The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-07 00:00:00

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NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

The first grand competition of the Volunteersi n
the use of their weapon will close this evening.
The firing has been continuous on every day since
Monday ; there has been no interruption by any
casualty, or other serious cause, and the weather
has been fine throughout. Yet ten hours per diem
have riot sufficed for the firing for all the prizes.
As the proceedings must conclude this evening, it
was determined yesterday to withdraw the prize of
6:0 guineas given by Miss Coutts, as it was evident
there would not be time enough to decide the con-
test for it, without throwing all the other ar-
rangements into confusion. When the competitors
are numerous, the time required to decide a con-
test at three different ranges, and those the
longest, is very considerable. It is not an affair of
minutes, like a race ; it may rather be reckoned by
hours. The firing of a rifle match is not in the
least like a feu de joie. The rifleman is deliberate
in his shooting ; with a good sum of money, to say
nothing of the honour, depending on the twitch of
his finger, he must not throw away his shot. To
see a competitor in the act of aiming, no one would
mistake the process for an amusement. It is a se-
rious and solemn • thing, and should not even be
spoken of lightly. The calculation of angles he is
working would confound a Kepler; the elevations
and depressions are measured by the breadth of
hairs, and " allowing for the wind" alone is such a
diffitult business that he might well envy the
animal that is said to see it. The power would be
an inestimable advantage. If anything is wrong
with the " sights," it adds to the complexity ; and
complaints on this point have been numerous. The
opportunities of regulating them have been few and
imperfect. The Swiss, it is remarked, are generally
slower in their aim than those of the English
school. The introduction of a prize for which time

has not been previously provided is a very disturb-
ing agent. But the present meeting will have fur-
nished valuable experience for future years, fer this
competition will undoubtedly become an annual one.
Two series of prizes, seven in all, were opened.
and decided yesterday. They were the Prince
Consort's prize of £lOO ; the Silver Cup given by
the London Rifle Brigade, value 50 guineas ; and.
a rifle given by Mr. Smith,. value £35. The
competition for these three prizes was restricted
to the winners of the " all corners'? series,
who are 28 in number, and to the 20 second
best shots made in that contest. There were,
therefore, 48 competitors, to fire 10 rounds each, at
the three longest ranges, 800, 900, and 1,000 yards.
There were 1,440 shots fired for this series alone,
with the following result :
His Royal Highness Prince Albert's prize of
£lOO was gained ;by Capt. R. Lacy, 33d Infantry,
and of the School of Musketry at Hythe.. Capt.
Lacy made 22 points at the three ranges. He used
an ordinary Westley Richard's rifle, the barrel of
which, however, is on Mr. Whitworth's principle.
It is a cheaper weapon, and not so highly finished
as the Whitworth rifles, used at the long ranges.
Capt. Lacy's shooting was admitted to be the best
of the whole week. It is an instance of how scien--:
tifle training tells.
The second prize of this contest, the Silver Cup
given by the London Rifle Brigade, was gained by
Lawley, sergeant of the 2d Derbyshire Volun-
teers, and one of Lord Vernon's gamekeepers. He
made 18 points.
The third prize, the rifle given by Mr. Smith,
value £35, was won by Mr. Peter, one of the Swiss
champions, with 18 points. In the shooting for
the tie Lawley won.
The next series of prizes were four in number,
open to all corners, for breech-loading rifles only,
not exceeding 101 b. in weight, five rounds, at the
long ranges of 800 and 1,000 yards. The first prize
was £5O, given by his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge ; the second, third, and fourth, £3O,
£2O, and £ll lls., were given by Mr. W. Richards.
The first prize, the Duke of Cambridge's £5O,
was gained by M. Knecht, a Swiss, who at all the
ranges made 10 points.
The second prize, £3O, was won by Captain
Lacy, the winner in the preceding match. He
made 9 points, again with the Westley Richards
rifle.

The third prize, £2O, was won by Turner, Ist
Berkshire, 8 points; and the fourth, £ll lls., by
Edwards, 4th West York, 8 points. Peter in this
contest also made 8 points, but on the shooting for
the ties Turner and Edwards won.
The Queen's prize of £250, exclusively for
Volunteers, will be shot for this day, the firing to
commence at 9 a.m. It will scarcely be decided
till the evening.
The firing for the Duke of Wellington's prize
will commence at 8 a.m.
The rifle offered by the Swiss as a prize for the
Volunteers only, but excluding the 40 who are
qualified for her Majesty's prize, will also be con-
tended for this day.
It is due to the official military departments to
t.ay that they have given most valuable assistance
to the Council of the Association during the whole
of the proceeding. The War-office authorized the
supply of targets, flags, and tents for the meeting,
and deputed General Hay, the Commandant of the
Musketry• School of Hythe, to superintend the
firing, a duty he discharged with hearty goodwill,
and a professional ability unrivalled in his depart-
ment. He was assisted in other portions of the
duties that fell on the Council by Colonel Bewes,
Colonel Kennedy, Mr. Fairbairn, and Lord Elcho.
Keeping the register of the shots and making it up
day by day was one of the most difficult and
complicated parts of the work, especially with
regard to the ties. The lists could not, as a rule, be
made perfect till a late hour each evening.
All the arrangements of the firing during the
week have worked so successfully, and the natural
advantages of the ground, especially for the longer
ranges, are so decided, that if the meeting is held
again next year, no better locality than Wimbledon
can possibly be selected.
The influx of company and customers has some-
what soothed those who, having rights of common
on the ground, at first opposed the selection of their
waste for the purpose it has so well served. They
made stringent conditions that the butts should be
thrown down again, and the ground restored to its,
original state. The work of restoration will begin'
next week, the tents will be struck, the fencing
taken away, and Mr. T. Scott and his corps of nav-
vies, who dug and delved and drained, and raised
the earthworks with such celerity, may begin their
levelling operations. But to Wimbledon and its
commoners we should imagine the week's meeting
has produced a richer harvest than if the 6,000 acres
had been laid down in wheat. The objections will
be much softened next year.
The prizes will be presented to the winners by
Mr. S. Herbert, the President of the Association,
on Monday at the Crystal Palace. Members of the
National Rifle Association will be admitted free to
the great fete to be held at the Crystal Palace on
that occasion on presentation, at the doors, of their
passes, which can be obtained at the office, Pall-
mall-east.