The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-09
The Great COnde.

The Great Conde, as Louis ii. de
Bourbon was called, was born In the
Castle of Vincennes, September 8, 1871.
He early displayed his ability as mill
tary leader, and when only twenty-five
years of age was placed in command OF
the French army in Flanders. At Rocroy,
in May, 1643, he defeated the Spanlards,
and the next year forced General Mercy,
the Bavarian, to retreat after three days
of fighting, and again in 1645, he met
Mercy at Nordlingen, and engaged In
terrible conflict, In which Mercy was
killed, and Conde himself was wounded,
but finally achieved another victory. In
1646 he returned to Flanders and took
Dunkirk, and in 1647, in Spain, was un-
successful in the siege of Lerida, but
speedily silenced the opposition to him
by signaliy defeating the Spanish at
Lens, in Flanders, in 1913. this victory
bringing about the end of the Thirty
years War, and the peace of Westphalla.
When the war of the Fronde began In
1649, Conde for time took the side OF
the Royalist party and Mazarin, but be-
heving his services were not fully re-
cognized. resented it, and gave offense,
and early in 1850 he was arrested, but
subsequently released. Then he raised
an army to oppose the Royalists, and
met his great rival, Turenne, near
Bleaneau, on the Loire, April z, 1862,
where, although Conde had the advantage
of superior numbers, Turenne was sue
cessful Again Conde met the Royailsts
July of the same year, under the walls
of Paris. and would have been entirely
defeated but for the assistance given by
friends within the city. Those who had
opposed the Royalists had meanwhile
grown weary Of the struggle, and Conde
in vain urged them to prolong it. He
felt, therefore, compelled to join hls OLD
enemies, the Spainards, IN the Nether-
lands, but his fortune seemed for o tune
to desert him, and he shared In the de-
feats inflicted by Turenne upon his aihes,
at Arras, in 1854, and near Dunkirk IN
1858, When the treaty of the Pyrenees
was concluded, in 1853, he was pardoned
and allowe1 to return to France, where
he lived at his magnificent country seat
of Chantilly. He was called back TO
active service eight years afterward, ana
early in 1868 conquered Franche- -Comte
in less than three weeks. Conde was
about that time q candidate for the crown
of Poland after the abdication OF John
Casimir. In 1872, when the war against
the United Provinces broke out, he was
placed at the head of one of the armies
that invaded the Netherlands, and was
wounded in the arm at the crossing OF
the Rhine. On August IL. 1874, he
fought at Senef an indeclsive battle with
William of Orange, and IN 1873, on the
death of Turenne. was called to Alsace
to command the French army there, and
hn
Now his long and arduous campaigns
began to tell upon him, and he was
forced to retire from active service. He
spent his remaining years at Chantilly,
| dying there December IL, 1856.
SOME old wooden wheels were discov-
cred some years ago in the mines Of
Portugal, supposed to have been once
used by the Romans for hydraulic pur-
| poses. The wheels were eight in num-
ber, the spokes and felloes of pine, and
the axle and its support of oak. They
are supposed to exceed l ,450 years of
age, yet the wood was in a perfect state
Of preservation, having been thoroughly
immersed in water charged with salts of
copper and iron. A similar instance
occurred In San Domingo, an old wooden
wheel being discovered in q disused
copper mine. How long it had been
there is uncertain, but it was completely
preserved, owing to its having absorbed
considerable Quantities of iron and cop
per. The preserving quality of these
minerals for the inlpregnation of wood
is well illustrated in he miaes If Hal
| lien, Austria the timber used being the
same yh'oh was originally introduced
| anterior to the Christian era, and which