The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-07 00:00:00

TILE WIMBLEDON MEETING.

Volunteers at the ranges, like photographers in their
studios, require a good light. This so far during the pre.
sent meeting they have not enjoyed, a fact which will
probably account for some of the eccentric scores of well-
tried marksmen observable in the returns of the shooting.
If the light has been bad the wind has been no better, and
to-day it has blown a downright gale from the south-west.
Corporal Peake, 6th Lancashire, the winner of the
Prince of Wales's Prize, in making a score of 45
points—which is fully up to the average of the last five
years—deserves all the more credit in consequence of
the atmospheric difficulties against which he had to
struggle. The names of the eight who will represent
Scotland in the competition for the Elcho Challenge
Shield are—Messrs. Farquharson, Feruguson, Crum-
Ewen, Clewes, Malcolm, Dunlop, Burgess, and Ross.
There is a doubt whether Mr. Ross will be able to shoot,
owing to ill-health. If not, his place will be supplied by
Captain Kinnaird. The names of the English and Irish
eights have already been announced. Amongst the new
prizes this year is one called the " Tomahawk," presented
by Capt. Beckett. It consists of a gold watch, value £5O,
the case engraved from a design by Mr. M. Morgan, the
well-known draughtsman of the journal which has
given its name to the prize offered by its editor.
Shooting in connection with no less than nine different
classes of prizes has been going on during the day. The
Daily Telegraph Cup, of the value of £52105., is shot for at
a distance of 500 yards, each person entering being allowed
to fire five times. This year a wine cabinet,containing three
dozen of champagne, has been added as a second prize to
the Daily Telegraph Cup by Messrs. Farrow and Jackson.
The St. George's Challenge Vase is a very handsome piece
of plate, which, with the sixty money prizes associated
with it, is of the aggregate value of £573. It is held by
the battalion of which the winner is a member, the
fortunate marksman receiving for his personal use
the gold jewel of the association, and a purse of 25 dragon
sovereigns. The second best shot gets the silver jewel
and twenty dragon sovereigns, the third the bronze cross
and fifteen dragon sovereigns, the remainder of the money
being apportioned amongst the next fifty-seven men who
make the highest scores. The range is 500 yards, and the
number of shots allowed five. Last year Ensign Grieve,
4th Roxburgh, was the winner of the first prize, scoring
twenty-seven points, the same number made in 1867. The
second stage of this prize consists of shooting by the sixty
winners for the Dragon Cup,value £5O, which becomes the
property of the highest scorer. This portion of the corn-
petition stands over till Monday next. The Windmill
Prizes, total aggregate value £375, are divided into fifty-
two prizes at 200 yards, of the aggregate value of £175, and
fifty-two at 500 yards, of the aggregate value of £175, for the
first stage ; and a cup (or money) value £25 for the second
stage. This contest will not be concluded finally till the
12th. The small-bore breechloading rifle prizes consist
of £52 in money, given by Messrs. Eley Brothers ; £5O in
rifles, given by Mr. Henry, of Edinburgh ; and £2O in
money, given by Mr. Frederick von Martini. The first stage
at 500 yards has appropriated to it five prizes, viz., purses
of £l5, £lO, £6, £5, and a Henry breechloading rifle of
the value of £25. The distance for the shooting in the
second stage is 800 yards, and the number of prizes are
seven. The contest closes on the 15th. In this competition
any military breechloader may be used that has been
certified by the Superintendent of the Royal Laboratories
as possessing chambering and breech-fittings suitable to the
Government ammunition, and by the maker that it has
been proved with cartridges constructed on the same prin-
ciple as those of the Government. It is also stipulated
that the loading shall be from a pouch supplied
at the firing point by the association, and worn by the
competitor. The time allowed is five minutes at the
shorter, and three minutes at the longer range, the marks-
men at the former firing as many shots as they can, and
at the latter fifteen. To-day has also witnessed the close
of the shooting for the first series Enfield Extra Prizes,
200 yards range, the close of the Enfield Nursery Stakes
competition, the continuation of the Ist stage 200 and
500 yards of the Military Breechloaders and of the Enfield
Association Cup contests. In the contest for the
St George's Challenge Vase, representatives from sixty-
nine counties, including Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland,
Devon, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, West-
moreland, and Yorkshire, put in an appearance.
Amongst the good scores made by mid-day gun
fire, at the Alexandra 200 Yards Range, was
that of Sergeant Brown, 17th West York, 20, which
was, however, equalled by Private Alexander,
sergeant, of the 6th Lancashire. At the Alexandra 600
Yards' Range, Private Starman, 4th West York, made
18 points. The number of officers and men in the Associa.
tion Camp yesterday was 579, and in the Regimental Camp
587. It has been arranged that the second competition for
the Anglo-Belgian Prizes shall commence on the 14th.
The first series, open to English Volunteers only, is for
nine money prizes, of the aggregate value of £l5O, the
gift of the King of the Belgians. The highest amount
that can be won will be £25, and the smallest £2. The
second series, open to Belgian Gardes Civiques and Eng-
lish Volunteers, is for sixteen money prizes, at two dis-
tances, 150 and 250 yards. The total value is £l5O,
including engravings of the portrait and autograph of the
King of the Belgians.

A CASE FOR SYMPATHY.-1 have heard a man
great ability express a sense of humiliation on walking
through one of the Universal Exhibitions ; at every step,
he said, he met something which painfully reminded him
of his own ignorance, and brought vividly before his mind
the narrow limits of his knowledge. I confess that the
affect upon me is very different. I have walked through
acres of textile fabrics, miles of ingenious machinery,
tens of thousands of square yards of painting, vast
accumulations of all the countless products of human
ingenuity, and silently given thanks at every step.
Here, I have exclaimed, is yet one more branch of
knowledge on which I am, and shall always remain,
hopelessly, profoundly, and contentedly ignorant. Here,
for example, is a steam-engine : I have not the faintest
notion how it is made, or what conditions are necessary
for its success. If, by some reversion of the ordinary laws
of nature, the tide of time would flow back with me, and
set me down, say in the fifteenth century, I could not
convey the slightest information to the curious
people who would doubtless flock round me. Somehow
or other, I would say, if you put water into a boiler
and light a fire under it, and make a com-
plicated arrangement of wheels and pistons, the
thing will move and carry you in a couple of hours from
London to Dover ; but if you want to know how it is done
you must wait for two or three centuries. It is perhaps
wrong to rejoice at not knowing something, which, as
people are always saying in public speeches, ought to be
familiar to every schoolboy of 14; but I pity that
tmaginary. schoolboy, and rejoice sincerely that so
many people are labouring to remove from me every
mom*.
oVinvostigpiting, the *Uttar for myself.—!From,
r!-VieristOoglager44ooTforttliarittapitni;)Yor
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