They had been repeatedly warned to go away, but
secreted themselves in hopes of plunder, not believing
the mines were to be sprung. One man escaped by
some miracle to tell the tale.

A number of the Russian prisoners taken at Bomarsund
have been brought to England in the Termagant,
Valorous, and Dauntless. The Termagant had that
dreadful companion of a voyage, the cholera, on board
during her passage home. Happily, her officers and
crew have escaped, the few cases that occurred among
them giving way to medical treatment. But it was far
otherwise with the unfortunate Russian prisoners. Out
of forty-three attacks, seventeen proved fatal. They
brought the epidemic on board with them from the
French frigate Seréne, and they are in appearance just
the sort of men to suffer terribly from its ravages. No
one can avoid perceiving in them the evidences of
underfeeding. The officers are stout-built, powerful
men, but the soldiers have that thin lathy appearance
which is seen in our workhouses and prisons. There
was not a single robust looking man among them, and
their hard, spare forms contrasted strangely with those
of our well-fed sailors. The prisoners brought by the
Termagant are for the most part young men, and have
little about them of that military air and carriage which
the nations of the west inseparably associate with the
profession of arms. They were scantily clad, having no
undercoats. The stripes indicating grades of ranks or
good conduct, instead of being upon the arm, are on the
lapel; the number of the regiment is marked upon the
band of the forage caps, but not in metal, and facings
seem used as in other European services. One half of
the prisoners belonged to a Russian corps, and wore red
facings; the other were Finnish Chasseurs, and had
blue facings. During the voyage they held entirely aloof
from each other, the Finlanders disclaiming the idea of
being considered Russians, and the Russians probably
equally jealous of being confounded with the Finlanders.
As they left the Termagant to go on board the Devonshire
they smoked and chatted gaily to each other.
The sick were carried out in blankets and laid on the
deck of the steam tender employed on the occasion without
any apparent display of sympathy, and to one poor
young fellow, who, in a state of great exhaustion, fell
prostrate, the only attention shown by his comrades was
that of pushing a knapsack under his head. English or
French troops would probably have shown more feeling.
Many trophies of the late siege are brought home in the
Valorous and Termagant; among them one which at the
present time possesses considerable interest is the
Russian helmet. It is an excellent headpiece for the
soldier, handsome, light, and strong, with a neatly
contrived ventilator at the top, and apparently well adapted
for use in active service. Another object worthy of
notice is the rifle with which the Czar arms his soldiers,
and the ball used in it. The rifle is of Liege
manufacture, and pretty substantially made, but not equal to
ours in finish. It has a very convenient sight, and is
armed with a sword bayonet. The manner in which
balls projected from it are flattened at long ranges shows
its power, but, from the shape of the ball itself
and other considerations, the accuracy of its fire is
questionable.

Great festivities have taken place at Boulogne, on the
occasion of the meeting of the Emperor of the French
with the King of the Belgians, the King of Portugal,
and his Royal Highness Prince Albert. On Saturday,
the 2nd inst., the Emperor left Boulogne for Calais, in
order to meet the King of the Belgians. The Emperor
arrived at noon, escorted by a detachment of Cuirassiers,
and proceeded to Dessin's Hotel. The civil and military
authorities of the town were assembled in official
costume, and a deputation of poissardes, clad in pretty
chintz dresses and black linsey-woolsey petticoats, were
honoured with an interview, at which they presented a
fine dish of fish. The peasant women were also admitted
to an audience, and tendered a superb bouquet for
the acceptance of his Majesty. A little before two the
King of the Belgians arrived, accompanied by his
eldest son, the Duke de Brabant. He was received at
the entrance of the town by the authorities, and
conducted, amid the cheers of the people, to Dessin's Hotel,
The Emperor had left his apartments to receive him,
and when the carriage arrived, he was standing in the
courtyard of the hotel, surrounded by a small suite.
Upon alighting, the two monarchs bowed, and the
King of the Belgians said, "I am charmed to make
your acquaintance. Allow me to introduce to you my
son, the Duke de Brabant." The Emperor replied by
a few kindly words, and took the King and the Duke
to his private room, where the three royal personages
were closeted alone for three-quarters of an hour.
When the Emperor had left the King of the Belgians,
the latter received the authorities of the city, the
English Consul, Mr. Bonham, and other official persons.
In the afternoon, the Emperor, the King of the
Belgians, and the Duke de Brabant went on board the
Emperor's private steam-yacht, La Reine Hortense.
Having inspected the cabins, the royal party walked
along the deck, where the crew were drawn up in line,
the Emperor stopping occasionally to address a few
questions to the men. The royal visitors then walked
to their carriages through the crowd which had assembled
on shore. As soon as the Emperor had left the
ship, the crew ran up into the rigging, and gave several
hearty cheers. Next day, Sunday, the Emperor,
accompanied his guests to Boulogne, and on the same day
King Leopold embarked for Ostend. The next royal
visitor was the King of Portugal, who, with his
brothers arrived on Monday the 4th. They travelled from
Paris, and arrived at Boulogne about twelve o'clock.
They were escorted to the Hôtel Brighton, where the
Emperor welcomed them in person. After partaking
of a déjeuner, the royal party drove to the camp at
Honvault; and alighting they examined the huts both
of the officers and men. As crowds pressed around
them, the dragoons in attendance exerted themselves
to keep a clear space; but the Emperor ordered them
to permit the people to move at their leisure. The
troops having defiled past the two monarchs, they
returned to Boulogne; and on the same evening, at six
o'clock, the King of Portugal and his brother departed
by rail for Brussels. Meanwhile, seven British soldiers,
two from each cavalry regiment of the Household
troops, commanded by Corporal Sutton, and intended
to act as Prince Albert's orderlies, had arrived, and
had created a great sensation in Boulogne. They
paid a special visit to their brethren of the Cent
Gardes; who had provided a most liberal entertainment
in order to do honour to their confrères. The
visit was marked by the utmost cordiality and good
feeling on both sides. Both the men and horses were
taken under the special care and protection of the
Emperor, who would not allow them to expend a
single sous for the maintenance of themselves or their
chargers.

The Emperor sent the Cent Gardes two dozen of
champagne, wherewith to regale their English brethren;
and the latter showed off their dexterity in cutting bars
of lead in two with their swords, and other feats. On
Sunday, too, there was a grand mass in the morning in
the open air; followed in the evening by a grand ball
given in honour of the capture of Bomarsund; and the
quadrilles were styled "l'entrée en Finlande," "Riga,"
"le bombardement de Cronstadt," "le congrès de la
paix," &c.

Prince Albert arrived on Tuesday morning, in the
royal yacht the Victoria and Albert; the royal
standard of England flying at the main, and the
tricolor of France at the fore. The Emperor of the
French, attended by a splendid suite, were waiting
on the quay to welcome the Prince Consort; a
compliment not paid to the King of Portugal or the King
of Belgium. As soon as the royal yacht entered the
harbour, a salute of artillery greeted her arrival. She
steamed slowly along the quay; and Prince Albert,
attended by the Duke of Newcastle, General Lord
Seaton, the Honourable C. Grey, Captain Du Platt, and
other officers of distinction, in full uniform was seen
standing upon deck. The first burst of welcome was
given by a number of English visitors on board the
Albion, London Steamer, which was lying alongside the
quay, near the jetty. The Prince graciously acknowledged
the cheer, and continued to bow to the multitudes