The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-20 00:00:00

AdVINING

THE BOULOGNE. AFFAIR.
The riot to which we yesterday altudeel, ,moose
Tuesday evening during the grand ball. The ball-room
presented a most extraordinary coup d'eeil. The first ob-
jects that met our view were three notorious English
swindlers, who sat at a round table swilling brandy and
water. We also saw•several of the most objectionable oi
our countrymen, who could never by any remote possi-
bility have gained admission into any society deemed
reputable in England. We found Lord Maidstone in the
ball-room, and some of the officers of the Life Guards,
several of whom are staying here. Lady Cardigan is
also here at the Hotel de Londres, and several persons
of distinction are, we understand, expected.
Tickets having been liberally dispersed, especially to
the English, who constitute the chief support of the
town, the National Guard of Boulogne, about 3,000 in
all, became indignant because the whole of their corps
could not be admitted into the theatre, which, though
fitted up with the greatest dexterity, could not be tnado
to accommodate more than half the number. An at-
tempt was accordingly made' to force a passage, and re-
pulsed ; but the rioters quickly returned to the charge
with showers of stones, which brzke Many- windows,
injured several individuals, and might have led to
consequences more serious, had not the military been
called out.
The Lancers and Gendarmerie had their horses saddled
and bridled, and were ready to mount at a minute's
notice. It has since transpired that it was the intention
of some of the blackguards wheoere foremost in the riot
to have set fire to that part of the temporary builditig of
wood which was put up at the back of the Theatre, and
to have availed themselves of the confusion to carry their
infamous projects into effect. If the place had b•Cen set
on fire, hundreds must have perished. The building
was a long room built up with light dry wood, and if once
set on fire would have burnt like touch-paper. The build-
ing was, on the very first alarm, or, as we have heard,
before the actual riot commenced, surrounded by a
strong detachment of the Infantry of the Line—the
27th Regiment, the soldiers of which evinced the
best feelings and the most perfect coolness. The
mob, which at one time presented a dense mass,
reaching all the way from the front of the Theatre
along the " Rue de la Spectacle" into the large street
which runs at right angles with it, had it not been for
the troops which were assembled by beat of drum and
sound of trumpet on the first signs of insubordidation,
would have forced their entrance into the theatre, and
of course there could have been little respect for persons,
prppertv;_ or even lives. The soldiers, however, drove
them back by mate force with the butt ends of their mus-
kets. We have heard that some few were wounded by
bayonets, but cannot vouch for the truth of the account.
The Cavalry, the Gendarmes, and Lancers of the line
behaved well; they scoured the streets in large bodies,
and succeeded in dispersing the mob, which the infantry
had driven back en masse. It does not appear that this
outbreak partook much of political feeling, though the
cries of" Vice !" everything but the lawful Government
of the country, "A bas les Anglais rand "Aux armes!"
were symptoms not particularly pleasant for the foreigners
and the loyal. The animosity was against the Mayor,
who is not popular amongst the bad subjects of the city.
Nearly twenty persons, implicated in the riot, have
been arrested, and amongst them, are several English-
men. That Englishmen can lend themselves to such dis-
graceful acts is to be regretted, but when it is considered
that a certain portion of the English residents at Boulogne
are composed of the refuse of their own country, it is no
matter of surprise that they should join any other black-
guards in breaking the laws. Yesterday a member of the
London swell mob was arrested in one of the The
fellow was found in one of the apartment's by a servant
of the establishment. He affected to be fast asleep, and
snored in confirmation of his assumed somnolency in a
way that led to his detection. There have been petty
depredations during the fetes, and a tolerably good har-
vest for the pickpockets. The fetes are about to termi-
nate. They have been a strange mixture of the pantomime
and the serious. Taken as a whole, the thing may be
said to have gone off well.
BouLoGNE-SuR-TIER, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.—AII is
quiet again here. The banquet and the ball, the races
and the rows, are over, the whirlpool is gradually be-
coming weaker, and Boulogne has again sunk into its
pristine state of apathy and insignificance. -