The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-06 00:00:00

The National Rifle Association,

The winter general meeting of the National Rifle
Association was held on Saturday afternoon in
Willis's-rooms, St. James's. His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge presided, and there were
present—Earl Dalhousie, Earl Grosvenor, Earl
Cowper, Lord Elcho, Lord Colville, the Right Hon.
the Speaker, the Hon. Frederick B3rng, General
Sir John Burgoyne, Colonel Kennedy, Major
Russell Sir John W. 4.t. Anson, Colonel. Al`Murdo,
Colonel Erskine, Colonel Tyrwhitt, Colonel Wright,
General Eyre, Lieut.-Colonel Warde, Lieut.-Colonel
Cochrane, Captain Templer, Captain Edward Ross,
Captain Palmer, Mr. J. C. Luxmore, Mr. R.. H.
Dunlop, Captain Macgregor, Major Oxley, Mr. G.
W. Hemming, Rev. Harcourt Shrine, Capt. Page,
and others. Captain St. John Mildmay, the secre-
tary of the Association, was unavoidaly absent in
consequence of severe domestic affliction.

The CHAIRMAN, who was warmly received, said
he had to make the annual statement.of the position
and prospects of the National Rifle Association, and
it gave him great pleasure to state that he was en-
abled to give as favourable report ache was in a po-
sition to do last year. The total receipts of the
Association from all sources during the year
amounted to £16,183 15s. 2d., and the expenditure
to £13,453 4s. Bd., leaving a balance of £2,730 10s.
6d. There was an addition to this balance of the
sum of £262, the part of a sum total of 500 guineas
collected among the British residents in China, at
the instance of the Hongkong Volunteers, for a
prize to be shot for under the title of the " China
Cup." (Cheers.) The financial statement of the
Association showed that there was invested in Ex-
chequer-bills the sum of £5,746 15s. 6d., and in
India Bonds £427 155., which, with £558 6s. Id.,
the balance at bankers and in the secretary's hands,
made a total of £6,682 16s. 7d., and adding the bill
to be received for £262 10s. for the China Cup,
there was a balance in favour of the Association of
£6,945 6s. 7d., which might be said to be £7,000.
This was a very satisfactory position for the Asso-
ciation with regard to finances, and he was happy to
say that the number of members of the Association
had shown a satisfactory increase during the year,
218 having joined since the last report, making
2,817 in all. The affiliated associations in con-
nection with this parent institution were the
associations of 37 counties and 14 colonies,
which were not so many as might be wished, but
there was an increase, and he hoped this in-
crease would continue. (Hear.) The sum given
in prizes during the year at the different meet-
ings of the associations amounted to the large
sum of £15,956, - and this showed the general sup-
port which rifle shooting was receiving in every
part, not only in this country, but in the colonies
and this last was a point not to be overlooked at the
present moment as having a peculiar and political
significance. (Cheers.) With respect to the prizes
for the forthcoming meeting he was happy to say
that there was no reason to apprehend any falling
oft in the amount to be given for competition.
There was a prize in the China cup, the Daily Tele-
graph had given the sum of £5O annually, the Lon-
don and South-Western Railway Company had
given a prize of equal value—an example which
might be followed by other companies. (A laugh,
and "Hear.") And Mr. Bass and other gentlemen
and firms continued their prizes. (Cheers.) It was
a subject of congratulation that rifle shooting was
thus kept up and stimulated, and the impetus given
to it in this country had led to matches in all parts
of our colonies—in India, China, Canada, and other
colonies. All things considered it was most desir-
able that the colonies should be encouraged to add
to their defensive powers within themselves, and
their turning their attention to rifle shooting was,
as he had said before, a matter of great political
importance, and was a most acceptable fact for the
Association. (Cheers.)
been considered by the COounnecil
the double " aperture sight." In' importantthnea report
epelmatteroyr, t
the
essaid
sid he a—odf
" It is a matter for consideration whether double aper-
ture sights should not be forbidden in future. They add
greatly to the chances of accident, as when a man is tak-
ing aim with the double aperture sight he can see nothing
but the bull's-eye and a portion of the surrounding target.
The danger signals might be shown at the target, and all
markers might be out of their butts, red flags in hand, and
yet it would be impossible for the man firing to see them
through the narrow opening
of his foresight."
The decision of the council was that it was dangerous to
allow the use of these aperture back sights ; and it
had, therefore, been decided that those sights should
be no longer used at Wimbledon. (Cheers.) There
could not be the slightest question as to this decision
being most judicious, and as there was last year a
most painful accident (quite, however, unconnected
with the use of these sights) and which had a very
depressing effect upon the close of the otherwise
most successful meeting, exertions ought to be made
to prevent any accident in future. There was a cer-
tain amount of risk and danger in the use of the
and he trusted that no one
wapeouirtdurseeekbatock sight,havethisdecision reversed. (Cheers.)
The report, showing the success of the Association
during the past year—a success, he trusted, which
would continue—was now before the meeting, and it
only remained for him to ask that the meeting
would listen to any observations which any gentle-
man present might have to make.
The report stated that in the previous year, while
" chronicling another year's success," the Council
stated that the continued prosperity of the " Aiso-
ciation was uncertain, owing to the precarious na-
ture of its income, and that an endeavour must be
made to place it on a more secure and permanent
The present report showed that this en-
deavour ourghad been made, and would show " to the
satisfaction of members that while the success of the
Association has been in every respect greater than
inanyprevious year, it now rests on a sound basis,
and, financially, its permanence may be considered
as secured." The annual small-bore rifle trial had
shown a gradual and progressive improvement in
the shooting, the figures of merit being—for the 500
yards' range,in 1862 .95, in 1863 .75, and in 1864
.64 ; for the 1,000 yards range it was, 1862, 3.53 ;
1863, 2.77 ; and in 1864, 2.36. This year's
s
competition for the supply of rifles for the
stage of the Queen's Prize had been,
through various causes, confined to one com-
petitor,
Mr. Rigby, who had himself freed
the Association from any obligation to take his rifles
if they did not make the average figure of merit
attained by the Whitworth, and this without the
" scraper," or loading-rod, used with that weapon,
and if the Rigby should be thus disqualified the
Council will borrow Array Whitworths from the
War-office for the competition, and give the com-
petitors money instead of match rifles. The report
entered at length into the details of the last meeting,
and with respect to the tramway said—" This was a
great success, notwithstanding one or two trifling
accidents that unfortunately occurred to passengers,
the result of too great speed, as is freequently the
case in railway travelling. . . The Association

Wimbledon line was opened by his Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales when he visited the ground and
inspected the preparations for the meeting previous
to its commencement. . . The scrip of the As-
sociation Great Wimbledon Trunk line is not, it is
true, quoted in the market, as it may be considered
to a great extent a private concern, but it would be
well if railways showed as good a dividend ou capital
expended. The total cost of construction, plant, &c.,
was £404, and though the line was only six whole
days in actual working the total receipts amounted
to £44 14s. 11d." The number of persons encamped
on the ground during the meeting was 1,238, in ad-
dition to the Staff of that association, the gun-
makers' assistants, the persons in the refreshment
contractor's employ, and others. In the first year
there were 67 prizes, value £2,238, and this number
and amount had gradually increased until last year
there were 627 prizes, and their value was £5,918 12s.
Colonel WARDE, of the London Rifle Brigade,
moved the adoption of the report.
Colonel COCHRANE seconded the motion, which
was unanimously agreed to.

Mr. A. Z. PALMER then moved the second resolution
which was " That the Vice-President be re-elected
that the Earl of Lichfield, Mr. Laird, Viscount Bury,
Earl De Grey and Ripon, Colonel North, and Sir
Joseph Paxton, the retiring members of Council, be
re-elected; that the Master of Lovat, extraordinary
member of-Council, be elected ordinary member of
Council, vice—Lord Radstock, resigned ; and-that
Colonel Erskine, Inspector-General of Volunteers,
be elected extraordinary member of Council."
This was also carried.

Lord ELCHO said there was only one otherresolu-
tion, and that was that his royal highness should be
asked to consent to hold the position which he had
held for so many years, and with much marked ad-
vantage to the association. (Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said he should be happy to con-
tinue as President. (Cheers.)
Captain TEMPLER, in response to an invitation
given by Lord Elcho to any one in the room to
speak, referred to the rule which excluded winners
of the Queen's, Albert, and one or two other prizes,
from again winning them, and suggested as this rule
had not been attended with any good results, either
to the association or rifle shooting, it should be ab-
rogated. He also suggested that the match in the
sliding bar of the Enfield back sight should be abo-
lished, as it had been proved that this match was an
obstacle to good shooting with the Government wea-
pon.

Mr. LUXMORE thought that if the use of the me-
chanically fitting bullets were abolished small-bore
shooting would be greatly encouraged, the cost of
the ammunition, in his opinion, operating as a bar
to that branch of practice.

Mr. EDWARD Ross contended that the abolition
of the mechanically fitting bullet would not be at-
tended with any good result, and the small-bore
shooting, he thought, ought to be encouraged by
more prizes being given.
Lord ELCHO, in reply, said that the question raised
by Captain Templer with respect to the exclusion
of the great prize winners was a subject which was
worthy of reconsideration. As to the change in the
back sight of the Enfield, it was to be remembered
that the weapon was a Government one, and the
Council had done all they could ; they had made
the same recommendation which Captain Templer
noticed. This was all that could be done, for the
council in allotting prizes to be shot for by volun-
teers could not but rule that those prizes should be
shot for in the position and with the weapon ordered
for class firing. (Cheers.) The council, as represent-
ing an association for the encouragement of shoot-
ing, had come to the decision that they could notfor-
bid the use of mechanically fitting bullets, and, with
respect to the encouragement of small-bore shoot-
ing, the great want had been a rifle at a lower sum
than that generally charged for such a weapon. The
Council had, they thought, got over this by the
match rifles of Mr. Rigby, for the second stage of
the Queen's, and which, he believed, would show
that a thorough good rifle could be obtained for a
smaller sum than riflemen had been in the habit of
paying. With regard to the breech-loader compe-
tition to come off, he said the rules had been framed
with a view of obtaining the best weapon. In answer
to a further question, he said that the decision of the
Council with regard to aperture back sights only
applied to the round apertures.
The SPEAKER, in moving a vote of thanks to his
Royal Highness for taking the chair, said that his
own connexion with the volunteers had been con-
fined to the country districts near his residence, and
it had been his experience that the movement had
been productive of the most unmixed good.
The motion, which was carried by acclamation,
was briefly acknowledged, and the proceedings ter-
minated.