The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-11 00:00:00

THE VOLUN7EERS.

On Saturday, at the Wormholt Scrub ranges,
the West (9th) Middlesex Rifle Corps held its an-
nual prize competition, when a very large number
of valuable prizes, the gifts of west end firms and
of the inhabitants of Marylebone, were fired for by
the members who had proved themselves capable of
handling their rifles by previously firing their classes.
The prizes were divided into different series, and in
the first were 11 prizes of sums of money ranging
from £6 to £l, and these were shot for at 200, 500,
and 600 yards, seven shots at each range. Major
Bridgman, with 58, won the first ; Corporal Adams
with 57, the second; Ensign Garner, waif. 56, the
third ; Sergt. Scott, with 55, the foarth ; Private
Little, with 55, the fifth ; and Capt. Morris and
Sergt. Stewart tied for the next two places with 53
each. A silver cup, presented by Messrs. Foster
and Sons, and a second prize of £5, given by Col.
Burlton, C. 8., were shot for by the marksmen of
1866 and 1867, at the odd distances, the ranges for
which the Enfield rifles are not sighted, namely,
250, 550, and 650 yards, five shots at each range.
Sergeant Barker won the first prize with the
excellent score of 48. A ten guinea prize was
given by Mr. G. H. Foster, and competed for at
the Wimbledon distances of 200, 500, and 600
yards, by men who never had at any time won a
prize of the value of £5, and this was taken by Cor-
poral Cowles with 37. A prize of £lO given by
Messrs. Marshall and Snellgrove for officers and
non-commissioned officers, and shot for at the same
distances, was won by Captain Dear with 41 ; and
a similar prize, given by the same firm to the pri-
vates, was won by Private Keen with 42. The first
of a series of prizes given by Colonel Somerset to
men of the rank and file who had never won a prize
was won by Private Nicoll, who made 36 at 200 and
500 yards in seven shots at each. Private Wells
won the Borough Members' Challenge Cup, with £5
added, with 31 in ten shots at 500 yards. A paint-
ing given as a prize by Mr. G. E. Hering in 1865,
and won by Mr. A. G. Smith, was presented by the
winner to the regiment, and was now won by
Captain Morris in a very peculiar competition of
firing a shot at a third-class target, and then
" doubling" from one range to another between 600
and 200 yards. Mr. James Bowker presented £l5,
which was competed for in several prizes by members
who had never won a prize. Mr. M'Broom won
the first and Corporal Jeffreson the second. Dril
prizes—that is to say, prizes to be shot for by
members who had attended a great many drills—,
and " extra" prizes, comprised every class of article
from rifles, ladies' dressing-cases, and boxes of
cigars, to a seasonable stock of two tons of coals,
and Ensign Little won the first, a Parian statuette.
The shooting arrangements were well carried out by
Lieutenant and Quartermaster Best.

A challenge cup, value £25, given by Mr. Alder-
man Lusk, M.P., to the Finsbury Rifle Volunteer
Corps, for quarterly competition for two years, has
now been absolutely won. The rules were that the
member of the corps winning the cup most times
in two years should keep it, the donor presenting
another in its place. The cup previous to the last
competition had been won twice by Captain Hislop,
twice by Private Strugnell, and once by Colonel
Penton, Ensign While, and Corporal Page.
In the eighth competition Captain Hislop and Pri-
vate Strugnell tied, and on shooting off Captain
Hislop beat his antagonist by two points. The
captain immediately made it known that he should
not take the cup, but should present it to the corps
to be competed for as a volley firing challenge prize,
to be shot for by representative squads from each
company.

On Saturday and Monday the annual prize meet-
ing of the 19th Surrey Rifles took place at their
range at Esher-common, Surrey. The weather
proved unfavourable ; the average shooting, how-
ever, was very good, showing a marked improve-
ment ou that of previous years. A large number
of prizes (amounting in value to about £100) were
offered for competition. The most valuable were
won by Lieut. Haddon (ten guineas), Ensign Chat-
terton (eight guineas), Colour-Sergeant Wright
(seven guineas), Sergeant Abrams (five guineas),
Private Garland (four guineas), &c. ; the remainder
rang2d from two to three guineas in value.
The annual prize competition of the 2d Suffolk
(Walton) Battery of Artillery has just taken place.
Hon. Assistant-Surgeon Rand succeeded in winning
a challenge cup with the excellent score of 52. This
is the second time he has held the cup, which must
be won three times to become individual property.
In a second contest for prizes presented by officers,
Gunner Fenton took the first prize, Corporal Emery
the second, Corporal Daniel the third, and Gunner
W. Gorham the fifth. A third contest took place
for prizes presented by residents in the neighbour-
hood, at ranges of 100 and 200 yards. Corporal
Daniel won the first prize, Sergeant Murrell the
second, Trumpeter Bartlett the third, Lieutenant
D'Eye the fourth, Hon. Assistant. Surgeon Rand
the fifth, Gunner Waller the sixth, Gunner Young
the seventh, and Gunner Gorham the eighth.
En several parts of Berkshire the Rifle Volunteers
were busily occupiel last week in competitions for
numerous and valuable priz..!s. At the Windsor
Great Park range the 10th Berks (Dorset) Corps
held its annual prize meeting, and some excellent
shooting was made. The ranges were 200, 500, and
600 yards. Sergt. Elunton scored 34, and won the
first prize, a silver challenge cup, value £ll 11s.,
presented by Major Scott, the first commanding
officer, with £5 added by Mr. Arbuthnot, Cowarth-
park ; the second prize in the same class was £3,
given by Mr. Bridges, and gained by Corporal
Kempsell, 34. A prize value £5 55., given by Capt.
Van de Weyer (200 and 400 yards, 5 shots at each),
was also won by Sergt. Ilunton, who scored 31. A
prize value £5, presented by Capt. Johnson, and
shot for at 300 and 600 yards, 5 shots at each, was
taken by Colour-Sergt. Brown, 21. A prize value
£3 35., given by Quartermaster Cave (7 shots at 200
_ _ _ _

and 500 yards), was also gained by Colour-Sergeant
Brown. A prize value £5, presented by Mr. W. G.
Franklyn for skirmishing (10 rounds per man) ;
Privates Ilerford and Middlernast (the winning file)
made 18 points. A prize value £3, presented by
Ensign Cave (7 shots in skirmishing order, without
raising the beck sight, within 300 yards), was won

by Private Laird, 16 points. The annual competi-
tion for the challenge medal of the Bth Berks (Far-
ingdon) corps, with a money prize given by Lieut.
Crowdy, was shot for on Thursday last at 300, 500,
and 600 yards, 5 shots at each, and was won by
Private Tucker with 39 points. The final contest for
the monthly callenge cup of the 4th Berks (Abing-
don) caused much interest; the ranges were 200,
500, and 600 yards, 7 shots at each distance, and
the prize was won by Lieut. Mor:and. On Friday
last 10 members of the Ist Berks (Reading) shot a
match with 10 volunteers from Henley-on-Thames,
and the Reading men were victors by five points. A
prize meeting was also held at Reading by the re-
cruits of the Ist Berks, the ranges being 200, 400,
and 500 yards. A silver cup given by the mayor
(Mr. H. Simonds) was won by Private F. Davis, 47 ;
and money prizes given by Captain Martin Atkins
were won by Privates Lacy and Stallard.
The Ist Norfolk Artillery Volunteers had a compe-
tition last week on the Norwich ground. The first
contest was for a challenge vase of £2O, with £lO 10s.
added, presented by the members for Norwich, Sir
W. Russell, M.P., and Mr. E. Warner, M.P. The
contest resulted as follows :—First prize, the chal-
lenge vase, with £3 10s. added, Quartermaster
Sergeant Hewett ; second prize, £2 10s., Gunner
Delves ; fourth prize, £l, Gunner Webster ; and
fifth, sixth, and seventh prizes, for the highest score
at each range, Gunners Bacon, Shorten, and Parker.
Fora prize of £lO, competed for by members from
each corps or battery of the Norfolk Artillery, the
highest score was made by Quartermaster-sergeant
Hewett, 41 points. In a contest for a purse of £5,
presented by the officers of the Norwich battery, the
largest score was that of Bombardier Howes. The
fifth contest was for a ladies' prize of £7 ; the first
share was taken by Quartermaster-Sergeant Hewett.
In a contest for prizes to the amount of £3, pre-
sented by the non-commissioned officers of the
battery for previous non-winners, the first prize
was taken by Gunner Grey.
In Yorkshire the annual prize contests are being
held. The Ist East York Rifle Volunteers have
competed for a cup given by Mr, lieyuoldison, of