Page:The Annual Register 1899.djvu/257

 1899.] France. — Funeral of President Faure. [249

station to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the newly elected President was grossly insulted, and the attitude of the police and of the Prime Minister during this street uproar was more likely to provoke than to control disorder.

The Nationalists were not slow to take the hint. The same evening one of their chiefs, M. Jules Lemaitre wrote to the papers declaring that his party would not accept M. Loubet's election. MM. Coppee and D6roulfede paraded the streets reviewing their partisans. For several days, notwithstanding numerous arrests, the streets were practically in possession of organised bodies of rioters, who, however, contented themselves with shrieking seditious cries. It was, however, openly asserted that a popular rising would take place on the occasion of President Faure's funeral. This contingency the Ministry were not prepared to face. They therefore determined that the only ceremony should be a religious one at Notre Dame, where all those invited should meet. Loud protests were raised against this proposal in the Chamber, which finally agreed to assemble in a body at the Elysee and to walk thence in procession ; the Republican senators undertook to bring pressure to bear upon the Ministry to keep order in the streets, and the Municipal Council of Paris addressed a manifesto to the people urging pea'ce, and at the same time endeavoured to stimulate the activity of the Prefect of Police. M. Loubet, moreover, an- nounced his intention of conforming to the precedent set by M. Casimir Perier at the funeral of M. Carnot, and that he would consequently proceed from the Elys6e to Pere la Chaise. T&is decision was favourably received by the Paris populace, and the Ministry thought it advisable to intimate to the League of Patriots and to the League of the Patrie Fran9aise that places would not be allotted to them in the official procession. Never- theless M. Deroulede continued to issue instructions to his followers, and the Due d* Orleans was summoned in all haste to Brussels to be ready for any event.

The funeral ceremony passed off (Feb. 23) with less disturb- ance than had been anticipated. M. Loubet walked on foot from the Elysee to Notre Dame and thence to Pere la Chaise, and his confidence in the Paris populace was amply rewarded. Those who might have wished to display their hostility were restrained by the attitude of the crowd. No sooner, however, had the official procession broken up than M. Deroulede made his attempt to get up a riot or a revolution. Accompanied by a few friends he endeavoured to persuade General Roget, who had been M. Cavaignac's chef du cabinet, to march with his brigade upon the Elysee. He went so far as to lay hold of the horse's bridle ; but the general shook off his compromising friend and marched his men into their barracks. The deputy for La Charente and his colleague M. Marcel Habert followed in with the troops and with impassioned appeals urged them to make a pronunciamento. For their pains the two deputies were