(79) Thomas Souter (93) and – Fuller (93). The captain announced that the prizes would be continued annually. On “dismiss” being given, the company numbering about 80, adjourned to the library (which was prettily dressed with flags and evergreens) where a substantial dinner of Old English fare was provided and partaken of. It is not consonant with the design of this history to give a record of after dinner speeches except in so far as strictly pertains to the one event which brings the speakers together, and even then very briefly. The present case calls for one of those conditional exceptions.
In toasting the “Army and Navy” the chairman remarked that they were fortunate in having both services represented that evening; for it was rarely in that quiet neighborhood(sic) that they could get gentlemen of either service to respond to a toast. One gentleman was a practical military officer who had been in active service in India, and one whom it was their privilege to look up to as the Colonel of the Sussex Brigade of Artillery Volunteers. The Navy was represented by a gentleman who had endeavoured to do the corps good service in matters of great-gun practice which were not too small to aid the correct firing of the 2nd Sussex Artillery Volunteers. He would therefore couple with the toast the names of Lieut.-Col. Estridge and Lieut. Buck [Loud applause]. – Col. Estridge had met them at that hospitable board with the greatest pleasure. He had been particularly pleased with all he had seen in his present visit, both as to the manner in which the corps had performed their gun-practice, and in which they had gone through their drill. – Lieut Buck (chief officer of 38 Martello Tower) said it gave him great pleasure to render any service in his power for the defence of Old England. – In coupling the names of the Rev. W. T. Turner and the Rev. F. Young with the “Bishop and Clergy”, the chairman said they were greatly indebted to those gentlemen for the use of their schoolrooms wherein to drill the corps. – The Rev. F. Young (who represented the Rev. H. Stent, then absent from home) as deputy chaplain, had never any hesitation in deciding the part it became him to take, his opinion being that the best thing to do to ward off war was to be prepared for it. – R. Hunter in toasting “The Volunteers, having connected the name of Lieut. Rock, the latter gentleman, in an appropriate and somewhat lengthy speech (of which the following is but a summary) said he was rather an old volunteer – not one of the generation passing away which their fathers talked about, but one of a middle race who sprung up on the occasion of the panic in 1852. He was one of the first who took part in that movement, when the late Earl Waldegrave and the then Mayor of Hastings started a Rifle Corps which numbered 70 men. They were rather snubbed by the Government and the excitement having died out, the corps dwindled down rapidly. He was, however one of those who purchased a weapon, which turned out an excellent one for sporting purposes, but not for rifle practice. In continuing, Mr. Rock briefly sketched the rise and progress of the present move-
