The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-16 00:00:00

VOLUNTEER RIFLE PRACTICE.

The following is the report of Major-General Hay
as to the practice made by volunteers at the Mus-
ketry School at Hythe :—" I have the honour to
forward, for the information of his Royal Highness
the Genei al Commanding-ia-Chief, the enclosed
return of the results of the performance in shooting
of the noblemen and gentlemen of the rifle volun-
teer corps, who havejust completed a course of in-
struction at this establishment, and to report, in re-
ference to the method pursued, that the morning
was devoted to carrying out a detail of daily work,
as per annexed statement, so modified as to meet
the requirements of a volunteer company, the mem-
bers of which, it is presumed, will not be able to de-
vote more than two hours and a half daily to the
musketry drill and practice. The desire, however,
on the part of these volunteers to become fully ac-
quainted with every detail connected with the sys-
tem and the method of working it was so great that
the whole day was spent in acquiring this informa-
tion. Proficiency in the several practices being
always measured by a figure, I am enabled to draw
a comparison of the shooting of these volunteers
with that of parties of officers (averaging from 40
to 45) in the last three courses. The result is in
fatour of the volunteers, the highest figure of the
former being 46.94, of the latter 47.07 points. I
have confined the comparison to the shooting of
the officers, as from their superior intelligence they
always (when subjected,to the same amount of pre-
liminary drill) beat tha men. When it is considered
that these volunteers were composed of noblemen
and gentlemen, most of whom had never fired with
a rifle before, and not any at a longer distance than
about 200 or 300 yards, and when the short period
of six days allotted to the performance of the pre-
liminary drills is taken into account, it not only
affords the most convincing proof of the energy and
intelligence brought to bear on the work in which
these volunteers were engaged, but at the same time
it points clearly to the great benefit the country
will derive from enlisting the services of the edu-
cated classes of the population in the movement
which is now in progress for the enrolment of
volunteers for rifle companies and corps. I do not
hesitate to say that, if the training of these volun-
teers is regulated by a well detailed system, which
will ensure a preliminary preparation before prac-
tice is allowed to take place, in a few years a most
important reserve (comprising, as it will, a class of
persons who never enter the regular army or militia,
but who, from their education and intelligence, are
eminently qualified to make the very best ' marks-
st
men')mtmi
ooe marks-
valuable
ea
nbbleeee
sa.at
daTl lhe
irpipermanenttimesavailable,nflenersaeitonetesvirrhoerionesthtfheetlatanir narictmedeude:unless
rntitilfs
oeoetbpsnmhasyri nnoterodotnpi
nhtfletheeosrae
e.
luffoyrpolf cirf•
tndoaehnaec
timol
st
ducted, noble-
mencores andtegohin tvctei
aorngneceosnei
btisoitsntml
eegrfmeav
oitee
lfh,nhaot herein
wrer,
train-
ingt
is conducted on a proper (and I would venture
ensue.to reco recommend nts
shall
uniform)
have
erisystem,corrs in utter
name,
b failureut will
not
in
reality."

We hear that Mr. William Dougal Christie, who
has been for some years Minister at the Argentine Confede-
ration, is appointed to Brazil, on the resignation of the Hon.
Francis Reginald Forbes, who, our readers may recollect,
was transferred to that Embassy from Dresden by the late
Government. We understand that Mr. Forbes does not
return to Dresden,