The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-12-13
INTERESTING ACCOUNTS FROM BE-
LEAGUERED PARIS.
A Dismal Picture OF the City.

A letter from Paris in the Boston Journal
says:
Broken-uttery broEcn-is the commerce Of
France and Germany to-day. We hardly realize
how tremendous iJ the duet going on. France Is
not wholly under the PrusSlan knife, but the
clouded politics and deserted vineyards and aedS
are di,heartening. Paris, clearing house number
two Of this continent, Is Blocked. The seven hun.
dred and fifty thousand worklngmen and women
do nothing but hammer ut cannon mould bullets
and biud wounds. Still an acquaintance who
came out In the last squad Of Americans says that
the opera Is certainly to 6c opened shortly at
Paris, and that canlatas OF liberty will be sung
there.
At the Francais the other day, the "Msan-
thrUpc" was put upon tho stage, the gentlemen
np3ear,ng In costume de Vile. The most drama
tic city IL, tho world cannot keep It's theatres long
closed. Although the ladies all dress in sOmbre
colors and the audlence-rooTs arc lighted with
candles, the people manage 10 nc very Jolly.
Mademolsee Agar. fresh. piquant beauty may
nil bombs spare thee recreS the MarSeilluise,
with the tears In her great black eyes,
The street pedders snarl out, Correspondence
OF the Imperial family One sou !" Old ladies
sell candle ends which they have boarded Tor
prices for them, because no one knows how soon
light may be greatest OF luXures Republican
songs and obviously moral caricatures-hut quite
as moral Us were tue persons whom eney carlca'
busscs run from Blcetre under fire down In The
city, and hacks ply IN the same dreamy, devil
may.carc fashion,
Ain good citizens now confne themselves to
bread Sn,l cufee. and let the weaker anu poorer
have the meat. The regetarians are In ecstacies.
The poor servant women and sewnggrls-you
will remember that have once given you an id q
what these lat er earn-are suffering terribly IN
the siege. Many OF them, IN tNe nnrty anu m-lee,
can get nothing to eat; their last bit Of money Ia
gone anu sU.cite or the hospital Ia their ONLY re.
lief Tie rumher OF se(.mur'lers does not seem
to have been so large since the investment OF
Paris as before. This Is somewhat noteworthy
fact. The excitement probably makes misery
somewhat more supporta0le.
The Perils of the Air.
The Landwehr employed in the investment OF
verdun enjoyed new and exciting sport during
the continuance OF u strong sourhwesterly gale
which DE Oh the 18Th and two days following,
anil Carried two balloons from Paris in that
direction, In each OF which the gis was escaping.
Tile FIRST perceived was on The afternoon Of the
18th, and came SO ose to q part OF the investing
lines, as 10 he within easy rifle range. until the
voyagers suddenly DethouGh5 themselves o. the
lasI desperate cNpedient Of throwing their freight
overheard, aLd BY discharginS IN success 'lon
seven large packages OF letters and papers. rose
steadily out Of the reach Of danger, anu passe'l
onward toward Luxembourg. Among The con-
tents OF the captured journals WAS found Dl-
crui's report Of the Versailles s'rtic of The 2lst,
admitting the loss OF l33 officers and men. and
OF the two rour-pounderi captured by the Prus-
san skirmishers There were also long dispatches
from The War 0Ice OF Paris TO that Uf Tours.
On the 9th the same scene was repeated, only
tha, this lime the ;ernnautS were not SO fortunate.
Bundle after bundle was thrown down from q
balloon which came toward the German lines, ily-
ing very low, aud Which continued to descend SO
rapidly that tic passengers In 1t fcunl .h-ir hopes
Of getting out OF range id vain, aud descended
voluntarily by means OF ropes, alter which the
balloon again rose AL weRt on. They prbret to
be one man In "a SORT nf uniform, who said he be-
loured 10 corps OF ;erOnaus, aud reused to give
any information further, aud two others, one OF
whom STATED he was an Englishman aud who
both claimed to b. simple civilians bent Oh eScap-
ing from the beleaguerei capital. These sail they
had pal El20 each for their passage, and were
ready to aiiur.i such Information as they had.
They declared they mad come from Paris In three
houIs ami quarter. or at le rate OF about forty
i've miles an hour. They gave bail report OF the
markets OF Paris especially OF the meat supplies,
the prices OF which were rising daily. They had
newspapers with them Of tue days date, printed
however, probably the night before. A fourth
person was with them, but he hid refused to de.
scend Into captivity, and the !igliteueu balloon
had carried him up and onward again.
Running the Paris BIocknde-The Ex-
perience of two EngIIshmen.
Since the commencement Of the siege several
attempts have been made by persons of dineren.
nationall,ies to pass out Of Paris through the