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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume V, Issue 277, 24 November 1870, Page 2

Mourning in Paris. — Tlie Paris correspondent, of the Daily News says : — ■'Come with me to tbe Church of Our Lady of Victory, and you shall see them humble, devout, patient, praying for their dear ones, and registering their vows before Heaven. The whole church is full of memorials from those who have suffered and have prayed, whose heart's hunger has been mercifully satisfied, and who have inscribed their gratitude on the sacred walls. I was at this church on the Napoleon fete-Jay, and again this morning. It had many worshippers ou both occasious, tearful women wrapt iv prayer for the most part, with here and there a priest and au aged man. Tliere were lighted candles and pictures, an officiating priest in vestments, aud glittering altar ornaments, and votive offerings. But you hardly see these. The poor women and their sorrows shut them out. Theirs are the passionate cravings for more than human help, the pitiful longing for other and more personal solace than the most brilliant national victory could give ; the humble shrinking domestic hopes and fears which centra upon Jules or Antoine, his safety aud his life. He is, perhaps, lying stiff aud stark with a Prussian bullet through his head even as they pray, but they are upheld, poor souls, by love aud faith, they deposit their little gifts iv one of the bags held by ladies at the church doors, and go their way serene and comforted. French Strategy. — The following sarcastic remarks which, appeared iv the Pall Mall Gazette a few days after the surrender of the French army at Sedan, clearly show that that journal entertains no very high opinion of the strategic abilities of the French generals: — ''The Prussians must be beginning to feel rather uncomfortable at the number of French prisoners they bave on their hands. To say nothing of the trouble of guarding them, the expense of feeding them must add considerably to the cost of the war. If the French really wished to annoy their invaders to tho utmost degree, they could not put them in a more embarrassing condition than by forming array after army, and capitulating as fast as they are formed. There ought not to be much difficulty in carrying out this plan. Very little training as a soldier is necessary to make a good prisoner; nor is there any occasion to be particular as to age, height, or general soundness. They have only to go on calling out the men of all ages until they rea-h those between seventy-five and eighty-five. If they can muster some thousands of these, and get thera hemmed in by the Prussians, they may afford to laugh at their foes. It is difficult to conceive anything more calculated to disgust Count Bismarck than the sight of some 80,000 rheumatic, infirm, old invalids paraded before him in anticipation of a visit to German baths at the cost of the Prussian exchequer. Having already sent home thousands upon thousands of hearty men with good appetites, to fiud themselves called upon to forward a large army of helpless invalids to his already overburdened country, would probably be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and the war would end by tlie German army endeavoring by persuasions to check the tide of disarmed prisoners that threatens to overwhelm the too hospitable Fatherland. There is, however, little prospect of this taking place. Unless For remainder of News see Fourth page.

the French bave some " dark horse" in the back ground, no general has yet •appeared in (he field who appears to possess sufficient strategical knowledge to get aa array " hemmed in," if lie tried to do ■so. It would probably be found that, in attempting to carry out the plan, he had •somehow hemmed in the enemy and taken the whole Prussian army prisoners, in which case the captors would have no resource left but an ignomiuous flight to •escape utter annihilation by their captives." A monster pic-nic of G-erman citizens of New York was held in that city in celebration of the German victories. 40,000 persons were present at the festivity, aud great enthusiasm prevailed. Mauritius news received iv Melbourne -via Adelaide, states that bad blood exists between the Euglish on the island, and the Creoles, because the former are supposed by the latter to favor the Prussian cause. Ammunition lias been distributed to the police. A Buffalo paper announces the intention of Mr. Frank Thome, a '* Buffalo Boy" of about twenty-five years of age, to leap from the new suspension-bridge at the Falls. The descent to the water at the middle of the bridge, the spot selected, is 195 feet. It was supposed the waier would be reached in less than five seconds: A dog thrown over made the trip in a ilittle Jess time. As might be supposed, the dog was killed. Mr. Thorn states that he can hold his breath for thirty _econds, which will give him ample time to reach the water, descend thirty feet and •come up aoain, If successful he is to receive 10,000 dollars. An ingenious American has discovered, Once a Week asserts, a r.ew use to which old paper may be applied — namly, to the construction of coffins. The paper is reduced to a pulp, rolled out to the requisite thickness, saturated with oil, baked, japanned, and polished. It thus becomes hard, and capable of resisting all ordinary destructive agencies, aud is thought to be imperishable. Auother American has made a discovery which premises to be of •more impot tance — namely, tbat pulp for paper may be prepared ficm wood. Trees, | -after being denuded of their ba?k, are cut j up into blocks an inch long and broad, -ir.dhalfan inch ihick. They are then steamed and crushed into pulp, care being taken that they shall be so arranged that the fibre may be preserved. Railway Traffic in France. — Some idea of the vastness of the railway transport of soldiers and military stores on the French lines during the war may be gathered from the returns of the week eudtcg September 3. The receipts of the I_yons-Mediterranean alone were £2 1,304 over those of the corresponding week last year, and the total increase for all the -railways of France during the period since ■the Ist January, 1870, as compared with the same period in 1869, reached the enormous sum of £1,497,928. We presume it _ias all beeu paid. Of course some of the lines which traverse the seat of war are suffering ; for instance, the Eastern lost £38,512 last week. — Pall Mall Gazette, 'Sept. 10. At the last exhibition of the American 'Institute, there was seen an elliptic lockstitch sewing machine, driven by a small electric engine, which might easily be put ■into a common hat-box. A series of eight •magnets are set on the periphery of a -circle, and around these revolve an arraature of steel, whicli is continuously propelled by the maguelic action, and thus operates the machinery that moves the Heedle. The curreut may be cut off entirely, or the speed of the needle graduated as may be desired. The union of Southland and Otago appears to have already had a beueficuil •efrc-cfc in Southland. The A 7 eivs states that there are in many directions un•_nis.akeable proofs of renewed confidence in the future of the settlement. New buildings are in course of erection, . and •old ones under repair. The Railway Station is undergoing alterations that will have Ihe effect of providing greatly increased storage room for wool in. transit to the Bluff frem the up-country stations, ■sri'] bnildings are going up at Winton, 4be present inhmd terminus of the line. At a Sunday school in Ripon, a teacher a*4vt-d a little boy if he knew what the expi cf? ion "sowing tares" meant ? "Courth I decs," said he, pulling the seat of his little breeches around in front, " There's -a tear my ma sowed. Itemed it sliding -down hill."