The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-13 00:00:00

CHE SUN, LONOOL%, FRIDAY EVENING; DECEMBER 13, 1867.

THE YOLUNTEERS.

The annual distribution of prizes to the members
of the Ist Middlesex Artillery Volunteers who had
been successful in the various shooting competitions
of the year was held last night at the headquarters
of the regiment, Leicester-square. It was expected
that the Duke of Buckingham would preside at the
ceremony of presentation, but his Grace was pre-
vented from attending through the pressure of offi-
cial business. The attendance at the distribution
was very numerous and fashionable, and the display
of prizes, consisting of massive centrepieces and tazza
cups by Streeter, was unusually brilliant and pictur-
esque. Mrs. Creed, wife of the commanding officer of
the corps, presided, and was supported by Lord
lianelagh, Lieut.-Col. Creed, and the other offic:•rs
of the Ist Middlesex Artillery. Col. Creed, in open-
ing the proceedings, alluded to the part the corps
bad taken in the field-days at Dover and Wimble-
don, and said he was happy to congratulate them
on the creditable appearance they made on those
occasions. Col. Chirnside had lately inspected the
corps, and had given his highest testimony to the
manner in which the men had performed their
evolutions. The regiment was in a very satisfac-
tory condition as regarded efficiency and numerical
strength. The brigade to which the Ist Middlesex
belonged consisted of three regiments. There were
383 members of the corps, and of these no less than
301 were efficients. They had seven batteries, and
in one of these, consisting of 71 members, which he
had inspected the night before, no less than 60 were
efficient. The number of Government drills required
to qualify a man as an efficient was 12, but he was
glad to find that some of his own men had performed
as many as 119 drills during the past year. The
following are the names of the principal prize win-
ners and the rewards which they respectively
received :--Garrison gun prizes.—lst - prize, Por-
trait, painted and presented by Gunner F.
A. Phillips, Sergeant Gibbon. Other prizes
in the same class :—Trumpeter-Major Orme,
Corporal E. Tracy, Bombardier Herbert. Bom-
bardier Gibson, Gunner Haig, Gunner Phillips,
and Gunner A. Rymer. Field gun prizes, value
£loo—First prize, Sergeant Long, winner of the
Duke of Buckingham's prize. Other prizes is
same class—Gunners Boxwood, Shanks, G. N.
Miller, Warner, and Edwards. Colonel Creed's
prizes for field guns at unknown distances—First,
Captain Hunt. Other prizes in same class—Assis-
tant-Surgeon Donne, Quartermaster-Sergeant
Tabrum, Bombardier Waud, and Gunners Parry,
Badger, and White. Brigade competition with
garrison guns—First prize, Captain Dixon. Other
prizes in same class—Sergeant. Major Taylor,
Bombardier Everist, and Gunners Prichard, Wells,
Badger, and Newton. Carbine prizes were awarded
to Bombardier A. Garnbam, Corporal Clarke,
Gunner Brooks, Corporal Meens, Captain Dixon,
and Bombardier Edwards, in competition 1 ; and to
Bombadier Garnham, Lieutenant Craggs, Bom-
bardier Waud, Captain Monkton, Sergeant-Major
Tilfor, and Gunner Bird The Ladies' Consolation
prizes were won by Gunners Shanks and Dist and
Bombardier Gibson. Lord Ranelagh said he had been
called upon to make some remarks on the Volunteer
movement in its general aspect. The subject of artil-
lery was a very difficult one upon which to speak,
for the changes that had taken place in modern
warfare were so extensive that that was expedient
50 years ago would not be so now. Defence had
become more difficult than offence, and artillery,
which used to be directed from positions against
large masses, was now employed as the circum-
stances of the time demanded. In coast defence,
too, heavy guns were now directed not against
wooden ships, but against broadsides which could
resist them. He had very strong opinions, and he
would utter them in that place. Those who said
that the great Volunteer force as at present consti-
tuted could not keep the field for 48 hours were
quite right, and those who thought otherwise
were wrong. They bad not the proper appliances
of warfare; they had no commissariat, no hospital
staff, no telegraph train. All would be confusion
and chaos in the field under the present organisa-
tion. When a review was held in Hyde-pack with
some '20,000 men, they required 100 or 150 officers.
One hundred and eighty thousand men would re-
quire 900 otlicers ; and where were they to be ob-
tained ? Why had they not proper combination ?
When the service was first instituted they were
told they should remain in companies, but on his
(Lord Ranelagh's) representations, Lord Herbert
had the volunteers formed into battalions. Nothing
but jealousy now prevented them from being formed
into brigades. A great deal had been lately said
about what took place at Mentana, but he believed
that the men fought there as well as men could
fight ; but they were like the volunteers in England
—they bad no proper organisation. The cere-
mony of presentation was then proceeded with,
after which cheers were given for Mrs. Creed and
Colonel Creed. The proceedings terminated with
the performance of the National Anthem by the
band.

saved by lloodlers riding into the water and bring-
ing them off. It should be added that many parts
of the Lincolnshire coact are very flat, and often
shallower at some distance from the land.—THOS.
DOBSON, Coxswain of the Lifeboat."

upon Italian unity, it wishes, as M. Rouher said,
that mutual hatred and distrust should be forgotten,
and it would hasten the time when that unity, being
constituted, must understand that its part is to de-
fend the sovereignty of the Holy Father. It believes
that as the advice of Europe can exercise a happy
influence in causing this idea of conciliation to pre-
vail, the Conference bas lost none of the opportu-
nities open to it. It has expressed itself in this
sense towards the different Governments, and the
negotiation entered into before the deliberations in
the Chambers is still proceeded with."

ROME AND THE POLICY OF THE
FRENCH GOVERNMENT.