National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-09-09
The BOmbarimcnt of PhalZburg.

From Il mllOck behind the village OF
Iilling there was "A splendid view of both
the attack and the defence.
Now IA puff of white smoke goes mp on
the left, and fierce rush through the
air tells of II passing shell ; it falls III the
town.
Poor souls within. they did not fancy
when war was declared how soon their
rafters would be crashing about their
ears, Yet they live in fortified place
and must take their chances. But we
cannot help IA wish that the shells may
only damage public property, as shrek
after shrek through the air tells of their
passage Now there is firing from the
right.
The French gunners have manned
their pieces and reply III excellent style.
Flash after flash comes ont from the old
rampant, the smoke curls up among those
shady trees, where the garrison have
often met in summer evenings with pipes
and cigars and where the nursemaids
have brought children to play.
You know the look of these old ram
parts in peace time, and can fancy them
now with only soldiers upon them who
are in no sporting mood. There is flash
after flash from the ramparts, and from
the opposite rising ground there Is con
slant whiStling and shrieking across the
space between, and a flying up OF dust
among the German guns, or crash
among the roofs of the town as one side
or the other makes Init.
II Phalzburg is i'll good ORDER the de-
termincd commander may earn promo
ton by II long defence but if his works
once gets disabled, he is lost, The Gle
mans have strong force, as We can see,
ready to advance. and after Weissen-
boug, We know that more rpmparts will
not stop them.
See the dark-coumued smoke rising
above the trees and floating away behind
the church tower One column of smoke,
then another 1t is clear that houses nre
| burning, but not SO clear that the French
guns are silcuced They fire more slow
~ than their assailants, and seem to aim
rather high hut there is heavy metal in
the booming reports which come from
the Phalsburg rmpnrts.
Three distant columns of dark smoke
rise from the town. 1t is good defence
good for the day certainly, The can
uonadc dies away at evening, and there
is no sign of surrender.
4 MuRpERous SEA FLOWER. One of
/ the Exquisite wonders of the sea, says
/ the Scientific imerica,, is called the opc-
/ let, and is about ns large ~ the German
nstcr, looking, indeed, very much like
one. Imagine very large double astcr
with ever 80 many long petals of n light
green, glossy rs satin. and each one tip
ped with rose color. These lovely pc
tails do not lie quietly in their places
I like those of the nstor in your garden,
but wave il about IN the water, while the
opclct generally clings 10 n rock, How
innocent and lovely it looks on its rocky
bed Who would suspect that it coulNI
eat anything grosscr tlan dew or sun
shine But those beautiful waving
arms, rs you cnll ihem, have another
use besides looking pretty. They have
to provide food for II lnrgo open mouth,
which il hidden deep among them, 80
well hidden that one can scarcely find 1t,
Well do they perform their duty, for the
instant that II foolish little iishlct touches
one Of the rosy lips he is struck with Il
poison ns fatal to him ns lightning. liz
Immediately becomes numb, aud III
moment stops struggling, and then the
other beautiful arms wrap themselves
around him, and hc il drawn into The
huge. greedy mouth, aud IN seen no more
Then the lovely arms uncloso and wave
npnin IN the water, looking as innocent
aud harmless ns though they hnd never
touched fish.