The French have been holding a fête at Cherbourg, on
the occasion of the visit of the three Presidents,—President Gr4vy, President Leon Say, and President Gambetta, to the great Naval port. Various difficulties had to be overcome before the fête could come off successfully. First, there was a quarrel between Admiral Ribourt and the municipal authorities at Cherbourg, a quarrel which came out of Admiral Ribourt's failing to salute the Mayor and the municipality, on the occasion of the distribution of the flags to the troops and marines there. Admiral Janr4guiberry (the Minister of Marine) stood up for Admiral Ribourt, and M. Constans (the Minister of the Interior) stood up for the sub-prefect, and there was a difficulty, but at last the municipality were persuaded to pass the matter over. Then there was a difficulty as to the three Presidents. The fête was intended for M. Gambetta, but Cherbourg could not pass over the President of the Republic, and the President of the Republic was persuaded to accept ; so that M. Gambetta would have been in an unmeaning place, as second to the head of the State, if it had not occurred to somebody to include M. Leon Say as Presi- dent of the Senate, and so make the visitors representative of the Constitution as a whole. This accordingly was done, and all the naval demonstrations, the launching of a new ship-of-war, the exhibition of torpedoes, the speeches, the toasts, and play- work of the fête were got over with great eclat, M. Gambetta having, however, made one important speech,—perhaps rather more stimulating than he intended it to be.
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