VOLUNTEER ENCAMPMENT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 77, 31 March 1877, Page 2

VOLUNTEER ENCAMPMENT.

[by our own correspondent.]

The town companies of volunteers paraded at the Drill Shed on Thursday evening and proceeded thence to the railway station, where they embarked for Richmond, picking up the Stoke Rifles on the way. Every arrangement bad been made by the indefatigable Commanding. Officer (Captain Marshall) for their comfort at the camp, which was pitched in one of the paddocks of Rostrevor farm which had been kindly lent for the occasion by Mr Canning, to whom the voluuteers must feel deeply grateful for the thoughtful consideration he has displayed, and the expense to which he has gone to ensure the success of the encampment. Not only has he allowed theui the use of one paddock for the camp, but he has placed another at their disposal for the races which are to take place to-day. In a stream which runs through the field he has erected two dams, at the higher of which water is obtaiued for culinary purposes, while the latter furnishes a supply for washing. He has also erected a large awning for the convenience of spectators, and under which the church service will be conducted by the Bishop of Nelson to-morrow morning. Lasfc night Mr Canning placed his teams at their disposal for the Artillery, and indeed has left nothing nndone which could conduce to the comfort or convenience of the Volunteers Yesterday morning there was little or nothing doing, and when I arrived at the camp about half-past twelve it appeared to be almost deserted and I had ample opportunity to [ look round and see for myself the arrangements that had beeii made. The tents, of which there are over forty altogether, are ranged in lines from east to west, each line being occupied by a separate corps, the officers' tents being all at the east end, while at the west are the canteen, cooking house officers' mess tent, &c. In the centre is a large marquee fitted up as a reading room which is liberally supplied with books, papers and periodicals, kindly lent by Messrs J. Hounsell, Jackson, and Stanton, and with the local papers, which are forwarded by the proprietors, J said that the camp appeared to me to be deserted at half-past twelve, but at one o.clock I was speedily undeceived. At that hour the dinner call was sounded, and it was only necessary to see how quickly each tent disgorged his occupants to be assured that the notes of the bugle were exceedingly welcome to their ears, and that, with appetites sharpened by the fresh breeze that was blowing, they were perfectly ready to make a vigorous attack upon the substantiate provided in abundance by Mr Stallard, the caterer. Being anxious to witness the commissariat arrangements' ' 1 'walked to the kitchen where by this time the vari6us orderlies Avere ranged'in line each waiting for

his time to come to receive the supplies for his tent. Where the meat was to come from that was to feed all those hungry looking men who at the bugle call made their appearance in the open air was to me a mystery, but one which .was speedily solved, for at that moment . there drove on to the ground ■ a covered baker's cart which had just arrived', from the village of Richmond. On the door being opened I looked in and there saw a large washiug tub between three and four feet in diameter and from eighteen inches to two feet deep. In this were piled up innumerable smoking hot joints of meat which were rapidly served out in tin dishes, the vegetablea being obtained from a number of huge caldrons which were merrily steaming away over a large fire in the open air. How excellent were the arrangements was proved by the fact, that in less than ten minutes from the time the bugle sounded, the camp once more presented the same deserted appearance that had had characterised it at the time of my arrival, all the occupants being busily engaged in discussing mutton and beef in their tents. Yesterday afternoon was devoted to a rehearsal of the manoeuvres to beperformed on Monday afternoon when the force will be" reviewed by the Hon. Major /Richmond, C.13. The night /attack took place last night, the following being the order of . the proceedings : — T'i>e Naval Brigade came to town by train ,:in : the afternoon, and- returned in the evening;in the Aurora "accompanied by three other boats, one of which, however, lost her companions on the way, which caused some little confusion. "At B*ls plm. the volunteers 1 paraded, each" man being provided with ten rotmdsof blank cartridge, and the -Artillery, supported by the Cavalry,; proceeded to the beach by; way of Thompson's Road, and the City Rifles to the old mill, .where ; they, embarked with the Naval Brigade. On the signal being given the Artillery opened fire -with their twelvepounder Armstrong, and the Cavalry in .-.skirmishing ."order galloped to the front, one section, after delivering its fire, retreating and being relieved by another : these manoeuvres being very skilfully per- ! formed. The Stoke Rifles acted as a reserve and later in the evening opened fire to the right of the Artillery, the Artillery Cadets being left in charge of the camp. A brisk fire was kepfc up for over an hour, during which the scene, as viewed by moonlight, was a very spirited one, and shortly after ten the ascent of a rocket gave the signal to cease firing, after which the volunteers returned to camp. The Battle of Rostrevor, if it does not find a place in the annals of the colony, will at least form a theme of conversation among the Nelson Volunteers for some time to come. This morning was devoted to company drill, and the snorts were to commence in the afternoon at three o'clock in a large paddock, round which a racecourse has been marked, out.