The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-19 00:00:00

FETES AT BOULOGNE.

THE COLUMN AND STATUE OF NAPOLEON.
MONDAY, Ano. 16.—The fetes on the inauguration
of the statue of Napoleon are continued with increased
energy. The town to-day. is, if possible, more crowded
than yesterday, and the inhabitants and visitors appear
to-day as fresh as if pleasure were no fatigue. At an
early hour this morning the streets rang with the beat-
ing of drums and the clangor of trumpets. Troops were
marching in all-directions, and spectators hurrying and
crowding to see what was to be seen. At half-past eight
o'clock all the military bands and the numerous detach-
ments of the National Guards assembled, as on yester-
day, at the bathing establishments, and thence proceeded
to the Place d'Armes. Here, at ten o'clock, a sort of in-
spection of their general appearance was made by persons
appointed as judges. This lasted about an hour, after
which the procession proceeded in the following order to
the Tintellcries, as the place is calla, on which the bands
were to contend in musical skill for the prizes :—First
came a body of Sappers and Miners, then a corps of drum-
mers drumming away most valiantly, then the band of the
National Guard of Boulogne, and two companies of the
Guard. These were followed by other bands of other
corps of National Guards, and detachments, and by the
judges of the day, the authorities of Boulogne, both
civil and military, public functionaries, &c., the whole
being brought up by a detachment of the National
Guard of Boulogne, consisting of two companies. The
pro::ession passed through the Corn-market and along
the Grande Rue in gallant style, reaching completely
-from one end of the town to the other, and affording
from the top of the hill, beyond the church, a fine mili-
tary saectacle, the whole being visible to the spec:ators
at one view. A gay octagonal pavilion, supported by
Corinthian pillars, was here erected in the Tintilleries, a
large open space under the ramparts, in which. the
various contesting bands should display their musical
pretensions. Another gallery of an oblong form, also
supported by Corinthian pillars, was erected for the ac-
commodation of a jury, specially appointed to judge of
the merits of the performers and to adjudge the .prizes.
It bore sore strong resemblance to the orchestra at
Vauxhall-gardens, with the exception that no pait of it
was enclosed. Around the orchestra- were placed, on
the turf, seats and forms for several thousand persons.
These were surrounded with rails, connected together
with wreaths of leaves, and beyond was standing room,
within another enclosure; for several more thousands of
spectators and auditors. The houses on the two sides of
the grass-plat had their windows provided with seats,
and many scaffoldings were erected in front of them for
those who chose to pay for places. There was-no charge for
adnission within the great enclosure, but tickets were

liberally and grataito‘Usly supplied by the Mayor and
tho authorities to all respectable applicants. It might be
twelve o'clock, or something past, before the business of
the day. as it is appropriately termed, commenced.
Eight Judges, called the .Jury, amongst whom were Mr.
Cramer, of London, were appointed. to decide On the
merits o: the respective bands as musical per;l)rmers, and
on their claims for general apr,eitea,.:,., The rulei
laid down in the prorrarnele were e!,,Tir, and the inn-lost
fairness of decision prevailed Cironiont, 4.3 flu- as we

, •
• were r.b:e to learn. At one o'clock the enclosure was
one immense mob of many thousands. Those who were
fortunate enough to get seats close to the orchestra had
no reason whatever to complain of the manner in which
the overtures, airs, and marches were played. The
various military bands fully answered the high expecta-
tions formed of their professional knowledge, and ac-
quitted themselves excellently well. There were two
prizes of 300 francs each, three of 150 francs each, and
others of inferior value ; these were distributed at eight
o'cloek in the evening. The "Contours d'Harmonie
3.lilitaire," as it was called, lasted nearly all day, and
most astonishing it was to see with what stoicism men,
women, and children bore the burning rays of the sun,
which during the greater pert of the time descended on
their heads. At night there was a ball and fireworks at
a place of public amusement, called Tivoli, which was
well attended, and to-morrow the process of amusement
will bo diversified by races on the usual course, about
five miles from the town on the Calais road.
Many of the houses surrounding the ground, beSides
being decorated with the tri-colour, exhibited effigies of
Napoleon, with eagles and other allegorial accessories,
upon a scale of grandeur and expense which Would
shame many of our theatres. As another instance of
the taste of the people for gimcracks of this sort, what
think you of a wooden copy of the famous Luxor obelisk,
erected in the midst of the market-place, painted to imi-
tate red granite, and with all the hieroglyphics elabo-
rated in extensu, for the edification of the apple-women
and dealers in fish and butter ?
The entertainments concluded with what is called an
extrabrdinary, representation at the theatre, where Daja-
zet, the Parisian Vesiris, delighted the Boulognese with
her piquant performance, in a piece abounding with those
double-entendres, in which the French so much delight.
It would be vain, however, to attempt giving you any ac-
count of the affair, as, if translated into another lan-
guage, it would lose much of the force, and acquire still
more of the indelicacy it bears in the original. All par-
ties to-day must be considered as resting on their oars.
They are girding up their loins, or rather bracing their
stomachs for a great public feast, which is to be given
to-morrmv—a species of feat in which the French can
play their part as ably as the first-rate cormorants of the
London Corporation.
We have learned to-day that the falling of the scaffold-
ing on the outside of the enclosure on Sunday was at-
tended by more serious consequences than we then heard
of ; several persons were severely bruised, and a French
lady had her arm broken. She is, we are happy to say,
doing as well as she,can, after so severe an injury. We '
alluded to the presence of thieves from London. These
fellows were in considerable force, and committed depre-
dations on the unwary with their usual adroitness. An
English lady was robbed, by her own account, of 2001.
in bank notes, which she had foolishly placed in her
pocket. If this be the fact it verifies the old proverb of
the parting of a certain class of persons and their money,
and shows that England sent fools as well as rogues to
the inauguration. These fetes have been distinguished
by two things, viz., the great politeness shown to stran-
gers by the authorities, both civil and military, and by
the good humour and harmony with which they have
been conducted throughout. There has not been the
slightest offence to anybody, none of that sort of minor
rioting called " row," for want of a more elegant term,
by which in England large congregations of the people
are too frequently rendered nuisances ; no drunkenness,
and none of that sort of annoyance which arises from the
folly of the blackguards both of high and low degree.
The non-appearance of his Majesty at these solem-
nities has been a great disappointment to the worthy
Boulonnais, who religiously expected him up to the last
moment on Sunday. We were amused at the simplicity
of an old gardening labourer, who, bursting with ex-
ultation announced to us on Saturday evening, that the
King had just arrived in the disguise of a peasant ;
" Corinne ca," added he, pointing to his own casquette
and fustian frock ; and that upon his Majesty's identity
being recognized, te guns were immediately set a-firing.
The guns were firing, indeed, but only in accordance
with the announcement laid down- in the programme.
AUGUST 17.—Preparations are making,- by everybody'
to go to the race-course on the Calais-road. It is ex-
pected the running will be of a better character than that
of last week. The prizes are higher in value, and the
horses in reputation, than on the first day. In the
evening there will be a grand ball in the saloon of the
theatre, for which some thousands of persons have re-
ceived invitations from the Mayer and his co-adjutors.
The crowd will, of course, be immense, and from the size
of the building in which the ball is to be held, we do not
see how accommodation is to be afforded to one-quarter
of the persons who will attend. The town last night
was as full as on the night of Saturday. As yet no di-
minution in the thirst for pleasure, and no lack of
strength to support its results, are visible ; everybody is
as fresh for the operations of the day as if the fetes
had only commenced, and full of anticipations of fur-
ther amusements.

WEILMAN, THE CONDEMNED
CRIMINAL.

Since his condemnation this wretched. man has con-
ducted himself with the greatest propriety, and has en-
tered with becoming earnestness upon his religious exer-
cises. Anxious, however, for a prolongation of luslife,
he has been engaged in writing letters, and amongstst
others he has addressed the Duke of Wellington, in the
hope that the favourable impression he created for bravery
on several trying occasions during the Peninsular war may
induce an effort to he made on his behalf. It appears
that at an early period of life be entered the Infantry,
but shortly exchanged into the 2d battalion of the Royal
Artillery. He was present at twelve regular engage-
ments, and, it is said, was in four "forlorn hopes." He
distinguished himself at the retaking of Ciudad Rodrigo,
one of the moat brilliant exploits of the British army. It
may be recollected that after an advanced work had been
gallantly stormed by the 52d Regiment, under Lieut.-
Colonel Colborne, which allowed the first parallel to be
driven within 530 yards of the wall, the siege was carried
on by the four divisions alternately. After incredible la-
bour and fatigue two breaches were declared practicable,
and the assault was committed to the elite of the army, to a
party of volunteers, and a " forlorn hope" of twenty-five,
led on by Colonel Gurvvood. Sir Thomas Piston and
General Crawford, two of the most gallant and intrepid
officers that the age produced, led their respective divi-
sions to the breaches—the former survived to share the
honour of victory, but the latter was struck by a musket
ball in the hottest of the fray, and fell into the arms of
the murderer, Weyman. In drawing attention to this
and to other instances of devotion to a soldier's duty,
Weyman hopes to excite a sympathetic feeling towards
him in the breast of his surviving officers ; and having,
he states, on one occasion been severely wounded on the head, he thinks the circumstance will not be with-
out its weight when the details connected with the la-
mentable act for which his life has been forfeited to his
country are considered. A petition, we understand,
is in course of signature in this city in his be-
half, but the result of course cannot be predicted.
In the mean time the miserable man is preparing
for the worst.. He wrote his 1%111 yesterday, bequeathing
such articles of wearing apparel as are of any value to his
re:ations. His mother is 86 years old. He has a brother
and two sisters, one of whom visited him yesterday. The
execution is expected to take place this day week, should
a postpoNement not take place by order of the Home :.ie-
cretary.—Gloucester Chronicle, Saturday.
THE FREENIASONS OF PA HlS.—The Free-
masons of Paris have had no hall exclusively appropri-
ated to their meetings and therefore are obliged to hold
theirsu. lodges and chapters in private houses, not always
to the institutton Thanks, however, to the coil-
sideration of ar Thomas, the proprietor of extensive
Plivt%
Marais, a'' ror -,ouct. near the bonding-w use arehos of the
ason,
i
the izne i temple is about to be raised in
ith all (Lit, Tri4s3,4,'l/,• The first stone was laid last
.ciserenionie4, an:L.l. the direc-
tion of a cl,putatioa
France, tusisted by other .a
-;,,„-A",0(.,:"•,14 Orient. Lodge of
the fciAternity, t(,)
the, number of between 200 ix;i:.2-3-'OO%-