A Russian squadron has paid a visit of three days
to Ports- mouth. It arrived on Monday, and official visits were at once exchanged between Admiral Bosanquet and' Commodore Roussine. In the evening there was a dinner party at Admiralty Minim. On Tuesday a party of Russian officers and men visited London, in response to a telegraphed invita- tion from the Admiralty, sent at the suggestion of the King. In the evening there was a "gala performance" at the Alhambra, at which Lord Tweedmouth, Sir John Fisher, Sir
Edward Grey, and members of the Russian Embassy were present. Since the success of the similar entertainment given to the French sailors two years ago, we seem to have quite assimilated the idea of the gala performance, without whieli no programme for entertaining foreign guests on the Continent is considered complete. It is certainly an improvement on the old conventional entertainments, of which the piece de tgaisiance, one might almost say, used to be the official walk round the dockyard at Portsmouth. This may have shown that we were friendly and confiding, but scarcely that we were human and hospitable. The party returned to Portsmouth on Wednesday morning. On Wednesday evening the Mayor of Portsmouth gave a banquet, and the squadron sailed on Thursday morning.
Previous page
