The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-03


AN EXCITING BALLOON VOYAGE.-Tissau-
der the aeroDaut has arrived from Paris. He
publishes narrative of his balloon trim and
the situation of affairs in Paris at the time he
left He left Paris at o'clock Friday after
noon. No Prussans were to be seen near
Paris. A complete silence reigned about the
city. NO people were to be seen on the roads
leading to the city and no boats of apy kind are
on the river.
On nearing Versailles the Prussians were
observed in great numbers in camp. Tissan-
der dropped among them great numbers of the
proclamation OF the government officers print
ed in the German language for that express |
purpose. The Germans opened sharp fire |
on the balloon but the range was too long and |
no damage DONE On arriving over Houdan,
fifteen miles southwest of Nantes, the balloon
began to iall and Tssander was Obliged to
throw out ballast. Fortunately he had sever
al packages of newspapers which answered the
purpose and he was not obliged to throw over
hio letters, or sacrifice anything valuable The
| balloon rose rapidly and was carried along to a
| point near Dreux in the department of Eure ct
Loire, many miles west of the Prussian lines
Tissander descended slowly until he came
within hailing distance Of few peasants
These assured him that there was no danger of
capture as no Prussians had yet been seen in
the neighborhood. Tissander therefore alight-
ed and on reaching an open spot the balloon
was properly secured and letters, twenty-five
thousand in number were placed in sacks and
taxed to the post-ofice at Dreux whero they
will be forwarded in all directions wherever
the lines of communication are lot interrupt
ed.
A special locomotive was placed at command
OF Tissander at Dreux in which be came for
ward to Tours with a large number of des-
| patches to the government relative to matters
| in Paris. He says the city is admirably de-
Tended More than five hundred thousand sol
diers are behind the walls we'll armed and dis
cplined. The firing from the forts has been so
accurate that the Prussians have been bafled
in their attempts to erect batteries. The city
is perfectly tranquil, nearly all the shops are
open as usual and the public squares are occu-
pied by troops and there drilled and exercised.
The Boulevard next to the Notifications and
the Champs de Mars in the western part of
the city have been given up to barracks for the
Garde Mobile. At ten o c,ock in the forenoon
all cafes are closed. The posts are supplied with
electric lights which are found to be admirably
: adapted for guarding against surprises. There
is neither butter or fruit to be had anywhere in
the city and fresh meat will soon be scarce
There is however no lack of sailed provisions
and OF -four there is supply for six months.
The WHITEHEAD ANNIVERSARY on Friday
at the old South Church in Newburyport,
where George Whitefeld once preached, drew
together many of the most distinguished Or
thodox clergymen of Massachusetts,, and the
exercises were one continued and beautiful
tribute to the pety, eloquence and effective
ness OF the great preacher. The commemorative
discourse in the forenoon by Rev. DR.. iStearns
was Ia sketch Of Whtefield's lite, in which
the speaker dwelt especially upon his religious
history. In the afternoon Rev. DR.. Blagden
and Rev. DR.. Howe of Boston, Rev. Rufus
w. Clarke and Rev. Alexander King, deliver
, ed addresses. Letters we're read from a nnm-
Der Of distinguished clergymen who had been
invited to be present.
. Rev. DR.. Vermilye in his remarks, illustra-
ted Whitefeld's power as a preacher by reat-
ing the following incident:
On one OCCASION while preaching at the Old
South Church, lady richly dressed had pur-
4 posely annoyed the preacher till he could bear
it no longer. He shut the Bible, mo more
preaching to-day. We will have an auction
A woman dressed in silks. Who bids? hear
g bid. The world bids. Another-Vanity
9 bids. And bark! 1 hear Satan bid" The
, lady was purple with rage, but he changed his
voice and said, From heaven there is yet an
other bd-Jesus Christ offers his life" The
effect was such that the person alluded to
burst into tears and the result was her CONVEX
sion.