Joni; Brix AT CHERBOURG.—However careless the English may be about
a Gallic invasion, the Gauls are not so indifferent to a British inva- sion, as a " deluded excursionist " has shown in a letter to the Times. "The Weymouth and Channel Islands Steam Company gave notice a few days ago of an excursion to Cherbourg in one of their steamers. The an- nouncement set forth that the Cygnus would leave Weymouth on Saturday morning, the 3d instant, reaching Cherbourg about 3 p.m., allowing the afternoon of Saturday and the whole of Sunday to enable excursionists to see all that is notable in that renowned place, the return to Weymouth being fixed for Monday morning. It was further announced that by the special favour of the Gallic authorities the excursionists would not be re- quired to provide themselves with passports The passport- bearing travellers were speedily released ; but when it came to the turn of the unpassported crowd, we were told that the certificates issued to us on board the steamer, and which we were informed would be recognized as valid by all, were of no value whatever, and that we could not be allowed to land without the regular paper. This was rather a damper, certainly ; but we were comforted with the assurance that the matter would speedily be set to
• hts by an application to the superior authority. From half-past two nine at night we lay within a few feet of the quay, while a brisk inter-
ge of telegraphic messages passed between the local and depart- mental authorities and the Minister of the Interior. At nine o'clock pre- cisely the final decision of M. Delangle, the new and liberal Minister, arrived. It was short and sweet—' The passengers can on no account be permitted to land without passports ; keep a watchful eye on them.' . . . . "Is it not the height of burlesque to see the representatives of a great na- tion like France thrown into a paroxysm of nervous excitement at the ap- proach of a steamer with a score or two of harmless excursionists—to see the vessel guarded as if she were a plague-ship, her decks patrolled by fac- tionnaires, and the adjacent quays lined with gem d'armes, to provide sgamst the possibility of any of the imprisoned tourists effecting a landing ? Mark the telegraph in incessant activity, observe the messengers rushing here and there ; the civic authorities are en permanence ; the Pr6fet is on the alert ; M. Delangle is disturbed at his dinner* the arrival of an im- portant telegram ! What can it all mean ? Abd-el-Kader again in arms in Algeria ? Has Rome risen and proclaimed the Republic? Have barri- cades been erected at Lyons, and does the red flag float over the Hotel de Ville? Nothing of the sort. A dozen or two of English excursionists have arrived at Cherbourg from Weymouth, and — they are without passports. Vega tent
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