The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-01 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—As an inhabitant of Surrey I naturally look
with great interest to the progress of the County
Rifle Corps, from whose courage and military skill I
expect protection in case of invasion. It was there-
fore with some disposition to laugh, but greater
disposition to cry, that I read the following speech
delivered by a Mr. Wise at Dorking, in which, de-
viating from a consideration of farming—it being
an agricultural meeting—he launched forth the

following passage :
" That he could venture to say that, at all events,
not a man of the Surrey Rifle Volunteers would
hide behind a bash or a tree."
Sivouring too much of Mr. Anthony Weller's
notion of his son's letter—that is to say, " werging"
rather too much, not on poetry, but the melodra-
matic patriotism of Sadler's Wells—this clap-trap
may do mischief.

Mr. Wise is, no doubt, able to sustain his name
in all things relating to agricxlture ; but he woe-
fully belied it by treating► of warlike matters, upon
which he is so profoundly misinformed that ho must
be conscious of his inability to discuss any military
point, and should, therefore not have spoken at all.
Mr. 11. Drummond, with his keen pointed good
sense, instantly pinned this " flying folly of the
wise;" but still it was received with loud cheers
from the meeting, and may mislead many people.
The following remarks are designed to counteract
its mischievous tendency.
Instead of asserting that Surrey riflemen would
never hide behind a bush or a tree, he should have
expressed his earnest hope that they would do so,
and the teaching them " how to do it" is of vital
importance. This truth may be illustrated by the
following anecdote.

At the battle of Fuentes d'Onore the 71st Regi-
ment was strongly engaged, and lost a great many
men. It was relieved by the 43d after the battle,
and its Colonel, Cadogan, observing a 43d soldier
looking intently upon the body of a 71st man who
had fallen in a gap of the wall, sail to him, " That
was a brave man." " Yes," was the reply, " and I
was just thinking he was too brave ; he pushed into
the gap and got killed, instead of keeping behind
the wall and killing his enemy."
Sir, the art of hiding'behind trees and bushes,
rocks, sticks, and stones, is the very essence of mo-
dern warfare. The teaching regular soldiers ho
to move in masses is an absolutely necessary founda-
tion to support the superstructure of real warfare,
which is, in fact, this very hiding behind sticks and
stones. A great deal is said about bayonet charges
and solid onsets of heavy columns, but much less of
that takes place than is supposed by men who only
read of war ; three-fourths of every battle between
regular armies depend upon the stick and stone
practice, and the whole of a battle, as between volun-
teer rifle corps and regular troops, will depend upon
the former's skill in hiding. This is called light
infantry work—a very applicable name in tha days
when heavy armour was worn by the main battle of
pikemen, and lightly armed troops were employed
for the morefatiguing work of covering the marches
of the heavy body ; but now that all soldiers are
armed alike they should all be taught alike; and
skirmishing well is, I say again, three-fourths of a
battle.

But. apart from Mr. Wise's military notions, I find
tnat the making men good shots is placed above
the art of manoeuvring irregular corps. It should
be just the reverse. To be a good shot is a very
good thing, but is of less importance than the art—
using a slang expression—of "bringing the shooters
to the scratch." This is much the most difficult,
also ; for Englishmen are almost sure to have a
natural disposition to fire well, and. with very little
teaching, having their rifles constantly in hand,
will become good marksmen. Still, the more teach-
ing the better, provided the higher branch of their
business be not neglected. ,
An inr.rding enemy's column must generally
march along the main roads ; it will therefore be
well for volunteer officers, either singly or with
their companies, to examine all the roads leading
through their county upon London or any other
great town, and thus ascertain all the points of
advantage offered for hiding behind sticks and
stones—Mr. `Vise's dictum not withstanding ; and
to trees and bushes should be added railroads, banks,
houses, public or private, bridges, &c., from whence
their rifle balls will pitch into the enemy's columns.
All ranges are good, but the longest range is best
here, because it will give time for the rifleman to
retire from the enemy's sharpshooters, and to find
a new stick or stone for hiding. And be it remarked
that, in examining the county, our volunteers should
look well to the line of their retreat, choosing that
which will he the most difficult country for the
enemy's riflemen to follow, or which will lead the
enemy towards the rear of Iris line of march, and

that, also, which will enable the volunteer most
readily to join other volunteer corps acting in the
same way. Thus they will inevitably enforce delay
on the enemy, who cannot advance until he recalls
his skirmishers, or they will be left behind to be
overwhelmed by the accumulating numbers of our
riflemen. Accumulation in this case will be most
efficacious, but the forming large bodies of riflemen
to move about in masses under the command of one
man cannot be too str,ngly deprecated; it will be
entirely opposed to the vital principle of rifle war-
fare, and will only make bad regulars instead of
good irregulars. It is not meant, however, that
there should not be commanding officers of large
bodies, for that will be essential to concert and
combination ; but in the actual fighting and minor
movements small bodies only should be employed ;
the seeking or declining a fight should be left
entirely to the inferior commanders with small
bodies, whose intelligence would thus be very soon
awakened to what was right, and these endowed
with a natural talent for war would very soon be
distinguished and looked to both by their friends
and enemies.
I feel sure that with this system England may be
successfully defended against any numbers, but I
do not think London can be defended so easily ; it
is too near the coast, and there must be for its
defence combinations between the regular army
outside and the metropolitan volunteers inside, who
must be taught to occupy lines of houses, and
docks, and canals, and bridges ; and the best of
those lines should now be examined and marked
out upon maps for the instruction of the City volun-
teers, if any should be enrolled. For my part, I
think all able to bear arms should be enrolled in
time. I hope it will be so, for assuredly a very
dangerous crisis is impending.
I am, Sir, yours obediently,
W. NAPIER, Lieutenant-General.

TIIE GREAT EASTERN.—SpUTHAMPTON, Monday.
—The work of laying down the moorings was successfully
finished at 1 p.m. to-day, and the fact was immediately
telegraphed to Mr. IL J. It. Campbell, the chairman of the
Great Ship Cnmpany. A telegram was also forwarded to
Captain Harrison to say that the moorings wore all ready,
and that Bowyer, the pilot, started last night for Holyhead.
The task has happily been accomplished without any acci-
dent, and all parties concerned may congratulate themselves
on the successful realisation of so imprtant a result.
Seventy-six men have been employed in the work, underthe
superintendence of Messrs. Hall and Cluett, late of Ports-
mouth Dockyard, who have for many years been employed in
that yard for similar purposes. AU is now ready for the Great
Eastern, which in a few hours will, in all probability, be
snugly and safely floating on the waters of this commodious
and highly favoured harbour. Mr. Magnus, one of the di-
rectors of the Great Ship Company was here on Saturday,
and was much pleased with a personal inspection of the
moorings and the unequalled facilities of the port.
EARTHQUAKE IN CORNWALL.—A shock of an
earthquake was felt at Newquay on the 21st ult., about 7.10.
The sound resembled that of heavy-laden waggons passing
through a street. In many parts of the place it shook the
houses to an alarming extent, which caused many of the in-
mates to leave their houses to inquire what the strange
sensation was. The vessels that wore aground in the pier
shook and trembled very much. The earthenware and
glass appeared in many houses to have been set (pita in.
commotion. The shock lasted for about one minute. Such
au occurrence was never remembered in this place by the
olcieq inhabitant, —Cornwall Gazette.