THE PRIZE-FIRING AT NELSON.

West Coast Times, Issue 2569, 15 December 1873, Page 2

THE PRIZE-FIRING AT NELSON.

The following Report andßeturn* c >pkd frpmithe.'New ■ Zealand . G-izjtte showing the result of the Prize Firing for 1872, ar<« published: for general information. Report on the Colonial Firing at

Nelson.

Sitt^— Auckland, 31st Novenaber, 1873. ' I h^ve the honor to make the followii'g i report .mi connection' with . the Cildnial Prize Firing of 1873, at Nelaon.- >

I r a,rr ved with, the Representatives at Nelson, per" Wellington," on the morning of \he Ist instant," and during tne same day 'the Southern Representatives arrived tier " Phcebe.,' Certain representatives, however, from districts adjacent to Nelson, did not arrive until the 3rd iristan'i.

The^range, butts, targets, &c, having been judiciously prepared and arranged bf ' StafF-Sergeanf .Stevens -at Stoke, oq the property of Mr Marsden, nbout three aud a half or four milei frbin Nelson, I was enaWeii — to~ commence—the official programme of the, Firing for . 1873 at a few . miuutes before 6 o'clock oh the morning bi: the 4th instant—the date fixed by this Government. The Firing was continued! without intermission daily from 6 a,tni till: sunset j so f hat after seven and a hall days the prescribed matches had all beea fired ;l; l fcfter which two days -were occupied in firing matches under a system of earthcolored targets and sights proposed by Mr Soall;, Sergeant-Instructor ot Musketry, Auckland liifle Brigade.; and if me ins of transport had been obtainable, the Representatives couM have been, to their bonnes on the iris'rant. However, on the night of .'the 17thj the Northern Representatives quitted Nelspn per" Wellington 1 ," and the Sonthem men on the following day per " Rangatira."

.The greatest goodwill and cordiality pervaded tnis meeting, .and there was ' no complaints on any subject whatever. ' '

Only one protest was recorded, and that was against a Snider carbine used by Constable Gilpin,' Armed Gbnstabularyj the foresight of which had been tatnperedwith. An examination of the sight sustained the protest, and the score made by the .carbine was disqualified under clause 5,' General Rules, Firing Regulations, November 1873. .

I was obliged to depart from the Regulation in one instance, where it ißpYescribetl that in the Fifth Cavalry Match the timfe should be five miuutes. :FoV a rapidity mtach with breech-loading weapons, fire roHiatesis toblorig, ,-andi tha barrel and breech become dangerously hot. The Cavalry competitors Wefe also of the aitae opinion, so. that. l limited the duration of thefirin* in this match to three minutes.

Those competitors who were .termed extr-a iricu were very much gratified by the cPiicession :uade by the Hou Mr McLeaia in'ailriirttitig asa charge against the public j the. co?t .of, their, conveyance, jto \ rapgf ) and back to Nelson each day. v f

The whpjejoft^ec.oijvpe.tito.r'? were alsu very thankful to theflon McLean for his having gjven^them £20 as pr.izes:. in;} Mr Soall's matches ; which matches afforded theraso much real inst^wotion; ;thut they requested me to recommend to the Government that at t^hei^exjt meetjng two nxatches

{For continuation of News see 4th Pase.)

from Second Posh.)

at len»t under Mr So>»i.!o ?•; srvi'^'i'n'f) he permittt U, and embraced in' the Regula inns. 1 would, recomrhfnd tbat, in future annual eompeti tioris, niemv ers of the Armed Constabulary should not t:.ke part. They are not Volunteers ; and having jio velunary domicile as sich, I could scarcely have illowed any of them to take part, eveii. if hey had qualified, in tbe North and Sou'h Island Match. There" was some objection though it was not pressed, to the mounted portion of the Armed Constabulary, taking part in the competition, because they had not qualified as representatives in accordance With the Regu'ations. that is, that they had fired for choice of representatives with Snider carbine* instead of with Terry carbines, as tbe . Volunteer Cavalry had done. Then, with respect to the Infantry portion of the Armed Constabulary,- they were brought to thY competition at. a . manifest disadvantage, inasmuch as they were then compelled by the Regulations to fire with hnfield rifle?, a weapon with which they are not armed, and with which consequently, they had not had any prac- , tice. . It is much to be ' regretted that the avalry and Infanfary Champion 3elts l:avenot arrived from ' ngland ; their non-receipt caused great disappointment to the winners of them ; and the Cavnlry ! . Champion of la t year, who has not con • stquently had an opportunity of wearing bis belt, is much and reasonably mortified. I attribute the success of the meeting to tbe friendly spirit by which all hands were actuated, and to the c refulness and zeal of the Staff officers, Captains Baillie, Track, Oleland, Humphery, and SincMr. and Sub-laspector Mnrshall. I am al«o much indebted ho Mr. ' Stevens, of the Defence Offic* 1 , who pei formed the clercial duties attaching to the meeting with his usual care and precision. Staff-Sergeant Stevens' (from Otago) assistance was invaluable also One feature in this meetr ing, and one which afforded great satisfaction to the competitors, besides conducing very materially to the early termina-. lion of tie programme, was tt:e rapid an-1 ntost accurate marking (by d so) of the marker;) who were employed, four from Constabulary De| ot, arid one from the "Wellington Store Department. • . The inhabitants of Nelson cannot be too highly, commended for their extreme hospitality ; aud to such an extent did they carry this hospitality, that on each day .of the meeting they provided a sumptuous luncheon on the range for the whole of the competitors and staff. I cannot omit to refer to an act of very great consideration on the part of the Government, and which was the establishment of a telegraphic station on the range — by means of which competitors were enabled to telegraph the value of each shot as it . was fired, to friends in the remotest parts of the Colon j. On the 15th instant the prizes were presented with all due formality by the Hon. Major Richmond, C.8., assisted by Mrs A. Richmond, who invested the champions, Douglas and Hoskin, with silk sashes (in the absence of their official belt.-) - ■ I have, &c. . Wm. Gordon, ?<fajor. Commanding Auckland District. The Under Secretary for Deffnce, (Militia and Volunteer Branch,) Wellington.