The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-08-10 00:00:00

THE NAVAL FETES AT CHERBOURG.

CHIMBOURCJ, Aitgast 4.

. _
The name of this old Norman town and harbour if
probably at this moment better known than its triad
position. The exact position of Cherbourg may be
better described than by quoting latitude and longitude
from the Admiralty chart, or its bearings by compute
from Dover, Briefly, then, lithe Isle of Wight room
cut loose from its mooring, and drift nearly in a straight
line across the Channel, it would be received in the
arms of two napes, which tern:Miele the greet peninsula
of the coast of Normandy. Into the bay betweeh these
point* the tight little island would neatly fit and fill up
the hollow. In the deepest recess of this bay, and st
the centre of its shore, lies the town of Cherbourg. It
is nearly equidistant from Plymouth, Weymouth, and
Portsmouth ; those planes would be out by three lines
radiating from Cherbourg like the sticks of • fan.
Between the French port anal the English coast roll 60
or 70 good miles of ocean ; and when you have inspected
Cherbourg you will not wish the Channel one league lase
in breadth. The town Hull' is the leiat important part of
it ; the real Cherbourg consists of the harbour, the
nih-
tary port, the breakwater, and the fortifleations. All that
the art of the military engineer can do to give strength
to the natural position has been done ; the position has
called the works into existence, and the works are the
'lace. Cherbonrg is no such well stocked cover. The
country around it, however, is very beautiful, hilly,
and richly wooded, though the town itself is on a plain
that extends from the foot of the hills to the shore of
the bay ; from most of the ground now covered by the
town the sea has receded, and at • comparatively resent
period. The heights behind show you the town at your
feet, the military port, with its dockyard, roofs, and
bastions on the left, and the breakwater, the inner road,
111:11.1 the eight or nine line-of-battle ships at anchor, as
the oentre of the picture. To the right is the height,
almost • cliff, of La Route, crowned by a fortified bar-
rack, with embrasures looking, as all the guns do every
where, seaward. The barrack, or fort under that name,
is one of the new constructions, and its fresh white
inuonry contrasts well with the gray, weather-stained
hoe of the height on which it stands, whence a slope of
hare rook descends shout into the town. The new
railway from Paris turns round the foot of this height,
and the station is built, so to speak, in its shadow; the
platform is, in every sense, "under the guns" of the
fort. The dale for the Emperor, for the ceremony of
the inauguration of the line, directly fronts the height of
La Route, and when the semi-circular galleries for the
spectators are filled, the mountain and its fort, rising
from the station itself, will form a magnifloent back.
ground to the tableau. The following le the programme
drawn up by the civil and military authorities for the
reception of the Emperor and Empress, and the cele-
bration of the uveral days of their stay in Cherbourg :

Anouirr 4.
Their Majesties will be received at the railway
station by the authorities, civil, naval, and military.
The keys of the town will be presented to His Majesty
by the Mayor and the Municipal Council.
The benediction and inauguration of the railway will
take place in the presence of their Majesties.
All the land and sea forces will be under arm.; they
will be placed in rank from the railway station to the
Hotel of the Prefecture. The arrival of their Majesties
will be announced by a salute of artillery.
All the ships of the aquadron, as well as the forts of
the road, and Forts Ouglet and L'Ainiral, will be
decorated with gags ; all the buildings of the port will
also hoist their respective sags.
On the arrival of their Majesties at the Prefecture the
Emmess will receive the wives of the principal officials,
and the young ladies deputed to offer Her Majesty a
corbeille of flowers and !woe.

The public offices, the ships of the squadron, and the
breakwater will be illuminated every evening daring the
stay of their Majesties.
The officers and public functionaries are requested
to illuminate their residences and decorate them with

AUGUST 5.

This day being reserved by the Emperor and Empress
for the reception on board the Bretagne of Her Majesty
the Queen of England, a future order will be issued as
to the proceedings of the day.
The regatta will take place in the road of Cherbourg
in the presence of the united naval tomes and the
Royal Yacht Squadron.

-iii3o66T 6.

This day their Majesties will visit the ships of the
squadron in the road, and land on the breakwater.

AUGUST 7.
Their Majesties will leave the Hotel of the Prefecture
In the morning, and pus through the town and environs.
At noon their Majesties will proceed to the military
port to open the grand inner basin of the works.
In the evening a ball will be given to the Emperor
and Empress by the town of Cherbourg at the Hotel
de Ville.

AUGUST 8.

At 9 o'clock in the morning the Emperor will inaugui
rate the equestrian statute of Napoleon.
The departure of their Majesties is flied for 2
o'clock p.m.
The remainder of the programme contains the special
regulations and orders to the officials relative to this
ceremony, which hi the last of the oelebratione

Another programme, published by the Munioipality,
details the popular fetes that are to be given in honour
of tho Imperial visit, and the part the Municipality la
to take in the other oeremonies.

......- —...—...—.
Her Majesty and the Prince Consort left Osborne
House soon after 12 o'clock Wednesday, and at ones
proceeded on their visit to the Emperor of the French
at Cherbourg. The ships of war which were appointed
to form the convoy to Her Majesty's left Spithead at an
early hour that morning, • proceeding necesoary for
them in consequence of the very superior speed of the
Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert. The Osborne Royal
yacht, and the Black Eagle, bearing the Adiniralty flag,
with Sir John Pookington, First Lord of the Admiralty,
on board, left Osborne soon after 10 o'clock, and pro-
ceeded up the Solent, and for a considerable distance
the company had an opportunity of witnessing the con-
test for Her Majesty Cup by the yachts of the Royal
Yacht Squadron. Her Majesty's yacht, the Victoria
and Albert, was seen from Cowes coining down the
Roads at 20 minutes past 12 o'clock. The Racoon, 21,
Captain Poynter' having returned on Tuesday night
from the coast of France with qualified French pilots
for the English Squadron. At 5 o'clock Wednesday morn-
ing the Royal Albert, 121, Adiuiral Lord Lyons, with
Marshal the Duke of Malokoff on board, accompanied
by the Renown, 91, Captain Forbes; the Euryalus, 51,
Captain 'farleton, C.B. ; the Diadem, 32, Captain Moor-
Isom, C.B. ' • the Cursooa, 31, Captain T. M. Mason;
and the Racoon, 21, Captain Poynter, left Spithead for
Cherbourg.
The Royal yacht Victoria and Albert, accompanied by
the Royal Albert, arrived on Wednesday evening, in the
roadstesd. They were saluted by the whole French
fleet and the forts.
On Tuesday night the member, of the House of Com-
mons arrived from London at Southampton and pro-
ceeded on board the Pero, lying in the Southampton
Docks, for the purpose of prooeeding to Cherbourg to
witness the fetes. At 8 o'clock dinner was served in the
saloon. Among the more prominent of those
_present
were the Attorney General, Mr. John Bright, Mr. Roe-
buck, Mr. Wyld, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Egerton, Colonel
French, Colonel Pinney, Mr. Cobbold, Sir W. Codring-
ton, tsc. A bond was engaged for their amusement,
which played some very choice mushc during the evening.
The Pero left the Docks at an early hour Wednesday
morning for Cherbourg, and was expected to arrive there
about midday.
After the Te Doom which was chanted on the arrival
of the Emperor and the Empress at the Cherbourg sta-
tion on Wednesday, their Majesties proceeded to the re-
ception-room, where they received the civil, military,
and naval authorities. The following is the text of a
speech addressed to his Majesty by the Mayor:—' Sire,
—Deign to receive the keys of tide town. They were
presented in 1811 to the immortal founder of your
dynasty ; they belong, by more titles than one, to the
worthy heir of his crown, the glorious executor of his
work ; the sovereign to whom France owes the re-estab-
lishment of order and prosperity at home, and of its
dignity and influence abroad. " Viva l'Empereur " I
" Viva l'Emperatriee I" " Viva le Prince Imperial I "
The Emperor, in reply, said that lie was "happy to
templet* the work oommenued by Louis XIV., and to
Inaugurate, in time of peace' a port—the work, of
which hail so actively progressed during war."

Among the crowd which surrounded their Majestic.
were a great number of ecalealaatioa from all parts of
the department. On leaving the station their Mejestlei
entered au open carriage, in which Marshals Valliant
and Bareguay d'Hilliera also took their pleas". In
other carriages followed Count and Countess Walewsici,
Mr. Rouher, Minister of Pubha Works, General Fleury,
and the rest of the imperial suite. During the rungs
of the oortdp to the Prefecture, the acclamations of
the crowd were incessant. kielvos of artillery proceeded
at the seine Mme from the forte and yowls of war. On
arriving at the Maritime Prefecture, their Majestien
received the wives of the principal functionaries and
visitors to Cherbourg. Thirty young 'Adige presented
the Empress with a casket of flowers and lee.. Her
Majesty received the deputation moat graciously. The
eldest of the young girls who preeented the Empress
with a bouquet, addressed her in an appropriate address.
Every house was illuminated, and every vessel in the
port lighted up. The appearanee of the town and port
was most striking, and en immense and joyous crowd
thronged the streets'. Meanwhile the Queen of Eng.
lend lied arrived, and the Emperor and Empress Itunie•
dietely paid her • visit, without being accompanied by
an escort. The Queen accepted an invitation toe
private breakfast with their Majesties on Thursday.
The breakfest was given at noon at the Maritime Pre.
feature ; only "even covers were laid. At 2 o'clook the
Queen entered • carriage with their Majesties, in order
to obtain a view from the heights of the magnificent
spectacle presented by the roadste•d of Cherbourg
dressed with Bags, and upon which a brilliant sun was
shining.
Her Majesty, with the Royal family and the squadron
quitted Cherbourg Friday at noon, under a triple salute.
At the dinner on board time Bretagne Thursday evening
the Emperor, in propoeing the Queen's health, expreieed
his conviction that the visit of Her Majesty was cal.
misled to place upon • still firmer basis the alliance be.
tween the two countries. After the banquet the fleete
and fortifications were illuminated. The French
squadron saluted the Queen, and a magnificent display
of fireworks took place. The town was also brilliantly

--71ie-iiion-"iteisr of Thursday has the following :—Clier-
bourg, August s.—Yesterday at half-past 7 o'clock in
the evening, salutes from all the ships and forte an-
nounced the arrival in the roadstead of Her Majesty the
Queen of England. Immediately afterwards his Excel-
lency the Duke of Malakoff came to pay homage to his
Sovereign. At 8 o'clock the Emperor and Empress paid
the Queen • visit on board her yacht. Their Majesties
did not return to the Hotel of the Maritime Prefecture
till 10 o'clock. To-day, at noon, Her Majesty the Queen,
accompanied by Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, the
Duke of Cambridge, Lord Mclmosbury, the First Lord
of the Admiralty, and • numerous suite, returned their
Majesties' visit and partook of • &jetliner offered to
them by the Emperor. At 2 o'clock their Majesties and
their august guests drove in carriages to the heights of
Roule to admire the magnificent spectacle offered at
that moment by the roadstead of Cherbourg, covered
with flags and lit up by a magnificent sunshine. This
evening • grand banquet will unite their Imperial and
Royal Majesties, the Princes, Lords, Marshals, Minis-
ters, and other personages of distinction, present at
Cherbourg.
The Victoria and Albert, with the Queenand Cowl on
bowl, arrived at Osborne Friday evening, at 5 o'clock,