FAREHAM.
DOINGS OF THE 7TH HANTS VOLUNTEERS.
This corps mustered at the drill room on Tuesday, the 27th ult., and headed by their fife and drum band marched to the railway station and proceeded to Botley to undergo their annual inspection by Colonel Luard, the Government Inspector of volunteers for this district. Besides this corps the Botley, Bitterne, Petersfield, Titchfield, Wickham, Bishop’s Waltham, and a few members of the Alton corps were on the ground, the greatest part of the last named corps having been inspected at Alton, owing to the great distance they are, by rail, from Botley. As each corps marched on the ground they piled arms, and partook of bread and cheese and ale, provided by the Colonel of the 3rd Battalion of Hants Rifle Volunteers, to which the whole of these cops belong. After doing full justice to this department, the corps fell in, and Col. Conran took command assisted by the adjutant, Capt. Cooke. After a good smart drill, Colonel Luard came on the ground, and was received with a general salute. After having been inspected in open ranks, the battalion marched past in first-rate style, the Fareham fife and drum band, having previously competed with two other bands for the honorary distinction of battalion band, which honor they gained, played for marching past on this occasion, and, we may add, did it well. The battalion was then put through a variety of movements, at the close of which Colonel Luard addressed them saying, that in the course of his inspecting tour he occasionally had to perform the disagreeable duty of finding fault, but with regard to themselves he was happy to say that he should not have to do that, but on the contrary, report of them very favorably indeed. He had not seen an administrative battalion in this division whose conduct pleased him more; that an administrative battalion had not the same advantage as a consolidated one was apparent that day. Their battalion must be worked by at least two people—their commanding officer and adjutant— and their state that day reflected great credit on those officers as well as on the officers of companies, sergeants, and men. (Hear, hear.) He should be able to report very favorably of them, but let him say that they must not express their approbation or otherwise of what he said; military law would not permit it, for if they were allowed to approve they might also claim to disapprove.—Colonel Conran said he could not refrain frem expressing his feelings for the high compliment colonel Luard had been pleased to pay them, and he felt it was only due to those gentlemen commanding corps that he should do so, for they had not those advantages which he wished they had in their battalion drill. If they occasionally fell a little short it was fully made up by their zeal in their respective corps, and coupling with this the zeal of Adjutant Cooke, he fully understood why the high compliment should have been paid to them. A more zealous officer than Captain Cooke he never had in his experienced service, and he trusted that they might all continue their past efforts, so that when the inspector came round again he might be enabled to speak equally highly of them. He would remind them that they would be throughly competent and perfect, and he exhorted them to a continuance in their course of progress. The various corps at once left the ground, the Fareham corps proceeding home by the 5᛫40 train. This corps fell in again at 6᛫30, and were marched to the Red Lion Hotel, where a most excellent dinner was served up by the Misses White in their usual style. …