The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-11-26
VAR MISCELLANY.
The Paris Defencci-The Electric Lights
on the FortIfieations.

The Paris Defenccs-The Electric Lights
on the FortIfieations.
The weather about Paris writes O London
Times correspondent, WHO is In the army Of the
Crown Primo, OF Prussia,) Is and has been horri-
ble-pelting rains and heavy gales. But bad Us
1t ls the besIegers profit by it to certain extent,
and work with Sreater success than would wait
their efforts on clear. calm nights. The anxiety
of the bcseged is evtnced by the iecessaut use OF
electric lights at the forts.
The lighthouse serves TO warn the mariner Of
his danger. These bright eyes pierce the gloom
to detect the approach OF an enc ny. From north
and south. east and west, the rays may oe seen
slowly spreading through She night like prodt-
pious buirs eyes, and now and then the fash OF
Gun announces that they have made some lmpor
Iant discovery, and salute IL with shell. But,
generally the activity which the gunuers display
ed some time ago has aoateu. tney seem 70 nave
siege works, and to be preparing Tor reply when
the attack IS made. That Is some time distant.
The reason assigned for the delay is not In any
WIN peaee 3s en he IL
other things which has caused the impeqi.
nents to the armament OF the batteries: All
the horses and carts have been employed
In bringing up supplies auG III, IL S. OF mas .ss
transport OF guns and ammunition could be
erected. Just think, for example, OF the trans
port needed for the supply OF i've hundred rounds
Of two hundred-pou shell for the large NOR.
rars. guns and howItzers. The French may feel
they have been too free Win lneir ammunition.
IL will be On interesting duel between muzzle
leaders and breechluaders; and no doubt, II the
former are beaten, the acLlfs pariSaas oi cne
the French guns are the worst mnzZle loaders IN
the world. Their shells are very bad indeed. 81
Cloud is full of monsters three leet long Win
hon
muZzle-luaders make good light OF IT,, as no
doubt they WILL rom their great .lze and Stable
platform ir will he hailed as proof OF the eS.
cellence OF the system.
The Value of Paris.
The va.ueof Paris, lSethe value Of almost every
thing else; has been subjected to an analysis The
oueston is: What Is the actual worth Of the pro-
erty in the French metropolis exposed to danger
by Prussan attaek'
The result.ls easily arrived at, by an arlthmet-
IcaI PROCESS, in the Economist-a great English
nnancial journal. London. win popnla!on Oh
8 400 oOO has valuation or !ts private huilulngs
Of about sls5ooo ouo which, eapaSeG py su, of
| 62O OOU 00O 1t Is assumed that Paris with one
million eight hundred thousand lniaDltahts, e9u-
tains private.house property worth apout SsoS,:
500 oOO Ten per cent. Deng asauGsa DIS sraa sme
which may be treated as lndestructlole, tnougn
ground rents would fall Paris were half destroy.
ed there remains net sum OF S72l, 1859 600 repre-
sentng the value OF Pari.lan ouiilings aa mniCm
complete bonlbardment and street defence
would annhate. It may be calculated, on thls
has!s that an amount equal to hall the VA ue OI
the buildings Is invested In furniture OF otneI
contents Of the dwellings. Thus IL 10 estimateu
that the sum OF $685. S75 Ia the value OF the 1ar
niture and other contents OF Partisan houses.
Next Is the stock In trade Of shops and ware
hoases in Paris, the value or which Is proDaoiy
onethird OF the aggregate ~ tle aogve ra
another sum vi $685. 900. These three
amounts sum up total Of Lass. ,ooo,
which may be taken as the minimum value
OF private property In Paris destructloe ~
siege. To this must be added the losses eiready
sustained In the envlrons-the Destruction OF
roads, bridges, and other works not iDsuraole,
and not here reckoned; the danger Impending
over monuments, libraries, museums anu Worh .
OF art, whose real worth cannot ne reSSonsu,lh si
money, and the tremendous and wholly unestl.
mable sacrifice OF life which such destruction OF
properly would imply. 1t is easy enough 10 TAX
OF the Siege Of Paris" )" but IL Is terrible 10 con-
were 10 yawn and swallow up half the clLy and
the people, the devastation would scarcely e4-
ceed what the bombardment and capture by the
Prussians would amount to.
Murder OF n Nun In Paris.
beleaguered correspondent writing from Paris
TO the Glasgow Mail, under date OF November 4tn,
says:
Iregret to chronicle very sad atfair-perhaps
the only serious offence that has disgraced the
much tried Paris sluce Its invesi ment. From the
opening OF the SIEGE the Sisters OF Charity OF the
Hospital Cochin have distributed every day. 10 all
poor persons who have called on them milk for for
infants and the sick. A woman who lives IN the
nejghhorhood did not come for her usual supply
the other day until very late hour She was IN
formed by the Sisters that by this time very little
milk was left, but that they would give ner
oil they could spare. Her vessel was taken
| from her, and afterwards returned three
quarters full The woman became angry
and insolent, and upbraided the nuns for not Keep
ing for her proper allowance, as she came regn.
iariy every day. She went OF, threatening with
! lively menaces the Sister whose duty It was to
distribute the milk among the poor. Next day
! she came back at the ordinary time, and seemed
| ancrier even than before. shouting" must pay
insinuate herself-perhaps not too genty-into
| the passage that leads into the kitchen OF the
Sisters, and then. snaichlng q fesh knife from
table, she wayaid her charitable fee. When the
Sister had finished her distribution OF food. and
returned TO the kitchen, the woman plunged tne
fatally one OF her lungs. For three or four days
the poor nun fingered; ON the nth she died.