Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-28 00:00:00

IMPERIAL AMUSEMENTS.

THE RMPRESS EUGENIE AT A BULL FIGHT.

BIARRITZ, MONDAY, AUG. 24.

The Emperor left this yesterday, at half-past 12 o'clock,
en route for Paris, and a telegraphic, despatch re-
ceived this afternoon announces that he has arrived
there. On taking leave of the authorities at the
railway terminus his Majesty said " jusqu'a i'annee
prochaine." One of the gentlemen in attendance expressed
his surprise and regret that the Emperor's stay should be
so brief in this part of the country, and his hopes that
his Majesty would return during the autumn, were it but
for a few days. The Emperor replied that it was very
doubtful. After exchanging compliments with the
authorities, he took leave of the Empress, who had
accompanied him in an open carriage to the station, and,
attended by M. Fould, Minister of State, entered the
carriage prepared for him. In a few moments the Imperial
train was out of sight. The Emperor was met by the
Prefect of the Landes at a short distance from Mont de
Marsan, the chief town of the department, and visited
a property which he has lately purchased in that
neighbourhood. The Minister of State returns to Tarbes
in order to preside at the Conseil General of the
department.
The Empress returned to Biarrits, but again proceeded
to Bayonne at three o'clock to attend a bull-€ght iu the
Faubonrg of St. Esprit, on the same spot where these
sports have been held for the last few years.
The King of Wurtemburg, who was curious to witness,
for the first time, 'I believe, this humanising amusement
so dear to Spaniards, took his seat in the bull-ring at a
quarter to four, attended by 'his suite : and her Majesty
the Empress, accompanied by her sister and the ladies
who are in ordinary waiting upon her, was punctual to
the moment, and made her appearance in her box pre-
cisely at, four. The bullfighters only awaited the presence
of her Majesty to begin operations. The Mayor of St.
Esprit, after the usual preliminaries, gave the signal to
the troop (euadrilla). The stall where the animals are
kept in waiting was thrown open, and the first bull
bounded into the arena. He gave sport the usual times. and
, after undergoing the usual process of torture, secundurn
artem, to the apparent satisfaction of the amateurs high
and low, he encountered the sword of the redoubtable
Salarnanquino, who gave him the quietus from which there
is no escape. The second anima► afforded for the same
space of time a smaller pleasure to the upper and lower
hundreds, and met the same inevitable fate as his prede-

cessor.
The applause from the boxes, which testified to the
ability of the bullfighters, and of the matador in particu-
lar, were scarcely hushed, when the sky became overcast.
The very moment when the third bull was about to issue
from his stall a flash of lightning shot from a pile of black
cloud which hung in the sultry atmosphere, the distant
roar of thunder was heard, the heavy drops, announcing
the presence of the storm, fell in the arena, and in a few
minutes the rain rushed down with violence. The sport
was at once interrupted ; but if that was the only casualty
of the day there would net be much to lament. To escape
the "pelting of the pitiless storm,''—for thunder, light-
ning, and rain threatened to come in full career—numbers
of the spectators rushed to the gallery or platform where
the musicians were stationed, and which, except the
reserved boxes, was the only spot covered by an awning.
The gallery consisted merely of boards laid horizontally,
with their extreme ends resting for their only stay on
wooden posts, but with no support in the centre.
It might have borne all day without accident
the 49 or 50 musicians who were stationed there

to—cheer the spirits of the spectators, but it could
not resist the weight of the hundreds who rushed at once
on it for shelter. It was the weakest part of the whole
structure; and it was, moreover, immediately over the
spot where the mules and the muleteers usually employed
in removing from the arena the horses that have been
torn and disembowelled by the bulls, as well as the
slaughtered bulls themselves, are kept in attendance.
Amid the storm and confusion, the fragile structure sud •
denly gave way, and the crowd that clung to it were
precipitated to the ground. A cry arose from the multi-
tude. It was feared that several 'persons were killed.
The fear was exaggerated ; it is said that one man only
was crushed, if not to instant death, in such a manner as
to leave but little hope of surviving ; and eight or ten,
according to one:account, five or six according to another,
have either had limbs fractured or are severely bruised.
One of the animals underneath was killed, but
he probably saved one or two human beings
from the same fate. The confusion was at its height.
The rain still rushed down, but it did not seem to
diminish the ardour of the spectators for the bull-fight.
The manager, naturally enough, thought that the weather,
not to speak of the disaster which just occurred and the
sight of the victims, would dispense him from presenting
the rest of the bulls. He was never more mistaken. The
continuance of the " sport " was called for as if nothing
had happened, and enraged by the delay of the manager,
the most enthusiastic of the spectators shouted at the
highest pitch of their voices, gesticulated angrily, and
swore, and still no bull making his appearance, they fell
to tearing up benches, breaking down barriers, and
breaking everything they could lay hands on into pieces.
The disaster and the confusion which followed, was not
a spectacle of the most agreeable kind to man or woman.
The Empress, doubtless, thought the same. Accompanied
by her ladies, she returned to Biarritz, not, however,
without having made inquiries as to the state of the
wounded, and having received assurances that they
should be taken cars of. All chance of continuing the
" amusement," now that her Majesty honoured the ring
no longer with her presence, was of course, over, but the
rioters still continued their uproar. The troops interfered,
and after some delay and difficulty the place was cleared,
and by the joint exertions of the civil authorities and the
soldiers, tranquility was restored. The second bull tight,
which was to have taken place this day, has been post •
poned, until the broken posts, benches, and galleries have
been restored.
Whether the Empress intends to appear again on some
future Sunday at these bull fights is not stated. The
Emperor is, I believe, sincerely desirous to restore as
much as possible the observance of Sunday among the
population of Paris and the departments, the disregard
of which is one of the rewants of the revolution. The
working men, who are paid by the day, excuse their vio-
lation of it on the ground of the loss of a day's wages to
themselves and their families. They may probably point
to the example of similar disregard on the part ot• the
Court, but unpaliiated by any such excuse. The Imperial
Court has within the last few days augmented its spiritual
resources. It has now the religious aid of Cardinal
Merlot, Archbishop of Paris. just named Grand Almoner,
in addition to the Bishop of Nancy, the First Almoner,
not to speak of a considerable number of spiritual advisers
of an inferior degree. None of those right rev. or rev.
persons will hesitate to declare, if necessary, that the
bull-ring, with its ordinary accompaniments, is not pre-
cisely the place to visit an hour or so after divine service
on such a day, and that the presence of the Court on
such an occasion is not the most edifying spectacle to
present to the people.