The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-03 00:00:00

FETES OF CHERBOURG.

CHERBOURG, JULY 31

In passing through Dinan, Rennes, and other
towns of ancient Brittany to arrive at this place,
which has alone become celebrated in modern times,
I was frequently reminded of the rivalry which
for centuries existed between the Britons and the
men of Norman race. In the times of the Richards,
the Edwards, and the Henrys, there was an ever-
lasting feud, which found its instigators and support-
ers in the possessors of the French and English
crowns. The feud is now at an end, but the rivalry
still exists, and Brittany hopes that her fetes, com-
mencing in the honour of the Emperor at the great
port of Brest, and continued from thence at St.
Brieue, Dinan, St. Malo, Rennes, &c., will eclipse all
that can be accomplished at Cherbourg, even though
here is to be the commemoration of a great event,
rendered still more glorious and auspicious by the
presence of her Majesty of England.
It certainly was curious to remark in such towrs
as Dinan and Rennes how the usually inert charac-
ter of the Bretons had been excited by what they
were told of the Norman doings at Cherbourg, and
how each small hamlet and petty borough was
whitewashing, painting, and decorating itself into
holiday trim, so that " the eye of the master," when
he should come to look upon them, would find them
one and all, active, loving, and diligent subjects.
Seeing the preparations that were thus making in
honour of the Emperor, in the adjoining province,
I must own that I arrived at Cherbourg with the
expectation that the Normans would be found in-
ferior to their fellow-subjects in the number, great-
ness, and variety of their demonstrations.

I have only reached Cherbourg to-day. I have
had barely time to look at its magnificent harbour,
to behold at a distance its great war-ship basin, and
thence to glance at the town itself, and from the
town to turn to the people, and see what they were
doing in honour of their Emperor. I pass over as
unnecessary the official announcements of what are
the fetes of the town, and what is to be done by the
authorities, first, as testimonies of regard for the
Emperor, and then in compliment to his royal and
illustrious guests.

In approaching Cherbourg, one of the first spec-
tacles that attract attention is an immense encamp-
ment (erected within the precincts of the railway).
Hundreds upon hundreds of tents, each decorated
with a tricolour banner, and reminding one, when
they know the purpose to which this encampment
is devoted, and who are to be its occupants, of those
grand tournaments in which the champions were
lovers, and the crown to be won was the prize of
beauty, to be distributed by the hands of the most
lovely and most accomplished of all the princesses
present at the festival of " the peacock." One, too,
could not, as they stepped out of the railway carriage,
and beheld themselves in the midst of this festive en-
campment, and thought how soon it was to be oc-
cupied by the young, the gay, and the great, and
how it would hourly resound with music and jocund
laughter, without thinking of the fervid and glow-
ing descriptions given by our ancient,chroniclers of
" the Field of the Cloth of Gold," when Henry of
England was young, blythe, and merry, and Francis
of France believed himself to be a knight so honour-
able and veritable that he would prefer the loss of
life to a failure in his truth.

This festive encampment is sufficient for the ac-
commodation of an army of guests, and the scale
upon which invitations must have been issued, and
the numbers of the honoured, the great, and the rich
that are certain to attend, is a consideration in itself
sufficient to excite astonishment ; but as a person
proceeds through the town, to the fort and to the
basin, then, and only then, can alone an adequate
idea be formed of the enormous multitude of feasters
and sight-seers that will be in Cherbourg during the
next week. The town is approached by shelving
declivities—nature has given to it an amphitheatral
form, and art is employed in imparting to the
scene the actual resemblance to an amphitheatre—
tier over tier rising from the ground up to a distance of
about 200 feet. I have not calculated to what ex-
tent these Titanic scaffoldings have been constructed
but at a rough guess I would say there cannot be
accommodation for less than 300,000 persons ; and
all this, it is to be observed, is outside of Cherbourg
It is intended, as I conceive, for the special accom-
modation of those who are sure to be here before the
arrival of the Queen. It is, as I suppose, to be the
Cherbourg demonstration in honour of the Emperor
and the Empress—the grand climax to their Norman
progress, which is to commence at Caen, where his
Majesty passes under a lofty and richly decorated
triumphal arch, already erected. That is to be re-
newed at every station, even those he passes by at
rapid railway speed, and that is to find its fitting
termination of a spectacle of popular joy which will
recall the remembrance of Roman triumphs, when
the citizens honoured a Vespasian, a Titus, an Adrian,
or a Constantine. All conditions in France will, as
in times gone by, there tender their fealty to the
Sovereign of their choice. " Tam proceres ibidem
morantes quam cives, burgenses, et villani ut se
homines ligeos imperatori offerent.".
_

But the accommodation fur visitors at all the
coming spectacles is already preparing on the same
gigantic scale. Mountains in carpentry work are
rising on all sides, and I am glad to perceive that
they are put together in such a manner as to avoid
the possibility of accident by the solidity of their
structure.

For all those out-door preparations there is but
one; enemy to be dreaded—wet weather. In
Brittany, as I quitted it, considerable apprehensions
were felt as to its continuance, as it was injuring also
" the poor man's harvest" in that province—the ble
noir. The clouds, however, were now dispersed—the
sun is shining brightly and merrily ; and the Queen,
I hope, may bring with her those fine days which
seem to be the invariable accompaniment of all her
public festivals.

CHERBOURG, AUGUST 1.

An official programme, emanating from the mili-
tary, naval, and civil authorities, with reference to
the proceedings of the week, has been published this
day. It occupies a considerable space, and there-
fore, instead of forwarding to you a literal transla-
tion of the entire, I shall content myself with a pretty
full abstract of its contents.

On the 4th August their Majesties the Emperor
and Empress will be received at the railway ter-
minus by the principal civil, maritime, and military
authorities. The keys of the city will be presented
to the Emperor by the mayor and the municipal
council. The benediction and inauguration of the
railway from Cherbourg to Paris will then take
place in the presence of the Emperor and Empress.
This ceremony is to be followed by the presentation
of the leading authorities, civil, maritime, and mili-
tary to their Majesties in the grand saloon, which
has been fitted up and decorated for this purpose at
the terminus. Upon leaving the terminus, the Em-
peror is to be greeted by the rural delegations, with
banners displayed.

Upon this occasion, the pompiers, the douaniers,
and all the sea and land forces, will be under arms.
These will form a line from the railroad to the hotel
of the Prefect. The batteries, land and sea, will
announce by a triple salvo of all their buns the mo-
ment when their Majesties have entered the city.
The programme having stated the names of the
different localities through which the Imperial pro-
cession will pass from the railway to the Prefecture,
then mentions that all the vessels of the French
squadron will be decorated with all their flags, whilst
each of the public edifices of the city, as well as the
vessels put for the moment in the commercial port,
will exhibit their colours.
Upon the arrival of the Emperor and Empress at
the Prefecture, the ladies of the families of the prin-
cipal officials are to be introduced to the Empress,
who will at thesame time receive a deputation of
young maidens, who will be permitted to offer flowers
and a present of lace to her Majesty.
The next regulation worthy of being mentioned
is the fact that all the public establishments, on the
land as in the harbour, as well as the Imperial
squadron, are to be illuminated every night that the
Emperor remains in Cherbourg. -
It is, I perceive, from the official document issued
by the mayor, and addressed to his fellow-citizens,