Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-09-23
Great Naval Review.
FRENCH DESCRIPTIONS OF TnE spEoTAc


The following from the ConstitutionneI,
10 description Of the arrival of the Eng
lish fleet at Brest
The sun rose clear and brilliant, mum
dating the roadstead with luminous
haze, in which ships, shores, mountains
and islands were all alike enveloped; the
water entering like sheet of liquid sill
yer. 1t was the moment of ebb tide, and
IL swarm Of little boats favored by the cur
rent, descended the channel leading to the
harbor, while numerous steamers, crowded
with passengers, shot along in various di-
rectionB, some to meet the squadron, some
toward Conquet and Ouessant, others to-
ward Camaret and Douarnones.
Towards eight o'clock gunboat No. 5
passed the foot Of the lighthouse, flying
The British flag; it was her Britannia
mniesty's consul going to meet his coun-
trymen. | concluded that the squadron
was signaled. 1t was then eight O'Clock.
I had been waiting three hours, and had
had several disappointments, caused by
tall sails appearing Of the horizon, and
which proved to be only corvettes return
ing into the roadstead, probably after hav-
ing accompanied the expected squadron.
| had before me the Minou lighthouse,
placed at the bottom of somewhat steep
descent. Suddenly, between the light
house and tho hill, / beheld an enormous
white cloud, OF which the form soon be-
came defined in the brilliant sunlight; 1t
is pile of sails, which slowly advances, is
hidden for a moment behind the tower,
then rehppears in the open space.
A black line is but just distinguisbable
between this mass of sailcloth sw ollen by
the wind. TO tho naked eye the object
appears but as Il sea bird skimming the
water. 1t is the Edgar, the admiral's ship.
Successfully, and at intervals of about ten
minutes, Ave other sails appear; it is the
whole squadron which had followed, in
single file, the shore extending from the
Point st. Matthew TO that of Minou, and
thus il had become visible only on reach
ing the entrance to the channel. While
the SIX vessels disembogued, as they say
several steamers showed themselves on the
horizon, and mnneuvered so as to range
themselves on the right flank of the sqad-
ron-a position which they preserved in
tho channel. At the moment when the
admirals found itself between the point of
Portzic and that Of Les Espagnois, there
where the channel ends and the roadstead
commences she saluted the French fleet.
The Solforino, our admiral,s ship, replied.
j
was magnificent says the Patrie, describ-
ing, one after the other, an immense semi
circle, they passed in the most beautiful
order before tho French squadron, side by
side with which they anchored, the Edgar
near tho Solfcrino, the others one by one
in the intervals between the French iron
clads. These various movements were ex-
ecuted with admirable precision.
Besides the French and English squad
rons, great many large vessels were ly-
ing in the roadstead, Ave French liners,
the Jean Bart, Borda, Louis XIVth, Bre-
tagne, Infexible, the Mouse and the Allier,
transports, and fifteen or sixteen corvettes,
gunboats, avisos, &C., belonging to the
French navy. The firing Of the first salute
was signal for all these ships to man the
yards, tho drums beat, the bugle sounded,
the air rang with enthusiastic hurrahs and
cries of give PEmpereur ~ The greeting
was at once hearty and graceful.
On entering the roadstead, says the
Opinion Rationale, the English vessels, by
perfectly executed simultaneous move
1nent, took in all their sails, except their
top-sails, which were elewed up later
When the official visits and the ceremonial
galvos which accompanied them were over,
the English officers went in numbers to
see their French comrades, who had al
ready invited them to a great dinner
offered by our officers to those of the Eng
lish fleet, and given on board the Cou-
ronno.
At Brest, as at Cherbourg, our former
adversaries, our recent allies, our present
friendly competitors, will receive the
warmest and the most sympathetic wei
some. In the afternoon, although the
sky, so bright and pure in the morning
had become clouded, the officers Of thu
English squadron began to 20 on shore
where the sight Of their uniform produced
q most lively nsation, not only among
the strangers in Brest, curious to SEQ |
navy so celebrated by its past history, bui
also among the inhabitants of our Breton
coast, unaccustomed to such visits. If the
weather continues, we will not say fine
that would be asking too much of the eli
mate of Brest, but only toIarable-that il
TO say, if gales and gusts are not too fire.
quent-this time, at least, the public
which has come in crowds from all quar-
tiers, viii not DO disappointed In its OK
and I'M IA -