LETTER FROM MAYENCE.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 730, 29 October 1870, Page 3

LETTER FROM MAYENCE.

Business of" every description here is at a standstill, and for the last fortnight nothing but helmets, guns, and dust have been visible. -In spite, however, of the kno\vledg3 that we hold, as it were, the bulwark of Germany, and guard the entrance to the Maincountry, and all the railways articulating over Prussia, there is a general disbelief that the town will be ever occupied in this war by the French. The enthusiasm of theinhabitants; from the highest to the lowest, ia beyond belief. All day long trains of tired and thirsty soldiers are brought through the stations, their hunger i 3 satisfied and their thirst quenched by the voluntary offerings of the inhabitants, who, in spite of having a large nnmber billeted on them, vie with one another, ladies, old and young, in helping the defenders of their Fatherland. It is needless to mention the feeling of exasperation that was generally aroused when the first new 3 of the affront to the King at Ems was received here ; and when this frivolous pretext for war was made apparent, the whole country to a man entered heart and soul into the conflict with a firm resolution to sacrifice home and heart, husbands and sons, to crush French aggression. Napoleon is making his last move; his chessboard will be a gory one ere it is over. The moves will be confined to a small space, and, should acheekmale be won, Prussia will make him rue the day that inaugurated this bloody struggle. We fancied , when the war wa3 first declared, that a week would see the French eaglo at our gates, but the inaction of the French on the frontier, and their evident anticipation of their ability to be the aggressors, has enabled our generals to mass troops in immense quantities at ail the points jjcttx 1110 iiwiitlci* woi'lli tenanting. Living on the spot, and cognisant with every mound ,on the country for miles round, I can form not the slightest idea of the numbers of men who have passed through the town, everything is done so quietly, or are in the fortress and neighborhood. We feel ! perfectly safe from capture, as the garri- ' eon in time of peace is between 10,000 and 12,000 men, and have then enough I to do fortress Juty ,• so there must be : a vast resource of strength in the works. The town and fortress can hold, at a pinch, 50,0C0 men. Outside the gatee, near the south gate, between Mayence and Weisenan, is an entrenched camp which commands the river Mid railway bridge, and forms a valuable adjunct to .cur defence. There is an almost incessant; current of troops, jguifs) hoi' 363, &c.j going south on the rails on either side of Lha river, and steamers are puffing up against the rapid current with the name description of warlike cargo; There has leen an abatement somewhat during the last few (la/3, and this has allowed of one train a day eich way for the public. So much for war. news ; but as the movement of the troops ia Jjne as much in the night as day, I fear I have not enlightened you. There is still trahie for the public by the Netherlands Bteamera to Rotterdam, but your tourists are all gone. The hay crop this Bummer has been a very poor one. The intense heat is to blame ; but the corn crop ia all but got home in fair order, and with a very good yield. Everybody is woiLing tfSo can be spared to finish the harvest, which luckily, owing to French inaction, will put many thousand thalsr3 in Prussia's pockot. The grapes will not he touched for two months, so drinkers of Rudesheimer and Scharshofberger may yet see the vintage unscathed, if the war is a frontier one and short and decisive. As we are like one man for King and Fatherknd, whilst rumor assigns to France a burning thirst for our land at any cost, the fighting will be terrible, and many a happy home will be destroyed ere peace returns.

A Kich Newspajpeb Hoax.—Some months ago the publishera cf the Paris "jFigaro" practised a hoax upon the public, wbich showed a good knowledge of Parisian nature. They left a column of the paper entirely blank, with the explanation that upon this apparently white space was printed in sympathetic ink, matter unfit for ladies to read, hut which could be rendered legible by pressing the paper with a hot iron. Thousands bought the pape? to aee what this indecent matter -was, but the application of heat failed to bring anything to view. In fact, there was nothing there at all. Why is a mosquito like a railroad ? Because it fastens on the sleepers.

Remaekabee Walkino Feat. — John Davidson, of walking celebrity, has undertaken the marvellous and unknown feat of walking one hundred and five hours without sleep, and only stopping twenty-eight minutes out of each twenty-four hours. He commenced the task at three p.m., on Tuesday last, and, if successful, will conclude on Saturday at mid-night. He seems very stupid to-night, and it ia the opinion of all present that he will not be successful. He walks on a board elevated two feet above the stage, in Pinkham's Hall, Quiucy, 111., and the board twenty inches in width, with guard ropes on either side to support him. He forfeits five hundred dollars in the event of failure. Jack Shepherd walked a mile in six minutes and nineteen seconds, night before last, in the same hall, and in seven and one-half to-night.— Chicago Trihvne, Aug. 12.

The man in debt for his shoes cannot say that his " sole" is his own. Counter Attractions. —Pretty saleswomen.

Yachting is conducted on the principle of " Large sails and small profits."

Mrs Partington very pertinently wants to know who was the husband of the mother-of-pearl. A tallow-chandler said he didn't mean any disparagement to the sun when he said that his caudles were the best lights ever invented.