THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Issue 3118, 15 February 1873, Page 3

THE MAIL.

The Daily Telegraph., London, says We have received from the accomplished discoverer, Mr George Smith, of the British Museum, the subjoined most interesting account of the record of the Deluge, which, as we announced a day or two ago, he has lately deciphered from the Assyrian monuments “The cuneiform inscription which I have recently found and translated gives a long and full account of the Deluge. It contains the version or tradition of this event which existed in the early Chaldean period at the city of Erech (one of the cities of Nimrod), now represented by the ruins of Warka. In this newly-discoved inscription the account of the Deluge is nut as a narrative into the month of Xiauthuus or Noah. He relates the wickedness of the world, the command to build the ark, its building, the filling of it, the Deluge, the resting of the ark on a mountain, the sending out of the birds, and other matters. The narrative, has a closer resemblance to the account transmitted by the Greeks from Berosus, the Chaldean historian, than to the Biblical history, but it does not differ materially from either. The principal differences are as to the duration of the Deluge, the name of the mountain on which the ark rested, the sending ‘out of the birds, &c. The cuneiform account is much longer and fuller than that of Berosus, and has several details omitted both by the Bible and ihe Chaldean historian. This inscription opens up many questions of which we knew nothing previously, and it is connected with a number of other details of Chaldean history, which wiU be both interesting and important. This is the first time any inscription hag beep found with an account of an event mentioned in Genesis.” Says the Saturday Revievf Towards the end of last year an Act was passed by the American Legislature setting apart for ever what ia henceforth to he known as the National-park, in the territories of Montana and Wyoming, comprising no jess than 9,578 square mile's, under public trust and custody, sacred from squatting or settlement, for the benefit and pleasure of the people. Nature is here to be seen and worshipped in her unpolluted majesty and beauty. An act of foresight and good taste like this forms a worthy crown to the policy which the Government of the United States has pursued in the system of land surveys that it has set on toot, and constantly kept up through the whole extent of the Union,” The German Correspondent says On the occasion of the launch of H.M, ironclad corvette Hansa, Friiulein vonTreskow, daughter of General von Trcsltow, announced the name of the new ocean-child in the following words By order of His Majesty the Emperor, this corvette is to be called the Hansa. IShe ia the first ironclad ever built in a German dockyard, and her launch is a memorable event in the history of the German navy. Her name is also a significant one ;it reminds us of a time when German fleets entirely commanded the North Sea and the Baltic. May this name be of good augury ! and may it be granted to the Hansa to witness such a sight once more ! May she always preserve the honour of our flag unstained, and be as victorious against; her enemies as her royal master 1 With these wishes anfi hopes, let us give three cheers for His Majesty the King ! ’ After the three cheers had been enthusiastically given, Fraulein von Treskow performed the ceremony of baptism by breaking a bottle of champagne on the bow of the vessel, which glided smoothly and rapidly into the water amid the renewed cheering of the crowd. The inspector qn duty at the branch Postoffice, Buckingham Palace-gate, called the letter-garrjerg qnd sorters for the Southwestern district, numbering over 109, together, and informed them that he had a communication from the Postmaster-General to read to them respecting the “stripes” that bad been awarded to about 25 of their number for meritorious conduct. The men, however, with one or two exceptions, vociferously called out, “We don't want to hear it; put it down, s|r,” “We won’t hrar another word.” “We want more wages, not stripes or Mr MonseU’s hut tops.’? “It w|U disgrace us to wear stripes, a n 4 wq shall be laughed and jeered though the streets. Buttons and stripes won’t feed our children. It’s all favoritism-” The inspector begged the men to listen, and made another attempt to read the report, hut the uproar now became greater still, Yells, hooting, groans, whistling, and other discordant noises, were kept up, until the inspector had to return without reading Mr Monaell’s report. This being reported to the head office, another document was brought forward this morning, acquainting the men that if they did not choose to accept the stripes they had better send in their resignations. The other branch offices are equally averse from the stripes. A great meeting of the whole of the carriers is to be called immediately by the delegates from each branch office.

Frurn Brussels we learn that the armaments projected by the French Goyernnjient are causing jihe'qpestip.n pf Rational defence to‘ qoipe to the agaiu._ The Ministry will make its proposals durug the parliamentary session which opens next month. The other day the Etude Belr/e published a letter from Major Vandelde, a distinguished writer on military subjects, confirming the opinion that if Belgium can mobilise an army of 100,000 men in a week, the French will prefer to attack Germany on the AlsaceLorraine side, instead of directing their attack first on Belgium. Though the French always believed tjiat they could force the Belgians to march with them on Germany, they were wise enough not to attempt it when they declared war against Germany

the last time, as they saw that their army would only he enfeebled by the resistance of Belgium (which was also the opinion expressed by Moltke). However, there is no guarantee that the French might not, on a future occasion, take the Sambre-et-Meuse route. The writer terminates by saying “A well-conditioned military system will always be the best guarantee of our national independence. An army of 100 000 men in the field, a reserve of volunteers of the Garde Civique to garrison the fortresses, and a system of fortifications for the defence of the centre of the power of the State—this is the military system wanted for Belgium, and which, as I believe, will be the one adopted by the Commission of Military Reorganisation.” A trial has just taken place before the Court of Assizes of the Loiret, the details of which arc worthy of occupying a conspicuous place amongst the records which .are so familiar to readers of peculiarly French horrors. Iho tragedy which formed the subject of investigation took place in May last, at a small farm called Herbage, near woman of twenty-eight, and her murderers were her own parents. The atrocious circumstances under which the crime was comraitted are amply indicated in the following brief extract, which refers to the discovery of the body of Elizabeth Durand in a field close to her own home : —“ This unfortunate young woman, abandoned by her father, illtreated by her step-motbor, compelled to beg food during the greater portion of her existence, was the victim of a crime unprecedented in its cruelty. Her stomach had been ripped up by a blunt instrument, and the intestines, when the body was found, protruded through a gaping wound ; the mouth was filled with earth and gravel; the face the neck, the breast, and the shoulders were covered with wounds; and the murderers, finding that they had not succeeded in despatching their victim speedily enough, strangled ter, after having hached her ahout in the most brutal and revolting manner. Under her 'eet, which were tied toget her, a grave had been dug, into which the body was thrown after the crime had been perpetrated ” The stepmother, realising the enorm ty of the crime, and fearful of the fate which awaited her on its disclosure, committed suicide by hanging herself. The police, distinguishing some connection between this suicide and the sudden disappearance of Elizabeth Durand, at once arrested the father of the victim, and in questioning the youthful son aod daughter, who witnessed the crime, were informed a» to the whereabouts of the body. The evidence given before the court by the brother of the victim was such as, the reports of the proceedings tell us, made the flesh of the audience creep. The principal author of the crime, however —namely, the fat her—al though found guilty without extenuating circumstances, escaped the capital s-ntence, and was condemned to penal servitude for life.

The German part of the great cata'ogue for tho Vienna Exhibition is nearly ready now. and will be printed immediately. The Viennese are making immense exertions to meet the demands that will be made on them for lodgings during the Exhibition, Several companies are building immense hotels in the new and fashionable part of Vienna called the “ Ring,” one of which is to contain upwards of 1,000 rooms. A visit to Vienna will well repay all who have even to make a long journey for the purpose. There is no city in Europe that offers to the stranger so many interesting sights as Vienna; its vicinity to Buda-Pesth, and to the Orient, altogether make it doubly interesting, and there is no doubt now that the Orient will this time be rpuch more extensively represented than at any of the former world’s fait s. The magnificent new Imperial Opera, without exception the finest and largest opera-house in Europe, will, it is officially announced, make no holidays next summer on account of the Exhibition, but will, on the contrary, have the first singers of Europe engaged in it all the summer through. All the European sovereigns will most Ijkely, without exception, visit the Exhibition, and among the more raye guests will be the Sultan, the Shah of Persia, and the King of Siam, who have officially announced their intention to visit Vicuna.

Wp may hope to hear shortly that the London Peabody trustees are about to extend their operations. The last annual statement showed that the first trust amounted to over L178.0W), and that the second donation of L 200,000 became available in July, 18159, and that interest to about Ll4 000 had accrued. To this gift Mr Peabody added in his will L 150.000, but this latter sum will not be conveyed to the trustees until next year. Goo. Cook, in his circular tour, thus refers to hia visit to Chicago :—“ As we happened to be there a few days after the anniversary of the fire, which had been celebrated or commemorated in churches and by public papers and associations, we heard and read much of the destruction and the recovery of the city ; hut among the strange and thrilling recitals of sutfering and heroism, I neither heard nor read of any more touching incident than was recorded in the Chicago Tribune in refer nee to the proprietors of the Hhennan-house, where we were located. I copy from the anniversary double number of the Tribune the following paragraph : ‘ The ruins of the Sherman-house were still smoking on Monday morning, and th,ft three dispossessed proprietors—Messrs David A. Gage, John A. llice, and George W. Gage—were sitting together on a rescued trunk in the doorway of the residence of the latter, on Michigan Avenue. The city was in horrible contusion, and the red tide of the fire was still sweeping on its course in the northern division. The question these gentlemen were asking was the question of the hour, asked by 70,000 business men in Chicago, “ What shall we do?,” Now, P. W. Gates had built a large brick hotel on Madison street, hear the canal, just furnished before the lire commodious, well-con-structed, ready. ‘'We must buy the Eagle Hotel.” Out came the carriage and horses of George W., and away went the partners south to Eighth-street, thence west over the bridge. They had energy, capital, and a purpose. Butas they turned into Canal street, George W. burst out, “ This won't do. These people on the north side are starving. 1 have pecans of milk on my Brighton farm. You go apd buy tips hotel, David and John ;• I’ll slip down and get a waggon-load of milk,’’ On be wppt, and while the partners were closing the instant purchase of the Eagle Hotel, at 175,00Ud0i., George W. Gage, without a license, except fvom Him who said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it to the least of these ye did it unto me,” was peddling Brighton milk, without money or price, among the suffering, hunted, and distressed pilgrims of the north side, to which purpose he gave up a day of vast importance to his firm's interests. The Sherman was furnished in ten days, and opened at the old rates. It has made thousands of its old patrons happy, and has since been forced at times to turn away nearly as many as it has accommodated.” The Great Pacific Hotel, now re-erected—-the largest hotel in the world—is to, be opened by those brave citizens vU Ist of March next. They will lyivp their reward. The burning p,f thp City Flour iVlills in fpper Thanks street, ndmisters a broad hint to Lppdon, tV Putt Mall (hmlte, remarks, “that although it has escaped the fate of Boston and Chicago, it stands in the uncomfortable position of being at the mercy of an agent far beyond the control of any means or appliances we possess for its arrest, 'i he buildings destroyed are said to have been fireproof; there seems to have been no lack of water, and all that the exertions of the firemen could do was done to check the advance of the flames, whiph, nevertheless, asserted their mastery, and only gave over the contest when they had reduced to a ruin the vast pile of buildings they had attacked. The truth is that fire, to he dealt with properly, should he strangled in its infancy. A small jug of water, properly applied atjhhe right moment, would have prevented the conflagration, which an hour later all the

fire engines in London could not subdue.' It. may be said that the fire was not discovered until it had obtained such a hold on the building that its progress could not be checked, but the answer to this is that the fire should have been discovered. Such a large establishment as the City Flour Mills should be kept under constant supervision by day and by night. As well might it he asserted, if London had been in flames, that the fire in Thames street had not been observed until it had spread to adjoining streets. As one room in the City Mills was to the rest of the building, so was the building itself to the rest of London. The fire was first discovered from without by a glare at one of the windows, whereas it ought to have been discovered inside before it had time to show it itself outside.”

A correspondent vouches for the correctness of the following anecdote :—During the visit of Her Majesty the Queen to Dunrobin Castle, the seat of the Duke of Sutherland, a few weeks ago, an incident occurred which has not yet been made public. The Duke is having a shaft sunk on his estate for the purpose of proving some valuable mines, and there are engaged in the work several colliers from Shropshire, servants of the Lillieshall Company. The Queen being told of the mining operations, expressed a desire to visit the spot, whither she w'as escorted by the Duke, Whilst standing on the bank inspecting the work, it commenced to rain. A few yards off one of the men, named Cooper, was saw ing some timber for the shaft, and not being aware of the immediate presence of royalty, heedless of the rain, continued bis work without a coat. Presently he was surprised to feel a light touch, and on looking up perceived the Duke, who laid a costly rug over his shoulders, at the same time exclaiming, “The Queen requested me to present you with her own rug ; you may keep it and wear it.” The man’s surprise, and the remainder of the story may be more easily imagined than described. The proof of the affair—to wit, the rug in the possession of the poor man—will not be soon overlooked among the humble but loyal co'liers of Shropshire. - Wolverhampton Chronicle.

A very strange yet authentic case is reported in the Indian Medical Gazette of December last, by the Civil Surgeon of Hoshungabad. A young woman, named Nunnee, aged twenty-four, was married ten years ago; she, however, did not go to her husband’s house for two years afterwards. After staying with him for eight days, she suddenly became insensible, and remained so for two or three days. She was taken back to her mother, and soon got well. Then follows a very remarkable history. Daring the next four or five years she never entered her husband’s house without falling insensible and remaining so. He was very kind and attentive to her ; she liked him, but whenever he came into her presence she at once sank into this state. This went on till she became emaciated and exhausted, and at last her parents applied to Court for a separate maintenance for her. While she was in Court, tbe husband entered, and she instantly became insensible, and was carried to tbe hospital, where the case was carefully attended to by Dr Cullen. While in this state her pulse was even, breathing soft, her body pliant and relaxed ; she could eat nothing. Experiments were carefully made to see if there was no trick about it. While she was in bed her husband was muffled up and made to walk through the ward. She said she felt he was near her, and she was by no means well, but had not seen him anywhere about Next day this experiment was repeated, and she actually became in sensible as before. When the husband left the place she recovered. The experiment as to the influence of the husband’s presence was tried in all sorts of ways. He was made to pass behind her, and to be near her in a separate ward, but this had no effect; but whenever he was brought to look on her face though muffled up, or disguised as a policeman, as a sepoy, and so forth, she was at once influenced. The experiments continued for about a month, and the conclusion was that the husband unconsciously mesmerised her. The Court came to the conclusion that it was impossible she could live with him, and a separate allowance was ordered. The husband was asked to try if he could not remove the effect, seeing that he had the power to cause it, but he was quite frightened at tbe idea of having the power, and could net control it in any way. The German equivalent for tram-car is Pferdstrassoneisenbahnwagen. It is a pretty long word to look at and to write down, but Mr John Timbs has unearthed a longer and prettier. This is Viceoberappellationsgerichtsprotonotarions—only sixteen syllables. It is an official title, and means the Deputy of the Chief Prothonotary in the Appeals Court. The word looks imposing on the back of envelopes addressed to the gentleman.