The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-14 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 14, 1886.

Visit of the Volunteers to Belgium.

No doubt is entertained by the Volunteer Com-
mittee that a satisfactory response will be made by
our Volunteers to the invitation of La Commission
de l'Association du Tir Belge. During the last
Wimbledon Meeting about 150 of the Belgian rifle-
men were received at the camp, and the hospitality
shown to those visitors seems to have made not only
a lively but an enduring impression upon the minds
of all daises of the Belgian people. The occasion
has been commemorated in a brochure entitled Les
Belges en Angleterre ; a national anxiety is mani-
fested to see our Volunteers represented at the
forthcoming Tir National; and, besides the prizes
to " all comers" offered by the King, the Govern-
ment, and the Garde Civique, special prizes open to
British Volunteers only have been provided by the
Belgian riflemen who visited Wimbledon in July,
by the Chasseurs Eclaireurs of Brussels, by the 2d
Legion of the Civic Guard of that city, and by other
bodies. Among these prizes are some very elegant
silver cups. The King has several times made in-
quiries as to the progress of the preparations for
receiving our Volunteers, and expresses much in-
terest in their visit. Not only will his Majesty
honour the Tir with his presence, but he will also go
to the Grand Opera at the Theatre de la Monnaie
on the night when seats are to be reserved for our
riflemen. Baron Chazal, the Minister for War, has
given instructions that they are to be shown over
the fortifications of Antwerp; and M. Vanden-
Peereboom, the Minister of the Interior, is so anxious
the visit should be a success that he has charged M.
le Major de l'Eau d'Andrimont to take such measures
as may be thought desirable for the accomplishment
of that object. The receptions, balls, and concerts
to which the Volunteers are invited will extend over
a week, and the shooting matches in which they are
to take part will be continued even longer. There
was some report of a public excursion to Waterloo ;
but no such thing is in the programme, nor would
it have been in good taste, seeing that the rifle
contest at Brussels will be an international one,
at which French, as well as English, Swedish, Swiss,
and other foreign riflemen will meet in friendly
rivalry. The English entries are being made at 79,
Basinghall-street, where Lieutenant Furley, of the
29th Kent Rifle Volunteers, one of the hon. secre-
taries, attends daily. From the applications already
received it is expected that, at least, 400 of our rifle-
men will enter the lists. It may be as well to remind
intending competitors that, in order to take a part in
the contest, each Volunteer must be provided with a
ticket, which is to be signed by his commanding offi-
cer. These tickets will be issued at Bashinghall-
street up to the 20th inst. One of the hon. secre-
taries will be in Brussels from the beginning of next
week to give Volunteers any local information they
may require. The official reception of the British
Volunteers is to take place at the railway station in
the Belgian capital on the evening of the 22d. Num-
bers of them will have arrived a day or two previ-
ously; but whatever the route they may choose, or
the time at which they may arrive, it will be neces-
sary for all to assemble at the Place des Nations, in
front of the railway station, at 7 o'clock in the even-
ing of the 22d. On the morning of Sunday, the
23d, the Volunteers will attend Divine Service at
the chapel of the English Embassy. This service
will have concluded at half-past 10 o'clock. At 11
there will be a Grand Mass for the dead in the
Cathedral of St. Gudule, in memory of the Belgians
who fell in the revolution of 1830. This is an annual
commemoration at which the Belgian riflemen will
attend. After the ceremony in the Cathedral the rifle-
men will proceed to the Tir. A running deerhasbeen
constructed for the shooting similar to the animal
which does duty at Wimbledon, but travelling at a
somewhat more rapid pace. The distance from which
shots are to be made at the deer will be about 80
yards. The long ranges are to be established on
ground about 10 minutes' walk from the Tir National,
and for those ranges it is probable the Wimbledon
pattern target will be adopted. The committee have
received numerous letters from Volunteers who
wish to bring ladies with them, inquiring
whether volunteer privileges will be extended to such
fair visitors. The committee have been obliged to
reply that the reduction in fares and the invitations
to the amusements in Brussels apply strictly to Vo-
lunteers in uniform. M. Rogier, the Belgian Minis-
ter of Foreign Affairs audFarine, is most hand-
somely supplying the boats for the transit of the
Volunteers between Dover and Ostend, so that the
land journey is all they have to pay for; but the Bel-
gian Government could scarcely be asked to find
boats for all the lady friends of our riflemen. Again,
as the balls and concerts will be attended by the
riflemen of various foreign nations, as well as by
large numbers of the Belgians themselves, the com-
mittee could not think of asking the authorities at
Brussels for anything more than they have so gene-
rously offered. At the same time, ladies who accom-
pany Volunteers will be sure to meet with every con-
sideration in Belgium; and the English committee
will make suitable arrangements for such hotel ac-
commodation as Volunteers may require. It is ex-
pected that the English railway companies will issue
return tickets at reduced prices to Volunteers coming
from the provinces on their way to Belgium. On the
journey up from Ostend our riflemen will be met at
Ghent and Alost by the Garde Civique of each of
these towns, who will offer them refreshment.

the Admiralty :—Capt. R. Dawkins to the Zealous,
commissioned ; R. H. Davies, midshipman, to the
Achilles ; Hon. F. H. Cecil, C. Lewes, M. W. Pye,
and E. J. Sanderson, midshipmen, to the Topaze ;
E. Hodgson, naval cadet, to the Topaze ; H. W.
Badger, master's assistant, to the Zealous ; E. E.
Greaves, master's assistant, to the Lord Clyde ; and
G. Pine, master's assistant, to the Topaze.

Railway and other Companies.

MADRAS.

The total receipts on this company's lines, 611
miles in length, amounted for the week ending July
14 to £7,597, and for the corresponding week last
year on 571 miles to £6,842, showing an increase of
£755, or 11 per cent.

At about 3.15 the fore part of the vessel was under
Water, and in a minute after the mainmast went
over, carrying with it every living soul in that part of
the ship into eternity. At 3.25 the foremast went,
on which some three or four men were seen climb-
ing. In a few moments not a vestige of the ill-fated
Cawarra was to be seen. One man only was saved
from the wreck; he drifted alongside the red buoy to
which he clung until taken off. His name is F. T.
Hedges, and he states that he was in the main rig-
ging, and was washed over at the same time the
funnel went over the side. He believes the same sea
took Capt. Chatfield off the deck. No intelligence
can be obtained from him as to the cause of the acci-
dent that can be relied on. The following is a list
of the passengers. For Brisbane (steerage)—Alex.
Brash, John Marsden, George Seaward, Michael
M'Lennan and seven Chinese. For Rockhampton
(cabin)—Mrs. Cramp and child, Miss Anderson, Mr.
A. Anderson, Mr. Machefer ; (steerage) Mr. and
Mrs. John Paterson, Samuel King, and six Chinese.
The list of the crew are—Captain Henry Chatfield,
late of the Boomerang (steamer) ; chief officer, Mr.
M. Dowell, who commanded the steamer Florence
Irving on her passage from England to Sydney ;
second officer, Mr. Burrows, leaves a wife and six
children ; chief engineer, Mr. Fountain ; second en-
gineer, Mr. Harkencross ; Miss Kate Crozier
(stewardess), John Darwen (steward), S. Goddard,
(pantryman), Murray (fireman), J. 111‘Diarmid
(cook). The Cawarra was built in England about
two years ago.