GAY SCENE IN CHERBOURG HARBOUR--THE O'WIGGINS AGAIN--AQUATIC VISITING--A
DISCIPLE OF ST. IMPUDENTIA--HOW TO BANQUET UNINVITED--THE BALL--VISIT OF
THE PRESIDENT TO THE FLEET--A FEW REMARKS ON AFFAIRS IN GENERAL.
By the time the world was up and had breakfasted, on Friday, the harbour
of Cherbourg presented a very gay appearance. The water was covered
with hulls of vessels, and on the decks of the vessels were crowds of
gay people, and above them a forest of tall masts, surmounted by flags
innumerable, showing all the hues of the rainbow, while in every
direction were dashing and splashing boats of every description,
men-of-war's boats and shore-boats; and faster moving than all, yachts'
boats, which, like comets, seemed to be flying about in eccentric
orbits, without any particular reason, and for no definite purpose.
O'Wiggins made his appearance on board the "Frolic," foaming with rage
and indignation at not having been invited to the grand banquet to be
given that day to the President.
"Neither have I, nor Mizen, nor any other of the owners of yachts,
except the commodores and a few noblemen."
"Faith, but that's no reason at all, at all, why I shouldn't!" exclaimed
our Hibernian friend, drawing himself up; "and, what's more, I intend to
go, in spite of their neglect."
We laughed, as usual, at his unexampled conceit; but fancying that he
was joking, we thought no more about the matter. He soon took his
departure, carrying off Groggs, who had conceived a high respect for
him. O'Wiggins had promised to conduct him to the feet of the fair
Eulalie, which was an additional temptation to the poor man. Never,
perhaps, was there so much paying and receiving of visits as there was
in the course of the day. The yachtsmen paid visits to each other, and
then to the men-of-war; and to do the French officers justice, they
treated us with the very greatest attention. I must say that all the
French naval officers I have met are as gentlemanly a set of fellows as
I know: they are highly scientific, and as brave as any men one could
wish to meet.
It appeared as if all the inhabitants and visitors of Cherbourg were on
the water also paying visits; and a report having got abroad that the
owners of the English yachts were happy to show their vessels to all
comers, we were all day long surrounded by visitors. The general joke
was to send them all off to O'Wiggins's craft, the "Popple." Her cabins
were, certainly, very gaudily and attractively furnished. It was hinted
to the townspeople that he was a very important person, and that he
would be highly offended if his vessel was not the first honoured by
their presence. O'Wiggins was at first highly flattered with the
attention paid him, and had actually prepared luncheon for the
first-comers; but he soon discovered that he had more guests than he
could accommodate, and in a little time he was almost overwhelmed with
visitors, who, for hours after, crowded his cabins, without a
possibility of his getting free of them. Among others, while Groggs was
on board, came the fair Eulalie and her respectable sire, habited in the
costume of the National Guard, and looking very military and dignified.
Groggs hurriedly advanced to receive the lovely maid; her surprise
equalled his delight; when O'Wiggins stepped out from an inner cabin.
There was a mutual start and a look of recognition, and Eulalie sank
back, almost fainting, into the arms paternal, open to receive her,
while, with a look which would have annihilated any man but O'Wiggins,
she exclaimed the single word, "_Perfide_!" M. de Marabout, with
paternal solicitude, endeavoured to remove his daughter to the fresh air
of the deck, but she recovered without that assistance, and exhibited
signs unmistakable of a wish to abstract one or both of the eyes of the
O'Wiggins from his head.
"What means all this, my dear sir?" inquired Groggs, with a somewhat
faltering voice, for suspicions most unpleasant were beginning to take
possession of his imagination.
"Ask the lady," replied O'Wiggins, looking out for a mode to secure his
retreat.
The lady saw that he was cowed, which, of course, gave her courage; so,
releasing herself from her father, she sprang towards him. The skylight
hatchway was the only available outlet; so he sprang on the table, and
from thence was endeavouring to leap on deck, when she caught him by the
leg. He struggled hard, for expose himself to her fury he dared not,
and he did not like to summon his people to his assistance. At last he
was obliged to do so; when as the seamen, with shouts of laughter, were
hauling him up, off came his shoe and a piece of his trousers; and he
was spirited away and stowed safely in the forepeak before the irate
damsel could gain the deck, where she instantly hastened in the hopes of
catching him. Of the distracted and astounded Groggs, Eulalie took no
further notice, and having in vain sought for the object of her fierce
anger, whom she supposed to have escaped in a boat to the shore, she and
her father and friends took their departure, and Groggs saw his beloved
no more. How O'Wiggins had thus mortally offended the damsel remains a
secret; for, communicative as he was on most subjects, he took very good
care on this matter not to enlighten any of us.
When O'Wiggins discovered that Eulalie was in reality gone, he retired
to his cabin to compose himself, and to change his tattered garments for
a magnificent uniform of some corps of fencibles, or militia, or
yeomanry, of which he professed to be colonel; the said uniform being
added to and improved according to his own taste and design, till it
rivalled in magnificence that of a Hungarian field-marshal, or a city
lieutenant's.
We had been giving the ladies a pull about the harbour, and were passing
the "Popple," when her owner made his appearance on deck. The previous
account, it must be understood, we received afterwards from Groggs, who
recounted it with a simple pathos worthy of a despairing lover. On his
head O'Wiggins wore a huge cocked-hat, surmounted by a magnificent plume
of feathers, which, waving in the wind, had a truly martial and imposing
appearance, while the glittering bullion which profusely covered his
dress could not fail of attracting the notice of all beholders. With
the air of a monarch he stepped into his gig, which was alongside,
manned by a grinning crew, and seizing the yoke-lines he directed her
head up the harbour. He was too much engrossed by his own new-fledged
dignity to observe us, so we followed him at a respectful distance, to
watch his movements. The boats of all descriptions made way for him as
he advanced, and the men-of-war's boats saluted, every one taking him
for a foreign prince, or an ambassador, or a field-marshal, at least.
At length he reached the quay, and with a truly princely air he stepped
on shore, taking off his plumed hat, and bowing to the admiring and
wondering crowds who stood there to welcome him. A space was instantly
cleared to allow full scope for the wave of his cocked-hat, and as he
advanced the crowd made way, bowing to him as he progressed. In
execrable French he signified his wish to know the way to the mayor's
hotel, where the banquet was to be held; and an officious official
instantly thereon, perceiving the gestures of the great unknown, stepped
forward, and profoundly bowing, advanced before him.
"Some dreadful mistake has doubtlessly occurred, and by an oversight
which no one but I can remedy, no one has been deputed to conduct the
prince to the banquet. For the honour of my country I'll tell a lie."
So thought the patriotic official, as he observed, in an obsequious
tone, "I have been deputed, mon prince, by monsieur the mayor, who
deeply regrets that his multifarious duties prevent him from coming in
person to conduct you to the banqueting-hall, where the great President
of the great French republic will have the satisfaction of meeting you."
"I am highly pleased at the mayor's attention," answered O'Wiggins, with
an additional flourish of his hat, and wondering all the time whom he
could be taken for, that he might the better act his part. "A prince,
at all events, I am, and that's something," he thought; so he walked on,
smiling and bowing as before.
Of all nations in the world, the French are certainly the greatest
admirers of a uniform, and the most easily humbugged by any one who will
flatter their vanity; and certainly republicans are the greatest
worshippers of titles. On walked the great O'Wiggins, admired equally
by the vieux moustache of the Imperial Guard, by the peasant-girl, with
her high balloon starched cap, by the dapper grisette, by real soldiers
of the line, by shopkeeping national guards, by citizen gentlemen and
ladies in plain clothes, and the queer-shaped seamen and boatmen, of
whom I have before spoken. His step was firm and confident as he
approached the hall, and, as he got near, he saw with dismay that the
guests arriving in crowds before him were admitted by tickets. This we
also observed, and fully expected to have seen him turned back, shorn of
his honours, amid the shouts of the populace. But the knowing
doorkeeper, equally knowing as the officious official, who now, with a
glance of pride, announced him, could not dream of insulting a prince by
asking him for his ticket, and only bowed the lower as he advanced, he
bestowing on them in return some of his most gracious nods. The act was
accomplished. He was safe in the banqueting-hall; but still there might
be a turn in the tide of his affairs; some one who knew him might
possibly ask how he had managed to get there, and the mayor might
request his absence. But O'Wiggins was too true a disciple of St.
Impudentia thus to lose the ground he had gained. Having begun with
blusters and bold confidence, he now called in meek humility and modest
bashfulness, with an abundant supply of blarney. Stowing away his
cocked-hat in a safe corner, he retired among a crowd of betinselled
officials, and earnestly entered into conversation with them,
expatiating largely on his satisfaction at the sight he had that day
witnessed, assuring his hearers that in Turkey, Russia, or America, or
any other of the many countries he had visited, he had never seen any
thing to equal the magnificence he had beheld in this important part of
_la belle_ France. He endeavoured also to bend down, so as to hide his
diminished head among the crowd, and thus, as he had calculated, more
wisely than a well-known wise man we have heard of, he passed
undetected.
Dinner being announced as served, he found himself, much against his
will, forced upwards close to the English naval officers and yacht
commodores; but by a still further exertion of humility he contrived to
take a seat a few persons off from those who knew him, and might put
awkward questions. The French, however, could not fail to admire the
admirable modesty of the foreign prince, and the liberals set it down to
the score of his respect for republican institutions, while the
royalists fancied that he was afraid of presuming on his rank before his
republican host. From the information I could gain, and from his own
account afterwards, his impudence carried him through the affair with
flying colours, for no one detected him, though many wondered who he
was; and even some who were acquainted with him by sight, failed to
recognise the O'Wiggins in the gayly-decked _militaire_ before them.
Having seen him enter the hall, we returned on board the "Fun," to give
an account of what had happened to our fair friends; and of course we
did not fail of making a good story of the affair, and surmising that
O'Wiggins would be discovered and compelled to strip off his feathers.
After dinner we prepared to go to the ball, to which the ladies wisely
would not venture. Poor Groggs was very downcast at the events of the
morning, and with the discovery that he could never hope to make the
fair Eulalie Mrs Groggs. As we were going on shore we met O'Wiggins
pulling off in his gig with four highly-bedecked officers of National
Guards, whom he had invited to visit the yacht. He had selected them
for the gayness of their uniforms, which he fancied betokened their
exalted rank. They had discovered that he was not a prince, but still
were under the impression that he was at least a Mi Lord Anglais, imbued
with liberal principles. He nodded condescendingly to us as he passed.
"I'm going to show my craft to these officers whom I brought from the
banquet, and I'll be back soon at the ball," he exclaimed, with a look
of triumph.
It is understood--for I cannot vouch for the truth of the statement--
that he made the officers very drunk, and then, changing his gay uniform
for his usual yacht dress-coat, he made his appearance at the ball,
where he boasted of the polite manner in which the President had asked
him to the banquet, quoting all the speeches which had been made, and
many other particulars, so that no one doubted that he was there.
The ball-room was crowded to suffocation, and dancing was out of the
question. I looked at the President with interest. The last time I had
seen him was in a London ball-room, and at supper I had sat opposite to
him and his cousin, the very image of their uncle. At that time,
neither had more influence in the world than I or any other humble
person. They were little lions, because they had the blood in their
veins of the most extraordinary man our times has known; but any Indian
from the East, with a jewelled turban, created more interest. Now I
beheld the same man the head of a nation--the observed of all
observers--dispensing his courtesies with a truly regal air. One could
not help feeling that there must be more of his uncle's spirit in the
man than one was before inclined to suppose. A considerable number of
ladies' dresses and men's coats were torn, and purses and handkerchiefs
abstracted from pockets, and the ball terminated. I have not given a
very lucid description of it; but a crush in England is so very like a
crush in France, that my readers who have endured one may easily picture
the other.
Mrs Mizen and her charges were anxious to sail to get back to Plymouth
for Sunday, but we induced them to stop till the afternoon, by promising
them to accompany them, that they might see the President visit the
fleet, which it was understood he was to do on Saturday. The day was
lovely, and every craft afloat, from the big "Valmy" to the smallest
yacht, did her best to look gay, and to add to the brilliancy of the
scene. The piers were crowded with people, and so were the decks of the
vessels and boats and barges laden with passengers which were moving in
every direction. It was amusing to watch the numerous parties on board
the steamers at their meals: those forward indulging in bread and cheese
and sausages, and vin ordinaire or beer; the more aristocratic aft in
chicken-pies, hams, champagne, and claret, in which beverages they drank
prosperity to the republic and long life to the President, though they
would as readily have toasted a king or an emperor. It was a day of
excitement. The first thing in the morning there was a pulling-match,
but who was the winner I am unable to say. Then the President paid a
visit to the dockyard, and from that time every one was on the tiptoe of
expectation to catch a glimpse of him as he pulled off to the
ships-of-war he purposed visiting.
At length he appeared in a state-barge of blue and white and gold, and
prow and stern raised and carved richly, which floated as proudly as
that of any Lord Mayor of London, from Whittington downward; for not
altogether dissimilar was she in appearance. She pulled twenty-four
oars, and a captain stood by the coxswain to con her. Under a canopy of
purple cloth, the colour reminding one of imperial dignity, sat the
President of the republic, a tricolour flag waving in the bow from a
lofty flagstaff, speaking, however, loudly of republicanism. As his
galley shot out of the dockyard, there burst forth from the mouth of
every cannon on board the ships and in every fort on shore, roars most
tremendous, flashes of flame, and clouds of smoke. Never had I before
heard such a wild, terrific uproar; crash followed crash, till it
appeared that every soul afloat or on shore must be annihilated.
Thundering away went the guns, every ship firing every gun she had as
fast as she could, and every fort doing the same. Bang--crash, crash,
crash. The ladies stopped their ears, and looked as if they wished
themselves well out of it. It appeared as if a fierce battle were
raging, while the ships and the batteries and the shore were shrouded by
a dense mass of smoke. On a sudden the firing ceased, the smoke blew
away, revealing once more the masts and rigging of the ships-of-war, now
crowded with men in the act of laying out on the yards. The crews
cheered, and the bands of all the ships struck up martial music, which
floated joyfully over the water, and one could not help fancying that
something very important was taking place. In reality, it was only a
_coup d'etat_--Prince Napoleon was trying to supplant Prince de
Joinville in the affections of the seamen of France. It is said that he
made himself very popular, and gained golden opinions from all classes
of men.
His first visit was to the "Friedland," the flag-ship of Admiral
Deschenes, then to the "Valmy," and next to "Minerve," the gunnery-ship,
on the same plan as our "Excellent." Here some practice took place, but
I cannot say that the firing was any thing out of the way good. Having
inspected his own ships, he paid a visit to Lord Wilton's beautiful
schooner, the "Zarifa," and afterwards to the "Enchantress," Lord
Cardigan's yacht, both perfect vessels of their kind. We yachtsmen had,
indeed, reason to feel not a little proud of the display made by our
peaceable crafts on the occasion.
We went on board several of the French ships, and were much struck with
their beauty, cleanliness, and order, while every improvement which
science has suggested has been introduced on board them. We were not
particularly prepossessed in favour of the French seamen, either on
shore or on board. There was a roughness in their manner which savoured
somewhat of national dislike, fostered for sinister purposes, to be
pleasant; or, if it was put on in imitation of the manners of our own
honest Jack Tars, all I can say is, that it was a very bad imitation
indeed, and about as unlike the truth as when they attempt to represent
the English national character on the stage.
From the French officers all who visited their ships received the very
greatest attention and courtesy. We sailed that afternoon, as soon as
the spectacle was over, in company with the "Fun." I cannot, therefore,
describe the ball, with its overpowering heat and crush, which took
place that evening, nor the sham-fight, when the boats of the squadron
attacked the steamer "Descartes," nor the evolutions of the fleet, nor
the awful expenditure of gunpowder from the ships, sufficient to make
the economical hearts of the men of Manchester sink dismayed within
their bosoms. O friends! think you this expenditure of gunpowder and
noise breathes the spirit of peace? O merchants, manufacturers, and
calculators well versed in addition and subtraction, is it not worth
while to employ some portion of our own income, even a large portion
maybe, to insure Old England against any freak our volatile neighbours
may take into their heads? But I have done with public affairs. The
"Frolic" and the "Fun" danced gayly together over the starlit ocean
towards Plymouth, wind and tide favouring us. The voices of our fair
friends, as they sang in concert some delicious airs, sounded across the
water most sweetly to our ears. What a contrast to the loud roar of the
cannon in the morning, and the glare and bustle of Cherbourg harbour,
did that quiet evening present!
We arrived safely in Plymouth at an early hour next day. I am happy to
say that, not long after, I received cards with silver ties from my
friends Mr and Mrs Jack Mizen; but I am somewhat anticipating events.
I think it right, however, to announce to the spinster world that
Groggs, Porpoise, and Bubble are still bachelors.