The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-08-03 00:00:00

SUBSCRIBING FOR THE FRENCH

LOAN.

On Sunday the great Fren,h Loan of three milliarde
was offered to the French people, anti the graphic descrip-
tion given by the Correspondent of the Daily rdegrapli,
writing from PAris on Sunday evening, will enable the
public to jtotge how deep was the interest excited by the
event in l'ari4, how minute acid careful were the pro.
'taxation., end he *lot, even on the first day of sub.
scription, was the reoult :
The Goverment :WI given or.ters that the subacription
lists should remain op-,, or two days, commencing with the
present Sudsy but the impatience of the people was not
I) be restra u. 4; and, even on hater...lay afternoon they
comniene 4 to crown around the subscription OEICSS.
iven—or, it might not be exaggeration to say, sweet—
ens, from their posts hp a furious thunderstorm, which
enotinuen to tweet over Paris during more than two turs,
the people Came hack in everl greater force th.n• fore
whenever the weather cleared. they densely surriindded
the doors, which were not to be opened fir fifteen or twonty
hours—until nine o'clock on Sunday morning, alter which
time they were to continue in activity till five in the

evenlug
One of the strangest and most tibildng among the scenes
that were to be witnessed on Saturday evening at the many
points throughout Pails where the eager and animated
groups s 4 would be investors gathered was the spectacle
odor Mil by tits moiety ens -rd, coinposed of people of all
ranks and classes, which had collected around the Palate de
leindustrie. This edifice, which may im called the head-
quarters of the subscription, had been surrounded with •
teuiperary but tasteful verandah, to afford a protection
against the scorchiug heat of the sun; it Waa adc'ened 'nth
(mt.." of tricoloured flag., arranged in a most artistic
fashion To this point, as the night advanced, came swarmiug
up hundreds and thousands of Parisians, inein diog • very lento
proportion of the hisinstrial classes. Gradually tbe invading
host epread itself over the whole extent of the Champs
Elysees, taking posses-Mon of all the chairs, tables, benches,
and booths ; until, about midnight, the Gardens had seromod
the appiaranet if a vast and liver lerly camp. Men, WOLnen,
and children, paying no heed to the dampness of the ground
end the dripplog from the rain-laden in ai what of the trees,
were lying huddled together in groupe, in the -most
varied and often fantastic attitudes, away
the time till morning by laughing, chattering, chaffing, eat-
ing, and sleeping. A strong posse of se,gents do villa had
been spectate) detailed to maintain enter at this chief rally-
ing place of the investing masses; but so much good nature
and good order prevailed among the a owde, that the ser-
vices of the myrusidoes of authesity had scarcely, if at all,
to be called into requisition. The personal teempositiou of
this crowd was, to }Willish eyes, iota little remarkable, and
such as by no stretch of imagination, could he pictured
in London. It was made tip of old men, young men, and
mere boys ; of decrepit old women, of young ouvriere, and
girls of the most tender age. In general they were m-ire
respectably dressed than is nenel with their class in Peril,
awl mit ninny oluuees mingled with the mass A Movie glance
was sufficient to show that almost without exception they be-
longed to the thoroughly industrioua and easing plat of the
community; yet here ic the not very comfortable
though picturesque crowd, as afterwards, in the queue
that stood fir hours, outside the doors, they were content to
wait hour after hour not less thickly packed—but vastly more
patient and good humoured—than the assemblage round
Old Drury at the great Christmas celebration. The military
and police were without the slightest exercise of harshness,
exceedingly strict in their supervision. The fixed bayonets
of the Line glitteled at frequent intervals along the barrier.;
mid any rudeness or attempt to gain an unfair advantage in
point of place was promptly punished by the lunituary
removal of the otieutier.
The Palate was brilliantly illuminated and gally deco-
rated; and as the gleams of light from its walls and wine
doses shot over the dark recumbent forms, the tableau was
thoroughly weird and romantic Every time that a refresh-
ment seller stopped belore one of the waiting groups, to drive
a brisk trade in sausages, bread and cheese, and beverages
of smelly sorts, the lantern dangling in front of his
cart would reveal the bag, or pouch, or belt, in which
the destined subscriber bad brought his little
treasured hoard, to help in delivering its belle
France from the occupation of the foreigner. Of M.
miens, of the different political chiefs and parties that per-
plex the present and future of France, even of the Pruseisuil
themselves, who had made the great Loan ue,esary, there
was little or no talk. In truth, the attenti et of those
Provisional Republicans was concentrated on one spe-
cial point of immediate and absorbing interest--how
to scheme out a strategical mmiceuvre Of some kind
which would enable them to enter the building be-
fore sunset of the next day. Excitement, in any
sense uf the word, could not he said to be mani-
fested any where else, but at the Patois a stranger
coming eusideely upon the scene, without any previous
warning of its cause, might have supposed that tire populace
was waiting for tele opening of the doom of a huge tl'eatre,
on the stage of which a apectacle of extraordinary, though
apparently not tragical, hiterest was about to be displayed.
In order to control the immense crowd, the gathering of
which was anticipated, the Municipal Council bad adopted
very policieus precautions. mid these were admirably
seconded by the crowd itself, each member of whirls,
bearing with him the stake he meant to have in the
country, felt an individual Internet in the maintenauce
of honesty and good order. The verandah or &Wa-
ive of which I have already spoken, arid which. I should
have said, was erected in front of the Pavillon sird-
Est, looking towards the Place de la tkleeeede, was
very large and well constructed. Under this humane
and absolutely indispensable place of shelter a space
was mailed off into live equal divieiffiet to prevent
the possibility of any tvil consequences from an
" uely rash" though I cannot say that the barriers
which leparated t:se divisions were of a strength which
would have been considered suflii tent to keep Mi
-English crowd within 'my iiestred bounds. At the
end of the verandah, facing the Chomps Elysties, was
the autionneenmet, in large, conspicuous characters, " Em-
prunt Ilatinnll—Souseriptiene ;" while on either side was a
trophy of the national colours This part of the Palace had
been set apart for receiving the subscriptions of the small
tradesmen, the now-lees, awl other., who could not afford or
did not intend to make a minimum enbscription of 600 trines
Itente—reeresentiug a capital subscription of nearly 8,000
francs, or £320.
Uutil terlight on Saturday the immediate approaches to
the Palace—access in which was coveted by so many anxious
mei peeunious the I sands —was guarded by a battalion of
Lune inraetry, which mercifully prevented anybadY from
tattling if itself or any of him nivalo hit the work of paying
out Germane, to the torture of standing en queue for
noire then a dozon hours on end. The heavy thuudershowers
shut bteke epee the city just about ten riciock did not
I.tie to thin the ranks of those who had come
ea, Is in Vi.e hope of first reaching the cashiers tables; but
wnen the line of miffing', passed the gathering bad
gained mere than its uriellial dinsepsions, and ffiniut three
cloak win the rumour spn ailing that the cordon of
sanitary had fallen buck front their position near the doors,
n very short time sufficed to create a frantic MA towards
them. For a noisule or two there was a tremendous crush,
and a roar of Velees, which reveling souse of Use recant
tumult.no seeues ru Pails, broke with strange discordance
on the stillness of the meriting air, already tinged
with the first tints of dawn ; hut the sergents de villa
speedily threw the docile cr 'Ned ut Perlsiane into sn orderly
form--that of a seemlitgly endless tail, some four or flee
persons deep, the comp.ment parts of which gradually settled
down into traugull Waiting for five or six hours more. At
last, at nine o'clock, the doors were opened, and the weary
crowd !aspen to march iuto the bureau and empty
their pockets in the connietition for State Bonds.
As rapidly as the cash era could transact their
Mutinees, the offieers who kept the doors permitaed other
candidates for ti vestment to pass in ; while • double line of
soldiers and sergenta she villa kept at a respectful distance
such ',erases as had no inteLt to jetnt the queue, or no means
cnaelitig thsen to du so. Only relatives aid filsnds bearing
ndreslire• ut to those who had been waiting at the doors so
lone in, re allowed to psi Within the barriers along with •
few morrhands de coca, • lola micostly ministrations seemed
to be kratef ally appreciated by the humbler Intendrog
speculators.
utAetnthtoe rd
thioje ob.thrve,rl,niclatiesresimtill,arm,pirlecaleruituionewribmhail bees
were
admitted, the entruic., for those fortunate enough te be able
to ask' nip a larger amount of eV ck than eeesi francs being
at the South-West Pavilion. Even at this comparatively
select apows .eit a queue had atolls time Vint. ; but at ten
recto. it this
.neirisieg, when I viatted the place, the
alla,s Cu 'deity were without employ went, and the
casettes bah', had leisure enough in the Merrils of
customers. Every one whom I encomitered almost the
Palate, however, was loud aud unanimous in declaring him-
self or herself proud of the manner in which the country
hail COMM forward in this hour of need to respond to the
call of the Govennuent, and confident that, with such a
power to make great efforts, France would soon occupy once
more her former position among Europe ah nationa
STICCEItifi OP SAE LOAN'.
" The subaripnon of the great French I,as which opened
otur.lismti,lanny
chru.orn.loung thl.es.du:ynout.tkethne l
,nie:inaph iusikenel I;wrmsidoththeorf
Continental capitate, closed last night in whatlal be termed
a blaze of success High as were the expectations form, it,
they appear from universal testimony se hare been tar sur-
',weed by the reality ; even moderate and experienced men
of Mathess now giving it as their opinion that the Idea has
been subscribed eight er nine tinses—that is, that Prance,
Germany, and Essglami lave effored to lend the Government
of it Weres tic russet,' Min°. eterlieg. Imagination fails
to grasp these enc..; fienres, or to manse the almost
infinite faith in Framee which thew at first iigni Incineite."—
Tilenia)'s Daily Telegraph. .
•
A Itoelon lawyer tool a horse that always stopped
",,t ',coed co cross e. certain: hildee leeding out of the city.
e• .i Miming, no urging. ...Id biai to cross ; he
edvertmed hslnc .—" To be sold for be ether Miens than that
elmor wants to got out of town."