The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-29 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

In consequence of the large number of officers of
Engineers now at Chatham, the Secretary of State
for War has approved the appointment of an in-
structor in the general principles of designing and
making specifications, estimates, and working draw-
ings for various descriptions of buildings. The officer
so appointed will be in addition to the other instruc-
tors already attached to the Royal Engineer esta-
blishment. At present there arc two instructors in
surveying and topographical drawings, two field-
work instructors, and one instructor in architecture.
The Commander-in-Chief has also given instructions
for the most intelligent and beat educated of the
non-commissioned officers of the Royal Engineers
to be appointed field-work instructors:
By direction of the Duke of Camtridge, several
of the officers of Royal Engineers, including Capt.
J. E. Comes, Capt. E. H. Steward, Lieutenant G.
Harris, and Lieut. H. Robinson, have proceeded
from Chatham to Shoeburyness for the purpose
of witnessing some experiments which are being
carried out at that station, in order to test the rela-
tive strength of wrought-iron plates, from one-
quarter of an inch is three inches in thickness, and
their-capabilities to resist the effect of shot from the
Armstrong and other guns. The plates to be ex-
perimented upon have been made from different
descriptions of iron, in order that the Government
may ascertain the best kinds for use in the manu-
facture of armour-plates for the exterior of the mail-
clad steamers. The experiments will extend over
several days.
Tho Leicestershire Regiment of Militia, 900
strong, assembled at Leicester on Thursday for a
month's training under the command of Lieut.-Col.
King. The regiment has done duty at Cork and
at Aldcrshott. Trade having been bad during the
winter a great number of recruits have joined, and
many men whose time of service has expired have
been re-attested.
An inspection of the South Hants Yeomanry
Cavalry took place at Hartham on Monday. Four
troops had previously assembled for training, under
the command of Viscount Malden, and had most
creditably acquitted themselves. The men were
dismissed to their homes yesterday.
The Hants Yeomanry Cavalry (200 strong) as-
sembled last week at Winchester for eight days'
training, under the command of Viscount Eversley.
An inspection and review took place on Monday,
on Compton-downs, before Lieut.-Col. Douglas,
Assist.-Adjt.- Gen. Lord Eversley became major of
the corps on its formation 13 years ago. His Lord-
ship and Major Dear are the only remaining mem-
bers of the corps.
The Ist Regiment of Devonshire Militia was in-
spected on Saturday last at St. Thomas's, Exeter,
by Major-General Hutchinson, commending the
Western district. His report was highly satisfac•
tory.
The West Somerset Yeomanry Cavalry havejust
completed their annual period of duty at Taunton.
The regiment, which is about 430 strong, was
under the command of Colonel the Hon. H. W.
Portman. The regiment was inspected previous to
dismissal.

About 750 men belonging to the East Norfolk
Militia are at present undergoing; training at Yar-
mouth, namely, 250 recruits and 500 men, who have
had some previous training.
The period of 21 days, during which the 3d
Regiment of Staffordshire Militia has been in train-
ing at Newcastle-under-Lyne, having expired, the
regiment has been inspected by Lord Frederic
Paulet, in the presence of Lord Hatherton, the
Lord-Lieutenant of the county, and Colonel the
Hon. E. R. Littleton. The report of the inspector
was moat satisfactory.

THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIAIION.

On Monday afternoon the usual monthly general
meeting of the members of this association was held
at Willis's-rooms, for the purpose of enlarging some
of the formal rules of the society and for the trans-
actionof general business. His Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge (president) took the chair,
and there were also present the Duke, of Newcastle,
Earl De Grey and Ripon, the Earl of Tankerville,
Lord Elcho, Hon. A. Kinnaird, Viscount Enfield,
Lord Truro, Lord Radstock, Lord Colville, Lord
Verner, Sir D. Baird, Sir J. Paxton, Col. Lindsay,
Hon. H. Low, Major-General Hay, Colonels Kin-
loch, Kennedy, Bathurst, Briggs.
His ROYAL HIGHNESS, in addressing the meet-
ing, said it would be quite unnecessary for him to
detain them any details as to the objects or
benefits of the Association. With regard to the
prizes to be offered at the meeting this year the
report was most satisfactory, and the list had been
extended by several additional gifts. There was a
new cup given by his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales, value £lOO, a member's cup of £5O, a
public schools' cup of £5O, and a cup given by the
editor of the Volunteer Gazelle, value 4'23 Last
year the various prizes had been distributed at the
Crystal Palace, but it had been felt that much more
interest would attach to this ceremony if it took
place on the very ground on which the triumph
had been achieved. That course, therefore, would
be adopted with the distribution this year, and it
had also been arranged (and as he thought most
judiciously) that the ceremony of distribution should
be followed by a Volunteer review of such corps as
chose to take part in it. Thus, the early part of what-
ever day was fixed upon would be set apart for
allotting the prizes, and the remainder to the evolu-
tions of the corps on the ground. He looked on
such assemblages of the Volunteers for field days
and brigade drill as most important aids to their
improvement, but at the same time, it was abso-
lutely necessary to their success that: they should
be so arranged as to insure their perfect good order
and their being carried out in the best manner.
He was delighted to say that the Volunteer
movement had been carried out in the colonies
in the most successful and praiseworthy
manner, and the Rifle Association established
in Canada under the presidency of Sir Alan M'Nab,
showed this year a subscription list for prizes
amounting to £1,600, actually an excess over the
subscriptions to their own Association. The Queen's
prizes were, of course, open to all these Colo-
nial Volunteers, and the Volunteers of Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick were
already in communication with the society.
The Duke of NEWCASTLE, in moving a formal
resolution to the effect that members of the County
Rifle Associations shall be entitled to admission to
the National Association on paying lOs. per annum,
or £5 for life membership, paid a high compliment
to the Robin Hood Nottinghamshire Regiments he
had (recently reviewed, and especially bore testi-
mony to what he had seen of the high efficiency of
Canadian Volunteers.
Earl DE GREY and RIPON moved that an entrance
fee of 10s. be required from all Volunteers contend-
ing for the prizes of the Association, except those
sent by regiments subscribing to the Association to
the extent of £1 per company. Such a step as this
he thought was absolutely necessary to keep the
funds of the association in the state in which it was
necessary they should be maintained.
This and another formal resolution was carried
nevi. con:, and in reply to questions,
Lord ELcHo stated that those who contended
for prizes open to all comers could use whatever
rifle they chose. The public schools would use
whatever rifle they had been instructed in, but the
Queen's prizes couldonly be shot for with the long
Enfield.
Colonel LINDSAY then announced the intention of
the St. George's corps to present a challenge cup,
value £l5O, to be shot for at the meeting
the amount derived from the in 1862,
entrance fees fo
which to go to the funds of the National Ride Assoc
ciation.
The prcceedings then terminated.

The Madrid Gazette announces that the Queen
of Spain has sent the usual notice to all the bishops of the
kingdom, mentioning that she has entered the last month
of her pregnancy, and requesting them to have prayers
offered uP for jler a deliyery.