The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-18 00:00:00

THE WIMBLEDON MEETING.

The proceedings yesterday were highly interest-
ing. The Public Schools match and the second
stage of the Queen's Prize were decided. The
knowledge that both these prizes were to be con-
tested drew to Wimbledon a large and fashionable
concourse. Her Majesty's Prize once more dis-
appointed all calculations of the small-bore
shots, and fell to the lot of a Volunteer who
never till this competition handled anything
better than a rack rifle. In the history
of shooting at Wimbledon this affinity of
her Majesty's Prize with the humble rank and file
is certainly remarkable. Expert riflemen, with full
command of time and money, may practise shoot-
ing till it becomes a science in their hands, gun-
makers may labour to produce sights warranted
almost to win the prize themselves ; but still, upon
the field at Wimbledon, all these ingenious contriv-
ances somehow fail in their object, and the prize is
carried off by the steady Enfield shot, who is not
accustomed to depend for success upon refined me-
chanical aids. The case of the Queen's Prizeman
for 1866 is a striking proof that at Wimbledon there
is for every one a clear stage and no favour. As in
1865, the competitor next upon the list was for a
time believed to be victorious, and the congratula-
tions addressed to Captain Burra, of the 20th Kent,
were interrupted by the shouts announcing that his
score had been exceeded. The winner, private
Angus Cameron, of the 6th Inverness Rifles, is a
good specimen of the active Northern volunteer.
Only 19 years of age, 5 feet 6 inches in height, and
wearing the kilt, he is a model of the Highland light
infantry skirmisher. Two years ago he became a
volunteer, and in his first year's service obtained
the Marksman's Badge, but never till this meeting
shot with any other weapon than an Enfield ride,
or at a range greater than 800 yards. All the ad-
ditional information that it is necessary, or indeed
possible to give, is that Private Cameron resides at
Kingussie, Inverness-shire, and acts as assistant in
business to his brother. It will be perceived from
the returns annexed that the score of 69 was in ex-
cess of the most fortunate rivals of Private Cameron
by no less than 3 points ; and, in further proof of
the excellence of his shooting, it may be added that
the gold medal last year was won with 61 points by
Private Sharman. As soon as the competition had
closed, and the identity of the winner was ascer-
tained beyond all doubt, he was caught up in the
arms of his countrymen and hurried off to the camp
preceded in orthodox fashion by the bull's-eye flag
of victory. Turning a corner sharply into the mill-
yard the procession was lost for a few minutes to .
the gaze of the general body of sympathising and
applauding spectators, while the new Queen's
Prizeman was intrusted, like some precious piece of
china, to the hands of Mr. Herbert Watkins, the
historian, photographically, of the Volunteer move-
ment. Resuming their onward course, the winner
was subsequently half carried, half escorted to the
Scottish camp, where there awaited him a trial per-
haps more arduous than any he had yet undergone.
Private Cameron is a strict teetotaller, and not even
the solicitations of his friends in the moment of vic-
tory could induce him to abandon his principles.
Accepting, by way of compromise, a draught of
ginger beer, " the little gillie," as many of his coun-
trymen affectionately called him, modestly made his
escape from the Scottish camp by a back way, only
to find on returning to his own marquee that some
enthusiastic friend had posted up in letters of giant
size the announcement that here was the abode of
the " Champion, 1866 "—the winner of £250 and
the gold medal of the Association. The following
are the details of the match, furnished by the statis-
tical department :

SECOND STAGE OF HER MAJESTY'S PRIZE.—A Cup value
£250, or in money, with Gold Medal and Gold Badge of
N.R.A.-800, 900, and 1,000 Yards.—Soven shots at
each distance.

800 900 1000 Total
Private Cameron, 6th InvernessYds. Yds. Yds. Pts.
(Winner) 26 22 21 69
Captain Burra, 29th Kent ... ... 25 ... 24 ... 17 66
Private Halsall, 21st Lancashire ... 21 ... 22 22 65
Sergeant Nicholls, 15th Middlesex 23 ... 21 ... 21 ... 65
Corporal Edwards, 11th Cornwall 21 ... 24 ... 20 ... 65
Private Ingram, Ist Lanark ... 23 ... 23 ... 19 ... 65
Colour-Sergt. Cortes, 11th Sussex 21 ... 21 ... 22 ... 61
Sergeant Roe, 3d Salop 22 21 ... 21 ... 61
Private Grant, Ist Aberdeen ... 23 ... 22 19 64
Lance-Corporal Howard, Ist Suffolk 20 ... 21 22 ... 63
Private Pitts, 4th Somerset 24 16 21 61
Private Peath, 6th Lancashire 22 19 ... 19 ... 60
Private Deacott, 2st Notts... 22 20 10 60
Sergeant Lovatt, Bth Cheshire 24 17 18 ... 59
Sergeant Green, 3d Somerset ... 23 ... 20 16 ... 59
Ensign Winn, Ist A. B. York ... 21 18 ... 19 ... 58
Sergt. Montgomery, 30th Middlesex 16 23 19 58
Corporal Jones, Bth Salop 19 21 17 57
Private Ridler, Ist Gloucester 20 22 15 57
Col.-Sergt. Smith, 33d Lancashire 21 22 14 ... 57
Ensign Hewitt, 26th Middlesex 20 24 ... 13 57
Private Homes, 22d Middlesex 15 20 _2l 56
Private Waggett, Ist Sussex ... 19 19 18 ... 56
Corporal Chapman, 3d West York 14 19 22 ... 55
Corporal Newlyn, Ist Hereford ... 22 12 21 55
Private Marshall, 3d Stirling ... 20 18 17 ... 55
Captain Drewitt, 13th Surrey ... 22 20 ~, 13 ... 55
Private Hay, 15th Middlesex ... 19 17 ... 18 54
Ptivate Pouncey, 11th Middlesex— 20 19 ... 15 54
Sergeant Bacchus, 2d Middlesex.., 9 22 22 53
Private Sloper, Ist Somerset ... 22 19 ... 12 ... 53
Sergeant Westlake, 18th Devon ... 22 ... 17 13 52
Private Clemetson, 4th Durham ... 22 17 ..• 13 ••• 52
Private Weir, Ist Surrey ... ... 21 ... 19 ... 12 ... 52
Sergt. Bravington, 15th Surrey 17 18 ... 16 51
Capt. Cummins, 80th Lancashire.., 23 14 13 ... 50
Sergeant Walker, Ist London ... 21 ... 14 13 ... 48
Private Kilgour, Ist Edinburgh ... 19 16 12 47
Lieut. Fowler, 19th Middlesex ... 19 16 12 47
Lieut. Hodges, 3d Dorset ... ... 13 16 ... 16 45
Capt. Sanderson, 14th Somerset ... 11 16 15 45
Quartermaster-Sergt. Larmer, sth
Surrey
... 23 ... 10 12 ... 45
Private Aldridge, 4th Essex 15 19 9 43
Corporal Picken, 3d Wigton 18 17 _ 8 43
Sergeant Hoare, Ist Brecon 17 18 8 ... 43
Private Sharpe, Ist A. B. Notts ... 17 18 7 42
Sergeant Robson, Ist Newcastle 18 8 40
The remaining 13 competitors retired.
An awkward hitch occurred in reference to the
Queen's Prize, which at one time bade fair to create
confusion. The Birmingham Small Arms Company,
by whom the arms and ammunition for the second
stage of the contest were this year supplied, were
bound by the terms of their contract to provide
sufficient supplies. According to their statement,
4,000 rounds were brought down to Wimbledon,
and absorbed by Volunteers upon the ground. Be
this as it may, it was found, to the general conster-
nation, when the shooting for the second stage of
her Majesty's Prize commenced, that there was no
ammunition appropriate to the rifles to serve out.
A Council meeting was hastily summoned, and, the
difficulty having been explained to the competitors,
there was at one moment an intention of reverting
to the Enfield rifles and ammunition for the final
struggle. It transpired, however, that many of the
Volunteers had in their possession supplies of the
small-bore ammunition which they had purchased
with a view to private practice ; and, a calculation
having been made of the number of rounds procur-
able in this manner, the competition proceeded,
and the fortunate arrival of 1,000 additional rounds
from the contractors before the supply thus gathered
together had been exhausted removed all further
difficulties.

The Public Schools match is one of the most
popular contests of the year, and yesterday it was,
if possible, watched with greater interest than usual.
Winchester, for local reasons, was unable to send a
contingent ; but the other great schools —Harrow,
Eton, Cheltenham, Marlborough, and Rugby—were
represented. Collected together at the firing points
the dull grey of the school uniforms in quiet dis-
ciplined squads looked to advantage as central
points of the animated and gaily-dressed crowds
surrounding them. The firing of the boys as a
rule is quicker and more decided than with older
marksmen; but the feeling presents itself at all these
matches that the contagious excitement among the
bystanders, and the very fact of standing up to
shoot in presence of so many lookers-on, must in-
fluence prejudicially the scores of the Elevens. The
main contest was exceedingly well maintained,
Eton and Marlborough, though inferior to Har-
row in the grand total, having each an individual
score superior to that of the highest among the
Harrow Eleven. This is now the third time con-
secutively that Harrow has carried off the Ash_
burton shield, and the cheering was proportionate. j

,
onrt
Cirtnitar

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, July 17.

The Queen went out yesterday afternoon with
Princess Louise, and again this morning with her
royal highness.
Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice went out

driving. _
Sir Thomas and Lady Biddulph had the honour
of dining with the Queen and the royal family yes-
terday.
Lady Augusta Stanley has left Osborne.