The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-08-17
WAR TOPICS.

aud two other negroes. CoRsA1R.
W4R TOPICS.
From the Continental Correspondence of the
English Newspapers.]
The German CONSUMPTION.
When l arrived early this morning at 0ber-
lahnstein, that station was completely blocked
up, and the large platform before 1t, viewed
from nv carriage window, was a curious and
painful sight, its length, breadth and depth be-
ing densely thronged with living mass OF
true Prussian-blue humanity. All the male
peasants OF the old Nassau territory wear
azure blouses, and all the females blue cotton
gowns, more or less thickly consolidated with
white spots; and as there must have been at
least a thousand of both sexes, closely wedSed
together in expectation of the train that was
to bear off the fighting half of the assembly
from its lamenting moiety, things looked
very blue indeed at Lahnstein. There
lows, trying with a ghastly gaiety to yindeate
their manhood by roaring out slaves OF pa
triotlc songs, each couplet supplemented by o
chorus of sobs from the women and girls
clinrIng around them. So few minutes lett,
and so much to say before the parting that
may be the last on earth So few. minutes, In
deed for, ere we started IN me dlrectlon ion @ ol
swiftly into the station, already half full OF
ssmobilizedn men, who, having got over their
partings. had rallied their spirits, and We're
cheering, singing and waving their handEer-
chiefs as heartily as If their goal were not a
battlefield. but n wedding. Fine fellows,
cred, sturdy, bronzed youths, ranging, should
think, from twenty to thirty years Of age, and
most Of them already provided with some out
ward and visible sign of their military calling.
AS soon as their train stopped, the poor
folks in the station began to Kiss and
embrace one another almost desperately; anu
wish never to hear again sound IKE .hat
all over in minute; the men got away, some
howl dare say they scarcely themselves knew
how-from mothers, wives, sweethearts and
sisters who were all thrust back to the Inner
part OF the station; then half-a-dozen smart
non-commissioned officers, one or two OF
whom quite simply put their coat-sleeres up to
their eyes as they stepped forward, came to
The front and told the draft off into the car
riapes: then the miserable women made
rush to the steps Of the carriages, and-but
think would rather not say anything more
about the closing of this tragical scene, If you
please. Thank Heaven! our train moved out
Of the station before 1t was overland do not
think there were many dry eyes amongst the
homeward bound tourists and 'rValids OF whom
our freight consisted.
All Germany Depopulated for the War.
The Prussian system is, as you know, uu-
sparing of persons. Let me give you an In
stance. out of the many that have come under
my notice, of the grim impartlality with which
1t laws hold of every class. Many Of your read
ers will remember the tall, good-looklng and
courteous proprietor Of the Hotel du Nord, in
Cologne-a prosperous, wealthy man, quite
parsonage In Rhineland, an excellent llngulst,
and the head ofa large commercial enterprise.
which he has hitherto successfully managed In
person. On Saturday last he consigned eight
Of his best carriage horses to the army SER
vice; and on Monday he himself was drafted
into cuirassier regiment. Here Is man
taken away from the conduct OF his own
Interests and from his family, compelled
to sacrifice his substance, and to risk his
life on the battlefield. OF course his case Is
not one witt more deplorable than that eS the
humblest peasant, snatched from his fen or
his vineyard; both jeopardize their existence
for the Fatherland; but the former, outside
that grand e9ualizi1g stake, suffers actually
greater material loss than the latter, even
taking into account their relative positions.
In the towns many of the shops are being shut
up; for their occupants are obliged to assume
needle-gu and helmet, and there Is nobody to
keep the business going. The hotels are be-
coming forlorn Of waiters-a deprivation that
is mltigated in its severity by the fact that but
few guests are left to require the minis
tration OF those oblging polygottists. The
exodus OF Foreigners from Germany during
the past week has been something astonish.
ing. Having occasion to go over to Hom6u!g
this evening, I found that essentially Dlidsh
settlement In the way of becoming bowling
wilderness. a week ago, 80 the last OF the
Mohlcans informed me, you could hardly
struggle through the crowd on the lower ter
races during music time; the glass gallery was
In chronic state Of More chairs anu the
play unapproachable under an hours
elbowing. Now, the "gay and gllttering"
throng" is composed Of about halfa-dozen
faithful Russians, as many English three or
four tenacious Americans, and O hundred or
two of the miserable natives, making hollow
pretence Of enjoying themselves, and risKing
q double 1orin twice day to "keep up ap-
Heights has departed, scarcely to return this
year. .,,,,,
In an hour or so we were in Berlin. and
EMERGED into streets filled with men in plain
clothes proceeding In some sort of military Or
der, with small escorts Of soldiery, to the rail-
way station. Many Of these Wore decora-
tions-medals, ribbons and crosses-Which
spoke OF service in Schleswig-Holstei and
in Bohemia They were sober, orderly men
quiet, unexcited, and perhaps all the more
anxious to fight hard to end the campaign, be-
cause they had been called away. so suddenly
from hearth and home-men mostly Of % and
upwards, several in each band belonging ap-
parently to the wellto-do bourgeoise. OF better
class of artisans. Large cavalcades of horses.
in better spirits, were led off in fours in the
same direction. Detachments of troops were
passing all day, down the Lime-tree-walk. and
at o'clock the King drove through the streets
to the station in Russian drosky, and was re-
ceived with uncovered heads and buzzinS sort
of suppressed cheer as he passed. He "looked
every inch King" plumed and helmeted IN
strictest soldier tunic-a real monarch OF the
days when kinl led subjects to battle. What
a fine old head ; nd front 1t is. The stamp Of
imperator is there already, and it would not
surprise one very much to learn that In an
hour of stress that old man, with his piercing
blue eye and open brow, and fine lip curved
under his massive white mouStache, would cut
the Curdian knot ola constitution with swift,
sure sword. Certainly he is not the sort of
man one would like TO wocry cOrtt,n popui0 in
q watering place. And then he has a faith;
she believes" and he Is sure that He in whom