The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-10
Ths calamlties IN Franee.

would be the reverse. Not long since, in the
northern parts of France, the drought threat
ened to destroy the crops, and the worship
! pers prayed for rain. Now the churches are
filed with heart-stricken worshippers praying
that the fall of the waters may cease. In
the United States we have not had much
to lament since the spring frosts, which
remained long after the time appointed
for their going and threatened to rob us of
our fruits. There have been some few COM
plants from England as to the dampness OF
the weather, but il looks now as if these are
not well founded, and that England may feel
sure OF an average harvest. The storms in
France, which seemed to be limited to the
valley of the Garonne, have extended their
sway. The rivers of the North are ris-
ing, and fears are entertained for the valleys
of the Seine and the Marine. This brings the
danger directly home to Paris and TO all that
rich and beautiful country extending from
Paris to Havre. More than all, we read
that Geneva beautiful, historic, cultivated
Geneva-has been visited with the same
calamity. A cable despatch gives us the
liveliest appFehensions for the valley of the
Rhone, as that "blue, arrowy" river of
Byron's fancy is rising in angry and threaten
ing volume. Hailstones have fallen with
such violence and in such quantities that
people have been killed and wounded. The
shores of Lake Leman-and we have no
ground more classic-are stricken with the
disaster. From Hungary we have a sad story
| The storms in and around Pesth have been
! terrible in their fury. In one locality alone
| twenty-eight people have been found dead,
while over q hundred are missing. The
villas on the elevated places, the houses on
the mountain slopes and property of every
character have been injured and destroyed.
Ii is difficult to realize the magnitude of these
misfortunes. When we draw line from the
valley of the Seine to Geneva, and from
/ thence to Pesth, we embrace one of the
largest and richest portions of Europe.
When we think of the storm king moving on
in his desolating march from town to town,
from province to province, destroying houses,
drowning crops, tearing up bridges, taking
the lives of old and young, we cannot esti-
mate the magnitude of the disaster, and fear
that as much misery will be found in his path
as was ever found In that of conquering
army.
We can understand this more clearly when
we look at the reports we have from unhappy
France. Thus far all that is known of the
mistortunes in Switzerland and Hungary are
the brief narratives by cable. They are neces-
sarily brief and unsatisfactory, and further
news may change the tale. But our reports
from France are very full, and every mail
only shows the extent of the calamity. This
land of beauty and promise and historic fame,
this land of poetry and song and devotion,
this lovely Languedoc, lies abandoned and
stricken. Desolation sits on fields that only
yesterday were burdened with the rich and
bursting harvests. The valley that was flow
ing with oil and wine, even as the valleys of
the Scriptures were said to flow with milk
and honey, is barren. Homes that only yes
terday were the loved abiding places of SIM
pie, thrifty peasants, where they lived as
their fathers had lived before them for
generations, have been swept away. Tou-
louise is a noble, glorious city, but her glory
! has fallen into mourning, for the flood has
| DESTROYED one-fourth of her dwellings. So
swiftly came the floods that not only were the
| poor people drowned before relief could come,
but soldiers sent to their relief died in
the attempt to succor. In many cases the
farmers, with their wives and children, sought
safety on the housetops, only to find in the
end common grave. This is a country
! densely populated may be understood
when we remind our readers that the depart
ments it embraces contain more than four
! millions of people. In other words, if we
! could imagine the whole State Of New York or
the States of Pennsylvania and Ohio suddenly
overwhelmed with flood that swept away
bridges, destroyed crops, and desolated towns
and villages, we could comprehend the COM
parative extent of the calamity which has be-
fallen France.
This comes at season when the material
sufferings are without q remedy. The coun-
try has not only been largely peopled, but the
lands are highly cultivated. The farmers
raise the olive, the grape and grain. Upon
the success OF the harvests depends largely the
comfort of the people, their material prosper
! ity and the revenues Of the French govern
ment There is no way Of retrieving this har-
vest The farmers who have lost their crops
cannot expect to renew them until next year.
Some ofthe crops will not be recovered for sew
eralyears, perhaps. All the prospective income
Of these unfortunate farmers and all the results
OF the labor thus far bestowed and the capital
invested fade away The people will be VIZ
tually helpless for another year, unless, as is
] z. .
happily possible, remembering the character
of the French, they have something laid by
for the rainy day, which has come to them
surely and sadly enough. SO that, in consid-
ering the magnitude Of this disaster, we must
remember that these inhabitants OF the Garonne
are virtually ruined people until a gentler
season brings them surer harvest. We must
rarnernher too that even Frnnce. with al her