A Grand Day at Rye. Tuesday, the 23rd of June was a grand military day at the ancient town of Rye, on which occasion detachments of Artillery Volunteers from Hastings, Dover, Sandwich, Ramsgate, Hythe, Folkestone and Deal competed for certain prizes and honours in manner hereafter described. The old town presented quite a cheerful aspect in its display of bunting, in the ringing of church bells, in the booming of guns in the pomp of military parade, in the reverberations of nautical music, in the influx of strangers, and in the holiday character of the inhabitants. The 4th C.(illegible text) to the number of about 120, started from Guestling by a special train shortly before 10 o'clock, under the command of Capt. Commandant Scrivens, other officers also accompanying. No very great number of the unarmed public manifested a desire to begin the campaign at so early an hour, so that the later trains, especially the one at 2.p.m. conveyed the greatest bulk of mere sight-seers. Arrived at Rye, the Hastings Volunteers joined their comrades from other Cinque-port towns, and marched to the battery familiarly known as the Gun Gardens, lying south of the church and overlooking the marsh. Within the spacious battery were seats and other erections for the accommodation of visitors who were admitted by tickets, stationed on an eminence contiguous to the battery were the bands of the several corps, which performed for an hour each in the following order:- Hastings, 13 in number, Folkestone (10), Dover (23), Ramsgate. The present writer imagined the Dover band to be the best, but he was informed by competent judges that taken the disparity of the ten in number into account, the Hastings band was considered to have carried off the laurels for superior performances. - The several corps were divided into detachments, two to six, in proportion to the numbers present, each of which handled the guns with a dexterity that was said to be a decided improvement on their practive of the previous year. Two targets were placed in the direction of the sea, on at 1200 and the other at 1500 yards. The result of the firing was that Hastings won the 1st prize (£30), Folkestone the second £10 and Deal, the third prize (£5). At the conclusion of the firing the whole of the brigade, about 400 rank and file assembled on the Town Salts, where an inspection was made by Major-Gen Cuppage, who addressed them in complimentary terms. They were then marched off - the officers to dine together at the George Hotel, and the men to amuse themselves until the hour of returning home. The Hastings division arrived home at about 10pm, evidently gratified at their success, the band with lively air, leading them through the town.
A Church Parade. - The 4th Cinque Ports Artillery, to the number of about 70, mustered at the depot on Sunday the 28th of June, and proceeded to All Saints Church, where the Rev. G. A. Foyster preached from the 10th verse of the 9th chapter of Ecclesiastes- "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou quest."
A Sham Fight, between the Hastings, Rye and Battle Rifle Volun-
