MARRIAGE OF THE FRENCH EMPEROR.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume IX, Issue 819, 8 June 1853, Page 4

MARRIAGE OF THE FRENCH EMPEROR.

The London and Paris papers have contained very copious reports of this event. The civil contract took place at the Tuileries, on Saturday night, and the religious ceremony at Notre Dame, on Sunday morning. The civil ceremony is thus described : — " At the end of the salle two state arm chairs were placed on the estrade ; the Emperor took his seat in that on the right, and the future Empress in that on the left. At the foot of the estrade was a table, on which was placed the register of the etat civil of the family of the Emperor, which had been preserved in the archives -of the Secretariat d'Etat. The first act recorded in it is dated the 2nd March, 1806) and is the adoption of Prince Eugene as son of the Emperor Napoleon and as Viceroy of Italy ; the last act recorded is the marriage of the Emperor Napoleon 111. and the Empress Eugenic, and which is immediately preceded by that of the birth of the King of Rome on the 20th March, 1811. After all the persons present were arranged in their respective places, the Minister of State said — 'In the name of the Emperor.' At these words the Emperor and future Empress rose. The Minister of State then continued — 'Sire, — Does your Majesty declare to take in marriage her Excellency Mile Eugenic de Montijos, -Countess de Teba, here present?" The Emperor replied, ' I declare I take in marriage her Excellency Eugenic de Montijos, Countess de •Teba, here present*.' The Minister then said — * Mile. Eugenic de Montijos, Countess de Teba, do you declare that you take in marriage the Emperor Napoleon 111., here present?' Her Excellency replied, ' I declare that I take in marriage the Emperor Napoleon, here present.' The Minister of State then declared the marriage in the following terms : — ' In the name of the Emperor, of the Constitution, and the Law, I declare that his Majesty Napoleon 111., Emperor of the French, by the Grace of God and the national will, and her Excellency Mdlle. Eugenic de Montijos, Countess de Teba, are united in marriage.' After this announcement the Master >ol the Ceremonies brought the table on which the register of the etat civil had been placed before the chairs of the Emperor and Empress, and the signature was proceeded with. The President of •the Council of State presented the pen to the Emperor and afterwards to the Empress. Their Majesties signed without quitting their seats. The Countess of Montijos, the princes and princesses, and the Spanish Ministers afterwards approached the table and signed according to their rank, and they were followed by the other witnesses appointed by his Majesty. This being finished, the Grand Master of the Ceremonies informed their Majesties that the ceremony was terminated. The Emperor and Empress, accompanied by their vortege, then retired. A short time after a concert was given in the theatre of the Palace. The Empress was conveyed back to the Elysee with the same ceremonial observed on her arrival. The procession on Sunday morning was magnificent, and it is said that— " The fittings-up of the cathedral for the occasion were of the most splendid description, and were all executed in a manner, for which the French are so noted. The looms of Lyons, Beauvais, and Amiens have' been put in requisition for the occasion,, and as pieces of velvet, silk, and other articles were turned out, they were despatched to the entrepreneur in Paris. The ermine alone used for lining the draperies is more than 1300 yards in length, by three yards in width. The canopy oi the altar, and the drapery which surrounds it, are of blue velvet ; the curtains are of crimson, lined witft ermine, and fringed with gold. The two Imperial prie-Dieu are covered with ermine, and the steps of the altar with crimson velvet. The choir is hung with gold brocade to the second gallery. Between the columns of the nave are placed draperies of crimson velvet, lin> d with ermine, and bordered with gold, re- ] resenting laurel and olive leaves entwined. On this drapery were placed gold escutcheons with the imperial arms richly painted on them. The pillars which support (he gallery were surrounded

with gailands of flowers. Over the first gallery were suspended draperies of the Imperial colour, covered with gold bees, and lined with ermine, and on these draperies were crowns bearing the initials of their Majesties, and the arms of France surrounded by garlands of flowers and foliage. | The whole of the embellishments were of the most tasteful and costly kind, and when all the company were assembled the coup d'mil was such as words cannot adequately describe. On the arrival of the- carriage of their Majesties at the grand entrance, the Archbishop of Paris and his clergy went in procession to the door to meet them ; the large doors were thrown open, and the Emperor, leading the Empress by the hand, entered the church, and took their places on the throne. The Archbishop, after saluting their Majesties, then commenced the service. After blessing the pieces of gold and the nuptial ring, the Emperor and Empress advanced to the foot of the altar, where they remained standing, giving each other the right hand. The Archbishop addressed himself first to the Emperor and afterwards to the Empress, receiving their declarations to receive each other for husband aud wife, and then presented to the Emperor the pieces of gold and the ring. The Emperor then presented the pieces of gold to the Empress, and placed the ring on her finger ; after the usual prayers had been recited, their Majesties returned 'to the throne. After the " Pater" their Majesties again went to the foot of the altar and knelt, the first chaplain of the Emperor and another bishop holding over their heads a canopy of silver brocade, and kept it extended over them during the orison. During the episcopalian benediction and the reading of the gospel, the choir several times chanted the JDomine Salvum. The Archbishop then presented the holy water to their Majesties, and afterwards commenced the Te Deum, which was taken up by the orchestra and the singers. After the Te Deum was concluded, the great officers of the crown, the princes, the ministers, and other persons forming the cortege left their places and went to their respective carriages ; and the Archbishop, forming a procession with bis clergy conducted their Majesties to the great door, where they entered the state carriage, and the cortege, in the same order as it went, returned by the Quai Napoleon, the Q,uai aux Fleurs, the Pont au Change, and the Quays up to the Place de la Concorde, and re-entered the Tuileries by the grand avenue of the garden. The garden represented the most picturesque aspect. The terrace adjoining the river was occupied by deputations from all the corporations in the city, each distinguished by a banner bearing appropriate mottos. The operatives of the canal St. Martin bad a live eagle standing at the top of their banner, to which it was attached by the feet. This exhibition afforded the soldiers much amusement as they filed by. The bird also attracted the notice of the Emperor, who laughed very heartily and showed it to the Empress. All the villages of the Banlieu were represented by young girls, attired in white and distinguished by silk scarfs of different colours. Each moreover, carried a banner, ornamented with devices, and vivas for the Emperor and Empress. At about half past two o'clock the cortege entered the gardens of the Tuileries, and the cavalry, after riding up to the palace, turned to the left and drew up in the alley adjoining the Rue de Rivoli. rlher Ihe moment the Imperial carriage made its appearance, ell the young girls rushed forward and actually filled it with bouquets. The shower was so great at one moment, that the guards were obliged to interfere. The impression made by the Empress's presence was decidedly favorable. At three o'clock their Majesties appeared at the balcony of 4be Pavilion de l'Horloge looking into the Carrousel, and here it was understood that the promised presentation by the Emperor, of his bride to the troops, took place. After receiving their acclamation for a few minutes their Majesties retired, and appeared at the wellknown balcony which commands a view of the the gardens. It was crowded to excess, At 4 o'clock the newly-married pair entered a travelling chariot, and, escorted by a picked squadron of carbiniers, and attended by several oher carriages, occupied by members of tbeir suite, set out for St. Cloud, by way of the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysfees. The pelaces and public buildings were splendidly illuminated in the evening, and thousands of additional lamps, both in oil and gas, were lighted on all the chief promenades. The Empress has won golden opinions, by declining to accept the diamond necklace for which the municipality of Paris had voted 4300,000 francs. The refusal was conveyed in the following letter, addressed to M. Berger, the Prefect of the Seine :—: — '■ Monsieur le Prefet, — I feel deeply .the generous decision con?e to by the municipal council of Paris, which thus manifests its sympathetic adhesion to the union which the Emperor contracts. I nevertheless experience a painful feeling at thinking that the first public act attached to my name, at the moment of my marriage should be a considerable expense for the city of Paris. Permit roe, therefore, not to accept your gift, however flattering it may be for me ; you will give me the greater happiness by employing in charities the sum you had fixed on for the purchase of the ornaments which the municipal council wished to present to me. My desire is that my marriage shall not be the occasion of any fresh charge to the country to which I- henceforth belong; and the only thing of which I am ambitious, is to share with the Emperor the love and esteem of the FreDch people* I beg you, Monsieur le Prefet, to express my gratitude to your council and to receive yourself the assurance of my distinguished sentiments." 11 Eugenic, Countess De Teba." The municipal council, on the letter being read to them, unanimously voted that the 600,000f. should be employed in founding a hospital in which poor girls may receive a useful education and be maintained till they can be placed out in life. This establishment will bear the name and be under the patronage of the Empress. Numerous distributions of bread, wine, meat, and clothes took place on Monday morning, in all the arrondissements of Paris, A double allowance of wine was given to each soldier of the garrison of Paris. The following are the terms in which the Moniteur announces an intended amnesty : — " On the occasion of his marriage the Em« peror has pardoned upwards of 3,000 persons, amongst those who had been the object of measures of general safety taken after the distuib-

ances of December, 1851. In consequence of these pardons, and of those previously accorded, there remain not more tbau about 1,200 persons subject to expulsion or transportation. Public i opinion will not take alarm at so many pardons, as the decree of March 5, 1852, gives to the Government the right to have recourse to measures of precaution against any individuals who should abuse the clemency exercised towards them. The names of the persons thus pardoned will shortly be published." A number of the old Legitimists in France had not been able to resist the blandishments of the new Emperor. Bribed by lucrative posts, a number of the chiefs had deserted the cause. Among them the most noted were the Marquis de Pastoret, agent for the Count de Chambord, and the Marquis de Larochjaquelin. The news from Spam is importint. The elections for the Cortes were in progress. They were favourable to the Government in Madrid, I but the reverse in the country. An attempt at insurrection was made in Milon on the 6th February. Several barricades were erected, ten men were killed, and about seventysix vrounded. The insurrection was speedily suppressed. It is stated that Hungarian soldiers, fraternised with the insurgents, and that an extensive conspiracy, of which the heads were Hungarian officers, had spread ramifications throughout Lombardy and even to "Vienna and Fiume. Soul-stirring appeals from Mazzini and Kossuth were posted on the walls during the entente. A general insurrection in Montenegro had taken place. The Montenegrins are a brave, high spirited, and warlike people. They have for a long time been only nominally subject to the Porte, and they hate the Turks. The Porte had sent against them an army estimated at between 40,000 and 60,000 nien. Several sanguinary encounters had taken place, in which the Montenegrins had the advantage. The Turkish treasury was empty. Our private letters from Genoa state that a trial had taken place in that city similar to that of the Madiai in Tuscany. The name of the accused is Daniel Mazzinghi, twenty-five years of age, and a surgeon by profession. The tiial took place with closed doors, but it is said that he was charged with having, in company with Captain Packenham, of the British navy, preached against the religion of the state, and in praise of Protestantism. He was sentenced to imprisonment for three years, by virtue of the 164 th article of the penal code. — Times, 27th Jan. Masks have been forbidden by the police authoriiies of Milan during the approaching carnival. — Ibid. The Madrid Gazette of the 18th inst., contains a royal decree, suppressing all associations of more than twenty persons, meeting daily or at fixed periods, wilhout a previous permission from the authorities. The decree commands further that the fiscal of the press shall seize every written, printed, or lithographed p^per, emanating from i>uch junta or association, whatever may have been the number of persons by whom they are signed. — Ibid. Abd-el-Kader has not yet terminated hi*3 eventful career, but promises to give further trouble to the French. The Marseilles steamer which ought to have sailed yesterday, has been detained on his account. It appears that some time ago M. de Lavallette gave notice to Fudd Effendi, the Minister of Foreign affairs, that he intended to present Abd-el-Kader to the Sultan on the arrival of the former. The Foreigu Minister replied tl.at he saw no objections whatever to his intentions. Accordingly as Abd-el-Kader is expected daily by a French war steamer, his Ex- i cellency again applied to Fuad Effendi to name a j day when he might present the Emir to his Majesty. The Foreign Minister now rep^ that such a presentation cannot take place, since Abd-el-Kader is a subject of the Sultan. "It is true," he added, "that the French are de facto in possession of Algeria, bnt it belongs de jure to the Sultan, thereiore the Emir will be introduced to bis sovereign by one of his Majesty's Minis;ers, and not by a French ambassador." This unexpected answer startled not a little M. de Lavallette ; and when he urged that he had already written to the Emperor the reply he had first received frora the Turkish Minister of Foreign affairs, the latter shrugged his shoulders and said, that " his second thoughts were best, since the first answer had been given without due consideration." Another fact has come to light in connection with this subject. It seems that the Sheikh il Islam has been asked if the oath of allegiance sworn by Abd-el-Kader to the Emperor is binding. The spiritual head of Islam pronounced the oath invalid, since it was taken by a captive in the hands of hostile infidels ; such an oath, to be binding, should be taken in the presence of free Mussulmans. There is an idea afloat, which is by no means improbable, that the French ambassador inteuds to make the Emir reiterate his oath in the presence of the Sultan and the Sheikh il Islam. The probable termination of the affair will be that the French will bully, and the Turks yield, since it is a question which does not appear to interest any other Power. — Morning Chronicle, 21st January.