PARIS, _June 15_.--It is stated here, on no authority whatever, that
when the CZAR was recently visiting the French Exhibition at Moscow,
his Imperial Majesty was heard to remark, "This makes me desire to see
the Boulevards again." A visit of the ruler of Russia to Paris during
the Summer is therefore considered to be certain. An offensive and
defensive Alliance between the two countries is said to be on the
point of signature.
A few evenings ago, in a low _café_ in Belleville, M. NOKASHIKOFF, who
left St. Petersburg lately to escape his creditors, and who conceived
the happy idea of raising a little money by walking to Paris in a sack
composed of the French and Russian national flags stitched together,
was entertained to supper by his Gallic admirers. The proceedings,
especially towards midnight, were very enthusiastic. Throughout the
festivities, constant cries of "_Vive l'Alliance Franco-Russe!_" were
raised. This incident is said to have placed the immediate signature
of the Treaty between the CZAR and President CARNOT beyond a doubt.
Last evening a foreigner, who by appearance would have been taken for
a Muscovite, was walking along the asphalte, when he was surrounded
by a crowd of persons crying "_Vive la Russie!_" The foreigner seemed
both surprised and annoyed by these attentions, and at length began to
use his fists and his boots liberally on the ringleaders of the mob.
This treatment, however, seemed only to increase their Russophil
ardour, and the stranger was soon hoisted on to the shoulders of some
of his foremost admirers, struggling violently. On the arrival of a
gendarme, he explained that he was an English book-maker, and that
"this bloomin' mob of boot-lickers had taken him for a bloomin'
Russian!" The crowd shortly afterwards dispersed. The completion
of the formal alliance between France and Russia is considered less
certain than it was a few days ago.
The Frenchman, M. TÊTE-BOIS, who recently attempted to walk on his
head from Paris to Moscow, in order to show the sympathy felt in
France for the Muscovite Empire, did not succeed in carrying out his
design. He was stopped shortly after crossing the Russian frontier,
imprisoned, and heavily ironed. After suffering in this way for
a week, he was told that he must leave Russian territory within
twenty-four hours, or else continue his journey to Siberia. On being
appealed to, the CZAR graciously extended the time given for quitting
Russia to forty-eight hours. This Imperial clemency has caused the
widest feeling of gratitude and satisfaction in France, and the
signature of the definitive Alliance between the two countries is
confidently expected at an exceedingly early date.
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[Illustration: FANCY PORTRAIT.
(_Dedicated to Lord Chief Justice Coleridge._)
"THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF NOVA SCOTIA, PRELATE OF THE ORDER OF THE SUN,"
CAUGHT CHEATING AT CARDS (HYPOTHETICALLY) BY THE LORD CHIEF JUSTICE,
AND TAKEN, INSTANTANEOUSLY, BY OUR ARTIST.]
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