The Press. — London, England, 1855-04-21 00:00:00

374 deeply than the sentiments towards the Empress and my self, to which you, my Lord, have given expression on the part of the city of London ; for the city of London repre sents the available resources which its wide commerce affords both for civilisation and for war Flattering as are your praises, 1 accept them, because they are addressed much more to France than to myself. They are addressed to a nation whose interests are today everywhere identical with your own. (Immense cheering. ) They are addressed to an army and a navy united to your own by heroic companionship in danger and in glory. (Cheers.) They are addressed to the policy of the two Governments, which is based on truth, on moderation, and on justice. (Loud cheers.) For myself I have retained on the throne the same sen • timents of sympathy and esteem fur the English people that 1 professed as an exile—(immense applause )—while I enjoyed here the hospitality of your country ; and if I have acted in accordance with my convictions, it is that the interests of the nation which has chosen me, no less than those of universal civilisation. have made it a duty. (Cheers.) Indeed, England and France are naturally tutited on all the great questions of politics and of human progress that agitate the world—(cheers)—from the shores of the Atlantic to those of the Mediterranean—from the Baltic to the Black Sea—from the desire to abolish slavery to the hope of amelioration for all the countries of Europe. I see in the moral asin the political world two nations, but one course and one end. ( Loud cheers.) It is then only by illiberal considerations and pitiful rivalries that our union can be dissevered. If we follow the dictates of common sense alone we shall be sure of the future. ( eat cheering.) You are right in interpreting my presence amongst you as a fresh and convincing proof of my energetic co•opera tion in the prosecution of the war, if we fail in obtaining an honourable peace. (Great cheering.) Should we so fail, although our difficulties may be great, we may surely count upon a successful result—(cheers)—for not only are our soldiers and our sailors of tried valouk—not only do the two countries possess within themseWs unrivalled resources, but, above all—and here lies their superiority— it is because they are in advance of their enemies in gene rous and enlightened ideas. (Cheers.) The eyes of all who suffer rise instinctively toward the West., because our two nations are even more powerful from the opinions which they represent than from their armies and their fleets. ( Tremendous cheering.) 1 am deeply grateful to your Queen for affording me this solemn opportunity of expressing to you my own sen timents and those of France, of which I am the interpre• ter. (Cheers.) I thank you in my own name, and in that of the Em press, for the kind and hearty cordiality with which you have received us. (('beers.) We shall take back to France with us the lasting impression made on minds thoroughly able to appreciate the very imposing spectacle which England presents, where Virtue, on the Throne, directs the destinies of a country under the empire o f liberty without danger. In the course of the dfjeuner the Lord Mayor gave " The health of the Queen," which was drunk by the whole company standing. His lordship after wards proposed " The health of the Emperor and Empress of the French," which was received with a similar demonstration of respect. Before leaving the room the Emperor was for some time in conversation with the Marquis of Lans downe; and the Empress, when on the point of departure, recognising Lord Clarendon, entered into conversation with his lordship with great vivacity. After spending a short time in partaking of the repast spread for them, the Emperor and Empress returned to Buckingham Palace, prolonging the route by traversing Piccadilly to the entrance at Constitu• tion-bill. In the evening the Queen and her illus trious guests went in state to the Covent-garden Opera. In that establishment some splendid pre parations had been made for their visit. The royal box, situated, as before, in the middle of the theatre, exactly opposite the stage, presented in a great measure the same appearance as when the Queen last visited the Royal Italian Opera in state. The fittings were extremely gorgeous. Several boxes on the first tier, grand tier, and pit tier, had been absorbed in order to make room for this gigantic construction, very naturally the point to which all eyes were directed from the commencement to the end of the entertainment. The opera, according to instructions received from the court authorities, commenced without waiting for the arrival of the royal party. The interval was passed by the audience—probably the most brilliant, if not the most numerous, ever assembled within the walls of a theatre—rather in a low sustained buzz or murmur of expectation, than in attention to the per formance. After the first act of Fidhlio, the Court entered, and the whole house rose. That majestic• temple wa4 decorated in holiday attire. Every tier of boxes was hung with white silk and satin, fringed with gold, and festooned with splendid flowers. The royal box, in the centre of the theatre, occupied a large space, and was magnificently decorated. From beneath its gorgeous hangings the royal party advanced. T-ler Majesty the Queen, taking the Emperor by the hand, led him forwent. and, i ow.l g to the people with a grace and frankness beyond expression, presented to them her imperial guest, while Prince Albert led forward the Empress Eugknie. Id. Costa then waving his baton, " Partant pour la Syria" was struck up, and the acclamations of THE PRESS. the audience were graciously responded to by re peated obeisances. The French national air was succeeded by our own anthem, in which Madame Bosio sang the first verse, and all the company of the Royal Italian Opera, except those engaged in the performance of FirlOU°, took part. The entente cordiale thus harmooiously established, the cheers and acclamations were renewed, until the illustrious party resumed their seats. After the second and third acts of the opera, which were listened to with comparatise attention, the curtain ruse, and the stage presented an unusual spectacle. Behind the principal performers and chorus were revealed a dense mass of ladies and gentlemen in full dress, who, sooner than not be present on such au occasion, had purchased the privilege of standing before the footlights during the performance of the National Anthem and " Partant pour la Syrie." This time tile order was reversed, and " God save the Queen" was sung first; so that both on arriving and departing the ears of the Emperor of the French were saluted by the familiar strains of the melody said to have been composed by the Queen Hortense, his mother, and now accepted by his people as the national song of France. In the last perform ance of " Pertain pour la Syrie" the bands of her Majesty's Guards joined the full orchestra, and the etlLct was all the more impressive. When their Majesties retired the manifestations of the audience were renewed, and another hearty and unanimous " ovation" accompanied their departure. The whole of the royal party were in Court dresses. Her Majesty wore a gorgeous tiara of diamonds ; and the Empress Eugenie, who looked even hand somer than in the familiar portrait by M. Winter halter, was resplendent with precious jewels. The Emperor wore the uniform of a General of Division, with the Star and Cordon of the Legion of Honoar. Illuminations and other displays were made throughout the metropolis that evening on a very extensive and magnificent scale. There were many novelties. THE ARMY DEPARTMENTS, according to a state ment in the Observer, are to undergo a " thorough reform" without delay. The first great reform to be proceeded with will embrace the abolition of the Ordnance Department, and the complete consolida tion of thb business hitherto transacted by them with the War Department lately established, and now in process of a more perfect and analagous con centration. When the Ordnance, the Commissariat, and the Medical, and other boards connected with military management, shall be harmoniously con solidated under a single head, there is every hope that they will be all improved, having each, at the same time, permanent departmental chiefs, selected for their tried competency and experience. Those, and several other improvements, will be amongst the foremost introduced to Parliament after the recess. THE annual document showing all the sums which have been received into or paid nit of the Commissariat chest, between the Ist of April, 1853, and the 31st of March last, and of the assets and liabilities of the chest on the latter day, was issued on Saturday last. The return extends to sixteen folio pages, and contains a mass of figures. The cash balance in the hands of the Paymaster-General and in the several Commissariat chests abroad, on the Ist of April, 1853, was 507,268/. 55., and the money raised in the year 18534 was 2,403,2001. 19s. 3d. The total sum accounted for is 7,903,0191. 4s. 51d. The liabilities are set forth at 2,752,4001. 148. 7d., and of that sum 1,325,8071. 13s. 31d. was the surplus of assets available for carrying on the service of the Commissariat chest on the 31st of March last. The total cash balance on the 31st of March last was 692,5291. ls. Two LARGE FLOATING BATTERIES constructed for the Government were launched on Tuesday from the yard of Messrs. Mare and Co., at Blackwell. These vessels present a very imposing appearance. Their length between perpendiculars is 172 feet 0 inches, extreme breadth 43 feet 11 inches, and depth in hold 14 feet 7 inches. Their tonnage is 1,469. They are coated with iron plates of 4 inches to 41 inches in thickness, and are pierced for 28 10-inch Lancaster guns, carrying 68 pounders. One peculiarity worthy of notice is that the mooring-holes are below the water line. The extreme draught of water (with every thing on hoard) will be 7 feet 9 inches. Three niore of these fit& ing batteries are in course of construc tion for the Government in other yards, making five in all. LORD WARD has resigned the cllonelcy of the Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry, which he accepted only twelve months ago. His lordship twice applied to the Court of Quarter Sessions for the use of the judges' lodgings at Worcester as officers' quarters during the time the regiment was on duty; but the application was refused, and, his lordship conceiving that the refusal was made on personal grounds, resigned the command of the regiment. Lieutenant• Colonel Ors has been ssleoted for the osleseloy. SATURDAY, Sortign an (Colonial intelligence. FRANCE. The French journals are chiefly occupied with ac counts of the reception accorded to the Emperor and Empress in England. The cordiality evinced by the Br►tish Sovereign, and the enthusiasm displayed by the people, have given infinite sausfaction, and are acknowledged in the waru►est terms. A Paris even ing paper says:— - - Onr contemporaries devote their columns in great mea sure to the details of the more than John Bull heartiness, the enthusiasm, of the reception whieli has greeted their imperial Majesties from the roads of Dover all the way to Windsor. It may be said to have been almost one pro longed hurrah of acclamations, first starting from the brave tarn who swarmed on the decks and manned the shrouds of the gallant fleet which, under the command of .h ("mind Cochrane, ushered their Majesties from sea to shore— taken up with lusty spontaneous reverberations by the myriads thronging Lover—continued along the railway stations by the men and women of Kent with more than the usual compliment of the far-lamed Kentish tire—.e echoed with tentold tleateni..g cheers along London's mass encumbered streets and roads—caught up by the throngs of merry Windsor, and accompanying the imperial caval cade even within the walls of the royal palace, where, serenely smiling, stood the Sovereign Lady of Britain to ratify to her august guests her people's glorious welcome with her own. The War. Department is carried on under the direction of M. Billault, the Minister of the Interior, during the absence of Marshal Vaillant, now at tending his Imperial Majesty on a visit to this country. The Emperor's departure for the Crimea is con sidered quite as certain as his journey to London. Everything is in a complete state of preparation, and all ready to start at three hours' notice. A letter from Marseilles announces that everything has been prepared in that port to receive his Majesty, and the writer speaks of the Emperor's departure as beyond all doubt. The French War-office has just published a list of the subscriptions received for the army of the East up to the 2nd, and which then amounted to 1,628,209 fr. 43 o. Of that sum 10,000 fr. have been taken for the families of the sufferers in the Simil lante, and 1,192,619 Ir. 46 c. has been expended, leaving in hand 335,589 ft. 97 c. The following is the list of the articles purchased :-2,647 hectolitres of wine; 940 hectolitres of brandy; 286,880 kilo grammes of mixed prepared vegetables; 1,200 kilos. of onions ; 8,000 kilos. of hams; 5,619 kilos. of hogs lard; 13,444 kilos of Dutch cheese; 26,000 kilos. of chocolate ; 43,000 kilos. of tobacco purchased at Con stantinoble and at Marseilles; 200,000 tobacco pipes; and 16,000 straw mats. M. Ducos, the Minister of Marine, died, after a brief illness, on Tuesday night. The last link to the chain of continuous railway communication between Paris and Marseilles is com pleted, and was opened for passengers on Monday last. SARDINIA. The Sardinian steam-frigate Constituzione left Genoa on the 11th for Constantinople, with part of the staff of the engineer corps of the Piedmontese expedition, and a number of medical officers. King Victor Emmanuel, accompanied by the French and English Ambassadors, on Saturday last distri buted colours to the troops proceeding to the East. "You go," said his Majesty, "to fight in countries where the flag of Savoy floated in days of yore. I regret that I cannot go with you." His Majesty took leave of the troops on their de parture for the port of embarkation with the follow ing address: — Officers and Soldiers—A war, founded in justice, on which depend the tranquillity of Europe and the desti nies of our country, summons us to the East. You are about to visit remote lands, where the Cross of Savoy is not unknown. You will see valorous armies, the fame of which fills the world. Let their example stimulate you, and let it be evident to all that you are not less Tethaut than your sires. I have formerly led you on the field of honour ; I re member it with pride. I have shared your perils and fatigues ; to-day I regret that we must be separated for a time, but my thoughts will follow you everywhere, and that will be a happy day for me which reunites me with you. Soldiers! behold the banners bravely unfurled by the magnanimous Charles Albert; let them remind you of your absent country, and of the noble traditions of eight centuries. Be their defenders. Bring them back crowned with new glories, and your sacrifices will be blessed by generations present and to come. SPAIN. The Cortos on the 13th inst. approved a budget of civil list, granting to the Queen 28,000,000 reels ; to the Kiiig 1,000,000 reels; the Princess of Asturius, 1,000,000 reels; and the Duchess de Montpensier. 1,500,000 rents. TURKEY. The navigation of the Danube is now free. The Russians permit all ships to pass. Ships are bell taken up at Constautinople for cargoes of cora. i se ch ri- 4. les I le- on are r 18 Of ou, ant re- and for and vith the of ight ned by t of ;to ins, pier, The pirg ors•