5 
The Dover golf links, on the North Fall Meadow, are just now much patronised 
by the gunners. The greens are treacherous and the lies, as a rule, bad, and very 
straight driving and careful approaches necessary to avoid the long grass slopes 
of the Castle ramparts on one side, and a road, hedges and fields on the other. 
On the 6th September teams of officers from the R.A., Militia and Volunteer 
Artillery met to compete for the Challenge Cup, presented by the Cinque Ports 
Artillery for carbine shooting, which was for the second time won by the R.A. 
On the 5th October H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge lunched with Col. Lloyd 
and officers, on the occasion of H.R.H.’s annual inspection. Major-General 
Clarke, D.A.G. ; Major-General Williams, D.A.G., R.A.; and Colonel Fitz- 
George, A.-D.-C., were also present. 
The Mess Committee desire to record their thanks to the R.A.T. Committee for 
the loan of a pair of very fine ibex horns, and also to Major T. Vaughan for so 
kindly sending three excellent heads of animals shot in Thibet, in response to 
appeal inserted in the September number of these “ Proceedings.” 
HALIFAX, W.S. 
Woodcock shooting began on 20th August. The best bag made was by 
Lieutenant Macgowan and two guns, who got 42 couple in three days. 
Lieutenant H. M. Elliot has been appointed Acting-Adjutant of the R A. 
Halifax District vice Marsh, whose four years’ term of office has expired. 
Lieutenant Macgowan has imported five couple of foxhounds from England and 
Ireland to hunt wild cats, or, properly speaking, lynxs during the late autumn 
and early winter. 
The recent return of Colonel Hill, C.R.E., and a party of two officers and 
40 N.-C.O.’s and men of the Royal Engineers from Newfoundland, where they 
were sent to render assistance after the great fire at St. Johns, serves to remind 
of the time, 23 years ago, when that place was garrisoned by British troops and, 
of course, by Royal Artillery. It 'may. be of interest to some officers who were 
in the Regiment then to recall to mind the names of the principal fortifications 
in the Island and their armaments. They were as follows :— 
Fort William—Three 32-prs., four 40-prs. Armstrong, four 6-pr. brass guns 
for saluting, and one 13-inch mortar. 
Fort Amherst—Five 68-prs. 
Chain Hock Battery—One 68-pr. and two 32-prs. 
Queen’s Battery—Six 32-prs. and one 12-pr. (time gun). 
Waldegrave Battery—One 68-pr. and three 32-prs. 
Quidi Vidi Battery (pronounced Kiddy Viddy !)—Two 8-inch howitzers. 
Now-a-days the works have been demolished, the armaments disappeared, and 
the Island is practically undefended except by the ships of war. During the 
time of the “ Trent affair ” the transports from Great Britain to Canada used 
sometimes to touch at St. Johns, and there is an interesting official letter 
amongst the files in the R.A. office at Halifax, dated 3rd February, 1862, from 
Major McCrea, C.R.A., at St. Johns, to Colonel Dunlop, c.b., C.R.A. at 
Halifax, reporting the vicissitudes that Captain Smyth’s (now Sir Henry Smyth, 
Governor of Malta) Field Battery, “ H ” of the old 4th Brigade, had undergone 
during the voyage out in the transport Calcutta , in which she encountered terrific 
weather, lost her fore topmast, bowsprit, head rails, boats, and five out of 42 
horses. The crew behaved badly, and, having deserted the helm, were kept to 
their duty afterwards by gunners at the point of the bayonet. She ran short of 
coal, and finally, after being 23 days out from Queenstown, arrived off St. 
Johns, but was unable to enter the harbour on account of ice. She was towed 
