The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-30 00:00:00

Tort .'*2

Eirt I (It

HER MAJESTY, &c•

OSBORNE, July 29.

The Queen walked and drove in the grounds this
morning, accompanied by Princess Louis of Hesse.
Their Royal Highnesses Princess Louise, Princo
Arthur, Prince Leopold, and Prince Louis of Hesse,
went out also. _

Miss Bond, of Southsca, has had the honour of
attending at Osborne to colour photographic por-
traits of members of the royal family.

THE PRINCE ANI) PRINCESS OF WALES.
The Prince and Princess Leiningen visited the
Prince and Princess of Wales, yesterday, at Marl-
borough House.
The Prince of Wales went to the House of Lords
in the afternoon.

The Volunteer Artillery Contests at Shoe-
buryness.

SIIOEBURYNESS, Monday.
The fine weather of the last two days and nights
has made a grateful change in the camp. The
volunteers have found time to set their places in
more than apple pie order, for, by the aid of nature's

ornamentation of brook and hedge and field, they
have made the entrances of their temporary homes
under canvas even more picturesque than the florally-

decorated camp at Wimbledon. The Royal Artil-
lery commandant of the station, Colonel Wilmot,
was so pleased at the taste displayed by the volun-
. .

teers that he has given instructions for the station

photographer to take pictures of the diffe-
rent tents. The Royal Artillery field officers
showed their kindly interest in the volunteers by

allowing them to gather the treasures of the field,

and added to these flowers from their own gardens.

Nearly all the volunteers from the north left the
camp on Saturday night, in order to spend Sunday
in the metropolis, They of course first obtained
leave of absence, and returned last night in excel-
lent order. Before the first post at ten o'clock, the

whole of the encamped volunteers and their officers
assembled on the parade ground, many of them

bearing their lanterns, and sang the " Evening
Hymn." The scene presented was a most interesting
one, and the singing over, the volunteers dispersed
to their tents, where they awaited in order the " last
post" bugle, when all lights were extinguished and
silence reigned throughout the encampment.
This morning the volunteers paraded to shoot for
the Duke of Cambridge's prize, to which was added
a second prize given by Col. Durnford. The ranges
were 1,250 and 1,500, with smooth bore guns and
spherical shot. The shooting continued until the
afternoon, and though the certified registers from
both the range and battery had not come in at the
time when it became necessary to despatch this re-
port, yet it was understood the Durham detachment,
with a score of 36, the highest score made yet, had
won the prize given by the Duke of Cambridge.
We announced that it was believed the Sheffield
detachment of the 4th West York had won the
Lords' and Commons' prize, and this statement was
verified this morning by the issue from the statistical
department of the detailed scores. The question
which it was understood was in dispute was an inte-
resting one. The 2d detachment of the Ist Surrey,
which in this competition fired exceedingly well, was
at one shot announced to have hit the target. The
points are given for the closeness to which the shot
strikes near the target, front, rear, and sides
all being " bounded," or marked off with poles,
and an actual hit on the target is of great value
in the smooth bore gun contests, counting 11,
whereas the best of all other shots count only as 7 ;
so that this shot, if so scored to them, would have
" pulled up the score" of the Ist Surrey to the winning
point. The " range party," that is, the scoring
party, who are stationed in a vessel between the two
targets at which each detachment fires—for each de-
tachment fires alternately at 1,250 and 1,500 yards
—gave the shot as " out of bounds, and it scored
nothing. With the other four shots the Ist Surrey
scored 27.
The second detachment of the 4th West York, the
Sheffield men, arc the winners of Lords' and Com-
mons' prize.
A very interesting and peculiar competition is
promised for Wedneslay, in a contest for a prize
given by Colonel Shafto Adair for what is called
" Eccentric firing." Many of those even who handle
rifles have arrived at the conclusion that a good deal
of firing is eccentric ; but the eccentricity of this
firing is in a manner important, and may lead to
weighty results. The firing is to be with solid
spherical shot, which are to be previously floated in
quicksilver so as to show which is the lightest side,
which will then-be marked and afterwards have a
" sabot" fixed. By this means the true centre of
gravity of the shot will be ascertained, for the centre
of gravity of a cast-iron spherical shot is rarely, If
ever, coincident with the centre of figure, on account
of the metal not having " run" the same all through;
and it is believed, and, indeed, it is said to have
been established, that a higher range can be ob-
tained with greater accuracy from smooth-bore gees
with spherical shot by the shot being placed in the
gun with the lighter part foremost. This contest is
for the purpose of still further testing the point,
and the association has put itself to the great ex-
pense of weighing every shot, as the test of the
question is believed to be in the interest not only of
the artillery world, but of the public. The prize is
an electrotype copy of the Cadiz mortar in front Of
the Horse Guards, and with it will be given £5/
presented by the officers of the Ist Surrey Artillery.
To-day there were sports in camp after the firing,
the officers having subscribed upwards of £2l for
TiZes.