The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-11 00:00:00

THE YOLUNTBER 1110TrEMENT.

The commanding officers of the various Volunteer
Rifle Carps throughout the county of Middlesex
have received a communication from the Lord-Lieu-
tenant in reference to the assembling the various
corps of a county or district together for the pur-
pose ofperiodical reviews. The communication from
the Lord-Lieutenant's office was as follows :

" 24, Spring-garden', Sept. 4.

" Sir,—l am desired by the Lord• Lieutenant to inform
you that he has received a communication from the Secre-
tary of State for War intimating his opinion that it would
tend very greatly to the efficiency of the Volunteer Force,
and that it might at the same time be very acceptable to the
various corps in different parts of the country if opportuni-
ties were afforded to them of being occasionally brought
together for the purpose of being reviewed by some officer
of high rank and position, and directing his Lordship to
take measures to give effect to the instructions of the
Secretary of State for War in this respect.

" I am therefore to request (if it be the desire of the corps
under your command to be reviewed, as has been suggested
by the Secretary of State for War) that you should put
yourself in communication with the commanding officers of
other Volunteer Carps in the neighbourhood who may en-
tertain the same desire, with a view to fixing a convenient
day for that purpose, and that, having done so, you should
address the lord-lieutenant, in order to o! tain the necessary
authority, and make arrangements for the inspection of such
corps.
" I have the honour to be, Sir, your very obedient ser-
vant,

" RICHARD NICHOLSOY, Clerk to the Lieutenancy.
" The Officer commanding the -Rifle Volunteers*"
The members of the 3d (Tenterden) Sent Rifle
Corps have commenced ball practice, an excellent
piece of ground, affording a range of upwards of
1,000 yards, having been obtained near the town.
On the first day of practice, which is to be continued
twice a week, the men fired at 100 and 150 yards
five rounds at each range, and the average points
made were 6.36 at the former, and 4.9 at the latter
range. The best shooting was made by Private
Clemetson, who made 17 points, 8 at 100 and 9 at
150 yards' range, The 17th (Tunbridge Wells)
Corps have been presented with a handsome rifle by
Mrs. Wight, of Lansdowne, which is to be competed
for by the members at the close of the course of in-
struction in rifle shooting they are now undergoing.
The members of the Colchester Corps of Rifle
Volunteers assembled last week, on the invitation
of Lady Georgina Rebow, in Wivenhot-park, and
went through a series of manoeuvres in presence of
a large assemblage of the gentry of the county of
Essex. The review over, the members of the corps
proceeded to show their skill as marksmen, Lady
Georgina having liberally offered a silver cup as a
prize to him who should prove himself the best
shot.

The 7th Surrey Rifles assembled on the parade
ground in front of the Sessions-house, Newington,
on Saturday afternoon, at 5 o'clock, as usual. They
were formed in line, and marched thence, accom-
panied by the band of the 3d Surrey Militia, to
Nesbitt's-ground, in Kennington-lane, where they
were put through battalion drill and skirmishing,
including file and volley firing, and field evolutions
generally. Major Parrett, the adjutant,was present,
and appeared to have entirely got over the effect of
his recent fall.
The very successful little corps, the lst Surrey
Juvenile Rifles, which has enrolled upwards of 80
in its ranks, spent Friday at Greenwich. The corps
was honoured with a special permission from the
Governor of Greenwich Hospital to march with its
colours and band playing through the hospital, as
much to the gratification of the boys as of the noble
veterans who heaped good wishes and praises on
the little fellows as they passed by. After visiting
the Painted Hall, the Dining Hall, and the Chapel,
the Governor was pleased to honour the Volunteer
movement by expressing a wish to see the juveniles
and hear their band play. Accordingly they marched
to the front of the Governor's house, where, seated
in a bath chair, he listened to the various airs which
were played, evidently much to the gratification of
their kind patron.
At a meeting of the Knowsley Review Committee,
representing the Volunteers of the county, Lieut.-
Col. James Bourne in the chair, the following letter
from the Earl of Darby was read :
" Knowsley, Sept. 4, 1860.
" Dear Colonel Bourne, —I cannot allow the proceedings
connected with the Knowsley review to come to a close
without begging you to accept for yourself, and to offer on
my part to all the members of your committee, and to their
zealous and efficient secretary, my warmest thanks for their
anxious and persevering exertions in arranging the multi-
farious details which had to be considered and settled. It
is mainly to your and their efforts that we are indebted for
the complete success which, I think I may venture to say,
has attended this brilliant county gathering; but I am
sure you will consider yourselves more than repaid for all
the trouble you have taken if the result shall be, as I con-
fidently believe, not merely the momentary gratification of
a successful. pageant, but an additional stimulus to the
great and important national movement which has already
added so greatly to the military strength of the country.—
I am yours, faithfully, " DERBY.
" Lieut.-Col. Bourne."
Resolved,—
"That this committee congratulate the Earl of Derby on
the perfect success of the review on Saturday last. and begs
to thank his lordship for his courteous hospital;.ty. The
committee cannot separate without acknowledging the valu-
able assistance rendered by Capt. Flornby, R.N., to whose
judicious arrangements the success of the gathering must
in a degree be attributed.
"J. BOURNE, Lieutenant-Colonel, Chairman.
" Sept.
The great Cheshire rifle prize meeting is adver-
tised to be held on Sept. 19th and 20th at Leasowe-
common, on the practice ground of the Ist and 2d
Cheshire Rifle Companies. It is patronised by the
Lord-Lieutenant of the county (the Marquis of
Westminster), Lord Combermere, Earl of Shrews-
bury and Talbot, the county members, and other in-
fluential noblemen and gentlemen connected with
the county. There is a local committee, consisting
of the officers of the different volunteer companies
in the neighbourhood and other persons interested
in the movement. The value of the prizes that will
be offered is nearly £3OO, presented by various per-
sons in and about Birkenhead. There will be 10 or
12 prizes open to all volunteers of artillery or rifle
companies in Cheshire, and three or four prizes
open to all comers bona fide residents in the county
of Chester. Earl Spencer, Lord Eleho, and General
Hay have also consented to be patrons of this meet-
ing, and the by-laws and regulations have been
submitted to and approved by General Hay. This
meeting is now exciting considerable interest
throughout Cheshire, as proired by the fact of 30
companies having already intimated their intention
to send members to compete for the prizes, and will
no doubt bethe forerunner of a properly-constituted
rifle association, in connection with the National
Rifle Association of London.

In consequence of a notification received at Wool-
wich some days ago, to the effect that, Viscount
Sydney had expressed his intention of inspecting a
second portion of the local Volunteers on Saturday,
the Bth inst., the entire establishment of the Royal
dockyard ceased labour at mid-day, having per-
formed an extra hour's work each preceding day of
the week, as an equivalent for the half-day desired
to be devoted to the Lord-Lieutenant's inspection.
At 4 o'clock the whole of the brigade, consisting of
fire companies, paraded in the Dockyard-square, in
command of Major Thornton, commandant, and
marche' to Little Heath, the park of Sir Thomas
Wilson, Bart., where they were joined by the
Charlton Rifles, in command of Captain George
Hall Graham; the Woolwich Rifles, in command of
Captain Carter; and the Plumstead and Blackheath
Artillery, in command of Captain Tongue and Cap-
tain Brandram. The whole of the Artillery then
drew up in a contiguous line, the Dockyard Brigade
forming the centre, and flanked
by the two com-
panies from Plumstead and Blackheath the Rifles
keeping the ground. At 5 o'clock, his lordship, at-
tended by Colonel Congden, commandant of the
-,
Charlton Corps, and Colonel Morris, cal Inspector
of Volunteers, entered the ground, and wa d
sreceive
with a general salute. The inspection thereupon
commenced, and his lordship having expressed his ,
satisfaction at their general appearance, retired to
the front and took up his position at the flagstaff, on
which was eying.
tho Kentish Volunteer flag, bear-
ing the white horse rampant, surmounted by the
motto " Invictizo
The whole of the Volunteers
then marched past in slow and quick time in
columns of companies, the officers saluting, halted,
and wheeled into line. His Lordship then
desired Major Thamiton to put them through
their manual exencloe, which was performed , 1

with great smartness, and elicited strong marks'
of approval. The line afterwards advanced in re-
view order, and the inspection terminated with
a general salute. The Dockyard Brigade then
marched into their battery in the dockyard and
practised with great gnus (32 pounders),
after which they formed close column on the parade
and were addressed by Lord Sydney, who compli-
mented the officers and men on their steadinesi and
proficiency. The five companies of the Dockyard
Battalion were commanded by Captains Piers, Hat-
ton, Partridge, Chaplin, and Pike, numbering
about 400 men, including the band of 25 performers.
The chief command of the battalion, under Major
Thornton was ably seconded by his Adjutant, Lieut.
H. M. M'Leod, late of the 41st Regiment of the
Line. During the inspection Mr. W. Sloman, of
the 4th Kent or Woolwich Rifles, on duty near the
carriage containing Lady Sydney and other ladies,
was requested by Commodore the Hon. J. R. Drum-
mond, to invite the attendance of Mr. H. Whomes,
also a private in the corps, and who last week ob-
tained the gold prize medal and the silver badge at
Cologne, in addition to the £lOO prize at Wimble-
don. Mr. Whomes promptly attended, wearing
the decorations on his left breast, and her ladyship
and friends, having examined the prizes, expressed
their gratification and thanks, and complimented
the bearer on his success. The gold prize consists
of a large Maltese cross, surmounted by the Prus-
sian Crown, of a very handsome design ; and the
silver medal is of the circumference and about the
weight of our own florin.
The provisional committee of the proposed Wilt-
shire Rifle Association are taking energetic mea-
sures to carry out the resolutions passed at the
preliminary meeting held a short time since in the
city of Salisbury. The Right Hon. Sydney
Herbert, Secretary for War, has just kindly sig-
nified to Mr. G. S. Read, the Honorary Secre-
tary, his willingness to act as president of the
association, and with the view of furthering the
progress of the Volunteer movement and creat-
ing and fostering a taste for rifle shooting through-
out the county, it is proposed to institute an annual
shooting match, to be held, if practicable, at the
head-quarters of the different Volunteer corps in
Wiltshire, in succession, provided the required
tango can be procured in the locality. At each
meeting prizes will be offered not only to the mem-
bers of all the rifle corps, but to any other resi-
dents in the county who may be willing to contend
for them.
In Suffolk the number of companies is gradually
increasing. Capt. Jervis, M.P., presided on Thurs-
day evening at a meeting to promote the organisa-
tion of an Artillery corps in the Colneis Hundred,
on the Suffolk coast. The meeting was addressed
by Sir G. N. Broke Middleton, the chairman, and
other gentlemen, and resulted in the enrolment of
about 20 Volunteers on the spot, while several
other persons announced their intention of sub-
scribing and nominating others.