The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-10 00:00:00

The Visit of Belgians to England.

The first meeting of the Belgian Reception Com-
mittee took place ;on Friday last, under the pre-
sidency of Viscount Bury.
Viscount Bury, after referring to the number of
distinguished names which had been sent to be
placed on the general committee, and to the success
which he had no doubt would attend the movement
when the organisation was complete, suggested the
advisability of ascertaining at as early a period as
possible the number and position of the Belgians
likely to accept the invitation as our guests during
the forthcoming national Rifle Association Meeting
at 'Wimbledon. As he had before observed, the re-
ception of the British volunteers in Belgium was
not merely that of the Garde Civique, but there
were a number of the military general officers, the
staff of the King, the burgomaster and municipali-
ties of Brussels, Ostend, Antwerp, Alost, Bruges,
and Ghent, who also did them great honour, and
treated them with great hospitality, and to all these
invitations should be extended. (Hear, hear.) This
rendered it necessary that our movement here should
not be merely a voluntary one, but a national one,
and they should take measures for securing the for-
mation of committees and the co-operation of the
nobility, gentry, and the general public in every
district and country in the kingdom. (Hear, hear.)
It was his idea, however, that one of their first steps
should be to acquaint the Belgian authorities of
what their organisation was, and ascertain, if pos-
sible, those who would be likely to accept our in-
vitation as guests. (Hear, hear.)
Acting upon this suggestion on the motion of
Colonel Gregory, it was unanimously resolved,
" That Lord Bury be requested to take such steps
as he may think desirable in the way of communi-
cation with those in Belgium whom he thinks should
be invited as our guests."
A discussion took place as to whether any portion
of our Belgian visitors might or might not prefer
the novelties of an encampment at Wimbledon, and
as to communications with the national Rifle Asso-
ciation upon the subject ; but it was felt that these

diffitiliNtiVek)6r ittercdffigtteVkcgitetVoltltereef
pire on the 15th of February next, were at present
merely a preliminary organisation and money-col-
lecting committee, it was, therefore, resolved—
" That, with a view of carrying out these objects,
communications should be made to commanding
officers of volunteer regiments, to high sheriffs of
counties, mayors of cities and towns, members of
Parliament and others, asking them to place their
names on the general committee, and to form local
committees in aid of the movement." A vote of
thanks to Lord Bury closed the proceedings.

The Engineer reports an interesting scientific ex-
periment. Hitherto, it says, it has been found im-
possible to adopt the ordinary planing machines for
curvilinear planing, but at length this problem has
been solved by Mr. Middleton, the head of the
machinery department in Chatham dockyard, who
has succeeded in planing the whole of the curves
and angular surfaces of the iron stempiece for the
Monarch, with no other appliances than the com-
mon planing machines.
The Board of Trade returns in England for the
month of October, which have just appeared, show
a slight decrease in the number of vessels entered
in the foreign trade as compared with those of the
corresponding month of last year. But the export
trade exhibits a decided increase, indicated by the
employment of a larger number of British vessels.
foreignaobfovemonth there
shipping entered inwards during the
is, as compared with last year,
an increase of tonnage from Norway, and a decrease
from
Prussia, France, Austria, and the United
vessels during the
itgernation except as to
same
e stimeTshheoewxlv)oerrtys
loitftleforael
France, which exhibits a decrease. During this
month 567 vessels have arrived from, and 373 have
departed to, our British possessions, and our com-
merce with other countries is represented by an im-
port trade of 1,091,598 and an export trade of
1,091,695 tons.

It is said that a joint commission is about to be
appointed by the British awl French Governments
for the purpose of investigating and improving the
fishery laws of the two countries.
The departure of the French troops from Rome
has commenced. On Monday last the 85th Regi-
ment left the Eternal City, the officers having pre-
viously received the Pope's benediction.
SMITHFIELD CLUB Snow, AGRICULTURAL HALL.
—The live stock for this show continued arriving
by train up to ten o'clock on Saturday night. Not ono
case of disease of any kind had occurred. Indeed the
animals were all unusually fresh and healthy, not having
been exhausted by exhibition at any other show. Tho
numbers fall some 30 below those of last year, the chief
falling off being in the Scotch, Irish, and long-horned
cattle classes ; but the stewards were unanimous in de-
claring that in quality of cattle and sheep the show of
1867 is the belt they remember. Tho following is a sum-
mary of the number of the entries : —Devons, 48 ; Here-
fords, 21; short-horns, 57 ; Sussex, 15 ; Norfolk and Suf-
folk polled, 9 ; long horns, 9 ; Scotch horned, 6 ; Scotch
polled, 9 ; cross-bred, 17 ; extra stock, 13. Tho Irish and
Welsh did not fill, and these classes might as well be abo-
lished. In sheep pens of three there are Leicesters, 13 ;
Kentish, 3; other long-woolled,
Cotswolds, 4; Lincoln, 2 ;
5 pens. In extra stock of Leicester single sheep there are
11; other long-woolled, 9. Southdowns.—Pens of three,
22 ; Hampshire downs, 8 ; Shropshire downs, 9 ; Oxford
downs, 6; mountain sheep, 5 ; Rycland, 3 ; extra stock in
downs and short-woolled sheep, 31. Single Sheep—Cross-
bred sheep, 8, in pens of three, and single sheep in extra
stock. Of pigs there are 13 entries, in pens of three, and
18 single pigs. Last night Divine service was performed
for the herdsmen and shepherds, at which tholl.etyte.aDaanna
Wilson, A.M., the vicar of Islington,
officiated
etLir duties
preached. To-day the judges will commence
aswns °cacti
tolfmiynsapreecetxbplgeettehde to complete palnedt
es
bo makingut2theirlenawchaernds,thems'hhioch
willd such
publibcoaospcehnooods
eto t membersothpeayan of
admissionth o
feePe imuob;
morning the show Rill open to the public at the ordinary
price of is.,
f and at 1 o'clock that day the annual meeting
of the Smithfield Club will be held, under the chairman-
ship of the Duke of Richmond, this year's president. The
show will continue open from the Tuesday until the Fri-
day night next, when it will finally close, and the usual
dinner of the club, at which the prizes awarded will be
distributed, is appointed to take place at the Salisbury
Hotel, Salisbury-square, Fleet-street., on Wednesday even-
ing, under the presidency of the Duke of Richmond. From
the general excellence of the show there is every reason
to believe that it will be attended with its usual success.