The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-19 00:00:00

this is the eighth year we have meet here on this
common. We came together at the first meeting
strangers to each other, but yet united by that sym-
pathy, by that concurrence of sentiment and of cha-

ratter which had enrolled us all in the volunteer

ranks ; we came together not merely for the enjoy-
ment of a manly pastime, but for the discharge of
what I may call a public duty; for our object was to
make the Englishmen of our day what our bowmen
were of old, for the defence of England, and thus to
insure the inviolability of her soil. (Cheers.) By the

. _
blessing of God we have succeeded in that undertak-
ing, and the National Rifle Association is no•w a

great national institution. Those who, like Lord
Spencer and the many old friends and old faces I

see around me, have worked together towards
this end are for ever bound in a close and friendly
brotherhood. We volunteers have no Mason's

grip, no pass-word, but when we meet we
have a hearty shake of the hand for brother
volunteers ; we have in common the recollection of

difficulties surmounted ; and our pass-word is duty
and love of country. I say, then, when I look back
upon the past and think of the present, I cannot
thank you as I ought; but from the very depths of
my heart I declare, in Lady Elcho's name and my

own, that we are deeply grateful for this proof of
your esteem—l might almost say of your affection.
(Cheers.) The address speaks of the services which

I have rendered to the association. If, in your
opinion, I have been successful as its chairman, that

has been mainly due to the fact that my whole
heart and soul have been in the work. I must not
forget, and you must not forget, how much the

chairman of this association owes to other members
of the Council. You must not forget either what is
due to the ability, the energy, and the zeal of the
executive staff of that organisation. (ilea:, hear.)
You Volunteers, above all, must not forget what is
due to the zeal and intelligence of the officers of the
British army, and to the hard working and good
conduct of the men of the British army. if there is
one thing more than another which is good in this
meeting, it is that the officers and men of the army
and the officers and men of the Volunteer force are
brought together, learn to appreciate each other,
and are bound together, I believe, in indissoluble
bonds of friendship. (Cheers.) You must not forget,
also, looking to the colossal proportions which this
association has now reached, that it would be im-
possible for us to carry on our operations if it were
not for the help we gain from the gentlemen in blue
—(laughter)—l mean the valuable assistance that
we obtain from the metropolitan police force.
(Rear, hear.) But there is one thing which, above
all others, has contributed to the influence of this
association and to the success of its meetings, and
that is the character and conduct of those whom we
had to deal with ; the result has been due mainly
to the good humour, the good nature, the readi-
ness to do everything that was required—to the
order, the discipline, and the character of the
Volunteers who came to these meetings. We hear
on this common the ring of the rifle. But we hear
also the ring—the true ring of the metal of which
Englishmen are made ; and if I wanted to show a
foreigner our countrymen of all classes—for I
am thankful to say all classes meet here in
brotherly competition—if I wanted to show a
foreigner in the best way I could the stuff of which
Englishmen are made, I should say, " Come with
me to Wimbledon." And now, gentlemen, Lord
Spencer has referred to my having ceased to be
chairman of this association. I resigned the chair-
manship for this plain and simple reason. Knowing
all the circumstances, and the position in which the
question now stands, it was my firm conviction that
in one person should be combined the lordship of
the manor of Wimbledon and the chairmanship of
this association. Acting solely in the interests of
the association , I thought it my duty to ask Lord
Spencer—(cheers)—to take the chair in my room ;
and, Judging from the manner in which you never
fail to receive him personally, or the mention of his
name, I need hardly ask whether you think the
selection a wise one. I congratulate you, I con-
gratulate the volunteers, and I congratulate the
country upon having Lord Spencer as chairman of
this association, for in him you have a high-minded,
liberal, generous English nobleman. (Cheers.)
You have no less a true and hearty Volunteer, who
has done good service to the movement in his own
county. To him we are more indebted than to any
man in Great Britain ; for without him, not only
this association could not have met here, but if he bad
not given us leave to meet upon this common this
association could never have existed. (Rear.) In
Lady Spencer he has, I am happy to say, a helpmate
in every way worthy of his position, and meet for the
duties he has undertaken. (Cheers.) You have in
this address spoken of Lady Elcho. I thank you in
her name and my own for having done so, for what
you say of her is neither more nor less than the truth.
There is no person that I know who has taken so
deep and heartfelt au interest in the Volun teer move-
ment from its very first, and in everything I have
done I found her my stimulus and guide. One thing
only remains for me to say. You have kindly
offered me some more permanent, some more dur-
able token of your goodwill than this address. (A
Voice—" And you must take it, too.") I regret to
feel obliged firmly, but respectfully, to decline it ;
and Idoso on this ground. From the commence-
ment of the Volunteer movement I have endeavoured
to keep down expense, in order that the poorer
classes equally with the rich might take part in the
movement. I set my face against all extra expenses
and subscriptions; and I cannot sanction in my own
case that which I have discountenanced in others. I
therefore beg leave respectfully to decline the prof-
fered testimonial. lam satisfied with this address
—I look on it as a certificate of good conduct—
(laughter)— and my children, when I am gone, will
be able to point to this and say, that, in the opinion
of those who knew us best, Lady Elcho and myself
endeavoured to do our duty. (Loud cheers.) But,
my friends, although I do not accept this testi-
monial, there is one favour I would ask of you—l
would ask you all not to relax your support of the
National Rifle Association, and, under any circum-
stances whatever, not to desert that Volunteer force
of which it is the offspring and the nurse. I have
said that upon the permanence of this institution
will depend, I aaelieve, the inviolability of English
soil from foreign foes. I ask you, therefore, to ad-
here to the work which you have begun. Never
let it be said that Englishmen having once put their
hand to the plough drew it back. I ask you finally
to join with me in a hearty prayer that God may
bless and prosper our institution, and may continue
in permanence the Volunteer force of Great Britain.
This address evoked a display of more than ordi-
nary enthusiasm on the part of its hearers. Before
the cheering had subsided,
Lord ELCIIO, again rising, added—One thing I
forgot to say. Don't let it be imagined that by
ceasing to be chairman of this association I have
ceased to be a Volunteer. (Hear, hear.) I hope
to live and I hope to die Colonel of the London
Scottish Volunteers—(cheers)—and with your favour
I hope to live and die also an active member of the
Council of the National Rifle Association. I hope
to come here annually, to live among you, and to
contend with you for prizes, I trust successfully—.
(laughter)—but as chairman of this Association I
found, and Lord Spencer will also find, that it
is hopeless to make that attempt. Wherever
I may be, in Parliament or out of it, depend upon it
that no effort will be wanting on my part to pro-
mote the efficiency and good of the Volunteer force.
(Cheers.) I call on you now to give three heart y
cheers for Lord and Lady Spencer.
This was accordingly done with right good will ;
after which an additional cheer was given " for
better weather," and finally " one more for the Bel-
gians." This brought the proceedings beneath the
great central tent to an end, and the Volunteers
then dispersed to their several ranges.
Among the ordinary features of the day's pro-
gramme the most interesting was, of course, the
International shooting for the Elcho Challenge
Shield. Both England and Scotland brought into
the field as good representative teams probably as
could be selected. Ireland, unfortunately, through
some " incompatibility of temper," lost at the last
moment the services of one of her very best shots,
who positively refused to give to the Irish Eight,
among whom he was officially returned, the benefit
of that skill which he had jugt. before . proved by