The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-04 00:00:00

THE FETES AT PARIS.

PAMS,—SATURDAY.—Yesterday having done ample
justice to the good cheer provided for them by the
municipal authorities of Boulogne, the Lord Mayor
and aldermen, and other visitors, noble, civic, and
scientific, took their seats in the train " of honour,"
and started at a rapid rate for Paris. At Amiens, a
second refection was prepared of wine and fruits, laid
out on long tables, tastefully decorated with flags and
flowers ; and the National Guard was drawn up to
receive the strangers. After a short delay the train
proceeded, and arrived at Paris at nine in the evening.
Meanwhile, as early as seven, a detachment of 100
Republican Guards proceeded to the terminus of the
Northern Railway to await the arrival of the distin-
guished visitors. An immense crowd gathered about
the terminus and thronged the streets adjacent. Shortly
after arrived MM. Berger and Carlier, the pre-
fects of the Seine and of police, and M. Lanquetin,
president of the municipal commission, accompanied
by a deputation of ten members of the commission.
The administrators of the railway had placed at the
disposal of the city of Paris one of their rooms for
the reception of the guests. When the train arrived
at the terminus, the two prefects and the president of
the municipal commission received at the entrance of
the room the guests, introduced by M. Petiet, engi-
neer in chief of the railway. Carriages of the mu-
nicipality of Paris were waiting in the inner court,
and, after the presentation, the trumpets of the muni-
cipal guard gave the signal of departure. The pro-
cession passed at a rapid rate through the Rue du
Faubourg Poissonniere, along the Boulevards,
through the Rue de Richelieu, across the Place du
Carrousel, and gained by the quays the Hotel de
Ville, where the lodgings of the guests were pre-
pared. Throughout this circuitous route the visitors
were received on their passage with every demonstra-
tion of good feeling and welcome, and, above all,
with frequent cries of " Vive le Grand Maire."
At the Hotel de Ville all had been prepared for the
reception of the guests, and already the tables were
laid out for the grand banquet of this evening in the
beautiful Galerie des Fetes, and the adjoining
saloons. This vast hall, hung with the flags of all
nations, has been entirely refitted and newly em-
bellished. In addition to the ordinary lights, lustres
of exquisite lightness and elegance have been sus-
pended above the tables. All the staircases and
vestibules have been ornamented with flowers, mir-
rors, and tapestry. The inner court on the entresol
has been converted into a delicious flower gnrden, in
the midst of which a fountain tosses its sparkling
jets. Statues impersonating the French cities have
been ranged along the arcades. In the Salle du
Trone a theatre has been prepared, where
the leading actors and actresses of the Theatre
Frangais, MM. Provost, Got, and Delaunay, with
the captivating Madeleine Brohan, are to play the
" Medecin malgre lui." The banquet is to be fol-
lowed by a ball and concert. The President is not
to be present at the banquet, but will receive the
visitors at a dejeuner at St. Cloud on Monday. To-
morrow the waters are to play at Versailles. On the
sth will take place the grand ball at the Hotel de
Ville ; on the 6th the military fete and the represen-
tation at the Opera. The Municipal Council decided,
in its sitting of yesterday, that a largess of 12,000 f.
should be distributed on this occasion among the poor
of the twelve arrondissements.

The walls of Paris are covered with placards, an-
nouncing the various fifes; and in each of these
" Le Grand-Maire de Londres," figures in enormous
capitals as the leading attraction, with the fireworks
and waterworks.

The special train of honour which brought the
Lord Mayor and Aldermen were succeeded at the
interval of an hour by another train, which conveyed
upwards of a thousand visitors from England.
To-day the Lord Mayor visited the English Am-
bassador at two, and remained in conversation with
his Excellency for half an hcur. He then repaired
to the Assembly, where he was introduced into the
tribune of the Municipal Council. He was preceded
by two ushers of the Assembly, and accompanied
by M. Baze, one of the questors, M. Gustave de
Beaumont, formerly ambassador in England, and M.
Ferdinand de Lasteyrie helped the questors to do the
honours of the Assembly, and pointed out to the
mayor the parliamentary notabilities present. After
witnessing the proceedings for about half-an-hour the
Lord Mayor retired. Singularly enough, the debate
concerned a municipal question of the first mag-
nitude—the loan for the improvements of the city of
Paris.

The following is the programme of the maneeuvres
which will take place on the 6th by the troops
composing ; the garrison of Paris. Two corps
d'arm6e are supposed to be opposed to each other,
the one on the left the other on the right bank
of the Seine. The former will occupy the Champ-
de-Mars and Grenelle, and the latter the Trocadero
and the Bois de Boulogne. The army en the left
bank will endeavour to make an offensive move-
ment on the right bank, and will throw a bridge
over the Seine, over which a pal t of the troops will
pass and establish themselves on the right bank,
under the protection of a heavy fire from their ar-
tillery. An attack will then be made on the Troca-
dero on the left, while the troops which have crossed
the newly-constructed bridge will make an attack
on the right. These attacks will be repulsed, and
the troops will retire to the Champ-de-Mars, under
the protection of their artillery. The troops of the
right bank will then cross the bridges, and advance
on the Champ-de-Mars. Charges of cavalry will be
made to oppose their advance, but which will not pre-
vent the whole of the right bank army entering the
Champ-de Mars. A general filing off of all the
troops engaged will then take place. The President
of the Republic has given orders that the public shall
be allowed to approach as near to the scene of action
as is consistent with the movement of the troops.
The quays, the heights of the Trocadero, and the
houses adjoining, will be the most favourable spots
for witnessing► the mana3uvres, which will occupy
about two hours.

PARIS, SUNDAY MORNING.—It would be hardly
possible to exaggerate the magnificence of the ban-
quet which was given last evening to the Lord Mayor
of London and the committee of the Great Exhibi-
tion, by the Ville de Paris. The hour appointed for
the banquet was six o'clock, as the cards of invita-
tion had it tres precises, bat although the 500 guests
were politely punctual to time, they had to spend
upwards of an hour waiting the appearance of the
Prefect of the Seine. The delay of the worthy host
was explained by reference to what was taking place
in the Assembly, of which M. Berger is a Member,
for, by a coincidence worthy of note, the good city of
Paris was itself on its trial as it were before the
legislative body, having to justify the stewardship of
its large revenues, by way of preliminary to the
passing of a Bill authorising a loan of fifty millions
to be spent in city improvements. The principal arti-
cles of the Bill were tarred with no further incon-
venience than that of retarding a banquet, which
Ministers were anxious to grace with their presence.
By another coincidence worthy of note the visit of the
Lord Mayor to the Assembly at three o'clock yester-
day was during the debate on this city Bill. The
worthy Lord Mayor having been treated with due
attention, having been shown over the old Chamber
of Deputies and through the library and rooms, was
introduced into the tribune belonging to the city
authorities, from which he had pointed out to him
such Parliamentary celebrities as were present.
Having remained little more than a quarter of an
hour, his Lordship left to pay his respects to the
President of the Republic and the British Ambas-
sador. Upon the arrival of the Prefect of the Seine
from the Assembly, followed shortly after by Minis-
ters, three folding doors were thrown open, and the
guests admitted into the city's unrivalled ban-
quetting hall. Seated at table, the guests
found themselves in a long, spacious room,
with a gallery at each end, remarkable
for their architectural lightness and beauty,
beyond which the room, continued for some extent,
presents vistas of the most airy appearance. Fourteen
lofty-arched windows at each side, set in light Co-
rinthian pillars, from which spring to the ceiling
highly decorated and painted supporters, if the word
be correct, would, any one of them, be sufficient to
give a character of richness and elegance to a large
saloon. From the ceiling, which is in the style of
the renaissance—that is to say, in numerous small
squares forming so many frames to a central orna-
ment, having three rows of large new lustres of most
beautiful design, in which the blending of golden
branches and foliage, with drops of crystal cut under
myriads of soft stars of light, produced an
enchanting effect. Harmony of effect must..
have been studied by an able master, and produced ,
with a skilful hand. The window curtains of
a delicate lemon hue, with white under-curtains, set
off with silver fringe, formed a ground for the light
of the candelabra and lustres which in its way was
perfection. The tone of colour throughout is very
delicate : the Corinthian pillars are pure white, the
ceiling is painted in colours of a deeper tone, but not
much deeper, while the central ornaments of the nu-
merous small squares before referred to being of blue,
give character to the rest. The flags of the different
nations suspended over the heads of the company pro-
duced a strikingly imposing effect. As if by instinct
each stranger looked towards the flag of his own dear
land awaking his patriotic sympathies, while any dis-
position to rivalry was soon quelled by seeing all
blending their colours together in sign of the philan-
thropic objects which had re-united all who were
there. A splendid band in one of the galleries played
pieces from Rossini, Gluck, and. Auber.

The Prefect of the Seine occupied the chair placed
in the centre of the salle, opposite to which stood the
bust of Louis Napoleon beneath a semicircle of tri-
coloured flags, moat gracefully arranged. On the
right of the chairman sat the Pope's Nuncio and Lord
Granville, the Vice-President of the Exhibition com-
mittee, and en his left Lord Normanby and the Mi-
nister for Foreign Affairs. The Lord Mayor presided
at a table opposite to that of the Prefect of the Seine.
The valets and jockeys, who, covered with gold lace,
stood behind his Lordship, attracted much curious
attention.

At the dessert the Prefect of the Seine rose, and
after giving the health of the President of the Re-
public, which was drunk with loud applause, he pro-
posed the following toast
" Gentlemen,—l give a toast to the noble guests
of the city of Paris ; to the Commission charged by
the Queen of England to organize the universal Ex-
hibition; to Prince Albert, its illustrious President;
to the Executive Commission ; and to the interna-
tional Jury, whose enlightened labours have given
so much éclat to this imposing solemnity. Honour
to the fruitful idea which has assembled together in
one palace the marvels of human intelligence 1 In
this industrial congress, the true congress of peace,
the people in thus coming together forget ancient
enmities, and in presence of the chefs d'auvre of all,
wish only to form one great family. The city of
Paris inscribes with pride the date of
the 2d August,
1851, among its municipal fetes
tes; it is for it a memo-
rable day, of which its magistrates will retain a long
remembrance. Thanks, therefore, to our guests for
coming to take a place at our banquet; the Hotel de
Ville is proud at receiving them ; I drink to the il-
lustrious representatives of the industrial genius of
all nations ; to the Royal Commission of London,
and to the international Jury." These words were
received with loud and prolonged applause.
Lord GRANVILLE, Vice-President of the Royal
Committee of the Exhibition, then rose, and in the
midst of the most profound silence returned thanks
as follows :—Monsieur le Prefect and gentlemen,
—Allow me, in very bad French, though with the
greatest sincerity, to thank you, in the name of Prince
Albert and of the Royal Commission for the honour
which you have just done them. For my own part,
gentlemen, the impressions of my youth, the bonds
which I have since contracted, the souvenir which
you have preserved of him whose name I bear—

(Loud applause)—and who devoted so many years to
cement the union between England and your fine
France, which he had learned to love and to respect
like ai second country—(Renewed cheers)—all,
gentlemen, makes me feel both pride and embarrass-
ment in having the honour so little merited by me
of being the organ of the Commission at this brilliant
assembly, at a fete the magnificence of which is only
equalled by the cordiality of your reception.—
(Applause). The desire was felt in England
of trying one of those grand national exhibitions
which had so well succeeded in France, and which
had been found to be productive of so much advantage.
Prince Albert thought that the idea might be still
further enlarged, and its advantages extended, if, at
one time, all countries, brought together by the pro-
gress of science, and by the diffusion of education,
could be invited to exhibit their varied productions.
It appeared to him that such :an exhibition would
serve to show the progress of actual civilization; and
that while it taught us to return thanks to the
Creator of all things for the blessings he has heaped
upon us, it would also teach us how much might be
added to the common happiness by the union not only
of individuals, but of nations.—(Loud cheers.) lam
specially charged by Prince Albert, as well as by my
colleagues of the Commission, to thank Prince
Louis Napoleon and his Government for their
zealous co-operation, for the enlightened mea-
sures which they have taken to dissipate any
prejudices which might still exist, and for the
choice of the persons who have co-operated in the
execution with so much ability and conciliation.—
(Bravo, bravo.) We had no pretension to make an
English exhibition of the industry of the world—we
regarded it as a great honour to be able to offer to the
other nations the means of making their own exhibi-
tions as integral parts of this great work.—(Re-
newed approbation.) Gentlemen, we also thank the
French exhibitors for the elegance and splendour
which they have given to the Fxhibition by their pro-
ductions. They have more than confirmed their
long-established reputation for the invention and
good taste which prevails in the execution of their
manufactures. I hope that the sacrifice of time and
money which they have made will not be all lost
for them, even in a commercial point of view. I
also hope that they will feel no jealousy if we,
on our parts, should profit a little by the lessons
which they have given us.—(Loud and continued
applause.) Our thanks are particularly due to those
men, distinguished in sciences, arts, and industry,
whom France has sent to us as jurymen. Our orga-
nisation as a voluntary association has made us estab-
lish rules which were contrary to their old experience.
As French jurymen they have not ceased for a mo-
ment to fulfil their laborious duties. No opinion was
rejected—everything was freely discussed and voted.
It was frequently French jurymen who were the first
to point out the merits of the exhibitors of other na-
tions. At the end of a labour of seven or eight hours
a day, during the space of two months, they sepa-
rated from their confreres in perfect harmony, and
have excited in England only sentiments of kindness
and respect. Permit me also, gentlemen, to say a
word of the visitors which France has sent to the Ex-
hibition. Among them were some of her most illus-
trious statesmen, literary men, and soldiers. There
were representatives of those renowned names which
since the middle ages have illustrated the history of
France and of Europe; there were citizens who
have advanced the prosperity of your nation; and
there were intelligent working men and industrious
peasants. All, gentlemen, have shown, in different
degrees, that intelligent curiosity and that good
humour and courtesy which so much distinguish the
inhabitants of this country.—(Applause.) At the
end of thirty-six years of peace, the Exhibition has
given my countrymen of all classes an opportunity of
witnessing the intellectual and moral qualities which
render the French so distinguished in arts of peace.
For ages before they had only been able to know them
for their bravery and their military genius.—(Re-
newed applause.) An enormous and unexampled
step has been made this year towards the destruction
of national antipathies and prejudicies.—(Bravo.) I
beg pardon, gentlemen, for having so long trespassed
on your patience.—(No, no, and bravos.) I thank
you from the bottom of my heart for the obliging at-
tention you have given me, and I demand permission to
drink, in a glass of this wine, one of the most delicious
productions of your soil, To the political, social, and
commercial prosperity of the city of Paris. " (Long
continued braves.)
The speech of Earl Granville was received with
thunders of applause that lasted several minutes, and
it appeared that the audience scarcely knew how to
show how deeply they were penetrated with senti-
ments corresponding with those which his Lordship
had so well expressed. When silence was at last ob-

tanned,
M. LANQUETIN, President of the Municipal Coun-
cil of Paris, rose to reply. He said that he ought,
perhaps, to leave them under the influence of the
charm of that eloquence which had marked the speech
of the Noble Lord, but that he felt himself compelled
in the name of the municipal body in Paris, to at-
tempt a reply, being impelled thereto also by the fact,
that the Lord Mayor of London was seated by his
side. He augured the happiest results from the
visit of the Lord Mayor, as he considered it
an event that went to tear up the last roots
of the prejudices that had been nourished by the
long wars and their effects that had hitherto
divided two nations formed to esteem each other.
He begged to propose a toast in honour of the Lord
Mayor--" To the Lord Mayor, to the municipal ma-
gistrate who is so worthy, so revered, and so powerful
to do good; to the city of London, to the immense
and wealthy capital of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain ; to the worthy and noble rival of Paris—ho-
nour and gratitude !" " Honour (said ha) to her, for
she has been the first to realise the grand idea of the
Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations,
for she has thus made a great and noble emulation
triumph over every feeling of egotism ; honour and
gratitude, for she has shown herself great and gene-
rous in raising splendid arenas for the display of that
pacific struggle, and in offering the most distinguished
hospitality to the sages of industrial science, called
together to bestow the crown upon the most deserv-
ing." After some further complimentary expres-
sions that marked the strong desire he felt to do bo-
nonr to their guests, he concluded, amid tremendous
applause, with propming " Prosperity to the City and
Corporation of London.'
The LORD MAYOR, then rose and addressed the
assembly in English. He expressed the highest gra-
tification_ at being the chief magistrate of London for
the year 1851, and in being the first individual who
in that capacity had had the honour of accepting an
invitation of the Prefect of the Seine.l the nntne
of all the municipal authorities, he assured them of
the satisfaction they had in co operating with them
in the success of the Great Exhibition, which lac,
hoped would conduce to the happiness, peace, awi
unity, not only of France and England, but of all the
countries of Europe. lie concluded by thanking
them for the great honour they had conferred on him,
and proposed " The Health of the, Prefect of the
Seine, and Prosperity to the City of Paris:,
Alderman SALOMoNS, in the midst of the cheering
the Lord Mayor resuming his seat called out in
English, " For the City of Paris,Hurrah," which
was taken up and responded to in the true English
style by the British guests.
After the banquet the guests were shown into that
magnificent room called formerly the salle du Crone,
which was fitted up for a theatre, and in which was
gived Le Medecin magre lui, with great humour and
point by the artists of the Theatre Francais, including
Mdlle. Brohan and Mdlle, Denain. While the guests

were making their way to this room, the ladies, now
entering for the concert, were trying to invade the
banquetting hall, now metamorphosing
w metamorphosing into a con-
cert-room. The fair invaders had, however, to be
prevented until the necessary changes were made, and
which were indeed effected with marvellous rapidity.
The concert did not begin before half-past eleven
o'clock ; but who would not wait until morning to
hear the unrivalled band of the Conservatoire ?

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE BRADFORD
REFORM ASSOCIATION.
(EVERY MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY.)
Sir,—Oa Wednesday the 30th, the House in Com-
mittee was engaged with the Petty Sessions (Ireland)
Bill; a fruitful subject, in which it was as much as could
be expected, to have proceeded from Clause 5 to " re-
porting progress to sit again to-morrow."
On Thursday the Second Reading of what is called
the " Episcopal and Capitular Estates Management (N. o.
2) Bill," from the Lords, was carried by 45 votes against
34; thus demonstrating that there was a struggle upon
the question. There is nothing a man of any experience
will more certainly have learned, than that he may
easily be wrong; and yet he cannot give up the privi-
lege of risking being wrong when he has done his best
to be right. It certainly was heard represented, and
from sources commanding respect, that there was some
great enormity in this Bill; which was confirmed by the
tone taken by its opponents, who called it an " attempt
to impose upon the laity a certain price for the lands
which they held of the Church, and that price was to be
arbitrarily imposed by the bishops themselves"—(See
Times report). The image raised by this description,
is that of an unfortunate representative of the laity as
the graver of Punch might portray him, crouching with
purse-strings open, and ready to aisburse the sum com-
manded by a swollen bishop in pontlficalzbus standing
over him. But on looking into the Bill, nothing of the
kind appeared to be discernible. It was a Bill to au-
thorize a certain existing body, to wit the Church
Estates Commissioners whoever that may be, to give
their consent and thereby legalizs the execution of
agreements voluntarily made between two contracting
parties, to wit an Ecclesiastical Corporation on the one
aide, and the present holders of leases from it on the other.
Itiscertaily difficult to see in this, anything to justify
the description of it quoted above. Put what seems to
be the extreme case, that the Commissioners and the
Ecclesiastical Corporations should be found to be the
same flesh, and it only amounts to this, that the Corpo-
rations shall have the power of making a composition
with the lessees when they like it, and when they do
not like it, may leave the lessees as they are. This would
no doubt have a one-sided appearance; but after all it
gives the Corporations no power over the lessees which
they have not already. The lessees could in no case
force a composition without the Corporation agreeing
to it. So that all which results, is the ausence of the
power which might be supposed to forbid the execution
of some of the agreements on which both parties were
agreed. This may amount to something, but not at all
to the thing stated in the description quoted. One
of
the first necessaries of life, is not to get into the habit
of being run away with by misrepresentations. Some
men may like bishops, and some may dislike them; but
whether they like them or not, there is a fair play whose
price is proverbially like that of rubies.
Much. puzzle was attempted to be raised upon mention
made of certain Rules to be laid down for the guidance
of the Commissioners; and the line taken, was to con-
found these rules with something to which the lessee
was, will he he, to be forced to agree. Now there ap-
pears nothing to bear out this construction. The ob-
ject of the Rules, is to restrain the Commissioners from
giving their assent except upon terms fair to somebody
who has not yet been named; and that somebody is the
public. Suppose, for instance, it proved true, as ap-
pears to be suspected, that there was too much of
corporal identity between the Commissioners and
the Bishops, and that the Commissioner-Bishops or
Commissioners and Bishops were found disposed
to make agreements with the lessees having a ten-
dency to sacrifice the future revenues of the Church
for the interest of present incumbents,—which it
is not impossible they might be tempted to, among other
things as well knowing that the end would be a demand
on the public to come forward and pay for more Church
when wanted;—is there no visible use in Rules to pro-
vide something like a check upon such proceedings in
posse ? The public must look to this, and not be run
away with by a simple misstatement, if it is one, of the
bearing of the Rules.
On Friday, from mere desire of information, like the
man in the play who asks his friend if he has such a
thing as eightpence about him, I took the opportunity
of the re-appearance of the Bill to ask whether this view
was right or not. And the result was, that it was de-
clared as distinctly as Parliamentary usages could make
it, that this and nothing else was the object of the Bill.
So that if it turns out to be anything else, we are all of
us deluded gentlemen; and we must in self-defence look
sharply after the future stages.
On Saturday the House met for a little more than an
hour, for the furtherance of business, principally of a
formal nature.

I am, Sir, yours very sincerely,

London, Aug. 4, 1851.