THE PRESENTATION TO CAPTAIN JACQUEMART.

Evening Star, Issue 3698, 29 December 1874, Page 2

THE PRESENTATION TO CAPTAIN JACQUEMART.

The following letter by the Agent-General to the Premier has been forwarded to his Honor the Superintendent. It is dated London October 20: — In continuation of my letter of the Ist inst. concerning the comrau in cation which you Wrecked me to make of the thanks of the Government of New Zealand to the President of the French Republic for the services rendered by the ship La Yire, I have the honor to inform you that, immediately on my arrival at Paris, I put myself in communication, according to the suggestion of the Count de Jarnac, the French Ambassador at this Court, with the Marquis de Beauvoir, who is at present attached to the French Foreign Office. The Marquis de Beauvoir’s name will be well known to you in connection with the admirable work in which he has described his Australasian travels. He at once gave me his willing assistance in fulfilling the duties of my mission. I received from M. de Beauvoir on the same day the letter of which I enclose a copy, informing me that the Due Decazes, Minister of Foreign Affairs, would receive me on the 2nd instant. I was very cordially received by his Excellency. He expressed the gratification of the French Government in receiving such a testimony of frien mhip and good-will on the part of the Government of New Zealand, and spoke with lively interest of the progress of the Colony and of the kindness with which he was pleased to say, French officers coming from the neighboring Colony of New Caledonia always spoke of their reception among our people. I answered him that the French flag was always very welcome in New Zealand, and that the conduct of the officeis and crew of La Vire would make it doubly so iu future. The Due Decazes had been good enough to apply already on my behalf, as you will see by the enclosed letter from M. Mollard, ohief of the protocal office, to the Marshal President for an audience, and it was finally arranged that his Excellency should receive me immediately after my interview with the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I accordingly proceeded from the Foreign office to the palace of the Elysdes.' Having stated the object of my mission, and delivered into his Excellency’s hands the letter conveying the thanks of the Government, of which I have already sent you a copy, the President begged me to answer the Government of New Zealand that he was deeply sensible of the sentiments of good will of which their action in this njatter was a proof, and felt especially gratified by my personally taking the trouble of conveying your thanks to him. He added that he trusted the French navy would always be as ready as the English navy had often shown itself to serve those who were in suffering or in peril. It only rema-ned for me to convey to the Minister of Marine, Admiral de Martrignac, the service of plate voted by the Provincial Council of Otago for presentation to Captain Jacquemart. The Minister accepted the case for conveyance to Captain Jacquemart, who is still on foreign service, saying that although that officer had only discharged a duty which he trusted French sailors would always be ready to fulfil, it was not the less gratifying to him as chief of the French Admiralty to find that the service rendered by Captain Jacqueraart had been so graciously acknowledged.—l have, &c,, I. E. Feathekston.