The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-22 00:00:00

The Visit of the French Eleet to
Portsmouth.

On the morning of the 29th inst. the fleets of
France and England, now anchored together at
Brest, will make their formal entry into Spithead,
when the splendid fetes, banquets, and balls with
which our Lords of the Admiralty and the officers of
our fleet have been entertained by our gallant
neighbours across Channel will be returned, in some
degree by us, and the good feeling and respect for
each other existing between the two greatest mari-
time Powers of Europe be continued and fittingly
celebrated by a courteous interchange of hospita-
lities.

The combined fleets are expected to arrive off the
Isle of Wight during the evening of the 28th, but
will not heave in sight from the Admiral's flagship in
Portsmouth harbour until 8 a.m, on the following
day. At about that time the Emperor's screw
yacht Reine Hortense, with her Majesty's paddle
yacht Osborne, and the Admiralty yacht Enchan-
tress, will lead the way in from the Channel for
Spithead, followed by the French and English ships,
the former holding the post of honour. On board
the Reine ;Hortense will most probably be M. de
Chasseloup-Laubat, Minister of the French Imperial
Marine, and on board the Osborne and Enchantress
the English Lords of the Admiralty. The English
fleet will be composed of the Edgar, wooden screw
line-of-battle ship, 71 guns, 600 horse power, Capt.
G. T. P. Hornby, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral
Sir S. C. Dacres, K.C.B. Commanding the English
fleet ; the Black Princ, 41, screw iron frigate, 1,250
horse-power, Capt. Lord F. Kerr; the Achilles, 26,
screw iron frigate, 1,250 horse power, Capt. E. W.
Vansittart ; the Hector, 24, screw iron frigate,
Capt. G. W. Preedy, C.B. ; The Prince Consort,
screw iron-cased frigate, 1,000 horse rower, Capt.
G. 0. Willes, C.B. ; the Defence, 16, screw iron
frigate, 600 horse power, Capt. A. Phillimore ; the
Salamis, 2, paddle despatch yacht, Commander
Suttie ; and the Trinculo gunboat, Lieutenant-
Commander Creagh.
This fleet may be further strengthened by ships
now in the Channel, the Royal Sovereign, turret-
ship being at anchor at Spithead, and the Research
iron-cased sloop, anchored in Portland-roads, both
of these vessels having formed part of the English
fleet which joined the French ships in Cherbourg
rade. The French fleet will be largely reinforced
for the visit in company with the English fleet to
England, the squadron under the command of Rear-
Admiral Baron de la Ronciere La Noury consisting
of the two-decked iron-cased ship Magenta_ and the
iron-cased frigates Flandre and Heroine, being
joined at Brest by the Mediterranean Imperial iron-
clad squadron, as well as several wooden screw ves-
sels. We understand the Imperial fleet on entering
Spithead will muster no less than nine ironclads, be-
sides wooden vessels and smaller craft. Under such
circumstances the tricolour of France will, every one
must admit, be worthily represented, as also full
honour paid to our own flag by so magnificent and
imposing an assemblage in English waters of the
iron navy of Imperial France. Due preparations
are being made by the naval, military, and civic
authorities at Portsmouth to give all welcome to the
French fleet. The programme is not yet complete
in all its details, but we believe the following, as its
chief points, will be found to be correct :—On the
night of the arrival of the fleets at Spithead (29th
inst.) the Lords of the Admiralty w ill give a dinner on
board their yacht Osborne, at which covers will be laid
for about 50 guests, including M. Chasseloup Lau-
bat, the French Minister of Marine ; the Admiral
commanding and officers of the French fleet, the
Port-Admiral and Admiral-Superintendent at Ports-
mouth, with captains of ships, &c. On the 30th
the Admiralty give a very extensive banquet on
board her Majesty's ship Duke of Wellington, which
will be moored alongside the dockyard for the con-
venience of visitors. On the 31st Admiral Sir
Michael Seymour, G.C.8., Port-Admiral and Naval
Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, will entertain
at dinner, at his official residence in the dockyard,
M. Chasseloup-Laubat, the Lords of the Admiralty,
and the officers of the French and English fleets,
military officers, heads of departments, &c. On the
Ist proximo the Admiralty give a grand ball and
supper at the Royal Naval College in the dockyard.
The extensive quadrangle in the rear of the college
is now being boarded over and covered in for the
purpose of the ball-room, and if only a tithe of the
taste is bestowed upon its ornamentation that was
displayed by our lively neighbours in their decora-
tions of the Hotel de Ville at Cherbourg, this will
be the most brilliant and striking affair of the fetes.
On the 2d proximo the civic authorities of Ports-
mouth step on the scene with their offering of a
grand banquet, concert, and other entertainments
on the place d'armes of the garrison—the Governor's
Green, and from the spirit being displayed in the
matter the citizens of Portsmouth seem inclined to
keep up their festivities so long as the French
fleet pleases to stay at Spithead. As, however, the
combined fleets are expected to sail from Spithead
for Plymouth Sound probably on the 3d inst., it
would be perhaps wise in the people of Portsmouth
to curtail their programme, and what they attempt
doing to do well.

In addition to the naval and civic preparations
we have noticed, another large dinner, or banquet,
will be given on board one of her Majesty's ships in
harbour, the date of which has not yet been fixed,
and a grand illumination of the combined fleets at
Spithead, as at Cherbourg, is also expected to take
place.
The military part of the programme will consist
of a parado of the troops on Southsea-common, and
a review on a small scale. Afterwards, Lieutenant-
General Sir George Buller will entertain a large
party at luncheon at the Government-house, High-
street, Portsmouth. Our military displays—more
especially on such a confined strip of land as
Southsea-common—we fear can possess but little
interest for our coming guests, if we consider the
extensive affairs of the kind to which they are
accustomed at home. Indeed, to make such a
spectacle at all effective all arms of the service
should be represented, and there is no cavalry
in the Portsmouth or South-West district, ex-
cepting a troop of Royal Horse Artillery at
Dorchester. A regiment of cavalry could, cer-
tainly, be sent down from Aldershott, and, if no
sufficient space for a' review proper is available, a
" march past" on Southsea-common would be all
sufficient, and then the Aldershott cavalry would
serve admirably for keeping the ground. The troops
at present in the South-West district comprise only
about 6,800 of all arms, from which number must
be deducted, say one-fifth, for guard mounting,

hospitals, cooks, &c. The total number is made up
of a troop of Royal Horse Artillery at Dorchester,
two batteries of field artillery at Hilsea, two brigades
of Garrison Artillery at Portsmouth and Gosport,
one company of Royal Engineers, one troop Military
Train, part of the 14th and 26th Regiments, the
52d, 81st, 75th, and 87th Regiments, the Royal
Marine Light Infantry, and the Royal Marine
Artillery.
Portsmouth and its suburbs is filling fast already
with visitors, and the stay of the French and Eng-
lish fleets at Spithead promises a busy time for hotel
and lodging-house keepers.

EXTRAORDINARY OUTRAGE UPON A LADY AT
BEDFORD.--On Saturday night great excitement
prevailed in Bedford, owing to a report being circulated
that a man had entered a house in Victoria-terrace, and
cut off the hair from the head of a lady. The tale was so
strange that some refused to believe it, while others were
much alarmed at such an occurrence taking place. All
doubt, however, as to the truth of the report was re-
moved yesterday by the chief constable, after the usual
petty sessions business was finished, stating the circum-
stance to the magistrates. It appears that about five
o'clock on Saturday a man respectfully dressed in black
was seen looking in at the fanlight over the door of Cap-
tain M'Carthy's house, when Mrs. M'Carthy went'to him,
and he asked her if Capt. M'Carthy was at home. She
told him he was, but he was upstairs, and she proceeded to
call him, when the man stated that she would do as well,
and she was about entering one of the sitting-rooms with
him when he caught hold of her back hair and with a
clasp-knife cut it off and ran away. Mrs. M'Carthy was
so terrified at seeing the man approaching her with a
knife in his hand that she fell senseless to the ground, and
the fellow escaped before her husband could be made
aware of the circumstance. Unfortunately the lady can
only give cc very meagre description of the man, and al-
though the police are exerting themselves to discover
the miscreant, up to the present time they have failed to,
do so.