The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-14 00:00:00

TILE VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT.

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.
In the autumn of last year the National Rifle
Association invited gunmakers to a competition at
llythe, in order to establish the superior merit of
the best riffe. The prize of the competition was the
supply of 20 rifles of the successful pattern to be
presented by the Association to the best shots at
the next national meeting at Wimbledon. The
competition was appointed for Tuesday last, on the
practice ground at the School of Musketry ; and as
the day approached there was reason to expect that
at least half-a-dozen of the best makers would take
part in the contest ; but Mr. Whitworth has carried
off all the honours. At the appointed hour on
Tuesday morning General Hay, Colonel Wilford,
Captain Coles, and other officers of the School of
Musketry. witn Lord Elcho and Captain Mildmay,
of the National Rifle Association, came on the
practice-ground. There were also present Mr.
Whitworth, of Manchester; Mr. Edge, of Man-
chester; Mr. Henry, of Edinburgh ; Mr. Smith,
London, armourer to the National Association ; Mr.
Fletcher, Glocester ; and Mr. Reeves, Birmingham
--these last gentlemen being gunmakers, but only
the_ gentlemen first named came with any intention
oftaking part in the competition. Invitation was
given to persons to compete in terms of the offer of
the Association, to which
a response was made on
behalf Of Mr. Whitworth alone. At a repetition of
the call. Nti. Alexander Henry, of St. Andrew-
street, Ediuburghl;.llii
came. forward and announced
that he was
both
ilg:and anxious to compete,
but as his rifles—._which
Were sporting rifles, and
not military rifles_
would not fit the mechanical
rest provided by the School of Musketry, and no
other rest was then at his command, he as pre-
cluded from entering,on the contest in the form in
which it was invited, thOugh he was ready to com-
pete in any manner on equal terms. General Ha y
expressed his sympathy with Mr. Henry in his
disappointment as to the "rest," and said that, the
competition being limited by the regulations laid
down there was no alternative but to abide by those
regulations as to the method of procedure. A third
call being then given,and no response coming thereto,
Gen. Hay declared Mr. Whitworth to be the success-
ul candidate, Mr. icwy then addressed the General,

and said that as he had been unable from not previ-
onsly understanding the peculiar construction of
the military rest, to enter on the comp tition for
the supply of the prize rifles, he was willing, by
way of test of the relative merits of r:fles, to back
his claim to the superiority of his rifle with a chal-
lenge of £lOO. With this challen_. e, of course,
Gen. Hay could not deal, and no other person ap-
peared to take it up. It had been expected that
Mr. Edge would enter the lists against Mr. Whit-
worth, but it became understood on the ground that
that gentleman declined to contend, unless each
competitor used the same rest, Mr. Whitworth
having availed himself of the offer of the association
to the makers to bring their own rests on the
ground for the use of their own rifles. The formal
proceedings having closed, the rifle of Mr. Henry
was then carefully scrutinised by the officers pre-
sent, of whom there were a large number, and sub-
jected to a trial at the targets, at 900 and 1,000
yards' distances, for four hours. The trial was
watched with lively interest, The bullets were
placed in the targets at 1,000 yards' distance from
a sandbag rest in a line not exceeding three feet
long by 30 inches broad.

On Saturday last the London Rifle Brigade being
prevented by the weather from marching out, at-
tempted, for the first time under such circum-
stances, battalion drill in the Guildhall. The batta-
lion first formed was paraded by Lieut.-Colonel
Hicks, the second by Major Rose. The great con-
course of spectators drawn together by the spectacle
circumscribed the number and size of the companies,
so as to exclude a large number of members who
were present and desirous of falling in; still as an
experiment the parade gave great satisfaction to
all concerned, proving that a good drill may be
obtained even on the " wet Saturdays" which have
hitherto so interfered with exercise.
The Rev. W. Thomson, D.D., Preacher of Lin-
coln's-inn, Provost of Queen's College, Oxford, and
Chaplain in Ordinary to her Majesty, has been
nominated Hon. Chaplain to the Inns of Court
Corps; and Mr. Walter Coulson, of St. Mary's
Hospital (nephew of the late Mr. W. Coulson,
Q.C.), is appointed surgeon. The following gen_
tlemen have also been elected members of the
committee :—Mr. J. C. Selwyn, Q.C., M.P. ; Mr.
T. Chitty, Sir H. M'C. Cairns, Q.C., M.P., Mr. K.
Parker, Captain Balmer, Captain Chitty, the
Hon. A. F. 0. Liddell, Mr. A. Bailey, Mr. H. Hob-
house, and Mr. W. P. Murray.
The 2d Hants Volunteer Artillery Corps held
their first annual meeting at their head-quarters,
High-street, Portsmouth, on Monday evening, for
the election of non-commissioned officers to vacan-
cies, and to receive the report on the financial state
of the corps for the year ending the 31st of Dec.,
1860. At the conclusion of the election of non-
commissioned officers the balance•sheet (copies of
which were distributed to each member) was read
to the meeting. After the balance-sheet had been
read the commandant of the corps, Major Hall
(barrackmaster at Portsmouth), addressed the meet-
ing. At the conclusion of the gallant officer's
address the resignation of the commandant was
brought before the meeting. The Artillery Volun-
teers of Hampshire have been formed into one
administrative brigade, the command of which has
been conferred by the Lord-Lieutenant of the
county on the Assistant-Master Shipwright of
Portsmouth Dockyard, Lieut.-Colonel Sturdee,
commanding the 3d Hants (Dockyard) Artillery
Volunteers, and holding superior volunteer rank to
any other officer in the brigade. The commandant
of the 2d Hants being a military man, and holding
an official position in the garrison, intimated his
disinclination to retain the command of his corps
under such circumstances. It has been resolved by
the corps to entertain their commandant at a
banquet prior to his resigning his command, and
steps have been already taken to carry out the
project.

At the monthly parade of the 2d Cinque Ports
Artillery, on the sth inst., Captain Boys, R.N.
first lieutenant), presented a silver watch, with
suitable inscription, and a purse of ten sovereigns,
to Master Gunner Greenwood, R.A., as an expres-
sion of respect from the officers and gunners of the
corps, to whom ho has for the past 12 months
acted as drill instructor.

Captain Page, senior adjutant of the Edinburgh
Rifle Regiment, has been appointed to the adju-
tancy of the London Scottish. The admirable
manner in which this officer discharged his duties
on the occasion of the Holyrood review is said
to have commended him to the notice of Lord
Elcho, who was a close and active spectator on that
memorable occasion. The Edinburgh Rifle Regi•
ment assembled on Saturday for the first time this
year, and marched several miles into the country.
It is said that the Lord Advocate is about to resign
the office of Lieut.-COI. Commandant, his profes-
sional and public avocations preventing him from
devoting sufficient time to the duties. Captain
M'Donald, of the 4th Artisan Company, has been
appointed major of the 2d battalion, but no similar
appointment has yet been made for the first.

A special parade of the Hallamshire Rifles (Shef-
field Volunteers) was held on Tuesday Evening,
and a letter was read from Lord Wharncliffe, ac-
cepting the appointment of Licut.-Colonel. Several
gentlemen of high standing in the town were no-
minated as officers of the new companies raised,
and to fill vacancies created by promotions, and the
greatest unanimity and good feeling prevailed.
On Monday evening the men of the 13th Wor-
cestershire Rifle Volunteers assembled at the Guild-
hall, at Worcester, in consequence of an intimation
from their Captain (M‘Leod) of his intention to
resign the post of commanding officer. Captain
M‘Leod explained that this necessity arose, not
from any diminished interest which he took in the
corps, but from the fact that being an officer in the
regular army—the Madras Artillery—he had been
called upon to do active duty in his own regiment.