MISCELLANEOUS WAR ITEMS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3129, 21 February 1871, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS WAR ITEMS.

« The straits to which the Parisians are reduced are 'forcibly shown by the following extract from the Paris correspondence of the Melbourne " Argus" : — '• Cats have risen in the market — a good fat one now costs 10 francs. Those that remain are exceedingly wild. These sagacious animals seem to have remarked a murderous intention in the eyes of their former friends. This morning I had a salmis of rats: it was excellent, something between frog and rabbit. I breakfasted with the correspondents of two of your contemporaries. . One of them, after a certain amount of hesitation, allowed me to help him to the leg of a rat : after eating it, he was as anxious as a terrier for more. The other, however, scornfully refused to share in the repast. As he got through his portion of salted horse, which rejoiced in the name of beef, he regarded us with horror and disgust. During the siege of Londonderry, rats sold for 7s each, and if this siege goes on many weeks longer, the utmost which a person of moderate means will be able to allow himself will be an occasional mouse. I was curious to see whether the proprie tor of the restaurant would boldly call rat rat in my bill. His heart failed him — it figures as a salmis of game." The strain on Germany, says the London correspondent of the " Sydney Herald" created by this atrocious war is enormous. She has 330,000 French prisoners to feed, guard, clothe, and pay; she has most of the French wounded to tend, in addition to nearly all her own ; she has her own enormous army to feed and keep in working order on the soil of her invader, rendered furious by unexampled humiliation ond defeat. The German people have voluntarily contributed over a quarter of million sterling, in money alone, to the exigencies of the struggle thus forced upon them ; they have contributed large supplies of food, clothing, hospital comforts, &c, both for their own army in France, and for the French army in Germany, and not only the queens and princesses, but also the greater number of the nobility and of the wealthier classes of men not engaged on the field, are working night and day in the hospitals. It is a characteristic sign of the age in which W6 live that the first act of a Prussian general, on taking military possession of a French province, is to start a newspaper — not a mere Government Gazette, containing nothing but a string of dry proclamations and decrees, but a bonajide journal of news, with leading articles, correspondence, advertisements, i and births, deaths and marriages. The rats sold in the markets for public food are subjected to a real hunt by certain paities known as "loafers." These people, compelled by want, have hit upon a very clever way of catching these rodents, destined for the butchers' shops. They dig holes at intervals in the sewers, and fill them with treacle and glue. The rats, who are very fond of treacle, fall into the holes and cannot get away, being kept by the glue. They are then easily copturei, and after being cleaned from the glue, they sell for 35 to 55 cents (3^-d to s£d) a piece. In a dietetic point of view, London and Paris presented a strange contrast last Saturday. There was such a glut of game in London, that poor people thought it more economical to buy grouse, blackcocks, woodcocks, pheasants, partridges, hares, and wild ducks, than '' block ornaments " for their Sunday dinners. In Paris, the pecunious gourmets still left in it were consciously regaling on cat, rat, dog, donkey, and monkey, ostrich, guinea pig, yak. bear, and kangaroo, served up at fancy prices. The gourmets say that the cat and rat especially were delicious. — Letter to the " Sydney Morning Herald." A German officer writing from Metz says that he found in that town an immense number of a little book intended for the use of French soldiers. It is a sort of French phrase book, entitled " Guide of French Soldiers in Germany " , On ono page are French phrases, and on the corresponding page the same in German. The selection of phrases is really amusing. For instance, | when they come to a dwelling, the conversation runs a follows : — " Open the windows ;" " Get out of here ;" ' "Carry out the furniture;" Let none of you dare to come in here ;" " Bring us immediately some butter, bread, cheese, eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and be quick, about it;" "An omelette, right away;" " Some ham and eggs ;". " Kill and roast us those chickens, ducks, pigeons;" "I am thirsty, bring me at once a bottle oi wine;" " Bring us beer, brandy, rum, without delay,'* etc. The book is dated September 1, 1870.