H.—9a

10

Blenheim High School Cadets. Present : 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 1 colour-sergeant, 2 sergeants, and 38 rank and file. Absent: 16 rank and file. Uniform. —Blue-serge frocks ; forage-caps of very bad pattern, without stiffening. Arms and Accoutrements. —Snider artillery carbine, Snider cavalry carbines, cut-down Snider rifles ; brown-leather belts, no slings. Officer. —Captain Lucas : A good officer. Non-commissioned Officers and Cadets. —A good body of cadets. Turn-out. —Clean, but spoilt in appearance by the caps. Those cadets not on parade are without uniform. Drill. —The cadets were satisfactorily drilled by the officers, and did very creditably.

YOLUNTEEB (EASTEE) ENCAMPMENTS.

WELLINGTON. JOHNSONVILLE CAMP.

The various corps mustered, as a rule, well, but there were several disappointing exceptions, the Wanganui Eifles, Albert Eifles, Manchester Eifles, and Wellington Guards not turning out as they should have done. The work done was on the whole satisfactory, but showed a general want of knowledge of field-work, and proved the impossibility of one camp Commandant being able to thoroughly instruct and supervise the field-work of such a large body of men. In this it was painfully evident that there were few, if any, officers who could have assisted him, but an attempt should have been made to find such officers and make use of them. I was present in this camp on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On the latter day half the Force under Major Wood was detailed to reconnoitre the roads and pathways leading from Porirua to Wellington, being supposed to be the head of an attacking force landed at Porirua. This work was well done. The remainder of the Force was told off as a line of piquets covering a force in Johnsonville, which was intrusted with the defence of Wellington against any attack which could be delivered from Porirua. The line of piquets were not well posted. There were far too many

Corps. Officers. N.C. Officers. Privates. Total. Wellington. D Battery Wellington City Eifles ... Wellington Guards Wellington Eifles Wellington Garrison Band... Staff 2 2 2 3 9 6 4 4 2 1 17 41 18 23 18 28 49 24 30 20 7 6 Napier. 2 2 2 6 6 3 3 5 1 38 .15 24 17 33 158 Napier Navals P Battery Napier Eifles Napier Garrison Band Hastings Eifles ... Staff ... 2 1 46 23 29 20 40 2 Taeanaki. 3 5 28 160 Taranaki Eifles ... 36 Wanganui. Wanganui Navals Wanganui Eifles... Albert Eifles Wanganui Garrison Band ... Eoyal (Bangitikei) Eifles ... Manchester Eifles Palmerston North Eifles ... Staff ... Permanent Artillery 1 1 1 3 1 2 8 1 1 2 5 1 6 1 2 36 19 11 17 26 22 40 45 21 13 19 34 24 48 1 12 10 Tni-nla 82 Totals