PRINCE ALFRED LIGHT HORSE. FIRING FOR MR. JAMES'S CUP.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3851, 24 December 1869, Page 4

PRINCE ALFRED LIGHT HORSE. FIRING FOR MR. JAMES'S CUP.

The firing for the very handsome cut* presented to the Prince Alfred Light Horse by Mr. L. E. James, to be competed for,' took place yesterday at the 3Sfbrth Shore. .Considering the period this corps has been in existence, it mustered strongly, and thesoldierly appearance of the men, as'well as the cleanliness of •their arms and aeeoutrenaents, were the theme of general admiration. The day was remarkab y fine, and, though a light breeze prevailed during, the afternoon, it served only to* temper the heat of the day, not- militating Bj|J.-the t z slightest against -good sh'ootsSfc'' Add to this, the sun during the greater p*aVt of the day was. over-clouded, a more favourable occasion could hardly hanse>' : been chosen for good firing. The detachment from the Auckland side was conveyed over in the steamer 'Jane' in 1 the early part of the day. Arrangements having been made for the firing on Wednesday, Captain Wynyard, who haa all along displayed much interest in the corps, exerted himself very much in making the necessary preparations, notwithstanding the extreme difficulty that was experienced in procuring a target. As it was, a single target of a very indifferent character had to be used during the whole of the firing, and, no butts having been erected, the markers, Messrs. A. Stratford and John W. James, besides experiencing considerable difficulty in distinguishing the results of the firing, had j also to undergo considerable risk, as they | stood entirely unprotected a short distance on one side of the target, watching the shots by J means of the binocular. It had been expected that Sergeant-Major Ryfand would I have been present with the necessary flags and other things, but owing to some cause or other he absented himself, and the firing had consequently to be con- I ducted under considerable difficulties. We must say, however, that the markers deserve much praise for the careful and thoroughly impartial manner in which thej r performed their duties. It was expected \ that the Volunteer Band would have been on the ground, but as it was apparent from an early hour that they could not attend, Captain Smith waited upon Colonel Elliot, who with ready courtesy consented to allow a portion of the excellent band of the 18th to be on the ground during the day, under Sergeant Hale. A royal standard was also kindly lent by Major Haniley, who was on the ground during the greater part of the firing, and appeared to take much interest in it. The firing commenced at about two o'clock, and was kept up during the day without intermission, the band playing select pieces of music at intervals. There were some few persons present as spectators, but we regret to say that the interest displayed in the affair fell short of what had teen anticipated. There were also one or two ladies on the ground at one time during the day. The firing was conducted with great regularity, notwithstanding the defective means provided, and much credit is due to Captain Smith for the creditable manner in which he turned out his corps. We append the score, which shows some very fair shooting, and good averages, As wiH be seen, the affair nearly terminated in a tie, three of the competitors — Lieutenant Motiou, Sergeant Grattan, and Corporal Thomas — having kept very close together throughout. Indeed, up to the last shot, when Sergeant Grattan and Coiporal Thomas stood at 40 each, the affair was a toss up, but a miss by Grattan lost his chance of winning. A centre made by 1 Corporal Thomas in the last shot gave him a total of 43. The following is the score :—: —

At the conclusion of the firing the corps i formed up and marched to the Masonic Hotel, kept by Mr. L. R. James, the donor ] oi the cup, where the members assembled in'j a room which was placed at their disposal | for the purpose. Captain Wynyard occupied the chair. ! Captain Smith announced that the cup had ' been won by Corporal Thomas. ' Captain Wynyard said: Officers andgentlemen of the Prince Alfred Light Horse, it is with the greatest pleasure that I have met to-day such a thoroughly soldierlike body of men as the members of thjs corps. I have been a soldier myself, and I can appreciate soldierly qualities, the more es])ecially when they are displayed in so eminent a degree by a corps so young as this is. I was sincerely pleased to see to-day that the arms were in clean and serviceable order. I very much admired the handsome cup presented by Mr. L. R. James, of the Q.C.E. When 1 see so many old acquaintances of mine gathered together in so distinguished a corps, and one which is so generally esteemed in the provizice, I must say that it is a source of the deepest pleasure. I only hope that ere long the members of this corps will be largely increased. It has been honoured with the name of the son of our good Queen, and though I do not belong — (a Voice : You must join it) — I may say that I have been a soldier from boyhood, having been born in a barracks, and that I am proud to see soldierly qualities wherever I find them. This cup, which has been kindly presented by the enterprising proprietor of the building in which we are now assembled, Mi\ L. R. James, i 3 a prize of which we may all feel proud. I only hope that the good example which he has so freely set will be imitated by others — will be more generally followed. Corporal Thomas, I have much pleasure in presenting you with, this handsome prize, and I hope it will be a memento to you of this day. (Cheers.) Captain Wynyard here handed the cup to Corporal Thomas. Corporal Thomas : I feel highly honoured at receiving such a prize this day. When I left home this morning, I had no idea that I should be so fortunate. I only fired half-a-dozen times yesterday, and I have not lately been accustomed to firing at all. I may say. again, that I am very much gratified at receiving this very valuable prize, (Cheers. ) Band : " See the Conquering Hero comes." Captain Smith : It gives me the very greatest pleasure to corroborate Captain Wynyard in what he said respecting the condition and appearance of the corps. I was very proud to see the manner in which you turned out to-day, and the very creditable manner in which you acquitted yourselves, in spite of the short time these weapons have been in your hands. I also feel deeply f ratified to see the spirii which Mr, James as shown in presenting to a corps which is almost in embryo one of the most valuable presents ever given to any corps to be competed for in New Zealand. I trust that this will not be by any means the last prize that will be competed for by this corps, which has been honoured with the name of the son of our Queen, and which has the honour of being the only royal cavalry in corps in the colony. I hope the corps wUI ever be a credit to its royal patron, and that it will ever bear in mind the high honour that has been conferred upon it by the son of our Sovereign. Gentlemen, 1 beg to propose a vote of thanks to Mr. L. B. James, the donor of the cup. Cornet Stratford seconded in a few appropriate remarks, Band : " God Save the Queen." The following toasts were then proposed, and duly drunk with all the honours : " The Queen and Royal Family ;" " The Patron of the Cup, his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh ;" " His Excellency the Governor, coupled with the name of Lady Bo wen." Captain Smith, in proposing the health of Mr. James, said : I have very great pleasure in proposing this toast. 1 tninkTMr. Jamea has set an example, not only to the North. Shore, tat to the public of -Auckland, and it'

' only needs & more general display of thi* liberality and enterprise to make the volun-j teer movement a great benefit to the coun. try." In the old country the| volunteer ibove«xnent is a success because it is patronised by all ' classes, and people'see the benefit it. tfhey look at the movement in a nobler light than do the people of this country,' and the voltm* teer movement at home has consequently been a jewel in the British Crown; for, »t the; present time, there is a volunteer force riumbermgover3(X),oo{),thegreatmajorityofwhom are the finest soldiers that ever trod a battle* field. The consequence of this is, that the British army- is available to take the field abroad at any time, leaving Great Britain' to the safe guardianship of her volunteer forces. It is astonishing to see the apathy of; the people here, and the want of support that we here received from the Government. However, I hope that the volunteer will not relax in their own exertions to maintain efficiency, and in conclusion I may >say that I hope the Prince Alfred light Horse will always gratefully remember the kindness of the enterprising donor of this very valuable cup. The toast was drunk with enthusiasm : "He's a jolly good fellow," and cheers, j Mr. Lotfis Rose James said : Officers and gentlemen of the frince Alfred Horse, — I feel I very grateful for the high compliment which you have paid me. I can only say with rei gard to the cup that I hope it will not, be the last that will be presented to this fjne ! corps. lamgladthatthissmall gift of mine has ! given so much pleasure, and I can only assure you that if at any time I can do anything to further the volunteer movement I shall jbe only too happy to do so. I fully recognise the importance of maintaining an effective volunteer force, and it was to assist in my humble way in stimulating the volunteers to attain to greater skill in the use of the rifle that I presented this cup. lam very glad to see that any efforts of mine should have met with so much appreciation. Gentlemen, once again I thank you for the handsome { manner in which you have drunk my health. | (Loud cheers. ) \ Captain Smith proposed the health of Colonel Elliot and the officers of the 18th Royal Irish, and referred to their courtesy in placing the band at the disposal of the company. Major Hamley had also acted ! very kindly in lending the Royal Standard j for the occasion. The toast was cordially drunk. ' The corps then reformed, and marched down to the steamer, preceded by the band of the ISth Royal Irish. On arrival at the , shore end of the wharf three cheers were given for the 18th, and the town detachment embarked in the 'Jane, 1 and proceeded to Auckland, the band playing several lively airs on the way. Much credit is due to Captain Smith, and the officers of the corps, for the _ very satisfactory manner in which everything was car* ried out, and their efforts were ably seconded by Sergeant-Major Lindsay, whose experience and knowledge were of great value.

t£ w5 n. & °i §3 s?3 § Captain Smith .. .. 313333 1 333 22223 32204 33 Jjeutenant Motion .. .. 32433 43213 23020 37 Cornet Stratfoid . . . . 83333 32023 22202 33 Dr. Wright 02320 02032 Paymaster Montroso . . 83333 33043 03223 38 Seigeant-Major Lindsay .. 034^4 02333 3)230 37 Sergeant Grattan .. .. 44343 43323 20230 40 Sergeant Warburton .. 00000 30000 00000 3 Corp >ial G Thomas . . 43324 30343 33233 43 Corporal Samson . . . . 22333 22322 03220 30 Blakeloy 03332 0 Nicoll . . . . „ . . 22323 03223 00022 20 Farrier Gregg 32232 00003 30 Thomas 03222 00003 20000 14 Edgecombe 333^3 32300 05032 31 Baraclougli 22333 23202 03320 30