VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8964, 23 August 1892, Page 5

VOLUNTEER INTELLIGENCE.

PONSONBY NAVAL ARTILLERY. Colonel Fox's inspection of this company was held at the Drill-shed last evening. The company mustered 47 all told, the officers in command being Captain Miller and Lieutenant Graham. With Colonel Fox, Commandant, were LieutenantColonel Goring, Adjutant Grant, SergeantMajor Scully, of the Staff, and SergeantMajor Gunn, of the Defence Force. Instructors from the torpedo and other departments were also present. The company first fell in, and the men were put through a course of infantry drill under Captain , Miller and Lieutenant Graham. The gunners of both batteries?, Forts Cautley and Takapuna, were called to the front, and questioned by Colonel Fox as to gun movements, projectiles, &c. The detachments were also questioned by the gun captains. Colonel Fox, addressing the parade, expressed his satisfaction with the knowledge of gunnery displayed by the men. He complimented them, and said they must have given up a lot of time to acquire the knowledge they had displayed, and from what he had seen of them he would have every confidence in them if they were required to - fight. Their infantry drill was not good, but that could hardly be expected of a corps which had given so much time to artillery drill. A new feature of the inspection then took place. Detachments were taken to sub-marine mining, knotting and splicing, and signalling. In signalling, all the messages were sent and received without mistakes. What, we wonder, did the colonel think of the last message flagged, " Have you any news for us ?" He did not reply, but saluted. The sub-marine mining drill was also excellent, and Colonel Fox was so E leased with it that he said it was the best e had seen.