Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-09-02
srRAsBUne AND THE ruRoos.

Mr.. Halstead writes to the Cinein-
natl Commercial from the old city OF
Strasburg, on the Rhine, now besieged
by the Prussians
! What is this? &? Strasburg? All. there
is tower that it is impossible to mis-
| take. 1t must be the spire of the
! Cathedral. But that spire, as we all
| know, is four hundred and seventy
four feethigh-and this perhaps is not,
can not be so much. However, il Oc-
ours to the observer that he is not yet
in town, and, indeed, sees only the
spire, the loftiest roofs being yet in
-vincible; and as the cars fly on and
other spires touch the horizon the
grandeur of the great one grows. Here
is a great city, and the spire is over it
all. That it is almost five hundred
feet high is presently plain enough.
Now, think of it a moment. It was
three hundred years from the laying
of the foundation of that Cathedral
10 the laying of the last stone
Of the clock tower; ana It has
been finished five hundred years. This
wa before the discovery of the art of
printine-before Columbus discovered
America The oldest printed book in
he world is in Strasburg, and that
consummate spire stood as now when
Guttenburg, whose statue adOrns one
Ofthe squares here, was baby. And
dawns upon us as if we had made a re-
mar able discovery. This red stone,
tOO, gives it a New York look. As the
Spire is visible over the trees at Ven
denheim, we are naturally introduced
To it and are speakin oft before reach
ing the city, which, at last approached,
we find is another great fortress. We
sweep over an abysmal ditch and
through resOunding arches, under the
eyes ofsenCinels and before the mouths
Of howit itzers-and here we are.
And speaking of the war, soldiers
are more numerous in the streets than
1t Metz. They are gathered here from
Algiers as we'll as Paris, and they are
he more interesting, for here are the
North Africans known as the Turcos,
1 C rps made famous for their exploits
IN the Italian war There are over
1wenty thousand of them in the French
army, and here they are swarmiug on
the banks of the Rhine, ready to ad-
vance into Germany. 1t has been said
in our county that these Turcos are
not negroes, but Arabs, MoOrs, Alge-
rines There has been a notion of de-
riving black men of the credit of their
desperate exploits.
The truth is that the majority of
them are not negroes, but that many
of them are. I have seen dozens and
scores of them with those strangely
tuarKed negro features of which it is
now nece essary for politicians in Ameri-
"a to speak with such profound respect.
Some of them are shade blacker than
he blackest black men I have seen in
our happy country. A tarred stick
would make "A white mark on some of
them. These are Arabs too, and French
men and the shades of color are so
fine and so various that it is puZZling
some times to tell the Africanized
Frenchman from the Frenchified Af-
rican. All wear the ZOuave dress, in
Guiding the red cap and tassel, and the
sun when it has fair play has a
powerful influence in harmonizinu
complications. Great confidence is eX
pressed in the 'Eurcos as fighters In
stature and strength they are good
deal above the average of the French
Army. ''The colored troops fought
nobIy," it will be recoIlected. was Of
ten officially certified in the American
war, and it will be worth remember
ing when the deeds of valor of the Tur
cos are recorded that a full share of
them must be attributed to full blood
ed black men. Much is said of the ae-
tivity of these troops, and the tall fell
lows walk as if they had the strength
and agility of tigers. Their calves
would grace an English foOtman,
and they pick up their feet as if they
were never in the way. The Stras-
burgers are little shy of these sons
of the desert, but they indicate amia-
bility of temper. Half a dozen Ofthem
stopped two nurse girls on the street
md made love to the babies they had
In 1nar