The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-04 00:00:00

7'll g INUNDATIONS IN FRANCE.

The Lyons papers continue to give the most
heartrending accounts of the progress of the inun-
dations. When the dyke of the Tete d'Or near the
Grand Camp gave way on the morning of the 31st
ult. the water covered the east plains with vast
rapidity. The tocsin was sounded in all the sur-
rounding villages to give the alarm. Many per-
sons were surprised in their sleep and could only
save themselves, half-dressed, by wading through
the water, leaving all their property at the mercy
cf the flood. Many were compelled to remain in
their houses, and wait until assistance could be
brought to them. The embankment thrown up to the
north of the Brotteaux protected the chemin de ronde
in that direction, but a little to the east the water
broke furiously through a breach into the part
called La Petite Californie behind the Pre aux
Clercs and through the Rue Massena, the water
rushed like a cataract. The establishment of the
Petites Scours des Pauvres, was inundated, and it
was found necessary to remove all its inmates to
the Hotel-Dieu in waggons. The directors of the
Maison du Saint-Enfant Jesus brought out their
children one by one on their backs, and the
sick were laid on mattresses, and placed on
rafts hastily made for the purpose, and thus
carried to a place of safety. At every moment,
boats and omnibuses might be seen setting dow❑
their freights at the Hotel de Ville and in the
Cours Morand, which remained clear of the water,
and where an immense number of persons passed
the remainder of the night. Some of them had
been able to save a few clothes, but most of them
had only what they stood in, and those were
drenched with water. Cries and moans were heard
in every direction, women seeking their husbands
and their children, and the children calling for their
mothers. Horses, cows, and sheep were also seen
prowling about and uttering cries of hunger and
alarm. It appears impossible to form any correct
idea of what accidents have taken place, nor can it
be correctly ascertained until the water shall have
subsided, and circulation be once more free. At
the Brotteaux several houses were washed down
before the inhabitants could be got. out. At
Charpennes a man, his wife, and their child were
buried beneath the ruins of their house. A boat,
with several persons who had been saved from a
house, upset and all were drowned. The Rhone
is constantly bringing down furniture, cattle, and
sheep. Many small houses built of framework
and brick have been washed away bodily from their
foundations at the Brotteaux, and are seen floating
about with the current. Tho Grande Rue de la
Guillotiere has the appearance of a regular river.
The high bank used as the Polygono at the Grand-
Camp has entirely disappeared. Three of the Rhone
steamers broke from their moorings and were driven
down the river. The current fortunately carried
them into the river Oullins, where they were brought
to by letting go their anchors. The circulation on
the Mediterranean R ailway has been re-established.
The above details relate al most entirely to the Rhone.
The Saone has also risen, but up to the present time
its' progress has been trifling compared with that
of the other river. Accounts from Valence state
that although the rise of the Rhone-has not com-
pletely stopped, it does not advance as rapidly as
before. The quays and the low parts of the town
are completely inundated, and in many of the
streets leading to the quays the water in the
ground floor is six feet deep. All the Plc-line des
Granges presents the appearance of an immerse
lake. The river is constantly seen bringing down
trees which have been torn up by the roots, cattle,
furniture, and a quantity of other articles. Thr( e
large barges, laden with coal, which were moored
to the quay at Valence, were washed away by the
rapidity of the current, and all of them sank at
some distance down the river. One man was
drowned. At la Paillasse, the Veoure has broken
over its banks and caused considerable mischief.
The towns of Tain and Tournon are completely un-
der water from the overflowing of the Rhone, and
Montelemart is threatened with a similar fate. The
small river Morgon, which passes through Ville-
franche, and afterwards falls into the Saone, has
become a complete torrent, and having risen above
the arches of the bridge, which still stands firm,
has overflowed the banks, and many of the houses
have their cellars and ground floor under water.
The Allier, the Doubs, and the Loiret, with all
their tributary streams, continue their upward
movement and inundate all the surrounding coun-
try, but the Loire, the Garonne, and the Cher have,
it is hoped, reached their utmost height, and in
many parts have begun to fall.

(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
The Rhone, 'which commenced to subside, al-
though very slowly, on Saturday afternoon, con-
tinued its downward movement on the following
day, and by the evening many of the 'inundated
streets were tolerably clear. The Guillotiere, al-
though somewhat relieved from the water, still
presents a deplorable spectacle. With the excep-
tion of the bridges, the Cours Morand and Vitton,
the Quid d'Albret, and some fragments of the Che-
min de Ronde, all that immense extent of ground
is covered with water. In the kind of compart-
ment comprised between the Quai d'Albret and
the northern extremity of the Chemin de Ronde,
the houses which have fallen down may be reckon-
ed by dozens. On the south side, both within and
without the Chemin de Ceinture, the disasters are
immense. The number of houses destroyed cannot
be less than 300. Many of them it is true were
small, but they contained several families, with
their looms, where they gained a living by their
labour. All these articles have been either washed
away by the flood or remain buried beneath the
fallen ruins. The numerous and important mann-
faotories which have within the last few years been
erected on the north and south of the Guillotiere
have all more or less suffered. One large manu-
factory of chemical productions, belonging to MM.
Coignet, Brothers, has, it is said, fallen to the
ground, as have also one or two smaller ones close
to it. The aspect of all the territory of La Villette
and the Charpennes is also lamentable. From the mo-
ment when the breach was made in the embankment
at the Tete d'Or, a foaming torrent rushed across
the Chemin de Ceinture towards the Pont de la
Guillotiere, across the Grande Rue and the adjoin-
ing streets, and then rejoined the principal course
of the river by the low lands of La Vitriolerie and
the different breaks made in the Chemin de Cein-
ture. Notwithstanding the decline of the waters,
the work of destruction in all the inundated quar-
ters continued throughout Sanday. Fresh falls of
houses took place at the Brotteaux, the Guillotiere,
and the Charpennes. On Sunday evening a house
fell at the Guillotiere, burying several persons be-
neath the ruins. The cure of St. Louis, the com-
missary of police of the quarter, a surgeon, and
several men, proceeded to the spot in a boat, and
were fortunate enough to rescue an elderly woman
and a young girl, but a third person, a child, could
not be found. Numerous other acts of courage
and devotedness are recorded ; indeed every one
seemed actuated by one feeling, that of eagerness
to assist his suffering fellow-creatures. One ex-
ception to this rule was in the case of a man who
was caught in the act of robbery; he was seized
hold of and handed over to the police, and was
marched off to prison with a large placard affixed
to his back bearing the words : Voleur des
Inondes. Most of the families who have been
driven from their homes have been able to meet
with accommodation; some with their relatives or
friends, and others through the arrangements of
the authorities. A number have also established
themselves under tents and sheds formed of planks
and other articles on the quays and other parts,
out of the reach of the water. Some of the poorest
among them hold out plates to the passers-by, so-
liciting charity ; and, to the honour of the Lyon-
naise population, it must be said that the appeal is
seldom made in vain. The authorities display the
greatest activity in relieving the sufferings of those
who are rendered houseless by distributing food ;
and supplies are also sent in boats to quartets
where the inhabitants are still blocked up in their
houses. In one part several persons had taken re-
fuge on the roof of a house, and it was not without
considerable difficulty that provisions could be
conveyed to them. In this last inundation the
Saone appears to have had but a small part in the
mischief occasioned, although serious fears were at
one time felt that it would again cause much in-
jury. Fortunately, however, those fears have not
been realised, and the river is now steadily though
rather slowly subsiding..—The following telegra-
phic despatch, dated M'arseilles, 2d, was received
yesterday afternoon :—" From Thursday to Satur-
day the Rhone, exceeding by 1 metre 50 centime-
tres the height which it attained in 1840, has
thrown down a part of the ramparts of the city of
A.vignon, and inundated all the plains extending
right and left towards Nismes and Arles, and has
cut throught several parts of the railway between
Tarascon and Arles. The viaduct which crosses the
Rhone has resisted the pressure of the torrent, and
kept open the communications between the two
banks. The mayor of Avignon has requested a
supply of bread from the mayor of this city, which
was immediately sent to him. The authorities
have everywhere prescribed measures of security
and have despatched troops to assist in the neces-
sary works. The water yesterday morning had
fallen two metres. The weather is now fine with
the wind from the north."—The accounts from
other parts of the country are also most afflicting.
At Bourg the Ain has overflown its banks and
flooded the houses in the lower part of the place,
and most of the roads leading to the town are im-
passable. In the Saone et Loire, the river Grosne
has washed away its banks in several places and
inundated all the surrounding country. At Moulin-
. rapieis imveraltQuaes are =la water, and the

same is th• case at Chagny. At Paley, all the
lower part of the town is inundated, and all circu-
lation stopped, except in boats. At Cuissery, the
Seille has reached the level of 1840, and fears are
entertained that it will soon overflow its banks,
At Navilly the Doubs continues rising. The Isere
and all its tributary streams have overflowed, and
the whole of the surrounding country is under
water. It is feared that most of the crops will be
destroyed. At Bourgoin the Bourbre has burst
over its banks, and all the manufactories near
have been compelled to stop work. At VorepPe
the water is up to the first-floor windows. Se-
veral bridges in different parts have been washed
away. Serious fears are entertained for the
fate of M. Roustan, the mayor, and M. Villars,
the commissary of police, of Villeurbanne, Jlear,
Tails. They had left in a boat to superintend
the measures of assistance in the neighbour;
hood, and when the last accounts left had
not returned. At Orleans, during the whole 01,
Sunday, great numbers of cattle, flocks of sheer',
carts laden with furniture, and whole families ar'
rived constantly in the city from La Val, flying
from the inundation. It was a piteous spectacle
to see the melancholy faces of these poor people e 5
they paraded the streets, dragging their animals
after them, and with their children perched nn
their wretched furniture. During the entire del
the Loire rose incessantly and at the most melln,„c-
-* rate. In the morning the rise was at the rer
of from 4 to 5 centimetres per hour, and after mid-
day, it increased to from 15 to 20 c. per hour. ot
midnight the river, by the scale, marked 6m. 27n"
and at 4 o'clock yesterday morning it was 633;
54c. At that time all the quays were 110"ei
water, and the waves beat violently again'
the houses, all the ground floors sof which were
undated. Boats plied on the quays. At alin
9 o'clock on Sunday evening the news arrive
that the dyke of Sanclillou appeared likely ,
give way, and it caused great alarm. A detach'
s
rent of the 22d regiment, with a number °'•
labourers, was immediately despatched to strengthen
the dyke. The bridge of Vierzon and the embank.
meet leading to it suffered some injury, and Mead
sures were at once taken by the local engineer*
under the superintendence of the prefect and other
authorities, for protecting them as far as
The viaduct of Vierzon was subjected to consten
inspection by the railway employes, who were cpro-
vided with torches, and as no damage was remarse,,
in it, it was not deemed necessary to suspend thou
passage of the passenger trains. That of the god
trains, however, was stopped by way of pre-
caution. The passengers in the trains were ye V,
few in number—the express of the centre line 01w
contained five. At midnight the small dyke opPo'
site the Calmet Vert gave way, and some country
houses were invaded by the water, but th
occupiers were saved. At Saudillon the Loire
as high as the dyke. At one o'clock a barge cal."-
ing timber was dashed furiously against the bridge}
and two large bathing establishments on the rivet
were rocked to and fro with such violence that
was feared the chains and ropes which held the,'
would break. At two o'clock the darkness I",
very profound, and rain fell heavily ; there 1°76
also a good deal of lightning. The spectacle at °I/iv
moment was awful, and was made more 00
people moving about with torches. Despatts
now ceased to be received from Nevres, the po
of the telegraphic lines having been thrown do.
by the flood. At four o'clock the rain ceased, Ow
the weather became fine. For two hours none ,0
rise in the river took place. The accounts of f
damage done by inundations in the districts on e
river below the city were deplorable, but fort lc
nately the dikes did not give way. At five o'clock
the railway engineers deemed it advisable to sus
pend the passage of trains over the Vierzon viadnej
owing to the violence with which the water rushed,
between the piles. The Loire, however, rev:tail:l,oa
stationary. But the waters of the Loiret reacuea
the Mouilliere and the low streets adjacent/ auto
circulation had to ho interrupted, and a boat.
be sent to them. The workmen and soldiers gent
Sandillon,to St. Charles, tisc., returned about to,
hour—their labours having succeeded in preservl
the dikes. At eight o'clock in the morning rte
L lire began to rise again, and a house in the Ib., r,
Druffin, Faubourg de la Madeleine, being 110".,la
mined by the action of the water, fell in. A o°.l a
was buried in the ruins, but was got out,
found not to be seriously injured. The scale at tjltiet
bridge of Vierzon (Porte Bourgoyne) showed theythe waters had risen to 6 metres 85 centimetres,
5 centimetres more than in the inundations of 1846's
and the inundations in the houses on the queTo
csused by the Loire were 10 centimetres big°.
than in 1846. Various persons performed strila,
ciae
acts of devotedness—amongst them was M. o;,_
Brean, an employe of the Ponts-et-Chaussees, WO'
by means of one small boat, rescued twenty per'
sons who had sought refuge in the upper storeys
a house in the ile de Corse.

The Lyons and Mediterranean Railway Corr
pany has communicated to the journals the sum'
unary of their last despatches :—"lu comequene:
of the rupture of the embankment of Tarascon,
line was overflowed by the water in several placet
between that place and Montagnette. The extol)
of the breaches made cannot yet be exactly asce;
taiued. The service for passengers continues far,
from Lyons to Avignon, as well as between 1V13,0
seilles and the lines on the right bank of t'
Rhone. It is as yet impossible to foresee the 111°o,
.
ment when the merchandise trains may be Orel
tablished. None of the works of art have suffer,°,lo
Since Sunday the waters have begun to subsw
rapidily."

THE PARIS UNIVERSAL AGRICUro

TURAL IfXHIBITION.

PARIS, June 2.—The number of persons 13°
t/
,1
paid to enter the cattle show yesterday amoun,tess
to 17,701, and this day it is expected that no leo
than 25,000 visitors will have availed themsely,o.
of the opportunity of viewing the agricultural P,40
duce brought from all quarters of the globe.
Exhibition is so extensive that it is almost in3P/o,
Bible to record, at a first visit, even the main j
tures of its contents. I find in my first report'
omitted to mention a building containing a
extensive collection of rabbits. The domestic
thered tribe,l find is very extensively representoclo
ducks, geese, turkeys, and every brood of c°eirs
and hens, pheasant and pigeons. PeacoePi;
too, are exhibited, whose tails are unceasbigig
opened out, with that instinctive vanity whit tong
a characteristic of the gaudy bird when speotaiwog
aro at hand. This portion of the Exhibition sly. 5,
to-day very much crowded, particularly by lacller;
who, like the peacocks, just now indulge in a we;tii
expansive spread. Also strangely contrasting,!,,
the feathered tribe, I found the pigs all Eon;
and snoring, perfectly indifferent to any little l'of
bentions from parasols or walking-sticks. On ebb+
these snoring lumps of fat, though respeel3,6t
connected, was behaving as badly as the 03,,,"0
vulgar pig in the Exhibition. "Friar Bac°Pcif
(No. 1,962), intimately connected with " I'3oi
Bunbury," was dead asleep at two o'clock,ll
snoring in chorus with the common swine 0' aajo
countries. The pigs appear to be the only antra
perfectly indifferent to the moving crowd. of
I should have meat oned that the upper valor/ of
the central building contains a vast euroberne,
articles which were given by the exhibitors of 1.7;1;
for the benefit of the army of the East, and Who„
are to be pit up to lottery. They are of a °lbw'
miscellaneous description. Persons were purefhei
ing the lf. tickets for the lottery as fast as r,
could be sold. There are also a great number ogad
den decorative objects in these galleries, m94%11
terracotta, &c. M. Borbizet has an attractive s";(0
of Poterie de Luxe, being reproductions of the tei,to,
cotta ware of Bernard de Palissy. This Inettu',,--rt
turer has now arrived at a perfection of bus
which leaves nothing to be desired. Both a5,..-' 1
girds form and colour Palissy ware may now be Pri,
at very reasonable prices quite equal to the cot
ginal. Near at hand Mr. Barnett exhibits a °lv,
elegant decorative novelty, viz., illuminated frultv.
The material of which the fruits are made is a e° of
position glass, which being lighted from Pi. os,
gas within, gives the exquisite tint of grg„re
peaches, the pine, and all other fruits. The XB9
shown in wreaths, on trees, or in groups, and
extertlie
be adapted to any variety of internal or
decoration. The effect is most charming, andTbe
invention is certainly worthy of patronage.
Imperial Horticultural Society has now publi°Ptocl
its catalogue. Fifty-one florists have contribtl in
to form the beautiful display which the gardellae
the centre of the building presents, and there;
3,112 plants. The Exhibition to-day attranteuag
great number of the richer classes of societkoh
might be seen from the number of carriages //'
lined the avenues of the Champs Elystces.

itlo til

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL MACDONALD, Oi
have been •
received of the death of Leutenant•Genj
Macdo'iald, C. 8., of the Royal Artillery.
C.B.—Aco".
at
He died
Aix-la Chapelle on Saturday, the 31st of May. The ritre
i
cord of his services tells the story, and no ngloriobe
one, of his life. -He was present at the capture Of tan
Cape of Good Hope in 1806, and proceeded theOce 00
the expedition to Buenos Ayres, where he was ff•ja
severely wounded and taken prisoner. He serve°o
the Peninsula and south of France from June, 1809, "
July, 1814, including the battles of the Coa and Busecc4s
c 7
affairs of Redinha, Pombal, Condeixa, and f°,„
ci'Arouce ; battles of Fuentes d'Onor and Salanaeo,
affair of San Munos, battle of Vittoria, siege of 03e
Sebastian, battle of the Pyrenees, affairs of the
d'Oleron and Aire, and battle. of Toulouse. Se a's{
served the campaign of 1815, including the battle °
Waterloo (where he was severely wounded), and caFf.tibro
t
of Paris. He received the silver war medal with tog,
clasps. He was the younger brother of the late Lien;
General Sir. John Macdonald, G.C.8., who, died.will
boldiiig tho. office of Adjutint-Gonoril to this:T:lY.
__ _ _