyes and three centres.
The prizes are to be presented to-morrow by Lord
Dalhousie.

A NEW BOMBSHELL.—The Cumberland Pacquet,
says Mr. Thew, of the Whitehaven and Furness
Railway, has recently turned his attention to the construc-
tion of those fearful implements of warfare, bombshells.
" He has succeeded in working out an idea which has been
pronounced by all who have seen the models, including
several gentlemen in this locality whose professions con-
stitute them judges in such matters, as being eminently
well adapted to the object in view. The new projectile
consists of a perfectly globular shell—the shape to which
Government has shown preference—containing a second,
smaller shell, of the same form ; this, again, contains a
third shell, which in its turn contains a fourth. Tho idea
may be most popularly explained by supposing one pill box
enclosed in another; this, again by a third ; and lastly, a
fourth. The inner shells are about a quarter of an inch
thick, and the outer is about an inch thick. The sizes
are so arranged that between each shell there is a clear
chamber all round of about au inch. The smaller shell
and the several chambers are filled with gunpowder by a
very ingenious contrivance of the inventor's, and tho whole
would be then closed up by the ordinary fuse. The enor-
mous quantity of splinters which would be scattered about
on the explosion of such a shell must be evident, and its
destruttive powers are something fearful to contemplate.
FUNERAL OF A BEE.—A correspondent of the
Glasgow herald transmits the following :—" On
Sunday morning last I had the pleasure of witnessing a
most interesting ceremony, which I desire to record for
the benefit of your readers.- Whilst walking with a friend
in a garden near Falkirk, wo observed two bees issuing
from one of the hives, bearing betwixt them the body of a
defunct comrade, with which they flew fora distance of ton
yards. We followed them closely, and noted the care with
which they selected a convenient hole at the side of the
gravel walk—the tenderness with which they committed
the body, head downwards, to the earth—and the solici-
tude with which they afterwards pushed against it two little
stones, doubtless in memoriam.' Their task being ended,
they paused for about a minute, perhaps to drop over the
grave of their friend a •sympathising tear, and then they
flew away.