The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-02 00:00:00

h The Belgian National Rifle Contest.

His Royal Highness the Count of Flanders
last Sunday week formally opened the annua
contest for prizes held near Brusseli, and known
.as " Le. Tir National," to which for these last two
years English vol unteers have been specially and
cordially invited. At the time his Royal Highness
opened the proceedings there was a fair number of
representatives of London and country volunteer
corps present, and the Count, whowas received by
them with military honours, returned the salute and
entered into conversation in English with the visi-
tors, whom he individually bad welcome to Brussels.
After Sunday the number of English volunteers
increased, many coming in by the Harwich and
Antwerp routes, the benefit of the mail route via
Ostend, the fares by which between Dover and
Brussels were
_lowered by the Belgian Government
to volunteers in uniform to one-half, about 17s. 6d.
the return journey, being in some degree lost
through the London and Dover Railway Companies
refusing to grant return tickets.
Notwithstanding the attractions of the four days'
fetes in Brussels, the shooting place was crowded
from morning till night each day, and shooting was
carried on even on those days when there were many
outdoor sights, with unabated vigour. The great
majority of the competitors in the " any rifle"
series appeared to be of the labouring and artisan
classes, which in England take delight in any sports
except rifle shooting. The explanation of this is
easily found in the fact that rifle shooting in Brus-
sels is exceedingly cheap, a franc being the general
fee charged for five shots in a prize series, and
sighting shots are only charged for at the rate of a
franc for 10, while in England there are few prize
entries under lOs each for the same number of shots,
and sighting a rifle has to be paid for at the rate of
I.s. a shot. The workmen class of competitors in
Brussels possess exquisite gallery rifles, in which
they appear to take the greatest. pride, and there
being only one range for " all comers" prizes—viz.,
225 metres, or 246 yards, they exercise great inge-
nuity in so regulating their sights and charges as to
make it a mere matter of personal steadiness to gain
a good number of " cartons," the central part of the
" beau blanc," the white here taking the place of
the English black " bull's eye."
The shooting ground is about 20 minutes' walk
from a central part of the city, and all the shooting
is done under cover of a large and handsome brick
building, which is generally known as " Le Tir."
The interior of this is about 200 ft. long and 30ft. or
40ft. broad. On one side are 36 little " pens" or
boxes for the shooters, each box opposite a window
looking on a target. In the centre of each box is a
desk at which sits a clerk, who watches the target,
and enters in a book the value of the shots made by
the competitor, and which value is shown at the
firing point by a large figure " 1" standing for an
outside shot, " 2 " for the next, and so on to " 5"
for a bull's-eye, a red flag showing when a "carton"
is made, the value of which depends upon its close-
ness to the centre. There is no tizte lost in squad-
ing, for the competitor has only to get his ticket for
a series, to write his name and address upon the
" coupon," and to enter at once the place set apart
for the series. Every box or " pen" is fitted with a
rack for the rifles, and shelves for the shooter's
tackle, little matters in themselves, but which add
greatly to the comfort of shooting. No " wrong
targets" can be made by the firers, for boards are
so placed on each side of the line of sight from the
windows that only one target can be seen. Fixed
screens effectually protect the shooter and the sights
of the rifle from the sun. Opposite the shooting
boxes are refreshment counters, places for cleaning
arms, and the box for the Council of the Tir, the
president of which, M. E. Dailley, is generally pre-
sent during the shooting. The marking at the targets
is excellently managed, and is so arranged that it
would appear impossible for an accident to happen
to the markers. The place for the markers is a
paved and brick-built court, running the whole
length of the range, and it is said to be an unusual
thing for ladies to be walking up and down
this while firing is being carried on. The targets,
which are circular, of 3ft. 9in. diameter, are of paper
rtiounticti vn iron-fratueS, so contrived that if the iron
should be hit the bullet would not glance off below.
Behind the target is a high embankment for receiv-
ing all the shots, and white on the one hand no
shots can go over, no harm can result from a rico-
chet. The target frames work on an axis, two to
each frame, which is balanced by a heavy weight.
On the target being struck a small disc points out
the spot, a string is pulled which raises a number
showing the value of the shot, and the balance being
turned the target with the hole in it disappears, and
a second rises in its place. While the first target
is thus turned down the marker pastes a piece of
paper over the hole made by the shot, and it is then
ready to take the place of the other when it is
struck. The shooting goes on very rapidly, and
every half-hour the cartons and bull's-eyes of each
target, which are dropped into a box numbered the
same as at the firing points, are brought up by a
clerk and shown to the registrar of shots. There can
be no disputing of the marking, and the Tir pro-
ceeds uninterruptedly, except a stoppage for refresh-
ment, from morning till night.
A sad and fatal accident occurred to a member of
the Garde Civique on Monday. Some members of
the Garde were shooting together, when one, in
disobedience of the order that "no rifle is to be
capped except on the rest," when the shooter comes
to fire, capped his rifle while another was shooting,
and stood with the weapon on his arm at full cock.
A. jerk or touch of the trigger, thepull of which was
exceedingly light, like all in use here, sent the bullet
through the heart of the unfortunate man in front,
and killed him on the spot. A public funeral was

given to the corpse, and the English Volunteers fol-

lowed.

The competition is for prizes amounting in the
whole to 70,000 f., and is open to any rifle, and to
" military weapons." The only qualifications for

military weapons are that they shall have neither
telescopic nor aperture sights, and that they shall
be capable of carrying a bayonet or sword bayonet.
The weapons which enter as military weapons are

as different from the English notions of a military
weapon as it is possible to conceive, they having

fine bead fore sights, and exquisitely finished back

sights, capable of the finest adjustment for bull's-
eye marking at a short range, where there is no need

of allowance being made for wind. These weapons
are mostly small-bores, and the charge of powder
shot with is so light as to allow the shooter tobalance

his rifle on the tips of his fingers, a manoeuvre

which gives him the advantage of resting his left
elbow on his side, and the pull of the trigger is as
light as the firer likes to have it. Of course, the
Enfield, with its blurring rough and ready sights, is
no fit competitor at this range and under these cir-
cumstances, and the English Volunteers are not
backward in acknowledging the inferiority of their
arm so placed ; but they do not hesitate to express
the opinion that they could beat their hosts if a

longer range were given them to fire at, and in the
field their training with military rifles and at the

various and long range targets would, without

question, give them the greatest advantage over
those who are practised only at the one range.
During the week the English Volunteers have re-
ceived every kindness from the authorities and the

different societies. Their uniform has admitted them

;o all festivals held here, and they have accepted the

cordial invitations given them to appear at the
grand balls given at the Rue Madeleine by the
Societe Harmoniqu, the:Societe Royale Methul,
and the Societe Reunion Lyrique. On entering the
ball-room of the Societe Royale Mehul, the band
struck up " God Save the Queen," and the other
guests saluted the English visitors in the most cor-

dial manner.
The competition ends on Tuesday (to-morrow) and
the prizes are to be claimed before the sth November.

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