The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-05 00:00:00

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING.

If from any other country in Europe—say from
France or Russia—in the present state of foreign
affairs the announcement were suddenly made that
a camp of military instruction had been formed,
under the highest auspices ; that all the picked
shots of the nation and all the ablest inventors
of warlike appliances had been drawn together and
publicly exercised for the space of ten days or a fort-
night, and rewards exceeding in the aggregate
£7,000 awarded to the most skilful and deserving
among their number, the event would doubtless be
regarded as of grave political significance. At Wim-
bledon, however, the assembly convened by the Na-
tional Rifle Association has become by this time so
much a matter of course that foreign affairs, -no
doubt, will continue to develope their several phases
in complete unconcern as to what may be said or done
by English riflemen. There will, nevertheless, be, as
far as purely English interests are concerned, many
features of importance at the approaching meeting,
which commences virtually on Saturday next, when
Volunteers begin to arrive and take up their quarters,
though the first shot will not be fired till Monday.
The breech-loader and ammunition with which the
British army is to win its future battles have yet to
be discovered, for the conversion of Enfield rifles on
the Snider principle, though important in itself, is
still but a measure of conversion, not of original
armament, and experiments at Wimbledon, though
not conducted in form by a small arms committee
or royal commission, never fail to elicit an amount
of practical working information, serving as a use-
ful guide to further and more minute inquiries. Then,
too, there will be this year a return visit by the
Belgian riflemen growing out of the successful ex-
cursion of some 20 or 25 English volunteers to the
Tir National at Brussels last year. The Belgians are
believed to be corning in considerable force—that is
to say, some 200 or 300 strong, and their numbers
may throw some difficulty in the way of paying
them suitable attention. Nevertheless, as the Eng-
glish volunteers experienced a very flattering recep-
tion abroad, and as the national character, accord-
ingly, is to some extent at stake, it is to be hoped
the occasion will not be lost, but that the proper au-
thorities, whoever they may be, will be moved at the
proper time to do the " correct thing."
Those whovisit the campin the course of the next
few days will find some alterations conflicting very
much with their recollections of the place as it used
to be in earlier meetings. The windmill still exists,
but no longer fulfils those active functions which
rendered it a central point of life and animation in
the midst of the plateau. The windmill sails have
been furled, the miller and his men have migrated,
and round the base of the structure model cottages
have grown up, devoted to the accommodation of
the ordinary herdsmen, &c., upon the common.
The camp is larger than ever it was. Canvas-town
has again absorbed the site of yore allotted to the
camp fires, the butts are wider, and the targets more
numerous ; so that it is not without reason that tho
marvellous little handbook of universal knowledge
issued by the council has this year raised its price to
ls. The entries for the Queen's Prize flowed in so
abundantly that the executive were obliged to be
very strict ; and a few entries hopelessly late were
excluded from the competition altogether. At the
outset of the movement there seemed to be no possi-
bility of getting volunteers to make up their minds
whether they would attend the meeting at all or not,
much less write beforehand to secure places, but by
adhering to rule, and even risking some pecuniary
loss, the association have drilled the great body of
the Volunteers into tolerable regularity ; and with
such obvious advantage to the competitors them-
selves that, instead of arriving upon the ground a
disorderly mob, to be
ot f oldoff somehow,to h
and
dis-
appointed wait hours for a chancefiring, perhaps
after all, men takingtheorddaiyns and hours,aryprecau-
precau-
tions can ascertain beforehand
perhaps the
encouragement
ny
oaorner
ato g
eshoot.
The
eEn fielvderryifiteahrgasetes
given to it this year. oantsiwdehricahblteh
" the Windmill," of theA freshset of prizes called
aggregate value of £3OO,
and in the second stage a cup worth £25, are offered
purely to those shooting with this weapon, and the
silversmith's prize 3, given alternately to the Enfield
and small-bore rifles, fall this year to the share of
the Enfield. Sir W. Martin, an old and liberal
supporter of the association, gives a cup value £5O,
with £5O in specie added, for' competition between
marksmen of the different Volunteer corps in 1865
and 1866, the rifles to be the same as in the first
stage Queen's ; and in other items of the prize list
indications of a growing desire to favour the weapon
of the rank and file is discernible. That what has
been called the Blue Riband of the Wimbledon
meeting, the prize instituted by her Majesty the
Queen, has lost none of its attractions is, apparent