The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-10-06 00:00:00

THE KING OF SPAIN IN PARIS.

King Alfonso left Brussels on Saturday morning
and reached Paris a few minutes before four o'clock
the same afternoon. President Gr6vy went to the
terminus of the Northern Railway to receive his
MajPsty, and as the train came into the station a
salute of one hundred and one guns as fired. Out-
side there was a crowd, which is estimated at two
hundred thousand persons, who, as soon as they saw
the Spanish King, set up a storm of hooting and hiss-
ing, with allusions to his having accepted the com-
mand of a Uhlan Regiment. These hostile demon-
strations were contitued all along the road to the
Spanish Embassy in the Rue St. Dominique.—lhe
Paris Correspondent of the Daily News gives the fol.
lowing particulars of the event :

- -
King Alfonso'e az rival was announced to the capital
by a boom of artillery. A tremendous shout of "Viva
la Rdpublique " was raised, and I am told not only
about the terminus, but all down the Rue Lafayette,
the longest thoroughfare in Paris, and in the Place de
la Concorde, where a strident crowd bad gathered.
The King must have been invisible to all in the
street. The moment the doors through which
he was to pass opened there was another cry of
" Vive la RiSpublique," followed by groans and
hisses. It was impossible for him, although a
band played a Royal tattoo as loud as it could,
not to have heard both. He had on a full-dress
dress uniform, but as he has adopted for the Spanish
cavalry the Prussian helmet, he wore an undress cap.
Not a muscle of M. Grevy's face moved, I am told, as
he was seeing the King into the carriage. It had
been settled that M. Jules Ferry was to accompany
the King, who requested him to enter first. The
Premier complied, and, being a man of large frame,
hid from the public gaze the Royal visitor, who was
pale from agitation, and sat back in his seat. He and
M. Ferry were in the last of the three carriages.
The other Ministers and M. Grivy went away a
little later, King Alfonso's escort and coachman had
been instructed to go very fast, and went at an almost
galloping pace. A storm of angry exclamations buret
upon them in the Avenue Denain. Eye witnesses
stationed on the steps of St. Vincent's Church, behind
the Opera, and in the Rue Royale and the P ace de
la Concorde furnish me with reports of what they
saw. I heard there were no troops, unless at the
latter point, drawn up beyond where the Avenue
Denain joins the Rue Lafayette, by which the Royal
cortege went so far as the Opera, but material order
was spontaneously kept by the people massed on
the footways. Were it not for the dragoon escort the
King would not have been recognised. Wherever it
was sighted hostility and derision or politer irony were
shown. Some cried, " Vive l'Espague," "A has le
Uhlan." There were a few roughs who sang out of
tune to the air of Beau Nizo'art, "Le Roi 'Milant le
voila, la, la, Is, !slam, vlan, le Roi Uhlan." 'the
terraces and steps and the wide space in front
of St. Vincent's Church were crammed with im
passioned sightseers. In galloping down the steep
hill a horse slipped and threw his rider, whose
leg was broken. rhis brought the cort4ge to a
fuil stop. Pity and commiseration for the dragoon
were manifested and contempt for the King, bat
there was no menacing or shaking of fists. Near the
Opera House and along the Rue Royale the demon-
strations were ironical, and there was universal
laughter, which must have been galling to the King.
A hostile manifestation was to have come off in the
Place de la Concorde. Students, Polytechnic pupils,
Alsatians, and possibly some Cariboo, were to have
joined in it. To keep the manifestants at a safe
distance from the Royal carriage, troops were drawn
out across the Place on the right side of the obelisk
from the Rue Royale to the b‘idge, forming a lane
through which the cortege drove. The Spanish
Embassy in the Rue Dominique St. Germain was
reached in eighteen minutes after the King left the
new terminus, His progress through the city resem-
bled a flight. There was not the slightest canger of
violence. All that was apprehended was cries and
scoffs of a galling nature.

In the Faubourg Saint Germain si'ence reigned,
although sightseers thronged the footpaths. Near the
Spanish Embassy the tradesmen of the Duke de
Fernan Nunez and their families had ast;embled. They
cried " Viva Is Roi I" but this was the only friendly
greeting that King Alfonso heard. Soon after the King
entered the Embasv the infantry detachment appointed
to mount guard was sent away by the Atnba3sador's
orders. One can understand the painful situation of M.
Ferry, who accompanied King Alfonso and ali4hted with
him. According to the Figaro, the King, who was to have
gone at once to the Elysees, stayed in confereDoe three
quarters of an hour with the Count Armijo. His
Majesty only went to see M. Gr4vy at half-past five,
accompanied by the Duke de Seen and Colonel
Leichtenstein. Instead of going through the Place de
la Concorde, he went by the Esplanade des Invalides,
where a number of small boys were playing. They
heard that the King was in the carriage and ran hoot-
ing after it. An old lady dashed her parasol at it,
and broke it against the window by which the Duke
de Sesto was sitting. The boys, stimulated by her
example, pelted mud and pebbles, and one of the
gamins aimed a crustof bread he was eating at "the
Uhlan."

The Times Correspondent writing from Paris on
Sunday says :—After returning from the Elys6e, the
King dined with the Ambassador, and did not stir out
at night. It it said that he telegraphed to his queen,
"My visit will perhaps be curtailed, owing to inci-
dents which must not be exaggerated," and to his
mother, " Profondement triste. Journise mauvaise."
He sent a message to M. Gr6vy asking, on the ground
of fatigue, to be excused from the contemplated shoot-
ing at Rambouillet to.day, and this was accordingly
postponed. This morning the King milled on Princess
Louise d'Orleans, in the Rue de Berri, and then drove
to Epinay to breakfast with his father, Don Francis
of Assisi. In the afternoon M. Gr6vy called on the
King to excuse yesterday's proceedings and invite him
to the banquet at the Elyse to-night. "I come,"
said M. Grivy, "in the name of France to beg
you not to confound her with the misbrahles who have
compromised her old renown by demonstrations
I repudiate. Unfortunately our laws are power-
less to repress such things. I beg your Majesty
to give us fresh proof of your generous friend.
ship by being present at the banquet which will
collect this evening the whole Government at my
table, and you will see then the real feeling of France."
The King replied as follows :

"As chief of a proud and noble nation I could not
remain any longer here without compromising its
dignity, and for this reason I had arranged to leave,
but, desirous of giving a special proof of my regard
and consideration for France—regard and considera-
tion which have been so badly returned—l accede to
the desire of the President of the French Republic."

The King of Spain left Paris shortly before nine
o'clock on Monday morning. There was no ceremonial
at his departure, but the President's Aide-de-camp
accompanied the Royal train to the frontier.

A Madrid telegram of Monday's date says :—Queen
Christina, accompanied by her two daughters, the
Infantas Ysabel and Eulalie, returned to Madrid this
afternoon from La Granja, and met with a perfect ova-
tion. The streets from the station to the Palace were
thronged with carriages and people on foot belonging to
all classes of society. The station was filled with an
enormous crowd, which included all the officers of the
garrison who were not upon duty. The moment the
royal train appeared there was a burst of cheering,
and the heartiest exclamations followed the Queen
and Princesses as they drove through the city, their
carriage surrounded by enthusiastic throngs, to the
Palace. Shouts of "Long live the Queen of Spain,"
"Long live the King," were frequent, and occa-
sionally cries indicating hostility to Franee were heard.
On the arrival of the Royal Party at the Palace the
cheers increased, and the Queen had to appear twice
on the balcony to acknowleige the repeated plaudits
of the crowd.

Writing on Tuesday night the Madrid Oorresponden
of the Daily News says :

King Alfonso returned here to-day by special train
from the frontier. At every station along the line he
received marks of sympathy from the people. His re-
ception at the station in Madrid was magnificent.
The Princesses, the Ministers, public men, officials,
even the leaders of the different political parties, stood
on the platform. The train entered the station amidst
f•ntbnsiastic cries of " Viva Espala ! " "Long live
the King of the Spaniards V

His Majesty entered the capital in an open car-
riage without escort. It. seemed as if the whole city
had flocked towards the Plaza Oriente and the streets
leading from the palace to tbe station. Near the
Ministry of Marine a pretty triumphal arch was raised
formed of flowers. The royal carriage was almost
borne along by the populace. The people clung to
the horses' heads, compelkd them to go a walking
pace. Hats were flung up in the air and handker-
chiefs waved amidst roars of vivas and cheers from all
sides. No soldiers lined the way. The demonstration
was quite spontaneous. All classes joined in it. Oar.
riages stood on both sides of the road. As the King
passed the ladies in them stood up waving their hand-
kerchiefs.
Once in the palace the windows on the first floor
were thrown open and all the Royal family appeared
on the balconies. When the crowd caught sight of
the King and Queen in the centre, the shouts were
deafening. Their Majesties were visibly moved. The
King, taking the baby Princess in his arms, showed
her to the populace.
In the great hall of the palace people of all classes
—the aristocracy, the grandees, the Diplomatic Corps,
women an flaring shawls and men of the working class
in blue blouses—flocked to express their sympathy
with the King. Many came and kissed his . bands.
Others lc,3elt at his feet. He had a kind word for all
and seemed almost surprised at these unanimous de-
monstrations, never before seen during his reign.