H.—9

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Christ's College Rifles.—lBth November, 1892. Present : 1 lieutenant, 1 colour-sergeant, 4 sergeants, and 40 rank and file. Absent :15 rank and file. Uniform. —Scarlet tunics; black helmets ; three men in serge frocks (temporary). Arms and Accoutrements. —Snider rifles ; buff belts. Officers. —Captain: None. Lieutenant Day: Smart and intelligent. Non-commissioned Officers. —Colour-Sergeant Smith is, I judge, a very capable non-commissioned officer. Sergeants Webb and Currie, when drilling the company, did not. appear to the best advantage, owing, I think, to nervousness. Men. —A very fine body of men. Drill. —The turn-out was very good. The drill of the individual men in the ranks was excellent, all being very steady. Manual, firing, and sword-bayonet exercises very well done. The words of command and orders given were at times incorrect, but, from the class of drill exhibited by the men, I have no doubt but that those errors were the result of nervousness. This is a very good corps. E Batteky, New Zealand Volunteer Abtilleey.—l9th November, 1892. Present: 1 captain, 2 staff sergeants, 4 sergeants, and 42 rank and file. Absent: 1 lieutenant and 13 rank and file. Uniform. —Tunics; busbies. The uniform has been found to be too expensive, and the men are gradually getting into serge frocks. This- gradual transformation is disastrous to the appearance of the men, as each new frock is different in material and colour, and often in cut. The plumes are of all shapes. Arms and Accoutrements. —Snider artillery carbines; enamel belts. The belts having been bought.at different times are varied in pattern. Pour 9-pr. E.B.L. guns. The guns are in fair order. At some time they must have undergone bad treatment, as the chambers and bores are honeycombed, but not sufficiently to condemn the guns. Officers. —Captain Jackson. Lieutenant Donald absent on leave in Australia. Non-commissioned Officers. —Very capable, good non-commissioned officers; have been well taught, and can now teach their men well. Men. —Very good stamp; intelligent, and know their gunnery well. Turn-out. —The appearance of the battery on parade is spoilt by the defects mentioned above as regards uniform and belts. The busby has been discarded for a longtime in the Imperial service. The busbies of this battery are nearly worn out. It would be advisable to adopt a cheaper headdress —a helmet. The enamel belts are also in a poor state, and, being of different pattern as regards their buckles, should be discarded, and buff belts supplied by the Government. The horses, two per gun, were hired for the battery drill. They were of good stamp, and would do their work well. The drill, under Captain Jackson, was not well done. Due allowance must, of course, be made for the difficulty of guiding untrained horses, and on account of the very rare occasions on which the battery turns out with horses. The gunnery was well done, and generally well understood. Great credit is due to the noncommissioned officers. They appeared to be men quite capable of intelligently working and fighting their guns. It will be necessary for Captain Jackson to work hard in order to put himself into the proper position of a commanding officer, knowing more, and being able to instruct those under him, and thereby keeping their respect. The battery paraded on the 21st November for inspection in the drill-shed. The parade was clean ; the infantry drill was satisfactory. Lyttelton Naval Aetilleby.—2lst November, 1892. Present: 1 lieutenant, 1 chief petty officer, 4 petty officers, and 59 rank and file. Absent: 1 captain and 3 rank and file. Uniform. —Naval Artillery Volunteer uniform, in good order. Arms and Accoutrements. —Snider artillery carbine ; brown belts. Officers. —Captain Eose : Absent; unable to attend, owing to sheep-shearing; Lieutenant Joyce: Smart, capable young officer. Non-commissioned Officers. —Chief Petty Officer Toomey : Very good. The other petty officers are capable men. Men. —A very fine body of men. Drill. —The corps was drilled as a company by Sub-Lieutenant Joyce, Chief Petty Officer Toomey, and First-class Petty Officer Wallace. The drill was very satisfactory. In gunnery the men showed a fair knowledge, considering that during the past year they had only done gun-drill during the eight days they were in camp at Eipa Island. Only one gunnery parade had been done previous to their going into camp in November. Excuses were made that for the first four or five months of the year no drill-books could be obtained. Of course it is a great advantage to a man to have a drill-book, but it is not absolutely necessary. I regret that I was obliged'to speak very severely to this corps regarding a disgusting habit which they have of spitting in all directions when on parade. The drill-shed at the end of the inspection was in a filthy condition.