The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-12 00:00:00

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flies, to be Quarterma.ster,aud appointed to the Artil-
lery division, under the order in Council of the 22d
ult. The following promotions and appointments
have likewise talsen place according to orders dated 1
the Bth of November. namely :—Capt. John Poore,
of the Plymouth division, appointed to the Artillery
division, vice Lawrence, appointed to half-pV ;
Capt. Henry Hewett of the Plymouth division, ap-
pointed to the Artillery division, vice Meade, ap-
pointed to half-pay ; First Lieut. William Taylor,
of the Chatham division, to be Captain, and ap-
pointed to the Plymouth division, vice Poore ;
First Lieut. Horatio Nelson Charles Blankley, of
the Plymouth division, to be Captain, and appointed
to the Portsmouth division, vice Hewett ; Second
Lieut. Jacob Mortimer Wier Silver, of the Ply-
mouth division, to be First Lieut., and appointed to
the Chatham division, vice Taylor, promoted;
Second Lieut. James Weir Inglis, of the Woolwich
division, to be First Lieut., and appointed to the
Plymouth division, vice Blankley, promoted ; Second
Lint. Corry Beverley Smith, of the Artillery divi-
sion, to be First Lieut. of the Artillery division,
and appointed to that division, vice Durnford, ap-
pointed Adjutant. Brevet-Major William C. P.
Elliott, recently invalided home from service in the
Keenan, is appointed on the recruiting staff at
PontefraCt. to relieve Capt. A. Ellis, first on the
list for service afloat.
The Tower Hari lets or King's Own Light In-
fantry Militia disembai'iked from the Urgent screw
troopship yesterday, at Ports7noath, and proceeded
by special train for Aldershott.

THE VOLUNTEERS AT TIIE SCHOOL
OF MUSKETRY.

Yesterday the members of the various Volunteer
Corps now at the School of Musketry, Hythe, as-
sembled to show the final result of their individual
practice. The Earl of Ripon, Under Secretary for
War, who has devoted great attention to the prin-
ciples and details connected with the organisation
of the Volunteer Rifle Corps, came down from Lon-
don to witness the practice, accompanied by
Major-General Douglas, Inspector-General of
Militia. The result of the practice was most satis-
factory, and the Volunteers throughout the king-
dom may derive great encouragement from the suc-
cess of the first detachments which have placed
themselves under the skilful and admirable course
of instruction carried out at the School of Instruc-
tion under the vigilant superintendence of Major-
General Hay.
The Volunteers commenced target practice at
about 9 o'clock. The day was fine, but was in some
respects unfavourable for the firing. The wind
which swept across the shingle was not only cold
enough to benumb the marksmen, but was high
enough to divert the course of the bullets and to
render accuracy of aim extremely difficult at long
distances with tke weapon employed—the Enfield
rifle. The Volunteers are divided into three classes,
and the present was the third or last period of indi-
vidual shooting which was to determine their merit
in this branch of instruction. The third class, com-
prising only six members, fired at distances between
150 and 300 yards at a target 6ft. by 4ft. The second
class, 41 in number, comprising among them Earl
Cowper, Lord Radstock, Lord Elcho, &c., fired
at distances of 400 and 600 yards at a target
6ft. by Bft. The first class, numbering 20, fired
at distances between 650 and 900 yards at a target
6ft. by 12ft.
The interest of the practice mainly centred in the
first class, who are the best marksmen and who
competed for three prizes. Some excellent shots
were made, but at 800 yards the force of the wind
was so great that the marksmen were obliged to
aim at a point from 16 to 20 ft. distant from the
bull's-eye. The first prize was won by Mr. Fielder,
of the South Middlesex Volunteers, who exhibited
remarkable skill with his rifle, and scored the large
number of 13 points out of 20 shots. The competi-
tion for the second prize was well kept up until
dusk, when victory declared fer Capt. Mackenzie,
of the London Scots Volunteers, who made 7 points
The third prize was gained by Lieut. Wilbraham,
sth Cheshire, who also made 7 points. The first
prize. a Whitworth rifle with case, and all the ap-
pliances for cleaning and keeping it in order, was
subscribed for by the members, and shows the esti-
mation in which Mr. Whitworth's invention is held
by the members of the volunteer corps now at Hy the.
Mr. Whitworth, who was present at the firing, was
invited to attend some experimental trials with his
rifle at distances of 1,200 yards and upwards, which
it was proposed to commence this morning.
It is worthy of remark that the winner of the first
prize, although accustomed to shooting, has not
been in the habit of firing at distances exceeding
100 yards. One gentleman in the first class, who has
attained a high degree of proficiency, never fired a
ball cartridge before coming to Hythe. These and
other instances of progress seem to show that if our
English volunteers bring to their target-practice the
same steadiness, perseverance, and intelligence
which have distinguished the gentlemen who have
at their own expmse sought instruction at the School
of Musketry, they will form a most efficient for'.
for the defence of the country against invasion. As
the volunteers only remain about 10 days at Hythe
it is doubtful whether they w ill be qualified to impart
instruction to their respective corps on their return
home; but they will at least be enabled to assure their
comrades that accuracy of aim at distances of 500 to
700 yards is attainable by almost every man who
will give a little time and patience to the work. If
England possessed 100,000 drilled volunteers, who
could fire with the precision of the gentlemen as-
sembled at Hythe yesterday, she might laugh to
scorn the threat of an invasion.

The volunteers presented a somewhat motley ap-
pearAnce from the diversity in the colour of their
uniforms and facings. As each corps decides upon
its own uniform, and pays for it, a large margin is
left for taste and caprice. Thus, while one regiment
selects dark green, another hits upon a light gray,
and a third throws in a few scarlet trimmings, or a
profuSion of black braid, to gratify the aesthetic
tastes of its members. Perhaps the most hopeful

feature about the display yesterday was that the ma-
jority of the volunteers wore no uniform at all, the
corps to which they have attached themselves not
having yet determined upon tha colour and pattern
of their clothing. The present, therefore, seems a
suitable moment for suggesting that the fittest colour

for volunteer rifle corp—s—has yet to be recognised and
decided upan. Major-General Hay, in order to
bring the question to the test of experiment, re-
quested Lord Elcho and Lord Radstock, who wore
gray uniforms, and three or four volunteers who
wore dark green, to form in line and march 300 or
400 yards upon the shingle in a westerly direction.
They complied, and the superiority of the gray uni-
form was immediately observable. While the green
uniform stood out as a sharply-defined black object
against the horizon, the gray dress of Lord Elcho
was scarcely distinguishable, and seemed to fade
away in space. His lordship's uniform appeared to
be not only the most useful and serviceable of any
upon the ground, but also the most economical.
The tunic or blouse, upon the pattern of that adopted
in lieu of the shell-jacket for the regular army, per-
mits the most unconstrained motion of the arms.
The trousers are of peg-top shape, confined at the
knees by waterproof gaiters. The greatcoat, which
like the blouse and trousers is of gray serge, has
a hood, which may either protect the head against
cold or do duty as a cape upon the shoulders.
Lord Radstock's uniform was admitted to be
next in merit to Lord Elcho's. It is gray, but is
disfigured rather than ornamented by a profusion of
black braid, which offers a mark for an enemy's rifle.
The question of the best colour for a rifle uniform
would appear to be one which ought not to be left to
the inexperience of volunteers, but upon which they
have a right to expect the counsel of great military
authorities. One thing appeared clear from the ex-
periment made yesterday, that if volunteer corps
clad in gray and green respectively are ever bri-
gaded together, the green uniforms will attract the
whole of an enemy's fire, whether from artillery or
rifles, from the greater distinctness of the mark they
will present for his aim.
Volunteer corps will also do well to take care not
to purchase an inferior Enfield rifle instend of the
Government regulation rifle, which is being rapidly
supplied to them. There is reason to believe that
some gun makers are supplying an inferior rifle to
private order, and that workmen find it more lucra-
tive to turn out an article which escapes the severe
tests and careful examination of a Government 1
viewer. The caution is not misplaced when volun-
teer corps have been supplied with guns, portions
of which b7ar the mark of having been condemned
by the Government inspectors !
It is stated that the authorities at the Horse Guards
and the War-offie agree in thinking that effective-
militia artillery and volunteer artillery corps are
capable of rendering the most important assistance
in averting or defeating invasion. Her Majesty's
Government are prepared to assist artillery corps
both with cannon and ammunition, and .these volun-
teers will, therefore, be freed from a considerable
source of expense, which is incurred by the rifle
corps. In the event of an invasion a portion of the
, Loyal Artillery would be required abroad to defend
our distant possessions, while the rest would te at-
tached to the regular army in the field. The de.
ferr.te of the coast in their absence could be to a great
extent supplied by local artillery corps, who could
easily be taught to serve the guns, and who by fre-
quent practice could learn the range of their pieces
and the exact distance of objects from the coast.
Much damage from privateers might be avertedhy
these corps, and-it is to be hoped that the exertions
of. Mr. Sidney Herbert and Lord. Ripon for the con-
stitution and organisation of volunteer artillery
corps will be responded to with spirit and patriotism
by her Majesty's subjects living upon the seaboard
of her realm.