The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-13 00:00:00

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION.

Yesterday the greater part of the programme of
this meeting was brought to a close, and all the con-
tests for the great prizes that remained to be com-
peted for were finally adjudged. The most fin-
portant prize was that for the Rifla Derby, for
which there were nearly 300 entries and upwards.
of 170 competitors. The shooting for this was very
good indeed. At one time it seemed certain that
Mr. Ross had carried off this great prize, he scoring
as high as 26. Sergeant Gibbs, of Bristol, how-
ever, not only attained the same score, but when
the ties were shot off beat Mr. Ross, and thus be-
came the winner of the first prize.

The order in which the three winners stood was
as follows :
Sergeant Gibbs, Bristol . • ell
Mr. Ross, Cambridge University ..
Mr. Ryrie, 2d Cumberland ..

.. 26
.. 26
.. 25

The winner of the first prize received half the
entire entries, or about £180; Mr. Ross, as second
prizeman, received three-fifths of the other half ;
and Mr. Ryrie two-fifths. The follow ing is the
score made by the best shots at each range, and the
total score of 22 points and upwards :

200 yds. 500 600 Total
Sergeant Gibbs, Bristol .. 11 7 8 26
E. Ross, Cambridge University .. 14 8 4 26
Mr. Ryrie, 2d Cumberland .. 12 7 6 25
Captain Hadden, Robin Hood Rifles 11 7 7 25
Captain J. H. Astley, 49th Regiment 12 7 5 24
Sergeant Duggan, 26th Lancashire 9 9 6 24
J. Hendrie, 7th Ayrshire .. 11 7 5 23
Captain Grant, 6th Regiment .. 11 7 5 23
Captain Pipon, 7th Sussex .. .. 12 6 6 23
Sergeant Dillon, School of Musketry 10 5 8 23
Major Talbot, Unattached .. 11 6 5 22
T. Dunn, 55th Regiment .. 11 6 5 22
Sergeant Tyler, School of Musketry 9 7 6 22
Sergeant Moyreagh, ditto .. .. 13 5 4 22
Dickens, Victoria Rifles .. .. 9 7 6 22

Wilson, Hythe .. 12 6 4 22
Sergeant Murdoch, Edinburgh .. 10 7 5 22

The Association Cup was won by Mr. Ross, sen..
after a very hard and spirited competition, which
was more evenly fought than any of the matches.
The score of the best marksmen was as follows :
Captain Ross, 6th Kincardine 14
Captain Wigram, Coldstream Guards.. 13
Colonel Lindsay, St. George's 13
Count de Gendre, Swiss..
Captain A. Lewis, Artists'
Colonel Scott, St. George's ..
Blackburn
0. P. Pell, Inns of• Court•
T. Tappin, Indian Army • • • •
G. Holloway, sth Glocester
Sergeant Dillon, School of Musketry
Captain Ingram, Ist Lanark ..
Leece, Manchester
Catain Heaton, Manchester
Captain Jackson, Ist Cheshire ..
Captain Rowland, 55th Regiment ..
Stewart, St. George's . • • .
Captain M'Gregor, Midlothian..
Bingham, Bristol.. ..
Captain Haddon, Robin Hood ..
Ensign Hassall, Bristol ..

.. 12

.. 12
.. 12

.. 12
.. 12
.. 12

.. 11
.. 11
.. 11
.. 11
.. .. 11
.. .. 11
.. .. 11
.. .. 11

The Prince Consort's and the Duke of Cam-
bridge's prizes both brought forth a long list of
competitors, though, the former, as being shot for at
800, 900, and 1,000 yards' range, was considered,
of course, a higher trophy than the Duke's, which
was competed for at 500 and 800. The shooting for
the Prince's prize, however, was most unequal. All
the best shots made splendid averages, but the dis-
tance between their scores and those of their less
skilful competitors was more marked than we have
seen it at any previous match. The best points
made at each range were as follows, Major Moir
being the winner :

800 900 1,000 Total
Major Moir, Stirling 8 6 7 21
Norsworthy, Oxford University 8 6 6 20
Brooks, 12th Middlesex .. 4 8 8 20
Hendrie, 7th Ayrshire .. 5 8 5 18
Smith, Mid-Lothian .. 7 7 4 18

Viscount Fielding, 4th Flint .. 7 6 6 18
Capt. Wigram, Coldstream Guards 5 6 6 17
Ensign Oxley, 4th Surrey .. 7 6 4 17
Capt. Bridgman, West Middlesex 4 6 5 15
E. Ross, Cambridge University 5 7 2 14
Peterkin, ditto .. .. 8 3 3 14

Leece, Manchester,

2 4 7 13

G. Holloway, sth Glocester ..

6 7 0 13

Major Margary

8 1 4

The Duke of Cambridge's was won by Mr. Ross,
sen., by one point, and. after a very close contest.
We onbjoin th best scores :
Captain Ross, 6th Kincardine ..
Ensign Dunlop, London Scottish
Captain Heaton, 3d Manchester
Captain Ick, 78th Lancashire
Sergeant Duggan, 26th Lancashire
Lord Bury, Civil Service ..
Lord Vernon, 2d Derby .. • .
Lieutenant Lacy, 12th Foot • .
Lieutenant Yates, 2d Lancashire • .

.. 15

The keenest and best fought, as well as most in-
teresting match, was that for the Dudley Prize,
which was finally competed for at 800 yards by the
winners of prizes only. Viscount Fielding at one
time appeared certain of gaining this, and, in fact,
only lost it to Mr. Rowe by one point. The shoot-
ing was seven shots at 800 yards, and the best scores
made at this were so remarkabl_y good that they
deserve being recorded:—

.. 10

Rowe, Ist Devon..
Viscount Feilding
Simons, Victoria Rifles;..
Sergeant Duggan, 26th Lancashire ..
Gibbs, Bristol
Groig . • • • •• ••
E. Ross, Cambridge University ..
Blackburn, Edinburgh .. .. . .
Dickens, Victoria
Ruston, Robin Hood Rifles .. •
Thornbury, Victoria .. • . • •
Hendrie, 7th Ayrshire .. • • •
Plaskett, Civil Service .. . • •
Young, Ist London .. •
Captain Wigram .. .. • •
Bingham, 8ri5t01.........••5
The shooting for the Duke of Wellington's prize
was from a rest, and, singularly enough, the firing
here was the worst of the day. Sergeant Potter
of Hythe won the cup by as low a score as seven
points. For the possession of Mr. Bennett's gold
watch there was a very fair contest, in which Mr.
Buller, of the Queen's, and Sergeant Stapleton, of
the Coldstreams, shot off for ties, and the latter
won the watch. During the practice one of Whit-
worth's rifles, belonging to Mr. Lewis, of the
Artists' Corps, burst badly at the breech, though
fortunately without doing any injury: It was said
on the ground that it was loaded with a double
cartridge, and also that the barrel had a flaw in it ;
but for the accuracy of either of these on this we
cannot vouch. Great satisfaction was expressed all
over the ground with the performances of Henry's
rifle, and during yesterday and the day before
Storm's breech-loading rifle was exhibited on the
ground. A description of this most perfect of all
breech-loaders has already appeared in our columns,
and its immeasurable superiority over all other
weapons of the same kind is so well known now
that further praise is needless.

.. 9
.. 8

.. 8
.. 7
.. 7

.. 7
.. 6

On Thursday evening, Mr. Mackley, surgeon,
who has been committed for trial on the charge of having
murdered his housekeeper, was removed from Bradford to
York in custody.
CENSUS OF CIUME.—The commitments for trial
for indictable offences are commonly taken as a measure of
the amount of crime, and the year 1860 has no reason to
shrink from this test, for the commitments in England and
Wales fell from 16,674 in 1859 to 15,9 9 last year. But
since the Criminal Justice Act came into operation in 1855,
transferring a number of cases to the summary jurisdiction,
the commitments have given a more imperfect idea of the
prevalence of crime; last year upwards of 30,000 charges of
stealing, or attempting to steal, were disposed of by the
magistrates. A better test may be found probably in the
number of offenders sentenced to gaol by courts and magis-
trates; and the following short table, made up on that
principle, shows the centinued decrease of crime :-
1855. 1857. 1858. 1859. 1860.
Sentenced on indict- 14,734.. 15,307 .. 13,246 ..12,470 12,068
menu
Sentenced to gaol by 710 •85 795.. 83,123..74,769 70,151
magistrates • •

--
92,446..102,102.. 96,374..87,299 82,219
The capital convictions in 1860 were only 48, the smallest
number yet recorded. The extreme penalty of the law is
virtually confined to murder, no execution having taken
place for any other crime since 1841. The case which oc-
curred in that 'year was for an attempt to murder, where
life was seriously endangered. Tho average of convictions
for murder in the last 10 years has been 17, and that was
the exact number in 1860. In five cases the punishment
was commuted to one ot penal servitude; in 12 the sentence
fi veto
atraebduelasetevib`e`fimostsivbeesingto
any
murders,
attempt
was inflicted. It is only in these cases that we have in our
crime."statistic Of
Oreturns e
for the sake of robbery, two from jealousy, one from
rejected love, two from hatred, one from excitement by
drink, and in con instance no • •
niotwo Is Antigua

GRAND TRUNK OF CANADA

ReIILWAY.

With respect to the plan of arrangement proposed
by the committee of the Grand Trunk of Canada
Railway, published on Thursday, the following
modifications, suggested by Mr. William Smith, are
stated to have received the concurrence of the com-
mittee ;

" Sec. B.—That a sinking fund be provided
against this half-million, in accordance with the
principle of the Drainage Aets referred to in the
report, and, as a means of facilitating the raising
of the money by increasing the security, that such
security shall extend to the rolling stock.
" Sec. 9.—That a special report be made by the
proposed referee and submitted to the consideration
of the shareholders and bondholders, before any new
arrangement which may be recommended shall be
adopted.
" See. 19.—Failing any other effectual protection
of the property from local claimants by judgment
or otherwise, pending the negotiations for and the
carrying into effect of the proposed reorganization,
the company's referee be authorized to concur in
the appointment of an ad interim receiver.
" Sec. 20 and 22.—The words not less than' to
be omitted.

" Additional Clause, 23.—1 n consideration of the
preference bondholders consenting to a prior charge
of half-a-million, and giving up as part of their
security all claim to the present or any increased
postal or military subsidy, their lien to be declared
by the Consolidation Act to extend to the rolling
stock and plant, so as to protect the same from
seizure for fresh debts after the present debts shall
.have been satisfied under the provisinos of the
F.oheme."