The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-13 00:00:00

ICG, MAY 13, 1868.

JOAN OF ARC'S FESTIVAL.

to restrain the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for a
limited period from making any new appointments --4---
to the Church in Ireland. (Hear, hear.) 'The 439th anniversary of the deliverance of
PUBLIC ACCUUNTS. 07eleans from the English was observed with great
tromp and success on Friday, the Bth of May. The
Mr. DILLWYN moved the following resolutions :
That those who conduct the audit of public festival was established at Orleans in the year 1429,
accounts on behalf of the House of Commons on the day after the English retreated from the
ought to be independent of the Executive Go- town, and has been kept tip with few exceptions
vernment and directly responsible to this house ; that, throughout the years that have elapsed since that
inasmuch as the appointment, salaries, and pensions
date. The Calvinists, who held Orleans in 1561,
of the officers entrusted with the 'conduct of such audit
are more or less under the control of the Treasury, the pre- were the first to suspend the ceremonies and forms
sent system was one which imperatively calls for revision.. which had been arranged by the civil and ecclesi-
The hon. member contended that the audit ought to be astical authorities of the town at the time of the
under the control of the house, and the best way of secur-
deliverance. The famous Scottish Bishop of Orleans,
ing such an arrangement was for Parliament to ap- John Kirkmichael, or Jean de St. Michel, had been
point a standing committee, which would result in
assisted by the bastard of Orleans (Dunois) in
the work being done much better than. it
was under the present arrangement. He hoped the Go- drawing up the regulations for the festival, and it
vernment would support his resolution. had become canonical by the Bull of Cardinal
Sir G. BO WYER seconded the motion. The Controller of Estouteville, who admitted it into the local calen-
dar under the title of Feast of the Deliverance of
the Exchequer was the person in whose name all the
money of the country stood, and he thought it most ob- Orleans. In 1565 the Catholics returned to power,
jectionable that he should be the auditor of the public ac-
and celebrated the anniversary, though not with-
counts. If a proposition was made at any of the public
companies in the city that the cashier was to fulfil the office out much care and circumspection, lest they should
of auditor, such a proposition would be laughed at, come into collision with Protestant scoffers, of
and such being the feeling in public bodies, he did not see whom there were still a good number in the city.
why the Government should continue a pretties which, In 1791 and 1792 the procession of Joan was
to say the least of it, was most absurd. stripped of all its ecclesiastical elements and be-
Mr. T. HANKEY thought the accounts of the nation
came purely military. In 1793 it was summarily
very well kept now, compared with what they were pre-
vious to the report of the committee which had sat to in- and altogether suppressed, and for ten years Orleans
quire into the system. was deprived of its annual rejoicings. In 1803, at
Mr. P. URQUHART thought it possible to alter the the prayer of the citizens, the First Consul issued
present mode of auditing the public accounts with groat a decree for the renewal of all the ancient cere-
advantage to the country. monies of the Bth of May. In 1831 religion was
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained unpopular, and the procession dared not leave the
the system under which public money is paid in and out
of the Exchequer, which he contended supplied perfect cathedral. In 1840 a reaction permitted the ac-
and stringent checks against irregularities. The Auditor- customed rites to be renewed. In 1848 the anti-
General, he maintained, was wholly independent of the ecclesiastical irritation rendered it prudent to ab-
Treasury ;he held his office during good behaviour, and, stain from any but civil and military observanoes ;
with the exception of first appointments, he had the en-
but since the Empire the celebration of the deli-
tire control of his staff. The new system of accounts in-
verance of Orleans has been reinstated in its full
troduced by the Act of 1866 had not yet got into complete
omp. In the present year even snore than the
working order, but there was every reason to believe that 11
it would give Parliament a complete knowledge of the wonted honours have been paid to the peasant girl
national expenditure, and, after some observations from of Vaueouleurs—whom, in accordance with con-
Mr. O'Reilly, ventional usage, we call Joan of Arc, rather than
Mr. CHILDERS insisted that the Treasury must be the
Jeanne Dare—in consequence of the desire that
great controlling power over the " spending departments,"
exists to procure the crown of canonization for the
and deprecated any change which woul 1 lessen its power.
He agreed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer that the heroine of so many fights. Rome, however, has
Act of 1866 when it came fully into operation would fur- not been so docile as might have been hoped, and
Irish the most complete accounts. it is said that a word of warning was sent to Bishop
Ultimately Mr. DILLWYN, yielding to an urgent ap- Dupanloup advising him not to commit himself by
peal from Mr. Gladstone, withdrew his resolutions. pronouncing the panegyric in his own episcopal
Sir M. LOPES next brought before the house the local
charges on real property, and moved a resolution " that, person, as he had intended to do. In obedience
inasmuch as they have of late years much increased and to this, or some other pressure, monseigneur handed
are annually increasing, it is neither just nor politic that over the responsibility of proving Joan's right to
all these burdens should be levied exclusively from this the saintly crown to a less prominent but not less
description of property." In support of these propositions eloquent advocate, the Abb6 Baunard, a cathedral
be showed, in an able analysis of the local taxation of the
canon.
country, that these charges have doubled within the last ,
Tor weeks past the respectable town has been
30 years, that they have risen by a million during the last
year, and that more than £16,000,000 is raised from real roused from its provincial apathy by the necessity
property of an annual value of £90,000,000. ' When• onr for cleanings, and decorations., The civic "authorit
present fiy stem of assessment was founded real property ties have . voted extra' supplies. An undersized
was the only visible signs of a man's means acrd ability,
balult now it was only £90,000,000 out of £2O
these local charges being levied on it exclusively, £6 ,000,00 Q. But
.eat
mthieantdeesteht 11`wiPi°tIlh
sta.-tile of Liberty, has been- cOn yertsd into' aPer-
SOni4eatibn of. the town of Oolirt
ail oversizeel pedesta ~ arm o ,
out of £7 of the income of the country might be said to.
escape local taxation altogether ; and in enforcing the in-
sword'
justice and impolieY of this eXeMption he pointed out that ' and. halbert;-and.- Of that Orleans can re •
, quire. • Tritimphal. -ar'ehes,' flags, escutcheons, of
some of the largest, incomes of the country, being derived all kinds and sizes, aPpogto and inapposite, have
from capital invested in commerce and foreign funds,. enlivened the uniform •grey' of
,the elderly streets.
were not liable to the support of the poor by whose la-
,. ,:
Even the cathedral towers have been elaborately
hour the capital had been created, and he urged that by
discouraging improvements in land they checked produc-
spotted over with coats of arrias and blazonries up
to the very top. The actual round of festivities
tion.
The motion was seconded by Mr. CORRANCE, and began as early as the third of the month with the
Mr. 11,LAREN pointed out some considerations on the name-feast of the cathedral, which is dedicated to
other side of the luestion, reminding the landholders that the Holy Cross. Then a horticultural show pro-
they had been relieved of their original obligation of doing
vided gaiety for a day or two, the tents being illu-
urinated at
all our fighting and supporting the poor, and that the land night in a manner ravishing to the
tax imposed on them in lieu of it was levied on the original
assessment of William 11.1. Real property, too, had a con-
Orleanists, but scarcely worthy of a caf6 chantant
siderable advantage in not being rated higher to the in- in Paris, or of the anise en scene of the most meagre
come tax than personal property, and, on the whole, Mr. Chateaux des Fleurs. An agricultural show sup-
t 31‘Laren maintained that if there were any changes plied additional distractions, many English names
h burdens on real property must he considerably in-
creased.
at noon, the
Emperor competing freely from his model farm of
Mr. LIDDELL made some observations on the exemp-
appearing among the machinery entries, and the
La Motile Beuvron. On the 7th ,
tions from taxation enjoyed by metallic mines ; and Mr.
Neste, while admitting that real property paid more thang
bells urnd at i oihi.
honour.
of Jro. an ' ssn-
its share of local taxation, asserted that it had a return in nuai tolledhar forthvesto the ina
of
worship Every
its comparative exemptions from Imperial taxation. fifteen mi utes their metallic wail was heard, re-
Mr. READ, in addition to the two exemptions of mines calling in accordance with old custom, the anguish
and woodlands, pointed to a third, the deterioration of of the beleagured city. At half-past eight o'clock, g
rent, and therefore of rateable value, caused by the over- ,
stocking of land with game, and he indicated some
grounds for believing that the reasonable annual profit entered the town, after taking the Fort des Ton-
the hour at which Joan crossed the bride and
I and
would be a better basis of assessment than the annual ' relies, this doleful clang became suddenly a merry
rent. Though heartily deprecating a national rate, which peal of joy. The principal streets blazed forth in
must lead to extravagance and centralisation, he held that illuminations ; as did the Place du Martroi, on
the Consolidated Fund ought to assume the expenses of
which is a statue of the maid with a Don Quixote
lunatics and other similar fixed charges. The subject, he
sort of air • so did the towers of the cathedral,
expected, would receive greater attention from a house- , '
hold Parliament than from this. though as yet only partially. A military pro
Mr. MILL maintained that though real property bore , Cession wound along the streets and quais, and
an extra share of )(seal taxation, it did not bear the whole. ' crossed the bridge over the Loire to the celebrated
That part of it which was proportionate to the rent of land place des Tourelles, where stood the fort Joan had
fell on the laud, but that which was proportionate to the ' to take before she could win her way into the
rent of houses was a house-tax, than which nothing could ' town. At the great porch of the cathedral the
be fairer. The land, however, had strong claims to con-
bishop and chapter and other clergy ranged them-
sideration ;but this must be borne in mind - that, though
, selves in order, awaiting the arrival of tie mayor.
its burdens might have increased, its value had also been
largely increased by the general advance of the com- ' Presently that functionary appeared, escorted by
munity, without any exertions of its owners. But the military torchbearers, who formed a semicircle
question of local taxation—how to obtain the means for in the broad place, and bearing the banner of Joan
carrying out necessary local improvements—was a grow-
of Arc. As he presented this to the bishop, for
ing one, and must be speedily taken into serious tonal-
yet another annual benediction, the whole front of
deration.
Mr. FLOYER replied to Mr. Mill that though the land the cathedral burst out instantly into a maze of
had increased in value from the general prosperity of the lines of red light. The sky was dark and stormy,
country, the increase did not bear an extraordinary pro- which added to the beauty of the sight, and the
portion to the large sums invested in its improvement. illuminations had been so arranged as to
After pointing out some inaccuracies in Mr. M‘Laren's i pick out to perfection the architectural points
historical retrospect, he argued strongly against a nationalf the grand building. The bishop then
o
poor-rate, by which all the value of local management -
re-entered the cathedral, in the midst of a
would be sacrificed.
Mr. sciaTER-Boonl was also decidedly opposed to i crowd of banners, Joan's banner taking precedence
throwing local burdens, which ought to be borne from over those of St. Michael, St. Aignan, St. Enverte,
local resources, on a national rate, but though visible
Orleans,
io
as and
pro-
o ooccasion
St. Callinice, and St. Marguerite, the tutelary
perty ought not to repudiate its original liability for the saints of the city. St. Aignan and St Enverte
maintenance of the poor, he held that there were many
f-riorerrineerinof tthheei%t,iomeperformed
n
of
new charges, such as the cost of lunatics, and the like, to
which property not now rateable ought to contribute.
Much relief, too, might be obtained by sweeping away something like that of Joan herself, driving an a feat
the walls of the town.
be-
unfounded exemptions. On the part of the Government, sieging enemy from the The
Mr. Sclater-Booth requested Sir M. Lopes not to press his troops filed off, music en tete, and took up a posi-
resolutions, and they wore ultimately withdrawn. i tion at the foot of Joan's statue in the Place du
There was a long discussion on going into committee
Maar& 1, the said statue being provided with sundry
on the County Courts (Admiralty Jurisdiction) Bill, which
as-burners about the helmet, representing a glory.
was opposed by Mr. Knatchbull-Hugessen, Mr. Gorst, g
and others, on the ground that the Commission on Judica- i After a few symphonies from the band, the moon
ture may possibly recommend changes which will super- came out from the dark clouds, the illuminations
sede this legislation. Ultimately the bill passed through paled and died out, and by eleven o'clock the goo]
committee. old town was asleep.
Mr. Sergeant BARRY moved the second reading of the
At sunrise on the Bth the bells announced the
bill extending to Ireland the English Act which prohibits
the presence of military at Parliamentary elections, and anniversary of the festival. By the way, Orleans
confines troops to, their quarters during the time of poll- cannot boast of her bells ; the cathedral itself only
ing, and his chief argument for this legislation was that possesses three, and they are not much worth. The
the military aro used at Irish elections not to prevent riot quarterly tolling continued throughout the morn-
nor to defend the electors froM attack so much as to act as ing, but
no longer representing a wail, it is to be
custodians of herds of unwilling voters, who are driven
resumed. At t. n o'clock all the magistrature and
to the poll to vote for their landlords against their own , officials of the place went in state to the cathedral.
opinions.
The Earl of MAYO opposed the bill, for it was impossi- The bishop celebrated the Mass. The -Abbe
ble to dispense with the use of troops as long as scenes of Baunard pronounced the panegyric. Then a pro-
riot and violence were so common at Irish elections, and cession composedof the clergy of the twelve
he objected, too, to an interference with the discretion of
parishes, the seminarists, the various banners, the
the Government in employing the military for the preser-
holy relics of the Cross, issued from the cathedral,
vation of order.
A motion by Mr. Bagwell to adjourn the debate was and wended its way to the other side of the Loire
defeated by 57 to 37 ; but a subsequent motion for adjourn- to the Place des Tourel'es. The choristers of the
ment was agreed to. cathedral sang during the solemn march a motet
The other orders were disposed of, and the House ad- specially composed for the occasion in 1843, partly
journed at ten minutes to 2 o'clock. I Latin, partly French.
—....-------........... After the return from the Place des Tourelles
the procession drew up in the Place St. Croix, the
bishop raised on high the famous relic of the Holy
Cross, gave a blessing, and dismissed the world to
their homes. In the evening a display of fire-
works, and next day the Emperor, whose speech
was to have have been an event, but proved to
be purely formal and mea,ningle:.s. —Pall Mall
Gazette.

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The Northern TVhig urges the claim of Belfast to
a third member, on the principle of the representation of
Minorities. That town has now 160,000 inhabitants, and
nothing could be more unjust (it says) than to give a
Conservat►ve colleague to Mr. Bright in Birmingham, and
a Conservative member to the City' of London, on the
minorities principle, and to refuse a Liberal colleague, on
the same principle, to the. Tory members for Belfast.
The Murat-Mingrelia marriage will take place in
a few days, the obstacles which stood in the way having
been removed. The Emperor is to pay the Prince's most
pressing debts.
In speaking of Mr. Whitbread's resolution, the
Cork, Examiner says that Roman Catholics will await
further assurances as to what may be the action of Parlia-
ment. The Regium Donum and the Maynooth grant are
not, it contends, analogous. The former is a religious
' endowment of the sauce character as payment to the
Cathol:c clergy would be ; the Maynooth grant is a
counterbalance to the school of divinity of Trinity Col-
lege. "It wovld be preposterous to suppose that the
Maynooth grant, a purely educational subsidy, could be
taken from the Catholics, while so vast an establishment
for the education of Protestant ministers was maintained
out Of the public =eye."

MR. DICKENS'S WELCOME HOME.

The Athelixtot says very charmingly, in men-
tioning the fact of Mr. Dickens's arrival again in
England—" Every English man, woman, and child
who reads a great story-book' will rejoice in the
return of Mr. Dickens from his visit to the United
States. The fatigue must have been great ; but the
welcome was magnificent. On the occasion of the
farewell dinner at New York every kindly feeling
was awakened. A public meeting of the kind is too
often a forced celebration. This was a thoroughly
hearty and genial one. There can be no doubt
that such a visit so received has a humanising in-
fluence of no common value. Oar great novelist
must rest beneath his cedars of Gad's Hill with
the assurance that his work on the other side of
the Atlantic has been well done ; and can only
hear good fruit, not merely for himself, but for
the vast audiences whom he charmed—so well and
o wisely."
The Spectator remarks that—`• The American
journalists gave Mr. Dickens a farewell dinner ou
April 18, and Mr. Dickens, who is said to have
made £lO,OOO by his hundred readings in the States,
delivered an eloquent although somewhat turgid
pceeh. He pledged himself to bind up with every
copy of the American Notes' and Martin Chuzzle-
wit' which he may hereafter sell, his testimony that
he has been received in America with unsurpass -
able politeness, delicacy, sweet temper, hospitality,
consideration, and respect for privacy."'

According to the Exanitner " it is said that Mr.
Charles Dickens has cleared not less than $200,000
by his American trip."
While the Saturday Review, among other com-
ments upon our great novelist's return home, ob,
serves—" Mr. Dickens's popularity certainly illus-
trates the importance of tha tolerably notorious fact
that the Americans talk English. In some respects
the two races not only differ, but tend to diverge
from each other. The Anglo-Saxon race' must
really be a small minority of the population of the
United States. The German and Irish emigrants
and their descendants are constantly reinforced by
new streams swamping the original Yankee. In
political and social institutions the cjntrasts are per-
naps greater than the 'resemblances. The one in-
lisputable bond of union is that Mr. Dickens is very
nearly as intelligible at New York and San Francicj
as he is in L)ndou. This certainly implies a close

relation between the two nations, and a relation of
a remarkable kind. That one nation should be in-
fluenced by the great religious or political thinkers
of its neighbours might be expectel. The European
nations are all sufficiently allied for the thoughts
which powerfully affect one to be propagated
throughout the whole family. But it is much more
difficult for one nation to understand the jokes of
another. Mr. 'Dickens's works, when translated
into. French, amuse Englishmen by the grotesque
effect Of their new dress, but we should imagine that
.they simply bewilder Frenchmen. Ou the other
hand, the humour of Mr. Pickwick or Mrs. Gatup
is as much appreciated across the Atlantic as it is
with us. The currency of an English joke is co-
extensive, not only with sovereigns, but with great-
backs. The Americans, in this department at least,
are able to make us some return. If they have pro-
duced anything distinctively American in literature,
it is their peculiar turn of humour. Yet the Big-
low Papers,' in spite of many local allusions, and
still more the fun of Artemus Ward, have been as
popular with us as in their native place. Orators
who wish to establish a resemblance between us
should put in the background bits of eloquence
about the Auglo-Saxou race, and rely upon the
much more indisputable fact that we all see the*point
of the same witticisms. The popularity of Mr.
Dickens in the Uaited States is an illustration of the
intellectual similarity, whatever it may be, implied
in this curious sympathy; and if a mutual power of
relishing each other's humour is a proof that we
ought to be intimate friends, Mr. Dickens has done
more than any one in confirmation of the proof."