Again, we mean that, all in good time, we want the Army Estimates lowered, and that we don't see our way to it except through effectual and permanent volunteering.

Again, notwithstanding the many noble efforts at social reform in the last twelve years, there is no denying that classes in England are still standing lamentably apart. The difficulty of finding a common standing-ground, anything in which we may all work together and take our pastime together; where we can stand shoulder to shoulder, and man to man, each counting for what he is worth; the peer without condescending, and the peasant without cringing, is almost as great as ever. Here, in volunteering, we think we have found what may, when ́ rightly handled, do much towards filling up this gap,-a common subject of interest, a bond which may in the end bind the nation together again in many other ways besides teaching us men how to form rallying squares, and prepare to receive cavalry side by side.

Again, we mean that, to the best of our belief, steady volunteering will make individual Englishmen healthier of body, stronger and steadier of hand, quicker of eye, prompter in action, and more generally alert and intelligent than they are at present.

This is not all we mean, but may suffice for the present. And now to pass to another side of the subject.

As you are so bent on volunteering, where do you mean to stop? Definite aims are desirable things: now, what are you volunteers going to be content with? Will 200,000, with 40,000 or 50,000 marksmen among them, do? Will 500,000, with 100,000 marksmen, do?

We shall have, no doubt, to put up with much less than we like, even if all things go well and smoothly (which they most assuredly won't); but if it comes to talking of being content, we shall be content with this and nothing less: We shall be content when it shall be held to be a slur on an adult Englishman if he does not know the use of arms, and the ordinary drill of a soldier. We shall be content when the

nation is armed and drilled, when every man shoulders musket once a week or so, as much as a matter of course as he puts on a decent coat on Sunday mornings. That is what will satisfy us as respects numbers.

As respects proficiency, we shall be content when our corps are equal to any troops in the world that have never seen actual service-when Lord Clyde, or General Mansfield, or our own Inspector-General, declares that he would as soon go into action with us as with any troops he ever saw, who had not smelt powder. Why not? What is to hinder it? The short experience we have had proves that we are already treading on the heels of the regulars, if we don't beat them, in shooting. Surely, with a little resolution, and steady practice, we can learn our drill as well as any of them. Remember, we are only nine months old or so. What may we not hope in nine years' time?

Fine talk, my dear Sirs, fine talk; but wouldn't it be better to draw it a little milder, and then people won't laugh so loud at your failures, which are sure to To which we reply in the words of good old George Herbert"Faint not in spirit; he who aims the sky

come.

"Shoots higher far than he who means a tree."

And so we leave our doubting friends, with the assurance that no amount of sage or sneering advice, cold water, or inextinguishable laughter shall hinder us from going as near this mark as we can. The only chance of getting near it at all is to start with the resolution to be content with nothing short of thorough success. A low standard will make no good men we hope to pull up to a very high one; in any case, hit or miss, we refuse to square our hopes and cut down our practice to suit a low one.

But let no one suppose that Volunteers are not aware of the enormous difficulty of the work they have to do. We have all felt something of it already, and shall soon feel more of it. now, no doubt, volunteering is at flood

Just

tide for the year 1860. We have been reviewed by her Majesty, and rather imagine that we have done ourselves credit. We are just going to shoot at the great national meeting, started, organized, and carried through, entirely by some of the leading Volunteers of the kingdom. We look forward shortly to our great sham-fighting, but not sham-working, field-day of the season; when we hope to exhibit prodigies of valour and intelligence, under the command of Volunteer brigadiers, but also under the approving and envious eyes of generals and colonels of the regulars. There will be a very different state of things when the next number of this

Magazine appears. The volunteering appetite will then be beginning to lose its edge, and the up-hill work will be at hand. Enthusiasm will be cooling; very possibly we shall be having small musters, careless drills, lots of withdrawals, and wiseacres will be saying, "We always told you how it would be."

Very well—we expect that it will be so; we accept it, but we don't mean to be beat by it. The question will be then, how is it to be met? How are we to pull through the slack water so as to hold our corps together to make play again the moment the tide turns. That question will, no doubt, be pressing upon us soon, and will require practical consideration. Meantime, let Volunteers rejoice in the flood tide. "Sufficient to the day is the evil thereof." We will utter nothing like the ghost of a croak just now. We shall better occupy ourselves by making these pages the means of imparting to others the experience we have been able to gather on the several subjects of interest and importance that have yet to be settled, and we can assure our readers that we do so in no pedantic spirit, but in the hope of aiding our brother Volunteers to avoid the mistakes and errors that we have ourselves committed.

First in the list of subjects that press for immediate,solution is that of practice ranges for rifle shooting. Some companies of early formation are still

without them; some have but short distances; while others, holding as mere tenants at will, on sufferance, are unwil ling to incur the necessary expenses in erecting a butt on such uncertain tenures. A really good range should satisfy the following conditions: It should be 1,000 yards in length by 10 yards in width; it should be level, or nearly so, along its entire distance; it should intersect no rights of way, and none should cross its line of direction for 1,500 yards from the back of the targets, unless the ground rises and forms a natural bar to the flight of the bullet; it should be readily accessible to the members of the corps, and therefore as central as possible with respect to head-quarters; it should all be held of one lessor, who should also possess the land as well at the sides as at the back of the butt: in addition, there should also be spaces for the marker's butt or mantlet, and for a shed for shelter. The course, if it may be so called, would be not unlike the half-mile gallop at Newmarket. We are aware the conditions we have mentioned are rarely to be met with; but where they do combine, they constitute a first-rate range, presenting the grand features of safety with the constant means of practice. On such a ground, a substantial brick butt, with proper buttresses, 30 feet wide by 20 feet high, with earth-work faced with turf up to 12 feet high, and amply sufficient for a single company, might be erected for about 807.; and, including marker's butt and a timber-built shed, for 1007. over all,-and in proportion for a larger erection. In some places an earth-work altogether might be more cheaply constructed, and, where so, it is the best, and in others a fascine or faggotbutt, and some have tried oak faced with iron; but, as a general rule, the brick wall (14 inch work is enough) will be found the most economical, and it gives that impression of permanency which of all things at present it is so desirable to create. There it stands fixed and demonstrative against all cavillers of the success of the first effort-a monument of the hearty good-will and patriotism of the present generation;

the point around which larger efforts in the same direction may centre in future, should the necessity arise. It is not until every village in England contains its rifle-practice range, that the Volunteer system will be established without fear of relapse; and we sincerely trust that the present summer will witness the erection of good and substantial butts in every part of the country.

Now it will be found that in most neighbourhoods but one such range as we have described could be selected: 1,000 yards is a long stretch of land, and when 1,500 more is added to it, it taxes the capacities of a country, as any engineer, or follower of hounds, will tell you. Harford Bridge Flat, which tried the speed and bottom of the Quicksilver Mail or Exeter Telegraph teams in the old coaching times, was unique in its way; and, passing by the other conditions as more or less attainable, it follows as a rule, that in any particular district there is but one best range, and it becomes an object of the greatest importance to the volunteer corps to obtain it.

We will throw out of consideration the cases of those fortunate companies that are placed near some friendly proprietor, who at once accommodates them with all that can be wished for, as these form but a small percentage of the whole, and we will deal with those less happily circumstanced, who are in view of the promised land, but are denied the access, and have to conduct the hard negotiation with lukewarm or unfriendly occupiers, who would fain repeat the story of the railways, and exact almost fabulous prices for acreage and accommodation.

:

1,000

yards multiplied by 10, gives 2A. OR. 10P. -and allowing 30P. more for mantlet and shed, two acres and a quarter is all that is required, and 107., or, at the most, 157. an acre, should be a fair compensation but little real injury is done; no fencing is required, and the occupier has the herbage if the land is in grass. The following simple form of agreement is all that is necessary between the parties; of course, any special terms incident to particular cases may be added, but in ordinary cases, and for getting on

comfortably together, the simpler the agreement the better:

"Date [say 24th June, 1860]. Agree"ment between A. B. [the occupier] and "C. D. [the captain of the company], as "follows:

"1. The said A. B. lets, and the "said C. D. takes, at 227. 10s. yearly "rent, the use of the plot marked off by white posts from the closes No. 4, "5, and 6 [as the case may be], in the "parish map of [name of parish], and containing 2A. IR., the rent to be paid 'quarterly, and first on the 29th of "September next.

"2. The said plot is to be used as a "Rifle Practice Range for the "Volunteers, and such other corps or

persons as they may permit, and may "be excavated, and all necessary erec"tions and earth-works made and placed "thereon for that purpose.

"3. The said A. B. may use the said "plot for any purpose not interfering "with the said C. D.'s uses, but shall not "be compensated for any injury to crops "occasioned by such uses, nor permit

any rifle practice on the plot without "the said C. D.'s sanction: injuries to "live stock to be compensated for." (Signed) "A. B.

"C. D."

be assumed, in aid of the formation of rifle companies, that safe ranges for rifle practice, of not less than 200 yards, are obtainable in any neighbourhood; and if supervision for the protection of the public is necessary, the check should come in its proper time, and not be applied until the men are ready to begin shooting with ball-cartridge. In its regular sequence it should stand side by side with the recent War Office circular, which enjoins officers commanding not to permit ball-practice until the members have obtained the certificate of the inspector appointed by Government. There are plenty of difficulties to be overcome by the promoters of a volunteer rifle company on the threshold of the undertaking, without having impossible conditions imposed on them; and that this is impossible, if it be construed strictly, is clear, for all that can be assumed at the time it is insisted on is, that there is a reasonable expectation that a particular range, of which the inspection is invited, can be had. At this point of time, there are no parties to bind the captain, with whom the legal contract can alone be made, is not appointed; the committee of management, or whoever is promoting the effort, can only say to the occupier of the land, if we succeed in forming a corps, we will take such a range from you on such terms, to which the occupier assents. All, however, is inchoate, incomplete, and prospective; it is sure to be weeks, and it may be months, before the time comes when the need of the range arises; in the interim, the mere passage of time may work changes in the position or will of the parties that may prevent the carrying out the original proposal; fresh terms may become necessary, and a fresh status induced. It requires but a glance to see the false position the corps stands in all this time; they have been formed on the faith of a condition they may be unable to fulfil, and when the time comes, should the arrangement fall through, they are a company without a range, its having been obtained being the condition of their very existence. And the ano

maly is rendered the more striking by the fact, that the subsequent breach of the condition does not suspend the company; and so, while they cannot form without a range, they can continue without one; and, as soon as they can obtain the promise of another, they can invite a fresh inspection, which is ordered as a matter of course, and the only penalty inflicted is that it shall take place at the charge of the company. We ask, can anything be more illogical? A condition is imposed, which common sense treats as impossible by both sides from first to last. Still it has had a retarding influence, and in some instances has prevented the formation of companies, and would have done so in still more, but that all prospective difficulties have been disregarded in the general enthusiasm that has carried out the national will; and besides, the time is only now come with the majority of corps that were formed at the close of 1859 and the beginning of 1860, in which the difficulty of obtaining a good range is beginning to be felt. The time

is also now come that this condition be swept out of the requisitions altogether.

The setting up a rifle company is a matter of steps; and, in the ordinary course, the very last round of the ladder is the shooting with ball at the butts. The committee meetings, the correspondence with the lord - lieutenant, the approval of the corps by her Majesty, the choice of uniform, the appointment of officers, the engagement of drill and musketry instructors, the recruit and company drill, the position practice and musketry lessons-these, as well as the obtaining of the certificate of the inspector appointed by the Government, all precede the actual ball practice at the targets. Why then should the obtaining the range be made the thread upon which the whole is to depend, and that at the risk of the promoters, who have long since discharged their duties, and have either merged into the body of the corps, or ceased to retain all connexion with it? We have dwelt at some detail on this, as it has an important

bearing on that part of the case in which we insist that facilities should be afforded by the Legislature in procuring rifle ranges for the Volunteers, instead of the hindrance which is imposed by the operation of the present rule.

We now approach a more interesting branch of the subject, and proceed to inquire into the legal questions that will be sure to arise out of the exercise of ball practice at the targets. In some sense it may be considered as the conflict of the public with the private right, for it is a simple sequitur that if the volunteer movement is meritorious, the becoming expert marksmen, which must be attained by practice at the butts, is meritorious also. Still, in many cases, perhaps even in most, this practice will interfere with the enjoyment of others; a neighbouring owner or occupier, for instance, can scarcely be expected to walk about his farm within reach of the shooting, inspecting crops and cattle, with that calm repose, that slowness of mind, that has been the privilege of the Boeotian intellect for so many ages. If he could feel morally certain that all his volunteer friends were marksmen-that, if they missed the target, they would at least hit the butt-it might be otherwise; but he knows that with every precaution there will be some who will be sure to miss not only the target, but the butt also, and that that Minié bullet has a wonderful long track of its own, and may come dropping about in a most unexpected manner. Things are a little ticklish and uncomfortable then, and his ear becomes "less Irish and more nice." Can he, however, complain? Can he insist on the reduction of rent? Has he any legal redress? The volunteers are doing no unlawful act. On the contrary, they are exercising a lawful and praiseworthy vocation. Before the ball practice begins, the occupier can only complain that he is afraid of what will happen; and, as the common law redresses only actual injuries, he has no right of action until he is injured in person or property: neither could he treat the prospective as the existing nuisance, and proceed to abate it by his

own act, or indict it on the criminal side of the court. At this time it is all "quia timet," and his only remedy would be by moving for an injunction in Chancery to restrain the ball practice. His success here would probably depend on the particular case; in some instances it might be granted, while in others it would be refused; and at most, perhaps, he might only be able to restrain the practice of the company until guarantees were given to the satisfaction of the court that proper butts would be erected and all proper precautions taken; that the Hythe rules for shooting would be strictly observed, and that all shooting would be in the presence of an officer, and the results duly registered. Still, a proceeding in Chancery, however quickly disposed of, would fall hard on the company; and few have funds to spare for any such contingency. Again, assuming the occupier to lie by and wait until some stray bullet had found its way into his land, we can imagine his stumbling upon it with feelings akin to those of Robinson Crusoe, when he discovered the print of the foot on the sand; there it is, sure enough, and the next may be for him. Now, however, he has his action of trespass, and he may sue the man who fired the shot, if he can find him out; or the officer who gave the order for the practice, for the bare interference of the unwelcome stranger with his land. Juries would not be likely to give him much; but the mere flight over his soil by the bullet, though it lodged in land beyond his, would entitle him to his suit; and it is this that renders it so important that the land on the sides and at the back of the butts should all be in one holding with the range itself in such case the rights are governed by the contract; but otherwise the corps must purchase the goodwill of others, if they wish for an immunity from legal proceedings. It is clear,

from what we have said, that if the position of a neighbouring occupier is ticklish from the flight of some random bullet, that of the commanding officer is not less so from the not much worse bullet of the law. He may be called on