, 1872-12-16

It Is but q few months since that the cable
brought the news Of the overflow Of the Pc and
Tiber in Italy, and the disastrous inundation Of
villages on their banks. a few Beeks ago the
news came Of another serious storm, during
which several rivers in Germany and Denmark
o7erhowed their banks, causing great destruc-
ton of property, while the English coast waB
swept OF it's shipping BY the same STORM. And
now comes intelligence Of 3 third storm, which
has done great damage in London, Paris, and
Versailles. As an incident Of tho gale, tho city
of Nantes, on the Loire, 269 miles southwest of
Paris, is partially under water, caused by the
overflow Of that river The city is SO laid out
as to be peculiarly liable to an innnda-
ton, being partly built On several
islands in the Loire, with which it communicates
BY means Of bridges. The quays Of the city are
two miles In length, adorned with elegant NAH
sions. It's prominent public edifces are the
Cathedral, the Castle Of the ancient Dukes, the
Castle of Boutfay, the Hotel de la Prefecture,
the Exchange, and the Mint It is also famous
for its public squares and promeuades, ita
schools, and its libraries. Besides its heavy
business in ship-bui1ding, the city contains
numerous manufactures OF cottons,. muslins,
and roollens, cannon-foundries, sugar-refn~
cries. potterios, d1Bti1leries etc. It is Of the
best~built cities in France; has an extensive
maritime commerce; and, in history, will be re-
membered US the birthplace OF Anne Of Brittany
and Fouche, and as the place where the famous
edict wss issued by Henry w., April
80, 1880, granting religious rights
to the Protestants, and making them
eligible to all civil and military onplo5ments,-
an edict which waa subsequently, revoked by
Louis XIV. The same despatch indicates that,
in the Northeastern Department Of France,
the heavy rains have done immense damage,
and destroying the crops. In this section of
France, the great commercial city Of Lille has
been submerged by the rising Of the Deule, b
canal connecting the Scarpe and Iys Rivers.
Lille derives its chief Importance from being the
principal seat Of the French thread and cotton
nanufactures, its products being calicoes, cot
ton handkerchiefs, printed goods, table linen,
fine linen cloths, thread lace, stockings, and
gloves, which are known the world over.
It has, also, important manufactures
Of broadc1oths serges, cassimerea, Te1gets, hats,
paper, beet-root sugar, and mineral acids, and
also possesses tobacco and gunpowder factories,
and an extensive coinage Of gold. The suburbs
of Lille are covered with bleaching grounds,
o;1~ Hork- oy5va
employment to e large proportion of the popu1a-
ton. The telegraph indicates that most of the
factories are closed by the inundation-a circum-
stance which must give rise to much suffering
among the operatives. In fact, the recent ca
1amities by fire in this country sink into insig~
nifcance when compared with the distress oc-
casioned by these storms. An appeal for
help, which the German Consul-Ganera
at New York has just Issued to bis countrymen
and all charitably disposed persons in this
country, sets forth the lamentab1e condition Of
the German Baltic provinces. He says in his
appeal:
To larger extent still than the Danish isles the
German 1ttoral Of the Baltic, from Schleswig to
Eastern Prnsaia tract Of nearly 400 miles, has been
devastated by the floods Of the 12h and 18th NoVe-
ber, for miles inland, Sweeping oyer the outlying
islands, the sea has submerged the towns, destroyed
the villages. covered the fields as to make them ~
many places unit for cultivation, Killed the cattle,
crushed tho ships, deprived The shermen Of Ill their
img1enents, and drowned hundreds Of people, Not
for Centuries sg such fury Of the wters been heard
Of. Germany Is not z;ss in her duty toward the un-
fortunate. Government Is Operating With pri-
Vate e1erhons. But the provinces next concerned are
qnicE enough to population utterly destitute, in
rough climate. &: =.
4 calamity Of this kind is WORSE even than