LA PEROUSE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3150, 31 July 1917, Page 7

LA PEROUSE

AUSTRALIAN LAND DEDICATES TO FRANCE. At La Perouse on July 14 wreaths were •placed on the monument erected to the memory of La Perouse, the French navigator, who stayed for a time with his sailors inißotany Bay, then sailed away and was never heard of again. During that visit L'Abbo Heceveur, priest and scientist, died, and was buried near the epot where the camp was established. Wreaths were laid upon his grave, the grave of the first Frenchman to be buried in Australia. Becoming eclat was given to tho occasion, out of compliment to the French people. A guard of honour of 150 men from the land forces, a detachment of 60 naval .cadets, and the Engineers' Band, were present. A special choir of 100 girls from the Paddington School, tmder tho direction of Professor Tearne, sang the National songs of the Allies, and about 2000 of the general public attended to show their appreciation of the fact that at a historic spot in ■Australia, at the dawn of its history, thero were hospitalities offered and aooepted, and visits exchanged—l 29 years ago—and that to-day French and Australian blood is being mingled in the greatest war of all times. Moreover, a historic announcement was made. The remains of Father Receveur havo lain for all. theao years in alien soil, the monument to the great navigator lias stood on foreign land, but now, when measures have been taken to beautify the place, a small pieco of tho land—about an acrein area—will be presented to the French nation, and the remains of the dead will rest on soil belonging to France. bU the monument itself the tricolour of France occupied the central position in a festoon, the British Flag was placed on its right, the Commonwealth Hag on its left; , for that occasion France was the central point. Later., on the flags were taken down from the monument and' displayed in the grounds, the tricolour again in tho centre. It was France e day. About 2000 people were present. Tho veterans, some of whom fought with French troops and naval men in the Crimea, wpro their 'uniforms, and stood in a place of honour near the monument.

At 3 o'clock the band played the national songs of the Allied nations, and the girls' choir sang tho songs—in English, translations of all the eongs except that of France Rule Britannia was the lirst, then'the Belgian, tho Italian, the Russian, the Japanese (unaccompanied), and, Inst, the Star Spangled Banner. By that time the Lieutenant-Governor arrived, and was received with the customary honours. Mrs. Hugh Dixson nreeented him with the wreath, and asked him to lav it on the monument The request was complied with, then wreaths were laid on—including ono of a wattle Mossom— by Mrs. Dixson, by the representatives of the various societies, and by some of the old men who have fought England's battles in Y>,ykohp years, and are' iiow spending tho evening of their! .-lny* in Australia. The wreath laid on by Ihe president of the TT-storicnl Society bore the inrerinrioii: "Vive T.a France. De la Societe d'Histoire, Australienne."