The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-27 00:00:00

FOR RIFLE CORPS.

Five years' service (three of which as a non. commissioned
officer) in the Imperial or Indian armies. A competent
knowledge of infantry drill. A good character, established
by satisfactory testimonial. Age not to exceed 50 years.
151. Applications for the appointment of sergeant in-
structors are in every case to be submitted for the approval
of the Secretary of State for War by the commanding officer
of the volunteer corps to which it is proposed that the ser-
geant should be attached. The application is to be accom-
panied by testimonials of character, and a certified copy of
the non-commissioned officer's record of service, and to be
forwarded through the assistant-inspector of the district.
If the corps belongs to an administrative battalion, the ap-
plication must be transmitted to the assistant-inspector
through the field officer commanding.
152. A sergeant-instructor will receive from the date of
his appointment consolidated pay, at the following rates :
If in receipt of pension 2s. 4d. a day, if not in receipt of
pension 2s. 7d. If he is appointed sergeant-major of a bat-
talion he will receive an additional allowance of 6d. a day.
This pay is to be issued by, and charged in the accounts
of, the sioff officer of pensioners, of the pensioner district
in which the headquarters of the corps are situated.
153. Sergeant-instructors who have not previously gone
through a course of instruction at the School of Musketry
must be prepared to do so if required.
151. The sergeant instructor of the light horse or
mounted rifle volunteer corps should be mounted by the
corps whenever he is engaged on mounted duties.
155. Sergeant instructors to volunteer corps may be ob
tained from the regular army in the following manner :
Non-commissioned officers of 18 or more years' service in
the infantry, and 21 or more years' service in the cavalry,
who are, in the opinion of their commanding officers, quali-
fied to act as sergeant instructors of volunteer corps, and
who are desirous of obtaining those appointments, will be
reported to the Adjutant-General, and noted as candidates.
Commanding officers of volunteer corps wishingto obtain the
services of one of them, will make application, in the man-
ner directed in Article 151, to the Secretary of State for War,
who will direct the application, if approved, to be forwarded
to the General Commanding-in-Chief, with a view to a
sergeant being posted to the corps as soon as possible.
156 Such non-commissioned officers employed as ser-
geant instructors will be borne on the rolls of their respec-
tive regiments as supernumeraries for service with volunteer
corps until the completion of their period of service for dis-
charge to pension or otherwise, and will receive the consoli-
dated pay named in Article 152, in lieu of all other pay
and allowances whatever. On their discharge they will be
slowed to renew their engagements as sergeant instructors
on the terms laid down in the above-named article.
157. If the volunteer corps to which the noncommissioned
officer of the regular forces is attached as sergeant in-
structor should, from any sufficient cause, cease to require
his services before he discharged, he will return to his regi-
ment, if he is not posted to another volunteer corps.
158. If a non-commissioned officer transferred from the
regular forces is guilty of misconduct before his discharge
from the army, he may be sent back to his regiment on the
representation of the commanding officer to the Secretary
of State for War.
159. Every sergeant instructor to a volunteer corps is
subject to the general provisions of the Mutiny Act and
Articles of War, and is liable to be tried by court martial
for any crime committed against such Act or Articles of War
160. All sergeant instructors are to be considered as
under the supervision of the adjutant, who is required to
report to the officer commanding the corps any irregularity
of conduct, incoropetence, or want of attention 'which he
may observe on the part of any instructor, and the com-
manding officer, when necessary, will report the circum-
stances of the case to the Secretary of State. In the case
of an administrative regiment, brigade, or battalion, the
adjutant will also report such instances of irregularity to
the field officer commanding.

Sergeant instructors of such volunteer corps as may not
have at present the services of an adjutant will be placed
under the supervision of the nearest volunteer adjutant or
other officer, according to the directions of the Secretary of
State for War.

In the event of a sergeant instructor being guilty of any
offence of a sufficiently grave nature to induce his command-
ing officer to refer the case for the consideration of the Sec-
retary of Statq, he is to be placed in arrest until orders are
received as to his cisposal.
161. A record will be kept of all offences which may be
proved against a sergeant instructor, after due investigation
by his commanding officer. Every entry is to be in the
handwriting of the officer in command, according to the
annexed form. and the book to be open at all times to the
inspection of the adjutant, the field officer commanding the
administrative regiment, brigade, or battalion, or the assis-
tant inspector of the district.

162. With a view to meet cases in which additional drill
instructors may be temporarily required, or where difficulty
may be found in obtaining a sergeant instructor, sergeants
of the permanent sttiff of the disembodied militia may, if
willing to act as drill instructors, be attached to volunteer
corps for that purpo, at the discretion of their commanding
officer.

163. If employed in the place of a regular sergeant in-
structor, they will receive, at the public expense, Is. a-day,
in addition co their militia pay, with lodging, fuel, and light,
or an allowance of 41 a-day in lieu thereof ; but if they are
employed as additional drill instructors, these allowances
must be paid by the corps to which they are attached.
164. In order to obtain a drill instructor from among the
permanent sergeants of the disembodied militia, the follow-
ing course is to be pursued :—lf the militia of the county to
which the volunteer corps belongs is disembodied, the officer
commanding the volunteer., corps is to apply direct to the
officer commanding the militia regiment. If the militia of
the county is embodied, or if there should be no sergeants
belonging to it available for this purpose, the officer com-
manding the volunteer corps is to apply to the lord lieu-
tenant, who, if he should think proper, will communicate
with the lord-lieutenant of any adjacent county in which
the militia is disembodied, in order to obtain the required
instructor.

165. A drill instructor obtained from the militia under
the foregoing articles may be attached to a volunteer corps
for any period not exceeding three months, and his engage-
ment may be renewed at the expiration of such period, with
the consent of the commanding officer of the militia regi-
ment, but no sergeant of the permanent staff of the militia
can be permitted to remain with a volunteer corps during
the embodiment or annual training of his militia regiment.

166. Volunteer corps are not to make direct offers to non-
commissioned officers serving in the regular army to be-
come their sergeant instructors, nor to attempt to induce
sergeants of the militia, or sergeant instructors attached to,
or engaged by, other volunteer corps, to quit their regi-
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in which it may be proved that offers of this kind have been
made, the Secretory of State will refuse his consent to the
appointment of the noncommissioned (Beer concerned.

167. The
principal duty of a sergeant instructor is to
attend to the drill and instruction of the corps to which he
is attached.; but the commanding officer of the corps may
employ him to lake charge of the arms of the corps, or to
discharge other similar duties of a nailit try character, pro-
vided they do n)t interfere with his special functions. He
will not be permitted to angage in any trade or business.

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.—The recent
fine weather has done much to ripen the grain crops, and
there is now a good prospect of an abundant harvest. The
corn in the neiKhbourhood of Chesterfield is being rapidly
garnered, and the crops are reported to be generally heavy.
In the northern division of the county the clops are in a
more forward position than has been known for years, owing
to the favourableness of the weather.