The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-04-18

ton of the French army was quartered
there. may be attributed the preservation
Of about one eighth Of The city area, which
was saved BY the almost superhuman
exeriions of The French soldiers.
4 The Kremlin, in like manner occupi-
ed BY the French, and protected BY brick
walls of from 90 10 80 feet in height, (nol
90, as Senator Douglass is reported 10
have said,) was also preserved. Nor did
any magazine blow up and crack the
church Of Ivan Veleeky, as stated. The
rent in the walls Of that cathedral, and the
proslration Of several Of The towers and
bastions (now probably replaced) Of the
old Tartar fortress, were caused by the
explosion OF mines placed under them by
Napoleon when lie evaculed Moscow,
and which, but for The failure Of some Of
them TO ignite, would have left the whole
Kremlin, with its thirteen churches, two
Imperial palaces, arsenal, barrack, &C., a
complete mass Of ruins.
How fal Moscow may claim 10 have
been burnt city may partly be inferred
from a statistical table now before me,
published by The Russian government
after the evacuation.
When the French entered Moscow,
il contained 1857 brick houses, Of which
204l were burnt! But the reader must
not suppose | mean those small structures
so called in our cities, or even HE boast
ed edi6ces with their four rooms on
floor, occasionally seen here, which are
The pride and envy Of so many good ci.
tizens. Most of the brick houses refer
red 10. and SO termed by the Muscoviie
enumeralor, would, from their great extent
and capacity, be called in Italy palaces
casting in the shade in these respects the
most famous Of our public hotels, each
furnishing space for the accommodation
OF many families. and most OF them so
occupied. The vasiness Of these edlf-
ces can hardly be appreciated by persons
who have not seen them. For instance,
the house Of Count Apraxin--a small part
only Of which, with its palatial,, bathrooms.
drawing rooms, private theatre, &c., suf>
feed for his princely establishment, the
rest being rented out TO tenants, and which
he had already rebuilt in lsl4--was
huge quadrangular building repuIed 10 be
versl or two thirds Of an English mile
in circumference.
or Wooden houses there were 569l.
OF which 446l were burnt, leaving on
the departure of The French but 2l00,
chiefly al the exlremiiies OF the city.
Even al the close OF 1914 there were
5000 fewer street lamps than prior to the
arrival Of the French. The churches
having been all built and arched. and hay-
ing floors Of brick or stone, with lille
that was combuslible in their interior,
and being, moreover, generally detached
from other buildings. suffered numerically
less than so wholesale destruction of
city might lead one 10 suppose. The
number standing when The French arrived
was 326, and in August, 1914, 273 were
III condition fl Cor use.
/ Many more details could be given, but
] suppose the above will sufliceio dispose
Of the gigantic imaginary wood.sheds Of
Senator Douglas, on the burning Of which
he would have US believe The greatest Of
our modern poets wasted bis magnificent
apostophe:
Suhlimcst Of Volcanoes! E,na's flame
Pales before thine, and quenchless Hecll s tame;
vesuvius show bis blaze, an usual sight,
For grasping tourists, from ber hackneyed height
Thou standesi alone, unriyaled ill Tie iifc
To come, wherein all empires shall expire!
An OLD TRAVELLER.