The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-30 00:00:00

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

The preparations for the first prize meeting of
this society, which will commence on Monday next,
are now so far advanced that some idea of the scale
on which the arrangements have been planned may
be given. The Association is yet in its infancy,
and the experiment it is about to try is quite a
novelty in England ; but it has gone to work boldly,
and appears determined that its first impression on
the public mind shall be a deep one. What the
grand review of the Volunteers in Hyde•park was
to the separate musters and drills of the different
companies, the great competition in rifle shoot-
ing of the next week will be to the Tarim
practising grounds of the kingdom. It will be
a national display of the proficiency the Volun-
teers have acquired in the use of the rifle, as
the review exhibited their skill in military evolu-
tions. The main object of the Association is to en-
courage the whole body of Volunteers to acquire a
perfect knowledge of the " rifle and how to use it."
With that knowledge, their military education, as
far as peaceful training can give it, will be com-
plete.

We believe that a surprise awaits the public in
this gathering of the Volunteers—not only from
the novelty of the display, but the extent of all the
arrangements. Every Volunteer Corps has been
invited to send a certain number of their best shots,
in proportion to their force. Every corps of 500
may send 4 ; those between 500 and 300 may select
three; those below 300 and above 100 may depute
2; those less than 100 may be represented by 1.
The prizes to be shot by these volunteers are 20
Whitworth rifles, each of the value of 25 guineas,
fitted in oak cases complete ; the best shot of the 20
will receive the silver medal of the Association.
The distances will be 300, 500, and 600 yards ; the
rifle to be used is the long Enfield of the Govern-
ment pattern of 1853. Each competitor will be
allowed five shots at each of these three ranges ;
and the prizes will be adjudged according to the
number of points made. All the firing is to be ac-
cording to the rules of the Hythe School Musketry.
There will also be five money prizes, one of £lOO,
and four of £25 each ; these prizes are given by
Mr. Gye, in commemoration of the Volunteer Ball
on the 7th of March last in Covent-garden Theatre.
The winners of the 20 prize rifles, and the next
best 20 shots, have another competition offered
them that will prove which is the best where all
must be good. Her Majesty gives the grand or
" Queen's Prize" of 1;250, to which the Association
adds its gold medal. This prize will bring out the
" double first" of the contest, as the 40 highest on
the list will compete for it among themselves, at
distances increased to 800, 900, and 1,000 yards.
The next prize indicates great confidence on the
part of the Association in the skill of the
Volunteers, or that kind of courage that can
dare failure for the sake of gaining experience.
It is " open to all comers of all nations ;"
and nearly 200 crack shots of Switzerland
have notified their intention to enter the lists against
our countrymen. Here will be an opportunity of
comparison that will not be wasted whichever way
the event may turn. It will scarcely be a discredit
to be excelled by men to whom rifle-shooting has
been the practice of their lives, and who have made
it their national pastime. There are four prizes of
£2O, £3O, £4O, and £5O thus open to the competi-
tion of the foreigner; and the only feeling in the
matter is a hope that the best man may win.
This prize, we should add, is in amount somewhat
conditional on the state of the funds from subscrip-
'ions and entrance money. Another prize of £lOO
is given by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, and
the Duke of Cambridge gives £5O to be shot for,
with breach-loading rifles at the longest ranges.
Altogether the value of the prizes will be above
£2,000.

The ground selected for this trial of skill is Wim-
bledon-common, close to the town ; the direction of
the lines of firing are, of course, away from it, across
the open plain. The work of preparation was begun
a fortnight ago, but has been pushed on with
double activity in the last few days. The common
at this time of the year—that is in years that had
summers—is usually parched and amid; at present
it is rather swampy—grass to the eye, and water to
the foot. But as promenading will be strictly for-
bidden during all the days of next week, this is of
less importance. A fence of plank, 5 feet high and
2,500 yards long, has been carried round the com-
mon, so as to enclose it on three sides, one of them
parallel to Wimbledon-park. It has four entrances
—one for the public, two for carriages, and another
for her Majesty. On the line of the enclosure next
the park, are ail the tents, seats, and other accom-
modations for the competitors and the spectators.
The fourth side of the space is open—across it, at
600 yards distant from the front of the tents and
platforms, a line of butts has been raised. There
are 20 of them in pairs—sloping banks of earth
49 feet long, 25 feet wide, and 12 high. The
centre spot between each pair is 80 yards
distant from the next on the right and left.
They look like the outworks of a fortification, and
would bed a cannon ball very comfortably. In front
of each butt is a target of plate iron, marked with
circles, centric and concentric, according to the
science of the School of Hythe. The circles are
mere lines on the metal, invisible to all but the
markers and recorders of the shots. The plates are
now black, but before Monday will be painted
white, leaving only the bull's-eye in the centre dark,
this being the regulation target of our musketry
practice. The markers will be protected by iron
mantelets," which are also on the ground. The
butts are numbered in pairs from left to right. The
10 pairs that run in a line across the ground are for
the ranges, from 300 to 600 yards ; but there are
four other butts in the rear of the 6th, 7th, and Bth
pair, for the long range of 1,000 yards.
The boarded fence does not extend so far over the
ground as the line of butts, all beyond them is open
country intersected by roads and pathways. From
these the public must keep away during the hours
of firing, as they value their lives ; all the roads
and skirts of the common on the open side will be
guarded by Volunteers and patrolled by police who
have strict orders to prevent any one passing into
or towards the line of fire. Stray balls may pass
the butts, and when the firing is only 300 or 400
yards froth them, the point of safety is not easily
calculated. But many persons are on such occasions
both obstinate and foolhardy, and the necessity of
obeying the orders of the police cannot be too
strongly impressed on all.
Her Majesty will open the proceedings on Mon-
day by firing the first rifle, from a small open pavi-
lion erected at a short distance from the front of the
Royal tent ; the rifle will be fixed on a line with
the first target, on the left of the spectators, and at
a range of 400 yards from it. The general firing
along the whole line of targets will then commence;
the first day will not, of course, be decisive as to
the winners. Before the proceedings of the day
commence, the Council of the Association will pm-
sent addresses to her Majesty and Prince Albert.
On each side of the main entrance to the enclo-
sure are officers, under canvass, of the council,
secretary, and clerk ; tents for ammunition, an
armoury, a laboratory, and (may it be use-
less!) a surgery. There is also a grand refreshment
tent ; Mr. Strange, of the Crystal Palace, has un-
dertaken the duty of purveyor. The whole of this
part of the ground has been pipe-drained, and a
steam-plough has been at work during the past
week on other
parts of the enclosure, drawing deep
channels to carry off
the surface water.
In case any person should escape the vigilance of
the police and pass their lines on to the ground in
the rear of the butts, a ,‘ dang er " flag will be
hoisted, and the discharge of al
cannon will be the
signal for the firing t' cease all along the line.
The following is the pr3grananle of the ceremo-
nial to be observed :
, Her Majesty, accompanied by his Royal High-
ness the Prince Consort, the Prince of Wales, and
other members of the Royal family, will leave B and
other members of the Royal family, will leave Buck.
Ingham Palace at a quarter before three o'clock, in
2 sven of the Royal carriages.
The Royal party will be escorted by a captain's
escort
of light cavalry, and will proceed by the fol-
lowing route :—Across the Pimlico suspension-
bridge, through Battersea Park by Wandsworth,
Wimbledon Park-road to the
and throut:ch the

Queen's entrance at the enclosure on Wimbledon-

common.
Her Majesty will arrive at Wimbledon at half-
past three o'clock precisely, and will be received by
a guard of honour.
The President and Council of the Association
will be present to receive the Queen.
Her Majesty and the Royal party, passing
through the Royal tents, will take their places in
the front of the dais, when the addresses from the
President and Council of the Association will be
read to the Queen and his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort by the Right Hon. Sidney Herbert,
M.P., her Majesty's Secretary of State for War.
To which her Majesty and his Royal Highness
will graciously reply.
The Bands of the Guards will be massed within
I the enclosure.
After the presentation of the addresses her Ma-
. jesty and the Court, preceded by the members of the
Council of the Association, will advance to the
firing point, at 400 yards' range from the first
target;
When her Majesty will fire the first rifle, and
declare the prize meeting opened.
A Royal salute of 21 guns will then be fired.
Her Majesty and the Royal family will then re-
turn to the Royal tent, and entering the Royal car-
riages, will drive along the line of firing points,
and leave the eneloeure at the opposite side of the
Common. _ .

The Volunteers entered to compete for the Queen's
prize will be paraded before her Majesty.

THE NA Tl'.

Vice-Admiral Hope Johnstone has been appointed I
Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, vice Admiral
Harvey, whose term of service is about to expire.
Rear-Admiral Stopford has been appointed Cap-
tain of the Channel Fleet, vice Rear-Admiral
Elliott, who has resigned.

Letters received in Plymouth announce the safe
arrival at Bermuda, on the 2d of June, of the screw
steamship Nile, 90, Capt. E. K. Bernard. Being
under canvas only, and having experienced very
light winds, she was 45 days on the passage—a
length of time which had created some apprehen-
sion of her safety. It is understood that Rear-
Admiral Sir A. Milne, K.C.8., shifts his flag from
the Emerald, 51, to the Nile, and then proceeds to
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to await the arrival of
the Prince of Wales in the Hero.

Lieut.-Gen. Sir F. Smith, M.P., visited Chatham
Dockyard on Wednesday, for the purpose of mak-
ing an inspection of the gun and mortar vessels at
that establishment. _ _

The head-quarters and band of the 12th (Prince
of Wales's) Royal Lancers arrived at Gravesend
yesterday from India, in the East India troopship
Trafalgar, 1,200 tons, Capt. Taylor.
TheTriumph,new 91 gun screw steamer, has been
laid down in No. 2 slip at Pembroke, and is to
be proceeded with in construction without delay.
The Defiance, 91 guns, is very advanced in build at
the above yard, and a number of shipwrights are
at present employed in pushing her forward to
completion. The whole of the officers and crew of
the Eagle, 50, sailing Coastguard frigate, have
received their commission for the Blenheim, 60
guns, screw blockship, which is to be the guardship
off Pembroke dockyard in future.
The Bacchante, 51, screw, Capt. D. Macleod
Mackenzie, carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir
Thomas Maitland, C. 8., sailed from Spithead for
the Pacific at noon yesterday. She left Spithead
under canvass and reached out to the southward of
the Nab under her courses, topsails, topgallantsails,
spanker, and foretopmast-staysail ; wind at the
time westerly, with frequent rain squalls.
The Victoria, 121, screw three-decker, at Ports-
month, will resume her official trials of speed at the
measured mile in Stokes Bay on Tuesday or Wed-
nesday next. .
The Harrier, 17, screw, is undergoing repairs in
No. 2 dock at Portsmouth, preparatory to being
brought forward in the first class steam reserve.
The Volcano, paddle, late floating factory in
China, is being stripped and surveyed in No. 4
dock at Portsmouth, with a view to her being
repaired for further service.
The following vessels are at Spithead :--The
Ariadne, 26, screw, Capt. E. W. Vansittart ; the
Melpomene, 51, screw, Capt. C. J. T. E wart ; and
the Ranger, 5, screw, Commander H. R. IVratislan.
The Colossus, 80, screw, Capt. Scott, C. 8., sailed
on Thursday from Spithead for Portland.
The screw steamship Orion, Capt. John J. B.
Frere, in Devon port, will be out of the hands of the
engineers on the 6th of July.
The shipwrights employed on the paddlewheel
steam frigate Terrible, 21, Capt. Glasse, in Devon-
port, have completed their work.
Her Majesty's gunboat Rainbow arrived in
Belfast Lough on Tuesday evening, and is now
lying off Carrickfergus.
The following appointments have been made
at the Admiralty :—Lieut. F. W> Bennett to com-
mand the Bulldog, commissioned ; A. Jones, pay-
master, to be secretary to Vice• Admiral Hope
Johnstone ; G. H. Downing, master, confirmed to
the Styx ; C. W. Webster, second master, to the
Ariadne ; W. L. Robinson, first-class assistant-
engineer, to the Orion ; H. G. Constaine, second-
class assistant-engineer, to the Asia, supernumerary,
for hospital treatment; Lord A. P. Clinton, mid-
shipman, to the Melpomene; Denis M'Carthy,
assistant-surgeon, confirmed, in the Emerald ;
James Trimble, assistant-surgeon, confirmed, in the
Melpomene ; James T. Lyme, assistant-paymaster,
to the Chesapeake ; and James N. Robinson, secre-
tary's clerk in the Monarch.
By a General Order, dated th►e 27th inst., Col.
Hemphill, 26th Regiment, has been placed on the
Staff as a Brigadier-General, with a view to his
commanding a brigade. The Brigadier-General
will assume the command of the brigade in Dublin
on the Ist of July.

DEATH OF TICE-ADMIRAL SIR GEORGE R
.BROOKE PECHELL, BART., 2ART., M.P.

We regret to announce the death of Sir George
R. Brooke Pechell, Bart., M.P. for Brighton, whose
demise occurred shortly before noon yesterday at
his house in Hillntreet, Berkeley-square, after a
short illness. The gallant baronet was the second
son of Major-General Sir Thomas Brooke Pechell,
Bart., and was born in 1789. He entered the navy
in 1803, and was midshipman of the Medusa at the
capture of the Spanish treasure-ships in 1804, and
of the Revenge at the capture of four French fri-
gates in 1806, also of the Venus at the defence of
Vigo. When lieutenant of the Macedonian he
brought out with her boats a lugger from under the
batteries of the Isle D'Aiz in 1812 ; was commander
of the Calibri and Recruit of New York and Charles-
ton in 1814, and of the Tamar and Belette, on the
North American station. On obtaining his post
rank he retired upon half-pay. His commissions
bore date as follow :—Lieutenant, 25th June, 1810 ;
commander, 30th May, 1814; captain, 26th Dec.,
1822 ; and rear-admiral, 17th Dec., 1852 ; and vice-
admiral, sth Jan., 1858. In July, 1830, the late
baronet was nominated Gentleman Usher of the
Privy Chamber, and in April the following year was
appointed one of the _Equerries of Queen Adelaide,
and was named a Groom in Waiting to the Queen,
but declined that honour from the position he
held in the Dowager Queen's household.
The lamented officer had represented Bright-
ton in Parliament for 25 years, having been
returned to the House of Commons by the elec-
tors of that borough in 1835. During his Par-
liamentary career he had uniformly supported the
Whig Administrations. On all occasions while in
Parliament he displayed a strong and most natural
interest in the efficiency of the navy, and, if in some
cases of public interest he may have been thought
to take a narrow view of matters, for the interest of
the navy no member ever adopted a more indepen-
dent and zealous course. The deceased admiral
married in August, 1826, the Hon. Katherine An-
nabella Bishopp, daughter of the late Lord De la
Zouche, and co-heiress with her sister, the present
Baroness De la Zouche. He succeeded to the
baronetcy on the death of his elder brother, Sir ,L
It. Piehell, Bart., in 1849. The baronetcy, in de-
f alit of surviving male issue, devolves on his cousin
George Samuel, eldest son of the late Captain S.
G. Pechell, R.N., born in 1819, and married in
1842 to Miss. Brenner, daughter of Col. Brenner,
of the Madras army. He had served in the 47th
Madras native infantry, and is now a captain in the
Shropshire Militia.

ERROR OF THE PRESS.—Typographical errors
come in oddly sometimes. The other day we were reading
a description of enthusiastic demonstrations at a political
gathering, when the type went on with—" The air was rent
with the snouts of three thousand people."