THE YOLUNTEER REVIEW AT WINDSOR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 214, 8 September 1881, Page 4

THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW AT WINDSOR.

Complete success crowned tbe Royal Review in Windsor Park on July 9, wbich henceforth will be 8 famous date in Volunteer annals. More ihua 50,000 men assembled on the sylvan greensward neer the old Castle, associated witb all the glories of tbe Ecgliah Mon&rchy, marched past Queen Victoria, and, together with the public, were all transported deftly from the seen© before midnight. How much

labor, patience, skill, and discipline extended in collecting, organising, and dispersing so large a force con be appreciated only by those who are versed in thn ar? of moving great bodies with punctuality and order. Ko previous military experiment ba<? bi-en tried on suoh an extensive socle in England, and all who contributed to the wellperformed achievement deserve their share of credit. It has thus fallen to the lot of Her Majesty to behold what no sovereign among th* long series of her crowned predecessors ever witnessed. No like sight was seen by the Henrys or the Edwards. Even the great Elizabeth was never so fortunate j while the entire army of Cromwell, the best we have ever yet had, did not exceed 50,000 men. George 111., was master of more numerous legions, but no total equal to tbat collected on the 9tb July paraded before bim. Wellington, who was never defeated, not only never reviewed, but never corrmaDded. 50,000 British troops in the field. Thanks to tbe triumphs of science it has been reserved for Qieen Victoria to appear as the principal figure in an event unique, so far, in British militaiy annals. The spectacle, by far the most j splendid oa the volunteer record, besidea being perfect of its kind, is symbolical of the through onion which j exists between the nation and the throne. Every degree and class was represented in the ranks, and among the throng gathered together in the grand old park. In that respect, however, the review was ocly similar to otber publio manifestations. Its distioctive characteristic was, as we have said, its complete success. At a quarter-past three o'clock a gun was fired giving the signal for the different divisions to lake up their respective positions, which they did quickly, and without tbe slightest confusion. Tbe 2nd Army Corps, in lines of quarter columns of companies, were drawn up on each side of »he Long Wald, extending from tbe Double Gates nearly to. tboae of tbe Castle. Tbe Ist Army Corps was drawn up in two lines of quarter columns facing the saluting point, the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers being on the right of the first line and the Hon Artillery Company coming next. At 445 p.m. a royal salute, fired with great regularity by the. field battery of tbe Hon Artillery Company, announced tbat Her Majesty bad left the Castle. The royal cortege passed between the armed avenue formed by the 2nd Army Corps, under Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and was received with a "present," the bands pUyiog " God Says tbe Qicen." Nothing could be more striking than the steadiness of the men, not a move, not even a turn of the head taking placs. At 5 p.m. precisely the royal party, in five carriages, came on the review ground, passing by the right Sank of the Ist Army Corps — commanded by Sir Daniel Lysone— -ind along tbe front till the saluting point was reached, when a general salute w»a given. The Qieen wasMn tbe leading carriage, accompanied by the Princess j of Waleß aod the Crown Prince of Germany. In three other carriages were other members of the Royal Family, iocludiog the Dochess of Connaught, the Princess Beatrice, the j Duchess of Teck, Prince Leopold, and I tbe two young Prinoessaa of Heaie — j who were much admired. A fifth car- ! riage, contaiog Mr Childers and Lord Tburlow, brought up the rear. The escort waa furnished by & detachment of the Blueß. Her Majesty waß enthusiastically cheered, bb were also the other members of tbe Royal Family. AmoDg the brilliant body of horsemen who formed part of the cortege were the Crown Prince of Germany, wearing tha white uniform of the Cuirassiers of the Guard, and the Grand Duke of Hesse in a blue uniform. The royal salute having been given, the Queen rode down the front of both lines, and ! then returned to tbe salutiog-point. Tbe roarob past began at half-past five, and lasted till ten minutes past seven, during which time there was c ceaseless flow of troops past the Roysl Stmdard, io rear of whicb, by the w*y, was a>. guard of honor of the Grenadier Guards. That in one hour and forty minutes over 50,000 men should have passed Her Majesty is a fact which reflects credit alike on generals, .taff, and troops Indeed, there was abaolately not a single hitch nor a moment's delay, lhe combined bands of the brigade of Guards and the combined bands of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers played the troops past. The defile was headed by the Horse Guards staff, followed by the Duke of Cambridge in the full dress of a field-marshal. Next came the staff of the the Ist Corps d'Armee, followed by Pricee Edward of Saxe-Weimar. It is but common justice to say that those who passed earliest were most warmly cheered. A number of very excellent battalions were, indeed, to be found in leading brigades of the Ist Army Corps, and after these had gone by it became evident that the general level of efficiency was high enough to make special applause invidious. Yet there are many degrees of excellence, and although all were, without exception, good, there were some battalions to whom superlatives of approval could be deservedly applied. Thus the Naval Artillery Volunteers, twelve companies, 800 strong, under Commander Domvile, R.N., ,a smart serviceable corps of blue jackets, admirably dressed for fighting and capitally equipped, marched past with the steadiness of Frederick of Prussia's Guards, admirable alike in dressing and distance. The Honorable Artillery Company, headed by the Prince of Wales in scarlet, were not less remarkable than the blue-jackets ; and the same may be said for the succeeding brigades of country regiments — eastern counties, Kentish, Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, and several from the west. The soldierlike appearance and equable marching of the Cadet Corps of Eton, Harrow, and Marlborough were especially well received. The metropolitan regiments, again, which made up the Becond division of the First Brigade, were so uniformly excellent that it is only by a narrow margin that such corps as the Queen's and the Artistß' carried off the palm. "The Kentish Brigade, in the Third Division, called forth comments especially

favorable ; bo did Sir Robert Lloyd Lindsay's magnificent regiment, ihe Ist Berks, formed in fourteen companies, and altogether 950 strong, at the head of which marched Prince Chrisiim, bb iv duty bound. Sir D. Dysons'* Second Army Corps bossted the finest brigades on tbe grounds The first was led by a fine Lancashire battalion, twelve companies strong, which were warmly atid deservedly cheered for their perfect dressing and distance. They were ably seconded by the Cheshire, Beds, and Herts Battalions, brigaded with them. They were followed by the crack brigade of the day, that commanded by Colonel R. R. Gillespie, and compoaed of the Ist, stb, 20th, and 21st Lancashire Rifles. This grand brigade was made up of fortyfour strong companies, as against half the number of weak companies in some of the preceding brigades, and they proved themselves as good in quality as they were strong. In the next brigade the Staffordshire and Warwickshire men did themselves ' credit, while the -th Brigade was characterise- by strong and good battalion! from Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, and Notts (tbe Robin Hoods). After these excellent provincial corpß, the metropolitan, which followed, made but a poor show in point of strength, though creditable enough in point of attainment. There were several conspicuous corps in the Second Division, which was under the command of General the Duke of Connaught, notably the 2_th Middlesex, or Postal Corps, under Colonel Dv Plat Taylor, who is rightly esteemed one of the most efficient officers in the service j and the 3rd London, which was headed by Lord Napier of Magdala, its honorary colonel. The spectators were nearly wearied out by the almost interminable procession before the last division went by. yet they had energy enough to clap their hands and cry "Well done !" to the Ist Gloucester and the Ist Worcester Rifles, to tbe Cheltenham College Cadets, to the Ist Devon, one of the finest corps on the field, and to the Welsh regiments, which effectively closed the show. The Queen then left the ground, and, as far as the spectar tors were concerned, the day was over. Among the spectators, by' the way, were the King of the Sandwich' Islands in a royal carriage ; Sir Frederick Roberts — who witnessed the review from the top of a carriage— and " the Chines© Admiral Tsmg, attended by Captain Lin and General CJayaon, also of the Chinese Navy.