The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-11
BRITISH PRESS COMMENTS.


The south OF France has been tue scene OF
terrible disaster, If, indeed, we can write cor
rectly IN the past tense OF calamity the opera
ton OF which Is, perhaps, not at all end, and the
proportions OF when have certainly not as yet
been iuly ascertalned. We know enough, now
ever, Of what las occurred to feel that the Upper
Valley OF the Garonne has been visited by one OF
the most fearful foundations on record, the worst
sufferer being, partly In consequence OF Its POSI-
ton, but parity, no doubt, also by reason Ct It's
greater SIZE and extent, the city OF Tou-
louise. We hear of houses being overwhelmed
and levellsi to the ground by the giant
furce OF ths irresistibls current and even
an entire quarter that Of st. Cypriep, being
entlreiy destrJJed We may partially measure
the suddenness OF the event by the number OF the
dead. they seem to have bean surprised IN their
houses. and We eau only hope that their passage
out oil lie was merclfuly rapid. We seem to be
reading or vast snipwreck. The destruction OF
animals has been great, numbers OF cattle and
sheep, as IL Invariably the case on such OCCASIONS,
beng swept along by the swirllng waters. Aller
this record OF the LOGS Of human life and the use-
lul and hali-human boasts who en- mems wants and
habits have demesticated lr seems almost q waste
Oh compassion 10 speak OF the Inundated nelds
ana the destruction OF me rapidly ripening crops.
But by lne survivors the whole sale devastation
will De keeny felt. Many oI them are already
homeless, anu many Others will soon be wander
ing about striving 10 decipher amid the MUDDY
deorls lett by the retiring waves the boundaries
OF their own plots OF ground. Their fences Will
be gone; their dltcnes VIII be filled up a2d made
level with the surrounding soil; familiar land
marks viii have dlsa ppeareu sueepiods viii ia We
vanished, vineyards VII be laid low, ond the
lately waving gram and fast-sproutIng maize Will
be iest IN the. wide expanse Of conglomerate
mineral and vegetable litter. The soil OF Inc
Garonne Valley Is peculiarly rich; and IN addition
10 the products we have already named max and
potatoes are grow In great abundance. Ii IS not
difficult TO understand now the lamentabe event
has been brought ABOUT. Toulouse Itself stanos
IN the middle Of the vast PLAIN O. Gascony and
Languedoc but the Garonne, DOtn sides OF
when II Is built, Is fed by swut mountain JrlDuta
rles, which soon shrink anu sun more RAPIDLY
swell IN volume; whist u little way before 1t
reaches the city Its course Is much oDstructed by
lmpedimenfs which only heIgnlen The mischief OF
an 1nundatlon.
the Canal du Midi, an important work, which.
running eastward from the GAronne, thus con-
meets toulouse both with tue Mediterranean and
the Atlantic winds both nortn and east OF the
city. On tue LEFT bank STANDS The 81 Clpnen
quarter or suUurO, which H. described as beng a
coMplete wreck. IL Is connected with tue city
proper ny three brIdges ana In It's III DIS. are Two
large hospitals, Whch probably con tributeI Il con-
siderable percentage OF the deaf bodies lOund
there. Inc town Is Dult irregularly ana It's older
streets are narrow ana tortuous But its more
modern tnoroughlares are broad, hands and
comm odiOus and II Is PROBABLE that in this newer
and eet'er constructed quarter the damage
wrought mas been neither so extensive nor so
serious. The associations OF most persons with
Toulouse are rather OF u ROMANTIC tnAn oil u busi-
days when trOubadours sang Of gallant knights
and smiling laules, AM when the gay science"
life But tue IN dern capital OF the Department OF
the Haute Garonne - thrivlDg place VI INDUSTRY
aud commerce. aud The seventh on the list OF the
large towns OF France. We may form some con-
ceptOn oil the misery winch must nave been In
fcted on II by the fact That t1e Municipal oouncll
has at once and without debate subscribed
100 000f for Inc immedlIte RELIEF OF the sufferers
ana tnat Tue government mas applied ~ the
Legislature Tor credit OF similar amount TO De app
pied to tue same object The railway communl-
calon OF the neignOornood with tbs rest Of
the world Is interrupted. Tde 1Tst accounts
ma. uraly spoke only OF the town ITSELF bat later
intelligence confirmed the Suspicion tnat tue
vicinity would not nave been spared. Nor Is II the
immediate neiRlbornoOd alone which has sui
letcd. Fenouillet, village some Jour miles dls-
tant mas lost all It's 400 homesteads with the ex.
csptIon or three From Pau the Intelligence Is re-
assuring; but Lucaon las been neavlly VISITED.
4 ne Adour mas overlooked It's banks. Carrying
away DrIIges aud coEtagesat Bagneres lie BgOrre.
AT CarcAEOne, 10 u neishoorlng department.
the crops nave beed extensively sub:
ioamiaS banks. Marshal MscMs6on himself,
Cissey aud Tram VI attendants, has FASTENED to
inspect The scene Uf The disaster ana 10 suc1or the
baulY alllcLsu pODuldtlOn anu everything, no
doubt, win be done to relieve the distress or :he
poorer aud most helpless portion OF the popu;a-
ton. Doubtless TOO, engineering science VIII DO
cal ed Ia, though only Too late on this occasion,
10 prevent recurrence OF calamity waleh IN a
reprOacn 10 modern scieuoe. the nelgnDOrn0Od
OF towering and annually snow.ca pped noun talns
forms peculiar dlnlcul.y IN the treatment ol tue
dangoc arising from sudden overflow OF watcrj
but II ~ not credlbie tnas the difficulty Is one with
whioh tae skill and Opuence vi the FrenCh ma len
Cannot cope successfully.
THREE THOUSAND HOUsEs DOwN-S1xTY MILLIONS
or DOLLARS IN PROPERTY KNOWN 40 HAVE BEEN
LOST.
From the LONDON Post (cditOr ~. June 70.
Tue geographical posi- lon OF France, although In
many respects hlgnly favored IL sugn TO entail
uf0n hree districts OF the cOun ry aOilliJ 70 DO
suddenly deuRed w the overflow vi nOOGsd rivers,
AZ IOu Ouse such foundations no We 0ccuire every
twenty years-or, ut Load. IN ls15, 1850 anc ls66--
although never before 10 tae sane extent As az
present. or with the calamltOuS consequences TO
NE and properly whcn we are now called upon to
record, In 1856 the valley Of The khOne was
VISITED IN similar manner Tue streets Oh Lyons
] were IVr many days trdversed ny DOats, ahu nor