AN UNLIKELY STORY.
Vanity Fair, is responsible for giving publicity to the following extraordinary scene: A most series public event occurred last week at Cowes. Mrs Cast, who has always discountenanced inferior persons and entertained angels awares, gave a party to a very limited number of very distinguished people, and among others to M. Waddington, the French Ambassador, who was brought" by Commodore H.E.H. the Prince *of Wales. In the course of the evening M. Waddington expressed some opinions the reverse of complimentary of the English fleet and alleged that the French fleet was far superior to it in every way. Sir Harry Keppel, who was present, very naturally resented this, and said he should like to "*\ get the French fleet outside and have a turn-up with them; whereupon the dispute waxed warm. .<jLord Charles Beresford now came into action, and from words the French Ambassador and the British proceeded to come to blows. The Prince was, as might be expected, much concerned at this, and at his suggestion Mrs Crust precipitated herself, at much dan* ger to herself, between the disputants, and restored something like order for a time. But shortly after .the discussion was|renewed even more vigorously, ■ and at last the French Ambassador was hustled out of the room and finally pitched over the wall of Mrs Cust's garden into the street. By dint of much exertion'and many apologies Mrs Cust induced him to come back, with his leg seriously damaged if not broken, by his fall, and still so much offended that it was feared by all that he would demand his /passport and return to Paris, there to represent the matter. The whole of Cowes is ringing with and canvassing this matter,: and great apprehensions exist, while .every kind of rumor is flying about in connec- . tion with it. The latest of these rumors is that the French Ambassador was not an ambassador at all, but Mr W. H. Eusseli got up on his return from Egypt to represent a Frenchman, and that the whole thing was a practical joke previously arranged by the Prince of Wales, the Admiral of the Fleet, and the Captain. I trust it may turn out that this explanation —far-fetched as it must seem—is the true ■ one. It would be very lamentable that Mrs Cust should innocently have become the cause of a rapture between France and England. . . ,
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Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4620, 25 October 1883, Page 2
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397AN UNLIKELY STORY. Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4620, 25 October 1883, Page 2
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