The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 26, IEOS

The Volunteers.

The very interesting ceremony of presenting to the First
London Artllery Brigade the honorary Colonel-elect, Gen.

Sir Henry Bentinck, K.C.B. (Groom in Waiting to her
Majesty the Queen), took place at Wellington Barracks on
Saturday afternoon. The General was received with the
usual salute, and after a few formations, " gun drill" by
two detachments, and an advance in review order, the
General expressed to Lieut.-Colonel Walmisley and the
other officers the pleasure he had experienced in witness-
ing the manoeuvres, and assured the members that if they

persevered in their efforts he saw no reason why the corps

should be excelled by any regiment in her Majesty's ser-
vice. The Lieut.-Colonel called for three cheers for Sir
Henry Bentinck, which was heartily responded to the
regiment then gave three cheers for Lieut.-Colonel AVal-
mislay, and the corps afterwards marched, headed by their
bands, to the leadquarters. The appearance of the corps
was very soldierlike.

The Ist Middlesex Volunteer Engineer
_Corps was offi-

daily inspected in Hyde Park on Saturday evening by
Colonel Wright. There was an excellent muster of the
regiment, which was under the command of Colonel
M‘Leod of 31‘Lood, and both men and officers proved them-
selves thoroughly efficient in battalion drill.

The London Scottish representatives for the Queen's
Prize include some well-known names. The regiment sends

16 representatives this year, who have won the right in the
following order :—Sergeant Michie, Private J. Anderson,
Edward Rowe, Cree, Lieut. Puckle, Ensign Stark, Ser-
geant Nichols, Private Dunlop, C. 8., Lieut. Scott, Ser-
geant Porteous, Private the Earl of Aberdeen, Sergeant

aormack, Capt. Macgregor, Corporal Bailie, Lieut. Fisher,
and Quartermaster-Sergeant Murray. The two first shoot

for the Middlesex bronze medal.
There is to be a grand field day at Woolwich with the
Regulars next Saturday, and in this the Queen's (Westmin-
ster), the London Rifle Brigade, and other volunteer corps

of London will take a part.
On Saturday the Bristol Rifle Corps were inspected by
Col. Bruce, one of the district inspectors of volunteers, on

•
Durothem Down, in the presence of a large concourse of
spectators, the Mayor (Mr. W. Naish) being present in his
state carriage, and wearing his .massive chain of office.
This was the sixth annual inspection which this crack bat-
talion has undergone, but never did it pass one more satis-
factorily, nor with greater credit to the gallant officer in
command, Lieut.-Col.. Bush. The attendance was very
large, and will bear favourable comparison with that of pre-
vious years, showing that in Bristol there still exists that,
vitality in the volunteer movement which characterised its
earlier history. The number on parade of all ranks was
575 ; at the inspection of 1864 the official return showed the
regiment to have been represented by 578 of all ranks. The
manner in which the various manoeuvres were executed is
deserving of all praise, the advancing in line and the volley
firing, both in company and battalion, being specially com-
mendable. At the close of the inspection Col. Bruce ex-
pressed the pleasure he would experience in making a
favourable report of the condition of the regiment to the

Secretary of State. It was impossible, ho said, for him
adequately to express his opinion of the excellent drill he
had seen to-day; without making invidious comparisons,
he might state that he had seen many of the best London
thanvolunteer
w hat choer phst,t andd sseen
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He complimented the men upon their steadiness under
arms, and observed that when au inspecting officer saw men
perfectly steady to their firing, not looking about them and
refraining from talking, he felt that he might with the
greatest confidence go with those men anywhere. If ever
they should be called upon, he felt assured, and he said it
with the most unfeigned sincerity, that they would be found
fit to do all that would be required of them in a thoroughly
efficient manner. The regiment, after having been briefly
addressed by Lieut.-Col. Bush, marched to headquarters and
were dismissed.
On Saturday afternoon a grand review took place in Holy-
rood-park of the volunteers of the Lothians, Stirlingshire,
and Fife, followed by a great sham fight on the adjoining
hills, in which the whole force, about 6,000 in number, took
part. The volunteers were reviewed by Col. Erskine, her
Majesty's Inspector and by Col. H. Jones and Col. Rowney,
Assistant-Inspectors. There were also present Major-Gen.
Walker, commanding in Scotland, Col. Egerton, Assistant
Adjutant-General, Major H. do Page, aide-de-camp ; Col.
Kinloch, and other military and volunteer officers. The
muster took place at 2 o'clock, in the park behind the pa-
lace. The force was composed of three troops of the Fife
Mounted Volunteers, under the command of the Earl of
Rosslyn, and four brigades of infantry. The Ist brigade
consisted of the Mid-Lothian and City of Edinburgh Rifles,
and was commanded by Sir J. G. Baird; the 2d of the
Edinburgh Rifle Brigade and East Lothian Rifles, com-
manded by Lieut.-Col. Davidson ; the 3d brigade was com-
posed of the Stirlingshire and West Lothian Volunteers,
commanded by Lieut.-Col. Dundas, and the 4th brigade
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11 review of 22,000 Scotch volunteers by the Queen on the
ith of August, 1860, excited great interest in the counties
from which the volunteers were drawn, and in nearly
eanllabthlee
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turn
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utto.
The hills which so closely overlookthepark, and constitute
a natural amphitheatre of vast expanse, wore occupied by
from 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. The day was dull, but
the shade of the clouds was esteemed no slight relief, look-
ing to the probabilities of a scorching sunshine. At the
middle of the fight the rain, which had threatened some
time, fell heavily, while a cold wind was blowing among
the heights. The weather again cleared before the close of
the proceedings, but not before the rain had dispersed a
large body of the spectators. The volunteers having taken
up their alignments opposite the saluting flag, marchedpast
the reviewing officer in succession, preceded by the Fife
cavalry, who were splendidly mounted, and made a fine
appearance. The brigades having severally marched past
and saluted, the consolidated battalions espcially making
a very creditable display, the force was divided into two
parties, one of which, consisting of the Ist and 2d brigades,
was posted in the valley between the Salisbury Crags and
Arthur's Seat, commonly called the Hunter's Beg ; and the
other, consisting of the 3d and 4th brigade, with the ca-
valry, were to be the assailants of the position. The valley
is about 800 yards from end to end, and rises at the southern
extremity, while on the right the ground slopes upwards
to the tip of the crags, which aro precipitous and broken.
The heights of St. Anthony's Chapel, on the left,were taken
by a brilliant assault of the Mid-Lothian Rifles. From this
point they harassed the right of the defending force, while
on the opposite bank skirmishers were sent out to attack
the left. The attacking party pressed up the valley, while
the defending force retreated upwards. In this way the
gwrleincnhd hadan
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conflict was waged for above an hour, and on both sites,
notwithstanding the rain, the mimic fight was kept up with
gnie-ewat
esepuirraitgeanada vigour. At length the defending force,
force, who now yielded groupnredemeeodrebranepkidelny
aangdrabnadckehtaorgtheo
a most orderly and deliberate grand attack upon the assailing
tthheanhigthheeyr
gerethe ground inch by inch, took
had gained it, and were finally driven to the bottom of the
battle valley
the defending force, araratederegtrreoautn. however,d,lnmtahkeineeg,nraeef
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upon
h
andt h the second i
n their battalion
retreat
they
thle-aEs
square pouring in a volley of musketry as the gallant horse-
Whasichlnfaodrme formed the
squareslle toe cavalry
resist,
horse-
men pranced up the valley. They wore met at the top by
fusilade. Another
the affair upon one of
charygtheleveEredaingbauhirgehxpßeifiseeds and turned,
teaifie
had come down the n dthinebnum.rgandebnatetaarlitehnea,clwosheteohf
-.Atom's Drive to take the now defeated
force in flank. The whole of the movements were gone
through with great spirit and in admirable order, the skir-
mishing and forming of line, column, and square being ad-
mirably performed, and the volley fire being spendidly de-
livered. After the battalions had returned to the parade
ground, Col. Erskine expressed his satisfaction at reviewing
the fine body of men assembled on the ground. He had
every reason to be pleased with the manner in which the
brigades and battalions had been handled, and the precision
with which all the manceuvres had been executed, and the
general steadiness of the men under arms showed that
great attention had been paid by the force to their military
duty.

The proceedings at the Montrose Volunteer shooting
competition continued over Thursday, terminating that
evening with the presentation of the prizes to the success-
ful shots by the Earl of Dalhousie, and the annual dinner
of the Angus and Mearns Rifle Association, under whose
auspices the gathering is held. It has already been stated
that the blue riband of the meeting—" Scotland's Cup"—
was carried off by Sergeant Forbes, Ellon, with the unpre-
cedented scorn of 81, his 21 shots at 700, 800, and 900
yards being all bull's-eyes except three, and these were
centres. Last year the same prize was won by the well
known marksman, Mr. Hercules Ross,
with a score of 72
—nine points fewer than Sergeant Forbes's score. It
was also stated that Mr. Edward Ross had won
the late Major Moir's Challenge Cup. A mistake,
however, took place between different squads who were
shooting for this prize as to the number of shots allowed,
and on a reference to the umpires these gentlemen awarded
the cup to Capt. Mitchell, Alloa. The gainers of the prizes
next in importance were—Private Wilken, Ellon, the
Strangers Cup ; Lord Aberdeen, Captain Ross's Challenge
Cup ; Private Bower, the Angus and Mearns Cup ; the
Ladies' Cross, Esign Walker, Portlethen. The cup, value
£lO, given by MeJsrs. Mappin, London, was won by Ser-
geant Lees, Perth. In the artillery gun competition, the
first prize was carried by the 2d battalion, Arbroath.
Although the competition and the actual work of the
gathering was finished, as stated, on Thursday evening,
yet all the crack marksmen were in the ground on Friday
and Saturday, contending for places in the eight who are
to represent Scotland in the International Match at
Wimbledon for the Elcho Shield. This trial of skill has
always been conducted under the superintendence of " the
Old Deer-stalker" Capt. Horatio Ross ; but in consequence
of the regretted absence of that gentleman through illness,
the duty has fallen to his son, Mr. Edward Ross. Thirteen
of the best shots in Scotland entered the list, andwhen our
despatch left the chief scorers were—Private Wilken,
Ellon, Lord Aberdeen, and his brother, tho lion. James
Gordon.

THIRD EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, 7 o'CLocK.

THE HANDEL FESTIVAL

The Messiah.---This Day.

Punctuai;;, to the minute, at a quarter before
three o'clock iris afternoon, The Great Triennial
Handel Festival—i`: of simply, as on Friday last, the
Grand Full Rehearsal of it, but the actual Festival
itself—was inaugurated. Remen tiering the ineffableA
sanctity of the theme of the OratLrio selected for
to-day's performance, coupled with ths' grandeur of
its execution and the colossal proportiC.ns of the
whole of the general arrangements, it may b.? re-
marked, as a mere matter-of-fact statement, tha
the Oratorio was not only inaugurated, but was for-
mally and solemnly inaugurated. If possible the

weather to-day was even more propitious
than upon the occasion of Friday's Re-
hearsal. If less radiant in sunshine, the after-
noon was proportionately cooler. The threatening

rain-clouds blown over from the north-west did no

more evil than simply threaten—veiling the glare
that must otherwise have appreciably raised the
thread of quicksilver in the tube of the thermometer.
Each successive three years, we presume, will afford
evidence of a perceptible increase in the number of
visitors beyond that noticeable at preceding Festi-
vals ; and, therefore, we presume that it has again
simply to be mentioned here as a mere matter of
course that the attendance upon this occasion
has been larger than upon any of its prede-
cessors. The very spectacle presented to view
by the vast congregation of ticket-holders, brought
together from all quarters of the United Kingdom,
and besides that from many remote parts of the
Continent of Europe, is always, of itself, a some-
' thing magnificent. It is yet another, in fact, and
a very signal attestation of the spread of the more
elevating and refining influences of modern civilisa-
tion. It is proof positive, in other words, of the
viler and wider diffusion of a profound and un-
affected love for that one among the fine arts which
•
Is doubly and profoundly exceptional, first of
all,by reason of its far subtler beauties ; and,
secondly, by reason of its being the only one
among the Fine Arts alluded to in Holy Writ as
common alike to Earth and Heaven. In
very many other ways, however, we cannot
but regard this Triennial Handel Festival as a token
of the onward march of civilisation. But for the
Steam Engine, as applied to our Railway System
and Packet Service, the rapid gathering together of
such a multitude as was assembled this very after-

noon in the Crystal Palace, would be a thing abso-
lutely impracticable. But for the application, again,
of steam power to the working of our Printing
Presses, these Handel Festivals could never by pos-
sibility be reported and commented upon as they
are with such astonishing rapidity and minute-
ness three hundred representatives of Jour-
nalism being busily occupied to-day in taking
notes of the performances with a view to the
transmission of the tidings of its success to
all the principal newspapers of London and the
provinces, at home and abroad, journals pub-
lished the next morning, or others, like our own,
issued from the steam-press upon the very
evening of the performances thus analysed
currei'ite ealanto. Nay, not only in these instances
have we fresh illustrations afforded to us triennially
of the Handel Festivals, of the wondrous pace at
which this modern march of civilisation is being
conducted—but, swifter than the steam-packet or
the railway-train, swifter than the steam-press or
the flying pencil of the stenographer, there were
this afternoon clicking, at intervals, those magic
needles of the Electric Telegraph—conveyinghither
and thither, in various directions, and to enormous dis-
tances fragmentary accounts, as to -day's oratorio pro-
ceeded, of its successful, nay, of far more than
merely its successful—of its triumphal progress. And
that oratorios—the grandest and holiest of all the
oratorio as befits its divine theme—The Messiah !
More frequently performed than any other, more
familiarly known to the general multitude, it is at the
same time more beloved and revered than any other
among these gigantic masterpieces of Handel. Lis-
tening to the glorious overture, preluding its world
of wondrous solos and yet more wondrous choruses,
we seem to hear through " The Messiah" of Handel
an echo from " The Messiah" of Pope—

" Hark, a glad voice the lonely desert cheers ;
Prepare the way! a God, a God appears :
A God, a God! the vocal hills reply,
The rocks proclaim the approaching Deity.".
And hearkening to the lovely recitative
that follows immediately upon the close of
the majestic overture, " Comfort ye, my People"—
delivered so exquisitely by Mr. Sims Reeves !—one
could not but reverently recall to mind the thought
that Handel (if one might dare so to speak) not
inappositely celebrated in these sublime harmonies of
sound the Divine History of " The Messiah," re-
membering how, among other references to the
miracles of the Redeemer, it had been sung—
" 'Tis He the obstructed paths of sound shall clear,
And bid new music charm the unfolding ear."
After the opening air, which was given with im-
mense effect by our great Tenor, " Every Valley
shall be Exalted," the first of the nineteen great
choruses of the Oratorio was pealed forth exul-
tantly in the prophetic words of Isaiah, " And
the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed !"
Mr. Weiss, though warmly applauded, was
by no means so effective as might have been wished
in the recitative; " Thus saith the Lord"—followed
by the wonderfully difficult, highly elaborated and
curiously intricate " But who may abide," in the
conquest of the more arduous passages of which Ma-
dame Sainton Dolby carried herself with honour,
being proportionably greeted thereupon with
the approbation of her audience. After the
chorus, " And he shall purify," the same gifted
artiste gave the tenderest, loveliest utterance
to the brief recitative " Behold 'a Virgin shall con-
ceive," and to the delicious air " 0 thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion"—an air that surely, surely
has the most bewitchingly beautiful of all imagin-
able accompaniments ! Immediately after the choral
repetition of the marvellous air and its accompani-
ments, Mr. Weiss obliterated all recollection of his
former recitative by the majestic effect with which
he delivered " For behold, darkness shall cover
the Earth," and still more by his delivery of the
sombre and massive air " The People that Walked in
Darkness." Then followed that grandest of all the
mighty choruses of Handel, " For Unto us a
Child is Born"—given, this afternoon, as magnifi-
cently (more than that were impossible to be said
of it), quite as magnificently as on Friday
at the Rehearsal ! The encore, at its conclusion,
being demanded (inevitably) by the vast audience
with a thundering crash of hands that attracted
their profound and instant admiration ! Four
thousand performers, vocal and instrumental, peal-
ing forth those abrupt, adoring apostrophes,
" Wonderful ! Counsellor ! The Mighty God !"
it was impossible to listen to such majestic volumes
of sound unmoved, without moistened eyes
and thrilling breasts. It was, so to speak, like the
Hymn of Coleridge, in the Valley of Chamouni,
articulated not by the mountain cataracts,
and the winds of heaven among the eternal pines,
and the rolling of the avalanche, but by human lips
and human hands through words and inarticulate
sounds of accordant sublimity. The audience were
—it would have been nothing less than -wonderful
had it been ,otherwise--just simply enraptured.
Such a Chorus and so rendered—it was the realisa-
tion for once of Milton's dream of heavenly strains
in his " Ode on the Nativity"—
When such music sweet
Their hearts and ears did greet,
Was ne'er before by mortal finger strook ;
Divinely warbled voice
Answering the string noise
As all their souls in blissful rapture took ;
The air, such pleasure loth to lose,
With thousand echoes still prolongs each heavenly

close

The dulcet notes of The Pastoral Symphony pre-
pared the way for the four recitatives then following
each other in rapid succession—" There were Shep-
herds," " And lo ! the Angel," " And the Angel,".
" And Suddenly"—all of them entrusted to Madame
Lemmens-Sherrington. " Glory to God," a chorus
that might, in spite of its comparative beauty,

ake rank with many a Gloria in Excelsis
of the great Mass-Composers, then followed. This,
with Madlle. Adelina Patti's radiant delivery of
" Rejoice Greatly"—succeeded by the twin airs
sung in immediate sequence by Madame Sainton-
Dolby and Madame Lemmens-Sherrington, "He
shall Feed His Flocks" and " Come unto Him,"
brought the First Part to close with the loving
choral chaunt, " His yoke is easy." A mere
momentary pause of a few seconds preceded the
commencement of the Second Part, with the noble
chorus " Behold the Lamb of God," very finely
given by the whole force of the Orchestra. Madame
Sainton Dolby's subdued and pathetic rendering of
the mournful air, "He was despised," was enforced
in meaning, as it was not unnaturally surpassed
in effect, by the three grand and most solemn
choruses that followed thereupon, " Surely he
hath borne," " And with his Stripes," and
more impressively yet, " All we like sheep." Later
OD W the remainder of the Second Part, and in the
whole of the Third, Mdlle. Adelina Patti, Mr. Sims
Reeves, Mr. Santley, and the rest of the eminent
artistes engaged. in these colossal performances,
competed with the combined powers of the four
thousand, singers and instrumental, ranged in serried
ranks behind in the gigantic and symmetrical con-
comity of the Great Handel Orchestra.

TAT lERSALLS'—This Evening,

NORTHUMBERLAND PLATE.
2to 1 agst Caller Ou (offered—take 9to 4)
sto 1 agst Brown Bread (taken)
6to 1 agst Revival (taken and offered)
7to 1 agst Marechal (offered—take Bto 1)
Bto 1 agst La Toucques (offered—take 10 to 1)
10 to 1 agst Macbeth (offered)
12 to 1 agst Brandy Wine (offered)
14 to 1 agst Strong Beer (offered)
16 to 1 agst Alice (taken)
DERBY, 1866.
20 to 1 agst Janitor (taken)
25 to 1 agst King Hal (taken)
40 to 1 agst Magician (taken)
40 to 1 agst Primate (taken)
50 to 1 agst Duke of York (taken)

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS.—THIS DAY.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at the/usual hour.

TRACTARIAN PREACHERS.

The Marquis of WESTMEATH introduced a bill to
amend the law relating to the performance of Divine wor-
ship in the Church of England. He said he would explain
its provisions on the second reading.
DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT.

Lord REDESDALE said he thought they could get all
the business done by the 13th July.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLY said that Government
had not made any arrangements that would necessitate
dissolution before that date.