The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-02 00:00:00

) 711 E NATIOIVAL RIFLE AASOCIATIOAre

The National Rifle Association, in anticipation of their
general meeting, to be held at Willis's Rooms on Wednes-
day, under the presidency of his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge, has just issued its eighth annual report. It
consists of something like 500 'closely-printed pages, and
its compilation is a work evidently of great labour and
carefully collated. and valuable statistical information,
shewing the rise and progress of this important institution,
as an adjunct to the success' of the great volunteer move-
ment. As an example of the progressive success it has
achieved, it is shewn that, whilst in the first year after the
formation of the association the number of prizes competed
for were only 67, and the money value a little over £2,000,
in 1867 the number of prizes had risen to 935, amount-
ing in value to the large sum of upwards of £ll,OOO.
With regard to the shooting there had also been between
the two periods a marked and progressive improvement in
the Volunteer and Enfield All-comers' competitions,
although a similar amount of increased perfection is not to
be found in those which refer to smallbore arms. It has
been a complaint, and a just one, against the council,.that
they have invariably had a favOurable inclination to the
smallbore branch of the competitions, even amounting, as
has frequently been alleged, to unfairnes3, when, if there
was any favouritism at all, it had a right to be claimed on
behalf of those who carry, and who manfully enter the
lists with the national volunteer weapon. This feeling
accounts for the desire of the council in their report to
endeavour to palliate the retrograde movement with re-
gard to shooting with smallbore rifles by hints that bad
weather had much to do with the decline. This, howeter,
will not be satisfactory to the mass of volunteers, or even
to smallbore shots, who consider that the prestige which
once attached to smallbore shooting has been seriously
endangered, and the number of competitors restricted, by
the introduction of expensive match rifles, the practical
value of the extraordinary accuracy of which has lost much
by the delicacy of the mechanism requisite to give effect to
their capabilities, as well as their costliness. On the con•
trary, the Enfield appears 'to hold its own, and when ,the
volunteers shall be armed with the :weapon in its converted
state as a breechloader, there can be little doubt that it
will beCome more popular than ever. ' The bad weather
which prevailed during the latter part of the Wimbledon
meeting is referred to as a cause why the balance-sheet
does not present so favourable an appearance as on former
occasions, and it will appear to the general public an
astounding thing that it does so, as there can be no denying
the fact that through the visit of the Belgians and the
Sultan there were at least double the number of people
paid for admission to the grounds on the days set apart
for the reception that ever paid before. The profit is stated
at £1,900, but as the report admits that £2,300 extra in
gate-money was taken, arising out of the visit of the
Sultan and the Belgians, it is to be supposed that but for
these 'exceptional circumstances and special attractions
the late meeting would scarcely have paid its expenses.
Although in some departments there would appear to have
been not only a prudent, but even niggardly economy ob-
served, in others the expenditure has been of a most extra-
vagant character. Under the head of works a sum of
£3,000 is expended, £2,500 under those of pay and allow-
ances, and £l,OOO in expenses of the camp. The reserve
fund of the association has, however, now reached the
respectable balance of £lO,OOO.

THEATRE ROYAL, HA YMARKET.
Sole Lessee, Mr. Backstone.
THIS EVENING, THE BROKEN-HEARTED CLUB. Mr.
Liordon, Mr. Braid, Mrs. Chippendale, &c.
To be followed by DAVID GARRICK. Messrs. Sothern,
Baelzstoue, Chippendale, Rogers, Clark, Coe, &c.; Mesdames
Chippendale, Robertson, Fitzwilliam, &c.
After which, BOX AND COX. Mr. Backstone and Mr.
Compton.
And FAMILY JARS. Mr. Compton.