hunter, and the man that rode him was warranted to do some good cross country skirmishing if called into presence of the enemy.
The Honourable Artillery corps again puzzled the people mightily, and we believe to this hour numbers went away with the idea that a battalion of Her Majesty’s Grenadier Guards led off the Review. But we confess that, to our unprofessional eye, the most active and soldierly-looking set of men were the Inns of Court corps. The greyish-brown dress possibly tended to give the men size; but it was impossible not to remark that the “Devil’s Own” carried off the palm for setting-up and athletic proportions. When we consider that these young lawyers are many of them just drafted from the Universities, where physical training is perhaps better attended to than among any other assemblage of young Englishmen, it is not surprising that they should make such splendid young soldiers. That the use of their brains does not militate against the use of their legs, the repeated cries of “Bravo, Devil’s Own!” as they marched past, fully testified. Indeed, a good many could not help remarking that here, as in a good many other places, his sable majesty took excellent care of his children. It was observable in this Review, that the spirit which leads us to stick to what is termed in the army the regimental system, also obtains most fully amongst the Volunteers. Each corps felt a pride in itself, which doubtless will tend to excellent results if the Volunteers are ever called into the field on active service. “Look at the Robin Hoods,” said a soldier next to us, “every man of them looks as though he had shot with William Cloudeslie, and could pick off the Sheriff of Nottingham at a thousand paces;” and most certainly, if there is any reliance on manly bearing, that old idea, that we thought had perished with Merry Sherwood, lives and moves in the breasts of the brave men in Lincoln green from Nottingham. Not less admired was the little company of Artists. Such splendid beards, worthy of Titian, and such fine faces! Imagine some dirty little scrub of a Frenchman picking off his Stanfield, or potting a Millais, in an affair before breakfast! But there would be plenty of Englishmen left to avenge them, and to paint good pictures afterwards. Then there were the Scottish, Welsh, and Irish corps, each distinguished by some national badge or costume. The kilted company of Scotchmen certainly marched admirably, and fully justified the excellence of the costume for that exercise; and the Irish in their green uniforms looked, we must confess, very like their own constabulary, and we could not pay them a better compliment. It would be advisable if the Welsh corps were to put its goat through a little marching drill before the next review, as he certainly evinced a backwardness in coming forward on the last occasion, which slightly threw that gallant regiment out. If Mr. Bright, or any of the “peace party at any price,” were present, it must have galled them to have seen the Manchester corps, 1600 strong, move along its dark green mass, forming with the Robin Hoods a brigade of themselves. The Lancashire lads, it is clear, are not inclined just at present to beat their swords into pruning-hooks. Neither must we forget the Durham corps brought to the metropolis by the munificence of Anne, Marchioness of Londonderry. Up to a late hour on the previous Friday, these citizen-soldiers toiled in the deep mine, in the counting-house, and behind the counter; then donning their uniform, travelled all night and appeared on the ground as fresh as daisies, and after a hard day’s reviewing hurried northward, and were home again by daybreak. We question if campaigning would be much harder work than this.
The Bristol corps, a regiment of stalwart Saxons, in like manner came from the other side of the island, and indeed from all parts the Volunteers were drawn to air themselves for a few hours in the eyes of their Sovereign. And her Majesty was justly proud of their devotion, and was so moved that, at one time, she actually shed tears—precious tears. What other monarch in Europe, for such a cause, could shed them? It may be that we see with partial eyes, but we question if any country in Europe could send forth such an army of picked men as defiled before the Royal Standard on that occasion, and some of the Parisian journals were handsome enough to say almost as much. As the French Ambassador Persigny watched the last Volunteer march past him, he turned to an English friend and said, “This is indeed the handsomest compliment you could have paid us.”
But to drill well, and to make good marksmen, are two very different things; or, to use the language of the Hythe Manual of Musket Instruction, “marching and manœuvring can do no more than place the soldier in the best possible situation for using his weapon with effect.” How are our Volunteers to become good marksmen? Blazing away at a target without any preliminary instruction is a mere waste of powder and ball; this fact they have long found out at Hythe. The public cannot understand this, and there has been a loud cry in the papers for ball-cartridge practice; but General Hay will tell you that to begin with ball practice is to begin at the end. Before a man can shoot effectively with a rifle, he must know how to hold it. At short ranges he can shoot standing, but when it comes to a thousand yards he requires a rest of some kind, and the kneeling position will give him a natural rest if he is instructed how to take it. We question if many of those portly riflemen to be seen in every corps are at all aware of the trifling knot they must tie themselves up into, ere they can accomplish this position. In the book of instruction the position drill for long ranges is as follows: “When kneeling, the right foot and knee are to be in the right position, and the body (i. e. buttock) is to rest firmly on the right heel.” If any rifleman who has lost his waist will have the goodness to try this position, we would recommend him to have some assistance at hand to help him up again! Again, we are told that before a man can take aim with his rifle he must be able to fire a cap without winking. No such easy matter, as any man may easily prove to himself; and when this difficulty is got over there is the very necessary exercise in judging of distances. Nothing is so deceptive as distance, especially in level places where you see the ground foreshortened. All these things are taught at the