WAR ITEMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3096, 10 January 1871, Page 4

WAR ITEMS.

Messes Reynolds and May, the two Americans who escaped from Paris by balloon at the same time as M. Gambetta, had gone fco the beleaguered city fco conclude a contract with fche French Government for the supply of a very large number of a new description of bycicles with india rubber tyred wheels. They are to be afc once distributed among the forces which are being gathered together in all parts of the country for acting upon the flanks and rear of the Prussians. The rubber tyres of the wheels make tbeir approach noiseless, and fchey are easily propelled at the rate of ten miles an hour. The übiquitous Uhlans may, therefore, speedily anticipate the rapid raids of some of the novel cavalry corps which are aboufc to be I created. The " Daily News" special correspondent at the German headquarters afc Versailles states fchafc tbe preparations for fche attack on , Paris are still proceeding. Long waggon trains are to be seen creaking up fco the front laden with timber or gabions, fche store of ammunition is daily increasing, and ifc is said that when the fire does begin ifc will be such as has never yet been seen. Our correspondent; is assured that in the first instance there is fco be a fair fight between fcbe batteries and the forts, " without any attempt to commit wholesale murder by sending shells flying over head into the city." The King would never oonseufc to allow Paris to be bombarded as Sfcrasburgwas bombarded. Preparations for attack have taken longer than was expeoted ; but tbis is accounted for by their extent, which is described as something marvellous. The French fire is to be utterly silenced and overwhelmed. Garibaldi has written.to a friendin London, and says, that when Germany was fighting fco overthrow Napoleon he was on her side, and that now, quite as naturally, he is heart and soul with the French Republic, which he regards as one of the pillars of the. world's ! liberty. France, he adds, is nofc nearly so prostrated as is commonly supposed. The " Morning Post" has received a letter . from Paris by balloon. One of its announcements ought to cause fche Germans some anxiety : — " The defence from within is already taking a desperate character. The generals, as is the wont of generals, have long insisted upon making war only according to tradition. They hold that, while ifc is perfectly fair and most honorable forcibly fco ' introduce steel and lead into -the vital parts of their enemies, or to blow them up with gunpowder, it is barbarous and disgraceful to use to tbe same end any means involving a j further advance of science. Their scruples, i however, have now been vanquished. I have [ to-day seen a quite unmartial, frock-coated, keen-eyed little chemist,, who has within his knowledge more effectual and terrible methods of warfare than all fche cocked hafcs in Europe ever covered. He assures me fchafc, with a recently. discovered preparation — fulminate of picrate of potass, which is ten times worse than picrate of potass in its simple form — he can blow the Prussian army off fche face of fche .earth. He has another preparation which afc once asphyxiates and burns any living creature upon whioh ifc is projected; and, in addition to that, he declares tliat he possesses the moans of decomposing water itself, and turning ifc into consuming flame. This gentleman is in fche employ of the Government, and has already prepared a most diabolical reception for the Prussians. They have, indeed, already experienced the awful effects of his skill in the explosion of two torpedoes, which are said to have killed 700 men ; and the exposed points of the defence are thickly sown with like engines of destruction." A SMALL 80LDIEB. As I was riding to my quarters one evening I met certainly fche smallest soldier I had ever yet seen. . fife was completely equipped .in uniform, helmet;, knapsack, and sidearms, bufc no needle rifle. The poor little fellow could scarcely have lifted it. He was nine years old, and by no means tali for his age. He stopped me, and in fche mosfc matter-of-fact way, asked me if I could direct him fco the Town Commandant's office. I asked him what on earth he was, and whafc he wanted with the Town Commandant-— so completely was I taken aback by the Lilipufcian apparition. Drawing himself up fco his full height, and saluting in the strictest; manner, he informed me that he belonged to the 61st Pomeranian Regiment, -which had just marched in, and that be wanted quarters. So absurdly ridiculous, and at fche same time so thoroughly military, was the whole proceeding, thafc I burst; into a fit of laughter ; and lifting fche little mannikin infco my saddle, I carried him off' in triumph to the headquarter mess, where, I need hardly say, he was well taken care off. The poor boy's story is a melancholy one. Of his parents he knew nothing. His early recollections were of the barracks, where from day to day the sympathy, hospitality, and kindness that are part and parcel of the soldier's character were never denied to the poor helpless outcast. His manly, amusing and attractive ways soon made him a favorite, and the men oufc of their pay saved a sufficient sum to buy the clotbing of a Pomeranian Fusilier. The boy's home was with the 61st — the firsfc words of kindness and encouragement he heard were from the rough soldiers who surrounded him. . Bold and manly in his little ways, he found the true road to tbe soldiers' hearts ; and when their country bade tbem go forth to fight, the little outcast was the firsfc to bind his slender all upon his shoulders, and go forth with his friends fco meefc a soldier's fate. — " Telegraph" correspondent. PARIS BEFORE THE SEIGE. We L" Australasian") are indebted to a gentleman who has just returned to this from Paris for fche following interesting particulars of whafc he saw in fche French capital immediately before its investment by the Prussians. I arrived in Paris on the 20fch of August, and had only ten hours to Btay there, during which time I saw enough of the preparations to receive the enemy, to make me anxious to have, more time for a closer inspection. I therefore determined on returning as soon as possible. Accordingly, I left Paris tbat

evening, being to meefc my daughter in London, with fche resolution of returning as soon as possible. The war continuing, things in Paris were getting worse and worse. At the end of a week a friend and myself wenfc over, and were just in time to see everything ready for the Prussians. Our London friends advised us nofc to go, fearing we might be shot as spies or detained in the city till the end of the siege. We were determined, however, to run all risks, and arrived in Paris the same evening. After dining we went on the Boulevards in order to see whafc was going on. The streets were crowded with all sorts of people, mobs marching in the middle ofthe road singing the Marseillaise (which in time of peace no one would dare to hum). The omnibuses and vehicles of every description full of people, wild with excitement. On fche footpaths and round the cafes were knots of respeotable people, all occupied with the one, dreadful topic — War. Here and there, some one who had been fortunate enough to get a newspaper was reading aloud to a number of anxious listeners the false successes of their troops which the French presß allowed fco be printed ; the only news the poor citizens could rely upon was thafc which they' read in the English papers, their own being one mass of untruths ; they were therefore, buoying themselves up with the good news which tiiey read in their own papers, only to be thrown into deeper grief by what they, saw the nexfc day in ours. Our business I being over afc about two the following after- ' noon, we hastened to visit the fortifications surrounding Paris, or, rather we tried to do j so, for on going near we were greeted with " Allez vous en." However, we managed fco j walk along the inner side of them, until we came to otic of the gates, formerly very I large, but now so lessened as only to admii; I of one vehicle to pass at a time, and even j tbis entrance to the city might be shut; without warning, and at any moment. We walked through, and found ourselves outside the metropolis, and injthe once pretty suburb of Muntroguq now a heap of ruins; the Prussians were expected to approach on this side, and the Parisians were therefore hard at work pulling down houses, and laying waste the trees and parks, in order to leave no shelter for the enemy. Tbrough this gate in particular the peasants were orowding in, with whatever provisions arid furniture they could carry in their small carts ; one old woman was bestowing fche greatest; (care on a glass shade, probably the only valuable thing she had, thinking that, once inside fche great walls it would be impossible for it to be broken. On Sunday, the 4th September, we noticed thafc the people were more excited and noisy than on tne provious day, rushing from house fco house, climbing up and pulling down the N whioh offcen ornamented any nice building, all the fcime singing out" A bas I'Empereur," the soldiers of the Prince Eugene barracks, took into their own hands , the destruction of the Imperial monogram, we therefore knew thafc Napoleon's fall was a certainty. In the evening tbis infuriated mob rushed to the Tuileries, destroyed the beautiful gates, and demanded the republic, which was proclaimed about midnight. The poor Empress had gone away the % previous night with a few private friends, and landed on the coasfc of England. Ifc was well thafc | she did so, for her life would have been far from safe while thafc terrible madness raged. I sometimes, as nofc to be wondered at, remarked what a lovely city Paris was, bufc was answered with " What; do we want with splendid buildinga ; we would rather have peace." In all the houses you would see the women working and making lint aud J bandages to send to the wounded. From every family some dear one had been taken to fight for "la -patrie." The v owners of hotels and lodging houses were obliged to have a number of bedß, according to the size of tbeir bouses, ready to receive the siok soldiers. Before leaving, we wenfc to see the scouts stationed on fche walls to watch the progress of fche Prussians, who were expected in aboufc three days. The morning of the 7th we he^rd that the enemy was within sixty miles of the city. We therefore thought it time to leave, which we did the same evening. We had charge of_ three young ladies, as all the English and many French were Hooking to England for safety. We left by the evening train, we had a long time to wait before getting into the statiou, Here, to our dismay, we were to]d tbafc every carriage and truck being required for the passengers, all luggage would be left behind. It fell to my lot to take care of the young ladies, while my friend went to store the baggage, and came by a later train. The^ train and steamer were crowded, and our passage was rendered more disagreeable by it being a very rough night. However, the young ladies and myself arrived safely in London aboufc 8 o'clock in the evening, and my friend afc aboufc 12 o'olock, where we were heartily welcomed by hia family. In Paris every householder was obliged to bave sufficient provisions to last three months in case of seige. The more wealthy Parisans took refuge in other countries, and in London every otber person was French, for, the •season being over, there were bufc few English in town. KING OF PBUSSIA S SEDAN TOAST. On the day after fche capitulation of Sedan, the King of Prussia gave the following toast : — " We musfc fco-clay, out; of gratitude, drink the health of my brave army. You, War Minister von Boon, bave sharpened our sword ; you Oreneral Moltke, having guided it ; and you, Count Bismarck, have for years, by political management, brought Prussia to its present eletfafcion. Let us, then, drink to fche army, to the three I have named, and every one else present who, acoording to his ability, has contributed to the present success." EXPLOSION OP A STEAMEB LADEN WITH TOBPEDOES. The steamer Neuenfede, wifch a cargo of torpedoes, lying in this harbor (Cuxhaven), has been destroyed. Some of tbe Landwebr officers quartered here went on board to look at; the torpedoes. In showing them ifc appears that the necessary caution was not observed, and the torpedoes exploded, the ship being blown to pieces. . Nothing but the funnel can be seen above water. Only the engineor and boatswain, and apprentice were saved. The captain, four' of the crew, and four Landwehr officers were killed. NABBOW ESCAPE OF HAVBE. Havre had on the 22nd a very narrow escape of being blown up. A drunken magazine keeper, enraged at being reprimanded, Bwore he would have revenge, and ooolly made preparations to blow up all fche powder stored in Fort Tournville. He was arrested in tbe very nick of time. There was some little difficulty in preventing his beiug lynohed by the infuriated garrison. There was also a panic fche same day all along fche ooast; in consequence of a report that a Prussian' ironclad had been sighted off the Doggerbank, where she had sunk four French Ashing smacks. The PreTeot Maritime at Cherbourg thereon forwarded a telegram to fche fishing ports telling them they had no cause for apprehension, as the Frenoh squadron was off the coasi. By way of precaution, however, a floating battery has been sent to the mouth of the river, and is to be stationed off Harfleur.