The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-12 00:00:00

The Wimbledon Meeting.

The prize meeting of 1867 bids fair to earn an
enviable reputation in the annals of the association
as the successful year. The experience gained in
previous years must be credited with a considerable
portion of the success of the arrangement , but it is
no small credit to the executive that, so far, every
department has fulfilled its functions with an exac-
titude and completeness altogether unprecedented.

The officers and sergeants at the different firing
points deserve great praise.for the prompt, business-
like, and yet courteous style in which the large
number of men competing for the Queen's Prize
have been got through the two ranges already fired.
Both on Wednesday and yesterday the whole of
the firing of the 2,050 men who actually came to
the targets was completed before seven o'clock, and
the returns were in tl.e statistical. tent before gun-
fire at 7.15 a.m. There, in an incredible short
time, these voluminous returns were carefully scru-
tinised, and every score worthy of note was ex-
tracted and placed in the hand of the representa-

I tires of the press.
The shooting yesterday comprised precisely the
same programme as on the previous day, except
that the practice for the Queen's Prize was at 500
yards. The weather was extremely fine ; but a
shifty rear wind blowing first from ono side and
then from the other destroyed the hopes of many
who stood well on the previous day. The average
shooting was decidedly below that of the previous
day. Steady men missed from time to time in a
manner quite unaccountable. A story is told of
one unfortunate Lancashire man—said to bo a
II
member of a crack Manchester corps—who came to
the 500 yards targets with a good score from the
200, and made two bull's-eyes for sighting shots,
then went vigorously in and missed every shot for
his score. To say that he went away a sorrowful
man is but faintly to describe a state of feelings that
did not admit of comfort. Some very good scores
were made, as must necessarily always be the case
where so many first-rate shots come together, and
tolerably early in the day it was generally known
that two competitors—Lieut. Evans of the Robin
Hoods, and Corporal Lake, of the Staffordshire
Battalion—had made 19 and 18. Lieut. Evans had
made the very good score of 17, and Corporal Lake
18 at 200, and therefore they stood for the aggregate
at 36 marks each. With anything like propor-
tionately good shooting at the 600 yards, one of
these gentlemen ought to come in the winner of
the silver medal, or to run the winner very close
indeed. The long Enfield, however, falls off so
much in accuracy at 600 as compared with 500
yards that the element of luck enters very largely
into a calculation of the chances, and all that
could be safely prophesied is that the skilful
member of the Robin Hoods will turn up some-
where amongst the first sixty who are entitled
to shoot in the second stage. Captain W. Wright,
of the 30th Cheshire, stood at 35, with 16
and 19. There were some scores of 34, while 33's
and 32's were as plentiful as blackberries. It should
have been mentioned that the very good results ob-
tained at the 200 yards in the military breechloader
competition on Wednesday, by Sergeant Pace an
were maded
Corporal Andrews, of the 26th Kent,
ore as made with the regulation Snider and Boxer cart
wridge.
At the 200 yards range no higher
Lieut.-Colonel
already in this most interesting competition than has been
already recorded. At 500
Halford, with the Henry ,
byraecrdschloLaideteirt.
marks. On the previous day a higher number was
minutes' firing got off 36 rounds and made 76
made with the Westley Richards breechloader, Mr.
Edge making 81 points in 36 rounds. In this rifle
the cartridge is made of consumable paper, the
great
means of ignition being a small central fire-cap in
a wad at the rear of the cartridge. It is a
advantage to have no cartridge-case to withdraw
after firing ; but if this gain be secured at the ex-
pense of exposing the working parts of the breech
to corrosive action of the ignited gases it is dearly
purchased. The wad left after each explosion is
forced forward by the cartridge that is next inserted,
and blown out of the barrel. This also is objec-
tionable, as tending to interfere with the accuracy
of flight of the bullet. The wad • left supposed
to protect the action from this wearing effect of the
explosion, but it must of necessity do it much less
completely than the cartridge-cme now so generally
adopted. At any rate, the guns tried here worked
admirably, and therefore it is to be regretted that
Mr. Westley Richards, taking exception at the de-
cision of the Council that the Henry rifle fulfilled
the conditions of a military arm, should have issued
the following notice :
The Council having decided to admit the rifle Colonel
Halford shot with yesterday, and being in our opinion
a match ge, and not a military arm, which our rifles
are, there is nothing for us but to withdraw from the
competition. We have consequently this day closed our
tent, and. withdraw all the rifles we had lent our friends
and other volunteers.
July-11.

IVESTLEY RICKARDS AI,TD CO•

The fine score of Sergeant-Major Cooke (not
Rooke, as given in yesterday's scores) for the Daily
Telegraph Cup was not tied, and therefore, as tho
competition closed last night, he becomes the winner
of a handsome memento of an admirable piece of
shooting. Contrary to_general expectation, Mr.
Edward Roackleore of, 37 for the Association En-
field Cup was tied yesterday, and indeed beaten by
Private Marsh, of the 12th Norfolk, who made two
marks less at. 200, but two more at 500.

THE PALESTINE EXPLORATION FUND.

The General Committee of the Palestine Explo-
ration Fund held their second annual meeting on
Wednesday, in the Jerusalem Chamber, Westmin-
ster. In the absence of the Archbishop of York, the
chair was occupied by the Dean of Westminster.
Mr. Grove, the honorary secretary to the fund, read
the report, of which the following is an abstract :
The second exploring party of the association,
under the charge of Lieut Warren, R.E., had left
England early in the end of January, and were
now in Jerusalem, which they were instructed
to make their head-quarters. Lieutenant War-
ren had continued the map of the country by care-

fully surveying the districts north-east and south-
west of Jerusalem, left undone byWilson and Ander-
son in 1865-6. At Jerusalem itself a very important
discovery had been made outside the south wall of
the sacred enclosure (Haramesh-Shereef)—viz., that
the live rock of the hill overlooking the Kedron was
no less than 53 feet below the present surface. The
great south wall of the Harani had been traced down
to that depth at the corner, making it in all 130 feet
high. In addition, the east wall of the Harem had
been found to run on beyond the present south wall;
and a second south wall had been discovered, 20
feet distant from that already known. These dis-
coveries were the most important that had been
made in that part since the finding of the well-
known arch by Dr. Robertson, and of the northern
arch by Capt. Wilson ; and they were also interest-
ing as showing what a great amount of unknown
topography is probably hidden under the immense
mass of debris which covers the hills and valleys of
the Holy City. In the valley separating Moriah
from the traditional Zion, opposite Dr. Robinsou's
arch, foundations of piers and other works had been
found at a great depth. At the northern extremity
of the town, close to the Damascus Gate, founda-
tions of massive walls and of a tower had been un-
covered. All these works are being prosecuted by
Mr. Warren with all possible energy. It had been
the wish of the committee to procure a finnan
authorising investigations inside the sacred en-
closure, and Lord Stanley had been good enough to
endeavour to obtain this; but on the arrival of the
letter at Jerusalem, it had been found to exclude all
sanctuaries. The committee were anxious to send out
two other expeditions, one fur geology, un:l4r Mr.
Prestwich, F.G.S., and a second fui botany and na-
tural history generally, under the Rev. 11. B. Tris-
tram. The expeditions would go out as soon as
funds were obtained. Meetings had been held at
Oxford and Cambridge, the former of which had
resulted in a grant of £5OO. The Syrian Improve-
ment Fund had granted £230, and the British As-
sociation £l.OO-150 for general purposes and £5O
for four sets of meteorological instruments, which,
having been tested and certified by Mr. Glaisher,
were now on their road to Beyrout to be distributed
among four selected places. The committee forming
a Biblical Museum reported that they had arranged
to locate the museum at South Kensington, and to
open it in the early part of next year. Several im-
portant contributions have been promised, and there
was every prospect of success. A conversation en-
sued on the advantage of endeavouring to obtain a
more favourable firmau during the visit of the Sultan;
also on the means to be taken to make the public
better aware of the existence of the association, and
of the valuable series of photographs, many of them
entirely new, which had been taken by the officers
of the fund. The executive committee and officers
were re-appointed, and Mr. Walter Morrison, M.P.,
was elected treasurer, in the room of Mr. R. C.
Hanbury, M.P., deceased. The meeting separated
with a vote of thanks to the very rev. chairman.

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