482 Singular Religious Ceremony in France. [MAY, 



addressed ; and all is again silent. Another pause, and the pious com-* 

 manding officer issues his second order, " Portez Croix /" At this word, 

 the fabric vibrates for a moment with the force that has been applied to 

 all parts of it, and is the next moment still again. Again the priest 

 gives the word, " Elevez Croix !" In an instant the whole rises as if 

 endued with life, and the figure appears in the air above the heads of the 

 surrounding multitude. In a moment more, the last order is given 

 " Marchez! pas ordinaire!" and the huge fabric moves onward, and 

 takes its place in the procession, amid the roll and rattle of drums, the 

 blare of trumpets, the clash of cymbals, and the whole brilliant harmony 

 of a full military band ! A body of the missionaries themselves precede 

 the crucifix, and it is followed by other priests and dignitaries, in the 

 centre of whom, preceded by the golden crosier, walks Monseigneur 

 the bishop of the diocese before whom nearly all the spectators who 

 line the street kneel down upon the bare wet stones as he passes, while 

 he blesses them by elevating the two first fingers of his right hand, 

 and moving his mitred head from side to side. The procession is closed 

 by a portion of the authorities of the town, and by companies of other 

 persons : and thus it proceeds at a slow pace through all the principal 

 streets standing still at intervals, while the cross-bearers rest beneath 

 the various triumphal arches that have been erected for that purpose, 

 and at every one of which the music ceases, while, at a certain signal 

 from a priest, the whole people cry, with one voice, <f Five la Croix ! 

 Five la Croix!! Five la Croix II!" 



Thus far of the procession. But we have still much to see and hear ; 

 and, for this purpose, we must take our station in an open, oblong space, 

 called La Petite Place, at one extremity of which is a public fountain. 

 Here a reunion of the whole procession will take place, with the view of 

 listening to a discourse pronounced by the chief resident priest, and 

 seeing the whole proceeding confirmed and blessed by the bishop. For 

 this purpose, a kind of altar and rostrum have been erected at the upper 

 end of the place, the draperies and ornamental hangings of which (con- 

 sisting of innumerable half-dirty white bed and window curtains) cover 

 nearly the whole side of the square. Here, then, after having traversed 

 the principal streets of the town, the different companies, &c., of which 

 the procession consists gradually arrive in the order in which they set out, 

 and are arranged in preconcerted groups by the officiating priests ; the 

 cross being placed in the centre of the whole, so as to lie visible from 

 every part of the square. All being ready, and the rostrum (consisting 

 of an old easy chair) being removed to the foot of the cross, the principal 

 mounts it, and, resting one hand on the sacred symbols, pronounces a 

 discourse, the subject matter of which is, a brief glance at the history of 

 the cross, and the effects it has produced on man and society. There is 

 nothing remarkable about this discourse, but its close : that, however, is 

 of a nature which, whatever might be its effects on its actual hearers, we 

 shall scarcely be able to refer to without the risk of overstepping that 

 decorum which the character of our national habits and feelings has 

 thrown round the subject in question. But as that which we have to report 

 includes by far the most characteristic portion of the day's exhibition, we 

 must not leave it untold. Decency, however, no less than truth, requires 

 that we should leave the words that we have to relate untranslated. In 

 fact, to turn them into the parallel phrases of our own language would 

 be more than our pens dare perform. Thus, then, the reverend orator 

 concluded his brief discourse the words in French being reported lite- 



