The Press. — London, England, 1854-09-09 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER PRINCE ALBERT AT BOULOGNE. THE Prince Consort on Monday evening left the Isle of Wight in the royal yacht, with a small steam squadron in attendance, for the purpose of paying his promised visit to the Emperor of the French at the camp near Boulogne. Her Majesty, accompanied by the Earl of Aberdeen, oonvoyed the Prince to the Victoria and Albert, and having taken leave returned to Osborne in the Fairy royal tender. When the squadron was nearly abreast of Southsea Castle, a signal rocket announced the Queen's adieu to her royal husband, whereupon a shower of splendid and coloured rockets flew high into the air from the Victoria and Albert. The effect from the shore was exceedingly beautiful. Her Majesty arrived back at Osborne Palace at a quarter to ten. The squadron meantime pursued its way, and at an early hour on Tuesday morning came in sight of Boulogne harbour. Orders had been given in the town to have all ready for the reception of the Prince at half-past nine o'clock, and great preparations were made to give his Royal Highness a fitting reception. Not only the Emperor but the municipality took part in the effort to receive his Royal Highness with fitting honours, and to entertain him worthily during his stay. At ten o'clock the royal yacht, carrying the tricolour on the fore and the royal standard at the main, could be distinctly seen from the piers. Another quarter of an hour and she was at the entrance of the har bour. A salute of twenty-one guns was given by the artillery, and three volleys fired by the infantry from the heights. The Emperor, accompanied by two squadrons of the Cent Guards, drove rapidly down to the quay, and, alighting from his carriage opposite the Custom-house, awaited the arrival of his Royal Highness, and watched from the extreme edge of the landing-place the approach of she royal yacht. As the Victoria and Albert steamed slowly down the har bour, the Prince, who was standing on the deck, was loudly cheered by the vast concourse of people assembled on each side of the water. At twenty minutes past ten the royal yacht was moored along side, and Prince Albert, recognising the Emperor, took off his hat and saluted his Majesty, who grace fully returned the compliment- As soon as the gang way was made, his Royal Highness stepped hastily ashore, the Emperor advancing to the foot of the gang way to meet him. A most cordial shake of the hand was exchanged as the Emperor and the Prince stood uncovered in each other's presence. The splendid band of ;the Guides struck up "God save the Queen" and " Rule Britannia," which national airs were followed by the French national air. Loud cheers of the English and the vivas of the French mingled with the martial strains as the Prince, seated on the right of the Emperor, was driven off, escorted by a squadron of the Cent Guards, to the Imperial Hotel. Then came a long array of military and official personages. The Duke of Newcastle, the Minister at War, Viscount Hardinge, Lord Seaton, and other officers, passed on in open carriages. Afterwards fol lowed carriages filled with the aides-de-camp of the Emperor and Prince Affiert, with French general officers, officers of the Etat Major, and the personal attendants on the Prince, each and all of whom came in for their share of cheering and inspection by the vast crowds assembled. The Prince was driven in the first instance to Capecete, where the Emperor had caused to be pre pared for him a magnificently-furnished suite of rooms in his own residence, the Hotel Brighton. In the afternoon the Emperor and Prince Albert drove over to the camp at Wimereux, where they staid some time. Boulogne was brilliantly illuminated in the evening. On Wednesday the Prince was taken to St. Omer, thirty-six miles from Boulogne, to witness some military evolutions, the grand review being postponed until yesterday (Friday). The Emperor and Pnnce reached the camp at eleven o'clock a.m. Twenty-five thousand men were assembled on the plains of Bruyeres. The affair was arranged so suddenly, and with so little public notice, that many English military men who came to Boulogne expressly to see the evolutions of the troops were unable to reach the camp of Helfaut in time to witness the review; yet the electric telegraph, which places the Emperor in com munication with every quarter of the camp, enabled him to direct the march upon Helfaut of regiments which were on the same morning eighteen miles distant from the scene of operations. After visiting some of the huts, and admiring the tasteful decora tions, the sculpture, and the little gardens with which the soldiers have adorned the camp, the royal party mounted their horses, and, without any military escort but that furnished by the brilliant and numerous staff which accompanied them, rode slowly to the Bruy axes, a magnificent plateau, at a high elevation, overlook ing the town and churches of St. Omer. The ground has for many years been devoted to the military evolution of the neighbouring camp, to which it is admirably adapted. The soil is a light sand, with a thin but sufficient covering of herbage, and, although the ground is, for the most part, even, there are oc casional irregularities in it, which render it difficult THE PRESS. for cavalry to charge at a gallop without considerable derangement of their line. Among the infantry regiments were the 4th, the 17th, the 24th, the 33rd, the 44th, and the 6llth of the line. The Chasseurs de Vincennes in their dark green uniform, armed with their formidable little Minie rifle, mustered in great force, the Emperor doubtless supposing that his illustrious visitor would regard with peculiar interest troops destined to play so important a part in future battle-fields, and whose training and equipments have for years engaged the attention of the best soldiers of France. Several regiments of cuirassiers furnished the con tingent of cavalry. The rest of the troops consisted of eight batteries of artillery, with six brass 12- pounders in each battery, and a few companies of engineers. The infantry having formed in two lines, the artillery took up a position in their rear, and behind them were the cuirassiers. The arrival of the Emperor and Prince Albert upon the field was announced by a salute of 21 guns. The royal party immediately rode along the lines together in perfect silence, orders having been given by the Emperor that the acclamations which usually hail his arrival among the troops should be dispensed with, out of respect to his illustrious visitor. Having ridden along the lines, which from their great extent oc cupied a long time, the Emperor and Prince drew up in the centre of the ground, and the troops slowly defiled before them, beginning with the infantry and ending with the cavalry. No evolutions were attempted by the infantry and artillery, nor did any firing take place, the Emperor's desire being that Pnnce Albert should have a narrow opportunity of observing the physique of his troops, their ap pearance on a march (every man being in heavy marching order, with one day's bread attached to his knapsack), and the mounting of the cavalry and artillery. The Prince scrutinised with au observant eye the troops as they marched past., the Emperor apparently directing his attention to various points relative to the equipment and training of the several arms of the service. The Emperor and Prince left the ground about three o'clock, and, regaining their carriages, returned to Boulogne. Thursday was de voted to the repose of the royal party, and to the concentration of troops upon Marquise, in preparation for the grand field-day on Friday. Lord Cowley and M. Drouyn de Lhuys arrived at Boulogne, and had the honour of dining with the L Emperor and Prince Albert, on Tuesday night, at the Imperial Hotel, with a brilliant party. At the head of the five Guardsmen who were sent to attend Prince Albert at Boulogne was Corporal Sutton, who has heretofore so often given specimens of that dexterity with the sword which enables him to cut in sunder sheep, bars of lead, &c., at a single stroke. He astonished his French friends by repeating some of these performances. On Monday evening the corporal and his mates were dining with their friends, the Cent Gerdes, at their mag nificent quarters, " The Chateau," and the Emperor, hear ing of the party, sent thirty bottles of champagne to give the necessary vivacity to the entertainment. After dinner, and "the usual loyal toasts," feats of arms and of martial prowess became naturally the topic of conversation, and Corporal Sutton volunteered to cut a bar of lead in two with his sword. The Frenchmen were astonished at the proposal, but much more so when they saw the deed actu ally done, and the strongest and most powerful of their own body was selected to try a similar cut. But, though strong and valorous, hehad not cut sheep in two at Saville house, and so, after about a dozen desperate cuts, he was obliged to give up the task in tears and perspiration. Then the bar was examined and a fracture was hinted, but Cor poral Sutton repeated the stroke, suggesting at the same time the possibility of cutting a small-waisted man in two in a simtlar manner. Here was the celebrated trial of skill between Richard Ccenr de Lion and Saladin in " The Talis man " enacted over again by a corporal in the Life Guards and a French heavy dragoon, and excited quite as much interest in the spectators. The Frenchmen, although be having with all their usual politeness and good humour, would evidently have been better pleased that their com rade had cut the bar, and a little English midshipman who was present implored his countryman, with tears in his eyes, not to make the second attempt if he was not quite sure of his hand, lest the national character should be im perilled by the failure of Corporal Sutton, of her Britannic Majesty's Life Guards. It is pleasing to have to add that this little episode did not interrupt friendly communica tions, but that Corporal Sutton, having good-naturedly attributed his suceess more to sleight-of-hand and practice than strength, the Emperor's excellent champagne was finished in the most amicable manner imaginable. THE Standard and Globe were seized in Paris on Satur day last. The reasons for a seizure are never told, but in this case it is conjectured that the police authorities took umbrage at a statement contained in both journals setting forth that Gauvain, the man who shot the Abbe Gay, had been locked up in the Bicetre lunatic asylum, although the jury had absolutely acquitted him, and although the medical testimony adduced at the trial distinctly negatived his insanity. IT is mentioned as a curious fact that a farmer in Con necticut, who recently took up a fence after it had been standing fourteen years, found all those posts solid which had been inverted from the way in which they originally grew, while those which had been set as they originally grew were rotted off at the bottom. Heads down, there fore, seems a specific spinet decay. 1854. airtlantr. THE LORD LIEUTENANT OF IRELAND is to leave for England towards the close of the present month. The Freeman's Journal mentions as a "rumour" that his excellency may not return to this country in his capacity of Chief Governor. To this may be added the prevalence of another "rumour," to the effect that Lord St. Germans may be the last of the race of Irish viceroys. IN order to promote the efficiency of the Queen's Colleges an additional grant has been given of 1,6001. per annum to each of the three colleges. The con sequence of this munificence will be speedily made apparent in an increase to the libraries and museums, the physical, anatomical, and other practical depart ments; and better still, the authorities have an nounced that they mean to relieve students in great part from the fees hitherto necessarily charged for contingent purposes. The fee henceforth will be, for matriculation 10s., instead of 91., the first year; and ss. instead of 2/. for the second and subsequent years. The scale of fees payable to the professors by the students remains unaltered. THE committee of the " Catholic University" have purchased for the sum of 1,4501. the Apothecaries , Hall School of Medicine, for the purpose cf using it as a medical school in connection with their new institution. DR. WHALE, and the other Roman Catholic bishops associated with him in the late Synod at Tuam, have issued their " Synodical Address," their " decrees " having been sent off to Rome to obtain the Pope's sanction previous to publication. The document bears the unmistakable marks of its St. Jerlath's origin ; and differs but little from one of th• ordinary epistles emanating from that source, except that in addition to the usual "John, Archbishop of Tuam," it has the episcopal titles of six Romish bishops in full. THE STATISTICS OF THE GREAT DUBLIN EXHIBITION of last year appear in an official form in a work just published on the subject. Mr. Dargan's actual loss has been within a few pounds of 19,0001. The account stands as follows :—Cost of building, 59,8711. ; salaries and all current expenses, 28,342/.: total, 88,2131. Receipts, season tickets, 18,2381. ; ditto at door, 28,9811. ; ditto from all other sources, 0,0131. ; value of building, 12,000/. ; of machinery, &c., 4,0001. Total, 09,232/. ; balance of loss, 18,9801. THE Monarch steamer, employed to lay down the wire for the submarine telegraph, left Holyhead, in company with a tug-boat, about four o'clock on Monday evening. The operation of laying down the cable between that port and Kingstown was success fully completed before noon next day. THE sailors engaged in the coasting trade at Cork have struck for an advance of wages. They are at present receiving from 31. to 31. 10s. amonth. They demand 41., with an augmentation of allowances. A DOCUMENT just issued by the census commis sioners tells a sad tale of the dreadful sufferings of the Irish population after the first potato blight in 1840. The increase of the people appeared to be about at the rate of a quarter of a million a year, which, if no such calamity had fallen upon the coun try, would have shown a population in 1851 of about 9,000,000; instead of which, there were very little more than 0,500,000. At the same time it cannot be alleged that Ireland actually lost 2,500,000, seeing that the number of births during the calamitous years, from 1840 to 1850, was considerably below the previous average : Return showing the Population of Ireland, from 1803 to 1851, as far as the same has been ascertained. 1905 1815 1820 1825 1830 The "population drain" is likely to be further increased to no small extent by the " political econo mists" of some of the Irish poor-law boards. Last Saturday morning, 250 paupers, including 28 boys and 222 women, embarked on board the Royal Alice, Captain Livingstone, for Queenstown, where they were received into the emigrant-ship Kennedy, Cap tain Herbert, bound for Canada. These paupers were all from Cork Union, and each was provided with two suits of clothes, and everything requisite for the voyage. THERE is not an unemployed field labourer around Dublin, nor in any part of the country unless he chose to be so. The demand for labour is univer sal. The last fortnight's hot sunshine has ripened the grain, and the apprehension of an unfavourable change induces the farmers to use every exertion to save the harvest Noless than 300 wasps' nests have been destroyed within the distance of half a mile from Woolbeding, near Mid hunt. Calculations have been made showing that the average loss sustained from their depredations by every grocer in the town, even in a moderate way of business, fir the past few weeks, cannot be less than a sovereign per week, and that out of every cwt. of auger the wasps devour quits 7lbs. 855