Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-09-10
The War An Paragraphs.

a ltIltT WIllltu W u oOAdlCt AZ
SON at Metz to his father states that with
some of his comrades he went outside
the fortress in the direction Of Verdun
to see with his own eyes the result of the
struggle, and that as far as the view ex-
tended an immense heap of Prussian
corpses were to be seen lying in the dust.
He calculates that there were at least
eight of the enemy to one Frenchman.
The following concerning the temper
with which the people of the conquered
French provinces regard the Germans is
taken from letter written at Baden
"The state of public opinion in the
French provinces is deplorable, and the
Germans have to struggle with national
fanaticism aroused to the highest posi-
BILE degree. The inhabitants Of Alsace
oppose an armed resistance to the SOL
diers. They even 60 so far as to poison
the wells. The number Of peasants shot
is not twenty-six, but q far great hg-
ure.
Many of the pieces of artillery on the
Paris Notifications are of ancient date,
and are marked with two LIS interlaced,
surmounted by a royal crown, and bear
such names as "rExile," lie Retour,
ale Desire" probably out of compliment
to Louis XVIII. Other guns, of later
date, have been christened "fExtrava-
giant" lie Frelnyuet lie Brouillon,
etc.
The ACCESSIBILITY of burning the dead
bodies on the field of battle is being ar
gued in Paris, and several suggestions
have been made for turning slaughtered
soldiers to some profitable account,
rather than permit their remains to faint
the air and breed pestilence. One sa-
want reminds his audience that, after ex-
periments made in linda, il was found
that one deceased hero produced two
hundred cubic meters of excellent gas.
A crime Of the most atroeious oharao-
ter had just been committed in the De-
partment Of the Dordogne, which is far
away from the seat OF war, and where
such savage act as that perpetrated is
wholly without excuse. 1t appears that
the peasants ofthe department suspected
an inoffensiye young man named Alain
de Moneys Of having Prussian sympa-
thies, perhaps Of being a Prussian spy.
Blind With rage, some twenty ruftians
set upon him, lalghtered him, mutilated
his body, and, before life was extinct,
hesped green wood oyer him, and fin
ished their horrid task with the aid OF
fire.
The France en- Orient reprodnces the
following conversation, which took place
in the commission ordered 10 examine
the projet de declarations de guerre be-
fore that was submitted to the Chamber:
N. de Keratry-Marshal, are we ready?
NJ. Lebnuf-Quite ready.
NJ. de Kerstry-WiII you pledge your
word of honor9 Think what q crime it
would be to plunge France into war
without having foreseen and provided
for everything
NJ. Lebpuf-i give you mr. word Of
honor that we are completely ready.
~ de Cassagnac-0ne word more
What do you mean by these words-to
be ready2
NJ LeBeuf (sutboritively)-I mean
by them that if the war we're TO last
year, we should not have to buy . button
Of CATER.
Among the many scenes on the battle
field which are now cropping up in every
newspaper the following, from Figaro, is
worth reading: ION the morrow of the
battle Of Gravelotte, decapitated coun-
tryman wasfound by the side Of the body
of Zouave officer. 1t was only by attsn-
lively examing the position Of the two
corpses that an explanation Of this sin
gular discovery was elected The coun-
tryman il was found, was a marauder.
as lantern by his side corroborated.
Not being able TO undo the belt Of the
officer, which contained round sum in
gold, the marauder attempted TO cut it,
and in so doing stuck the knife into the
officers stomach. Now, the Zouave, it
would appear, was not yet dead; he had
only tainted Suddenly jumping up, he
must have seized the thief BY tho hair Of
the head, aud, with one blow Of his
saber, beheaded him.
A letter from Weissenburg in the
Northeastern Correspondence says that
every Prussian soldier has in his pocket
sort Of album containing coloFed
drawings of the various uniforms in the
French army, so as 10 enable him to re-
port when on outpost duty the exact ma
ture Of the troops he had seen. He is
also provided with a little book published
this year at Berlin. under the title Of
"The German Soldier in France
manual for enabling any German to
make himself understood by Frenchmen
without knowing the language Of the
country. This manual is simply a
vocabulary Of the words and phrases
which German soldier in France would
be most likely to require in his CONVEX
sations with the people.