On this page
-
Text (2)
-
Untitled Article
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
578 STfte %$ &if $ X * [ Saturday ,
Untitled Article
LOUIS NAPOLEON AT CHERBOURG . The French President did not arrive at Cherbourg till Thursday evening , which was a great disappointment to the inhabitants , who had been at considerable pains in preparing a festive reception for him . For four long melancholy hours a vast «[ owdof spectator in holiday apparel , waited impatiently &x a sig h * of the Hero of Strasbourg , and , after all ,, * e came not till most of them had dispersed to their various homes . On his approach he was received with a salute of artillery from the heights of twenty-one guns . This in the dark had a brifrant effect , the flashes o
light lending the illusion of a night attack to the animated scene . After the salute from the artillery it was taken up by the battery on the right . The President was received with every demonstration of respect , but with no enthusiasm . No doubt , had he arrived earlier the reception would have been much more imposing to the public and gratifying to himself ; but the populace having waited several hours in anxious expectation , even French patience and politeness were tired out . The streets were partially illuminated , the Admiralty-house brilliantly so , as also
strangers . The Mayor of Cherbourg , who presided at the dinner , in proposing the health of the President of the Republic , made some appropriate allusions to the efforts by which Napoleon sought to make Cherbourg the maritime bulwark of France . Tfhe President returned thanks in the following TSfords : — " Gentlemen , —The . more I see of France , the more I is not
qee that much is expected of Government . There % single department through which I pass , not even a towjo , or a village , that the mayors , the councils-general , and even the representatives , do not demand something . In one place it is new modes of communication , such as canals , railroads , &c . ; in others , the completion of works already begun ; and , in short , everywhere measures which may remedy the sufferings of agriculture , and give life to industry and to commerce . manifestation of
" Nothing is more natural than the these wishes . Believe me , that they are not directed to an inattentive ear . But , in my turn , I must tell you that these results can only be accomp lished by your giving me the means of accomplishing them , and these means consist altogether in your giving your assistance in fortifying the Government , and warding off the danger of futurity . { Loud cries of * It is trice ! it is true !' and cheers . ) " How does it happen that the Emperor , _ notwithstanding his wars , covered France with those imperishable works which are to be found at every step , and
was the square . The proceedings of Friday commenced with the reception of all the civil authorities of the department of the Manche , of the numerous officers of the fleet in the roads , of the military authorities of the department , and of the distinguished strangers who had come to Cherbourg to witness the interesting ceremony of the naval review , and to do honour to the President of the Republic . From the vast number who attended this levee , it lasted from eight o ' clock in the morning till half-past eleven . In order to save trouble to the English visitors the President
nowhere more remarkable than here . It is because , independently of his genius , he lived in an epoch when the nation , fatigued by revolutions , gave him the power necessary to put down anarchy , to repress faction , and to cause the general interests of the country to triumphabroad by his glorious acts , and at home by a vigorous impulsion . ( Applause . ) If , then , there be a town in France which ought to he Napoleonist and Conservative , it is Cherbourg —(• Hear , hear , ' loud applause , and cries of * Vive Napoleon ! ' )—Napoleonist from gratitude , and Conservative from a healthy appreciation of her veritable interests . ( Cheers , and repeated cries of '« Vive Napoleon !') What is , in fact , such
specially fixed nine o ' clock to receive such of them as wished to be presented . At that hour the Earl of Cardigan , in uniform ; the Earl of Wilton , in his uniform as commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron ; Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane , K . C . B . ; Admiral Sir Charles Napier , K . C . B . ; and the owners of almost all the yachts at present in Cherbourg were in attendance as well as a considerable number of naval and military officers of rank ( most of whom were in their full uniforms ) attended . Mr . Turnbull , the
a port , created as yours has been , by gigantic efforts , but a striking testimony of thatFrench unity carried out throughout so many ages and so many revolutions—a unity which makes us a great nation ? But a great nation , let us not forget , does not maintain itself at the height of its destinies excepting when the institutions themselves are in accordance with the exigencies of its political situation and of its material interests . ( Applause . ) " The inhabitants of Normandy know how to appreciate such truths as these . They have given me proofs of this , and it is with pride that I propose to-day a toast , * To the Health of the Town of Cherbourg . ' ( Enthusiastic applause . X *
British Consul at Avranches , who had come to Cherbourg for the purpose of meeting the President , performed the ceremony of presenting our countrymen . Louis Napoleon expressed himself greatly gratified at the visit of so many English yachts , and requested the Earl of Wilton to repeat his thanks to the owners of all of them , for having contributed in so striking a manner to the iclat of his visit to this part of France . The Prince remained for some minutes in conversation with the Earl of Cardigan , the Earl of
Wilton , and Sir Charles Napier , and m parting invited them and several others to breakfast with him . The judges of the tribunals , the Chamber of Commerce , the council-general of the department , and iev . eral other public bodies presented addresses , generally of a merely complimentary character , or advocating some local improvement . During the presentation , M . de Tocqueville , who is representative for this department , made a complimentary speech to the President , congratulating him on his arrival in this part of the country , to which the Prince replied , addressing the Conseil-General , of ¦ which M . de Tocqueville is president : —
The President then proposed the following toast : — " In presence of that sea which we have dominated ; in presence of that fleet which has so nobly carried the flag of France in the East , and which is ready to carry it with glory wherever the national glory may require its services —( repeated bravos ) ;—in presence of these foreigners , today our guests , who may convince themselves to-day that if we wish for peace it is not because we are weak—( applause from all sides , and cries of * Vive Napoleon / '' Vive VEmpereurP )—but by that community of interests , and by those sentiments of mutual esteem which unite together the two most civilized nations—* To the Port of Cherbourg . ' ( Loud and prolonged acclamations } with cries of Vive Napoleon / ' )"
These were the only toasts given . Immediately after drinking the last one Louis Napoleon rose , and , his example having been followed by the rest of the company , the party immediately dispersed . In the evening Admiral Desloffres , the maritime prefect , gave a ball at the prefecture , which was attended by all the principal residents and visitors in Cherbourg , and of the latter by the English ladies who arrived in the yacht squadron . The President entered the ballroom shortly after nine o ' clock , and remained for about two hours . He was accompanied by his cousin , the Princess Demidoff , and his usual
within fifty miles of this place , including Dinan , Granville , and Havre de Grace , contributed much to crowd the town , and it is calculated not less than thirty thousand strangers were to be found on this occasion . The President and staff first proceeded to the arsenal , a royal salute from the batteries of which welcomed his arrival . Every department of this magnificent establishment , still incomplete and in its infancy , was inspected . The Prince was received at the dockyard by the maritime prefect , who accompanied him all over the works . There was then a procession of boats , which were rowed out towards the flag-ship , and on nearing the
guard-ship , Beucephale , the first salute was fired from afloat , commenced by this vessel . This was the signal for a deafening roar of artillery . The yards of each ship of war had been instantaneously manned , but not higher than the top-sail yards . The yachts that had yards also manned them , and the others manned their rigging . The most rapid firing was made by the lineof-battle ships ; every gun was fired on both sides , to the number of 101 each , and with the most excellent time . The
nag-ship Friedland , in particular , fired with such regularity and celerity , that her massive sides appeared in one sheet of livid flame . The yachts also that had guns fired salutes of twenty-one guns , and , amid the thunder of the cannon and the roaring cheers of the crews , caught up from ship to ship , and running for many miles , from the breakwater to the town bridges , and from the eastern side to the dockyard shores , the President boarded the Friedland . As the President ascended the
ladder , and was received by Admiral Deschenes , the whole fleet joined in three loud cheers ( for they have taken the fashion from us ) . I have heard ( says one of the reporters ) that they cried «* Vive Napoleon ! " and " Vive le President ! " and " Vive l'Empereur ! " in some instances , but I was too far off to vouch for the fact , and several officers stated the general cry of the fleet was " Vive la Republique !" After staying here for three-quarters of an hour , the Prince proceeded to the breakwater , a mighty and stupendous work ( exceeding in length the breakwater of Plymouth ) , with a battery of heavy guns
in the centre . From the breakwater the Prince visited each line-of-battle ship in succession , each ship cheering as he arrived and quitted . The President must have minutely inspected every one of the f leet , for he did not quit the last vessel—the Minerve , 54-gun frigate—until near seven o'clock . Whilst on board of the frigate three targets were placed out to seaward , and sixty rounds of shot were fired from her sides at them , but only one of the targets was destroyed . On leaving the frigate the President came in through the yachts , and paid a visit to the noble Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron , the Earl
of Wilton , on board of his splendid schooner , the Xarifa , and then went on board the Enchantress , to pay a visit to the Earl of Cardigan . On his leaving their vessels , both Lord " Wilton and Lord Cardigan manned yards , and fired royal salutes ; and , as the Prince then passed through the lines , every yacht ' s crew on the yards , in the rigging , and on the decks gave him three hearty English cheers . The Prince was evidently much gratified by this burst of good feeling , for the barge was frequently stopped , and was rowed very slowly until the last yacht was passed , when , nearing the guard-ship , again he was saluted with rounds of cheers once more in imitation
" Gentlemen , it is a great pleasure to me to receive the Conseil General of the department of La Manche , imd to find at its head * as interpreter of its sentiments , a man for whom I have long felt the greatest esteem and friendship . The wishes which you express , as you cannot doubt , interest me to a high degree , for the works of Cherbourg not only do honour to Franco , but also to him who conceived the gigantic project . I know also how advantageous to its commercial and political prosperity the railroad of which you speak would be , and I will give to its execution all the support that depends upon me ; but it is also necessary that the representatives who surround me should second me with their efforts and influence in the Legislative Assembly . "
of the English Hip , hip , hurrah ! " The procession row returned to the dockyard , when the lightning flashes of nearly 2000 pieces of ordnance crashed forth with a tremendous roar ; 50 , 000 voices on the yards and decks afloat , and on the wharves and piers , swelled the gladdening din ; and in a moment , the ships and yachts having been stripped of their flaunting colours , reposed in silence . In the . evening a ball was given by the inhabitants of Cherbourg to the visitors generally in the arsenal , the building tastefulldeco
suite . The English had a general invitation , and many attended , but , on account of the smallness of the suite of apartments , the form of dancing was only gone through . The rooms were so hot that Louis Napoleon directed one of his aide-de-camps to break with his sword some of the panes of glass in the upper parts of the windows to admit fresh air . Ho occasionally conversed with much frankness and familiarity with several English officers who accidentally came in contact with him during the evening . At midnight the President retired , and the ball broke up .
having been handsomely fitted and y - rated for the occasion . Late in the evening the Earl of Wilton announced to the squadron that it was the intention of his lordship to weigh at eight o ' clock the next morning for England ; but , by daylight , many had anticipated the time of start , and at the hour appointed most of the yachts had their anchors up . The Government steamer Lightning , however , with Sir Thomas Cochrane , K . C . 13 ., and the Firo Queen steamer , with Captain Chads and the college officersremained to witness some evolutions .
After the review , the Prince reviewed the National Guards and the troops quartered at Cherbourg ; but the number of men on the ground was so small as to render the review a moat miserable spectacle . The Prince mounted his horse shortly after one , and rode out to the Place d'Armes , where he trotted slowly round the lines of soldiers , and distributed some qrosaea . Not a voice , not a cheer wns raised , excepting a few spasmodic cries of •* Vive ltv Ropublique ! " a cry which , by a singular anomalous process of reasoning , is now held to be a symbol of sedition . A man in the crowd remarked to his neighbour that the sun of Austerlits ! did not appear to shine upon the Prince ; wheupon another replied , "C ' est plutOt le soleil de Strasbourg . "
Saturday was devoted to a marine spectacle and entertainments . At nine o ' clock thero was a regatta . The first race run was open to all gigs , and several of the gigs belonging to the English Yucht Squadron were entered and ran for the prize , which , however , was won by the French , boat Maguin . The course was run twice round , which is about a mile and a half in length . The second race xvn * for pinnaces , being boats belonging to the French fleet , and run also twice round the same course . This was , as well as the former , stoutly contested , and afforded much amusement to the immense crowds which had
con-, Throughout the whole of Sunday the 3 resident was on board the fleet . On every one of the ships visited the President decorated several of the officers with the cross of the Legion of Honour . Among other diversions a sham light took place , in which all the ships of the fleet took part . The effect of firing 5000 cannon in a quarter of an hour was very tremendous , as far as the sense of henring is concerned , but it afforded little gratification to the sight , as the
At throe o ' clock the grand banquet given by the municipal corporation of Cherbourg took place in the great Salic de Gaharots , in the arsenal . The hall was hulendidly fitted up for the occasion with a profusion of military Hags , arms , and trophies . The number of guest * wns not less than 600 , including , besides the President and his suite , the admirals , captains , and first lieutenants of all the ships in the harbour , the civil , municipal , mwitnry , and naval authorities , and a considerable number of the most distinguished
whole fleet and every surrounding object were enveloped in a cloud of smoke during the whole operation as impenetrable as a London fog . After this general engagement the boats of all the ships were armed , and ' advanced in battle array to attack the Descartes steamer . The sight was a highly interesting one , and aflorded great amusement to the spectators .
gregated on every spot in the town , or on the fortifications and esplanade , which afforded a good view of the sports , as well as to many hundred persons , including a lnrge portion of the fair sex of Cherbourg and its vicinity . Almost all the towns on the coast
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 14, 1850, page 578, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1853/page/2/
-