The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-13 00:00:00

TIIE ESCAPE OF M. ROCHEFORT.

The Australian inail brings detail. of the escape of
M. Rochefort taun! his companions from New Caledonia.
M. Rochefort was accompanied by M. Grousset, en.
Minister of Foreign Affairs ; M. Jourie, ex-Minister
of Finance; M. Pain, ex-Secretary of Foreign Affairs;
M. Balliere, aide-de-camp to General Rossel ; and
M. Bastien Granthille, ea-Commandant of the
National Guards under the Communist Govern-
i7pon reaching Sydney the refugees became ob-
ject. of the liveliest interest. Curiosity was naturally
felt regarding the circumstances of their escape ; but
though communicative enough on other points, M.
Rochefort and his companions declined to give the
slightest information concerning the mode of their
departure from their place of detention, their reason
being that they did not wish to implicate any one.
The vessel in which they made their escape was the
barque P. C. E., and the circumstances, as far as the
Sydney journals were able to ascertain, appear to be
somewhat as follows :

M. Rochefort and his companions had obtained
leave to go on a fishing excursion, and they directed
their boat to where the P. C. E. lay at anchor inside
the reef which encircles the island of New Caledonia.
They boarded the barque, which was about to sail,
and hid themselves, remaining in concealment until
the vessel was well out at sea. When the alarm of
their escape. was given, the barque P. C. E. had left,
but was still in sight. A strict search was at once
made throughout the shipping in harbour, it being
reported that fourteen in all were missing. The
barque P. C. E. had started at noon, and it was as-
sumed that the fugitives had got on board that vessel
at her anchorage. The ship was in sight till 4 p.m.,
while the searck was being made on shore, but no steps
were taken to give chase to her. The Governor of New
Caledonia was up the country at the time. He re-
turned to Noumea next day, but considered it too late
to send a man-of-war in chase.

The account given by the officers of the P. C'. E. is
that the steward or mate of the barque, when fifteen
miles outside of the reef, having occasion to visit the
lazarette, discovered the stowaways in that portion of
the vessel. It is said that the captain and officers,
upon the discovery, held a consultation, and discussed
the propriety of putting back to Noumea; but the idea
was not carried out. It is stated that no one on board
the barque was acquainted with the names of the
stowaways, and it was only owing to the portrait
of M. Rochefort being found in a stray copy of
Bole Bella that they were aware they had such distin-
guished passengers. One of the persons on board the
barque, upon the discovery being made, called M.
Rochefort's attention to the likeness, and he said
at once, " re West pas remorquable, eat moi Victor
Henri de Rochefort Loewy, Conde do Royoume de
France." M. Rochefort (who does not speak
English, though MM. Grommet and Jourde
do) seemed anxious to relieve any anxiety that
might be felt in Australia with respect to the pro.
Lability or possibility of the escape of the convict class
of prisoners in New Caledonia. He said that the posi-
tions of the political prisoners and the criminals upon
the island are totally different, and though they (she
political prisoners) effected an escape, it is impossible
for the convicts to do so. The captain of the P. C. R.
declares that the Communists came on board entirely
without his knowledge or connivance, but that they
afterwards paid their passages.