THE EASTER ENCAMPMENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 7183, 11 April 1887, Page 2

THE EASTER ENCAMPMENTS.

The camp at Otaio is excellently situated, and the men appear to be pleased with the arrangements made for their reception. A neatlyprinted budget, entitled the 'Camp Gazette,’ is issued nightly by Volunteer Provo, of the City Guards, and it is a creditable production. The Otago camp is in charge of Lieutenant-colonel Wales; and the Canterbury camp (where also the Oamaru men are located) in charge of Lieutenant-colonel Bailey, N. Z. Militia. The weather is glorious. The following is the parade state of the Otago camp, showing 774 men on parade:— Brigade Staff.-Colonel Wales, Captain Valentine (chief of staff), Major Burwell (commander of cavalry), Captain Proud foot (commander of artillery). Cavalry—Otago Hussars 32, North Otago Troop 28. Ordnance. Port Chalmers Naval Artillery 46, Peninsula Naval Artillery 12, B Battery 82, High School Cadets 41. Total of tho battalion, 176. Rifles.—No. 1 O.RV. Battalion: Staff—Majors Burns and Callan, Captain and Acting major Smith, Adjutant Bathgate, Sergeant-major Harrison. Ci'y Guards 22, North Dunedin Rifles' 22, Wakar! 21, South Dunedin 40, Highland 24, Caversham 29, Irish 32. Total of the battalion, 203. No. 2 O.R.V. Battalion ; Staff Major Andrew, Captains Parmenter and Patrick, Sergeant-msjor Towler. South District Rifles 25, Bruce 35, East Taieri 12, Clutha 34, Waitahuna 28, Tuapeka 29, Kaitangata 25, West Taieri 16, Peninsula 23, Dunedin Garrison Band 30. Total of the batQ'ion, 249. Southland Carps.—lnvercargill Artillery Cadets IS, Invercargill Rifles 35, Arrow 9, Gore 33, Cromwell 6. Total, 98.

The Northern Brigade mustered as follows

First Canterbury.—City Guards 34, College Rifles 34, Christchurch Rifles 27, Sydenham Rifles 29, Canterbury Scottish 31, Richmond Rifles 81, Irish Rifles 25, Kaiapoi 41, Kaispoi Band 9, Garrison Band 21. Total, 282. Ordance.—Canterbury Engineers 33, If Battery (Lyttelton) 34, E Battery (Christchurch) 40, I Battery (Oamaru) 18, Navals 40, Timaru Navals 45, C Battery (Tlnaaru) 37, Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry 35, Mounted Rifles 30, Ambulance 3. Total. 316 .South Canterbury.-Temuka Rifles 27, Ashburton 39, Geraldine 33, Waimate 40, Ashburton 31, Timaru 40. Rangiora 52. Total, 262. North Otago First Battalion,—Oamaru Garrison Band, Hampden, Oamaru, Otepopo, Palmerston, Naseby, and Walkouaitl Rifles. About 200, The following brigade order will give some idea of how the camp is managed;— During the time o( the encampment Volunteers must not trespass on neighboring properties, and must guard against doing any injuries to fences, stacks, or other private property, keeping also in mind that the paddock in which the camp is formed has been generously and unconditionally placed at the services of the Volunteers by Mr Lawrie. No man is permitted to go more than a mile from the camp without bis captain's permission, obtained through the orderly sergeant of bis company. An inlying picket will be detailed daily. The picket will parade with 'side-arms at reville, and tattoo will see the oamp cleared ot visitors and strangers. Between first and last posts they will attend parade with their corps, and will receive their orders from the subaltern on garrison duty. Company orderly-sergeants will parade their mess orderlies half an hour before each meal to draw rations, and orderly officers will attend all issue of rations. A corporal from each rifle battalion and one from each of the others will attend at the canteen during the time it is open. The following nominal details of time and duties will be observed in oamp; -Reveille at 6,30 a.m., guard-mounting at 6 a.m,, breakfast at 8 a.ra., dinner at 1 p.m., tea at 6,30 p.m.; tattoo-first post 10 p.m,, last post 10.30 p id, ; lights out—men, 10.46 p.m.; officers and non-commissioned officers on duty, 11 p.m.” There was a sham fight on Saturday between the forces quartered in the Northern and Southern camps, and it was altogether a thorough success. The Canterbury forces' certainly had all the advantage of position and numbers on their side, and they were declared the victors. The Otago men were, however, remarkably well handled by Lieutenant-colonel Wales and Major Gordon, their manoeuvring on the whole being superior to that of tl)e opposing forces. Afjipr the older to cease firing had been sounded, the battalion officers were called to the front and briefly addressed by Colonel Lean, the chief umpire, who said: "Gentlemen, I have great pleasure in saying that the way in whioh the operations have been carried out to-day by the several arms of the service has met with the approbation of the umpire staff; and if mistakes were made, I am quite sure that they are only those little results of error in judgment and want of experience in the field which the great object of these Easter encampments is to correct. The time at our disposal is extremely short, being limited in point of fact to two days, or rather, I should say, to a day and A-half. This is one of the days, and I hope that on Monday morning we shall' be enabled to carry out something of what we have done this morning with a remembrance of what did rot go well to-day. Will you kindly dismiss your meu and officers with my thanks, gentlemen.”

The only accident to speak of so far is that a member of the North Dunedin Rifles had his face badly burned this morning through the accidental ignition of a cartridge; and lost night a picket party had a nagrow escape through their straw bedding catching fire.

Thera are 2,000 men at the Taranaki encampment, which is attended by Wanganui, Wellington, Napier, and West Coast Volunteers. Five men are in the hospital—Corporal Dewsnap (Napier Sides), suffering from a fracture of the ribs, caused by being crushed getting out of the train near the encampment; Private 1 ‘aggon (Wanganqi Artillery), suffering from milff sunstroke ; Private Qibhs (Nelson Cqllege Cadets), Private (Wanganui Nayals), and Private Baker (Napier Sides), suffering from whitlow.- The medical staff have everything deemed necessary for the patients at hand in camp. While F Battery (Napier Artillery) were getting two six-pounder guns off a truck at the railway station this morning, an accident happened to Trumpeter Fox. The gun-carriage tilted over, one of the shafts striking him a heavy blow, causing concussion of the spine. He was taken to Now Plymouth Hospital, and was found to be not dangerously hurt. On Saturday night the town was crowded with Volunteers on furlough. They carried on high jinks, took possession of the Salvation Array barracks, turning out the lights, and creating a general uproar during the service, A picket of Navals were detailed from camp to preserve order, and after some time the men were got ont of the Army barracks, but the services bad to be discontinued. The Salvation Army captain has been requested by the authorities rot to hold services for fear of disturbances, but has refused the request. Up to late at night the town was crowded, and the streets were taken possession of by Volunteers. Divine service was held at the camp yesterday. The collection in the morning, in aid of the soldiers’ graves, amounted to L 25, The Auckland Volunteers and cavalry corps were summoned out at daybreak yesterday morning, and embarked at the Queen street wharf for the fortifications at North Head and Lake Takapuna encampment. The review and sham fight were held on Saturday, and the sham fight proved the best fqr practical work which has taken place. The only accident was to Bugler Nairn, of the Gordon Rifles, who was kicked on the forehead while holding the horse of a staff officer. He was placed in the ambulance and taken to pamp, and is believed not to be seriously injured,