The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JUNE 22, 1868.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.-THIS DAY.

ME VOLUNTEER REVIEW.

The Volunteer Review ou Saturday was most
suecessful. But then it is difficult to say what could

make any Review of Volunteers by the Queen in

person unsuccessful if the weather were fine, and
the common enjoyment of the sightseers and sight-

makers were marred by no accident. The site and
the weather were in the main very favourable, and
if it be objected that the park in this leafy mouth
of June, now in its fulness of beauty, obscured too
many movements behind its screen of foliage, and
that the atmosphere might have come down a few

degrees without serious inconvenience to the

most chilly of mortals, the objector must be re•

gar Jed ai a captious person. There may be
grounds of complaint against the railway companies

!or unreadines.,,, for the S ixon is as unready

sometimzs in railways as he was in war chariots
and wardmotes. There may be charges against
Volunteer corps of untimeliness, but the great fact
remains that some 27,000 men, a complement of
field guns, a small force of cavalry, and a large
number of chargers were brought together from

all parts—itideeffrom distant parts—of England
to a given point in a very few hours, and there

spread out uudcr the walls of Windsor Castle,

without, as far as we know, any serious hitch

or grievous accident. For the most part the
corps were up to time, and the experience ac-
quired in forming up men on railway platforms,
and occupying the carriages as the trains come in,
then making the declaration, so to speak, at the
points of arrival, has produced excellent results.
Still, all this might be better. There is too
much rushing, far too much shouting-adjurations
from " Bill" to " Bob" to " come in here! There's
lots of room ;" and although no one could be cruel
enough to deny the Volunteers the pleasures of
their " pipe," it must be a standing miracle which
prevents some of them exploding, seeing how reck-
less they are of fusees and how full of cartridek.
Such an occasion as Saturday gave a great tempta-
tion to the flight of high spirits, and as the trains
moved off with their battalions the choruses rose
above the whistle of the engine and the rattling of
wheels. It may be well, however, to say to our
young Volunteers that they are not likely to become
better soldiers by seeking to imitate the language
of the camp, and that the practice which prevailed
in Flanders, according to Captain Shandy, in Queen
Anne's time, has somewhat died out nowadays,
when even the highest officers refrain from emulat-

hus except in the most provocative
711gStaliEnCreeU.

,iioller:gwihaepup y
All the corps had not arrived when the guns posted
in front of the left flank of the line opened with a
Royal salute, and -the cortege of the Queen was
seen coming down the Long Walk. The public
were admitted to each side of the road by order of
her Majesty, and she was received by them with
great respect. The open carriage in which the
Queen and the Royal Princesses were seated was
drawn by four greys, and it was preceded by an
officer of the Household in alvance, and by a de-
tachment of the Life Guards. Around the car-
riage, and following it came a Staff, bright as gold,
scarlet, blue, silver, plumes, lace, orders, and
ribands could make it. Then came another body
of officers and another detachment of Life Guards.
The Royal Standard was hoisted as soon as the
and then came in file four
Queen came in sight. The Royal carriage, as
was
fithrest,Royal Household, one with
open
1: have
carriagessaid, of
ladies in attendance on her
the Princess Mary of Teck and her ladies, the other
obuyrt. The procession advanced
occupiedxi a jesty or principally
o f
her
c
toward the saluting point, and the Queen was re-
ceived along the line with uplifted hats and waving
handkerchiefs. While her Majesty halted at the
saluting point for a short time, noticing the distin-
guished persons whom she recognised near at hand,
the people could point out the Crown Prince of
Denmark, the Prince of Wales and his Royal
brothers, the Duke of ,Cambridge, the Prince of
Teck, a group of Prussian officers, Sir James
in any way, for Mr.
fourth volume), Sir Hope Grant,
L)rd W. paulet, Sir W. Kuollvs—in fact,
netted
SKcianrglieatkt
e,(snot the worse,
the heals of departments of war, and a number
of our most distinguished olli•eers, surrounded
by a very large Staff from Horse Guards, War-
office, Aldershot..ehatliam,. and Woolwich.
the insatiable mullitu le bad
" how well the Queen • every one —had obs 2rved
the Princesses were, " how hanhorne the Prince of
was looking," " how sweet"
and noted a number of matters connected with
the Princess 'Alary seemed,"
most of the distinguished
and unconscious persons
under review, the cortege, led by the Queen's car-
riage, turned back, wheeling to the left, and
passed in front of the line of spectators towards
the right flank, where the 1) eke of Manchester,
°TgeAleekdf tlevraa
sna:, w,

with his handful of Taplow Lancers, Oxford
Lights, H.A.C. Lights, and his own sturdy
Hunts Light Horse (most of them, we should think,
riding 16 stone), was
posted, and then, wheeling
once more to the right, drove slowly to the extremity
of the first line. This was a pretty sight. A great
green picture framed by giant trees, lighted up by
rays tremulous with heat, diffused through a veil of
thin, warm vapour—inside the frame in the fore-

ground rows of carriages—gay and bright as Mr.
Frith's " Derby Day ;" then a deep fringe of
men and women on foot, well-dressed, orderly,
anxious, quiet ; then the stake and chain—and
outside, sweltering -in their armour, two
and two, booted, gunacted, helmeted, and
cuirassed, the men of the Life Guards. Carry
your eye up each aide of the frame, and you see
the gay beadwork of Lancers and Hussars fret-
ting the dark
edge of the multitude. Look up
or straight across—for the picture is lying flat, and
is all closed in (like the " Velasquez Hunt" in
the National Gallery) —and you see the Volunteers
lying in ordered mass as clouds do at sea on stormy
sunsets. And now, flashing and sparkling as the
light bursts in, there rolls across the green in front
of this sombre mass,
a cavalcade of horsemen, and
the Royal carriages twinkle past the line, wheel
round, and with their followings and surroundings
arc lost till they emerge at the other end. Then
they at last return in the order in which they came
to the saluting point, which is marked by the Royal
Standard, too lazy in the summer evening to flaunt
at full length. It was 5.30 p.m. when the march
past began, beginning from the right of the first
line.

Let us here- be permitted to offer a suggestion.
Although the colour of each corps be put in the
programme, it is quite impossible for the closest
observer and the most interested critic to follow une
by one every corps in small bodies. The first or
sEcond fixes his attention, then comes a string of
is aroused by a splendid battalion. " How
ordinary beads each like the other. At last his
curiositywel
Who are they ? Bravo !
What are they ?" No one can tell. They are grey or
green, butthow many. greys and greens are there ?
Now all this uncertainty could be avoided if the
lthese fellows march !
corps on review days would carry a small guidon,or
square flag, such as the Sussex battalion had on Sa-
turday, bearing thenumber and initials of each. The
objections would be literally null, the cost little, the
satisfaction to the spectators very great. We cannot
pretend to criticise corps, but certainly the strongest,
best appointed, and one of the best drilled, if not
the best, was the Robin Hoods, from Notting-
ham, who came on the ground, they said, 750
strong, and marched admirably, headed by
their own bearded pioneers, whom Arabian per-
fumery could not improve. The old favourites
held their own. Lord Eleho's turned out rather
weak, but marched like the London Scottish.
"Ton Brown's" corps went by in capital style ;
£0 did the little " Artists" corps full of life,
colour, and up to a brush with any enemy. Lord
Donegal seemed to consult quantity rather than
quality, we thought, in the London Irish, and if
the Inns of Court were good we have seen
them better and certainly in larger form.
Warde's Londoners were in force and in capital
order. On the whole, the difficulty of sizing men
has not at all diminished, and the ranks might be
weeded to the extent of ten per hundred in some,
and twenty per hundred in others, if the regula-
tions for recruits observed in the regular army were
in fore?, The only use in training undersized boys

is that they may grow up full-sized men, and then
they will have learnt how to handle a firelock.
Their spirit is not to be denied, but their powers of
endurance are naturally not equal to those of men
or robust youths of full stature. Of coarse, of
such special corps as those of Eton, Rugby',. and
Harrow these remarks do not hold good. Nothing
could be better than the air, gravity, and strict
discipline of these lads, who must not be offended
they are not praised as veterans. When the last
corps had passed it was 7.20 ; the march had con:-
sumed more than one hour and a half. Then
General Scarlett and his Staff galloped to the left
flank of the line, which was forming. Staff officers
and orderlies began to fly about. The Duke and
his Staff and groups of Generals and Staff appeared
on the field in front of the spectators on the right..
rho Volunteers were seen moving here and there,
their arms shining out in unexpected places, and the
ladies became anxious lest they should not appear
again. Presently the Duke of Manchester's Horse
came out boldly and executed a charge to the front
parallel with the line of spectators. The horsemen
may have been furious, but they were not fast, and
it was hard to imagine they had ever intended to
form a compact body. They were followed by a bur:
of skirmishers who advanced with more caution and
tardiness than was needful, but who still managed
to get a good long way in advance of their supports.
They, too, advanced in line, at right angles to the
spectators, and when they got halfway to the Royal
enclosure halted and opened fire in front. At this
moment some artillery from under the trees on their
right flank opened, with what object no mere spec-
tator on the right-of the ground could divine. The
supports and the reserve of the force on the right,
however, moved up after some pauses, the skirmish-
ers tumbled in, then began a heavy fire of musketry
Which one could compare, very disadvantageously,
with the Snider torrent-like roll, and all seemed to
be going on well till of a sudden out rushed a line
of skirmishers from under the trees at right angles
to the conquering force and began to fire away, not
at it, but right at the line of spectators and the
Royal Stand. Then came out supports, and the
force on the right fell back—nay, formed squares
—and was vexed by surreptitious guns, which
opened on it from unsuspected places. All the
while there were thousands of men behind
them lying down on their arms, and not firing
a shot. "The only thing I could always make
out in a battle," said the old Prince of Ligne,
" was which side ran away. Why they did it
I never could well understand." A field-day with-
out a clue is equally puzzling. Indeed, if the Vo-
lunteer Brigadiers and Colonels were obeying
their orders, and if the Divisional Generals were
carrying out the plan of manoeuvres laid down by
Sir James Scarlett, it would have been well to fur-
nish the public with a key to it. Artillery and
musketry were busy in the front, and all over the
ground. Sometimes, after a silence which made
one think the Field Day was over, came a volley
or a platoon fire from different spots, and dropping
shots were audible all round. At last there was a
general advance in line, the bands played " God
save the Queen," the Volunteers cheered loudly,
and even raised their shakos on their rifles, and her
Majesty most graciously acknowledged by repeated
- bows these demonstrations of their loyalty. Thus
ended the review.

Some of the corps, we heard, who had not been
engaged and bad not fired off many rounds, got
rid of their cartridges at dis3retion in the Home
Park, and incurred the displeasure of the highest
personages. At the close, we regret to say, there
was deplorable irregularity and confusion created
by Volunteers rushing for the trains without regard
to the order of their corps, and thus impeding those
who maintained formation and had a right to tran-
sit. Gen. Lindsay, however, will have had a good
opportunity of seeing what evils are to be guarded
against in the Volunteer army, and it is to be hoped
he will find a remedy.