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An Independent Family Journal?-Deyoted to Politics, Literature and General Intelligence. HOYT & CO., Proprietors. ANDERSON C. EL, S. 0., THURSDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 8, 1870. VOLUME 6?NO. ll. THE DEFENCES OF PARIS. SKETCH OP THEIR ORIGIN AND HIS? TORY. DESCRIPTION OF THE OUTER AND INNER WORKS. NUMBER OF GUNS MOUNTED AND STRENGTH OF THE GARRISON. From the New York Herald. The downfall of Napoleon and the treaties of 1815 left France utterly defenceless. Fully aware that they were barely tolerated on the throne, the Borbons did not trouble themselves about repairing the ruined strongholds of the country. True enough, in 1818, a commission of defence was formed by Marshal St. Cyr, then Minister of War, which in 1821 reported a plan for the strengthening of the defensive places of France, and this report was followed in 1825 by another from the Committee on Fortifications. Nothing was done, however, and for eleven years this important matter was allowed to rest. But in 1836, after the Bour? bons had been expelled and their cousins of the Orleans family had ascended the throne, Marshal Maison, the then Minister of War, organized a new commission and charged it with the duty of examing the reports of 1821 and 1825, and of submitting a definite opinion, by means of which the government could act intelligently. This commission, after carefully considering the reports, drew, up a project of law, which was accepted by the government and submitted to the Chambers. A LAW TO FORTIFY PARIS. One of the most importani; clauses in the law ordering the construction and repair of fortresses was that granting a sum of 140,000, 000? for constructing a double line of defence around the capital. Although M. Thiers had raised a great war alarm in 1840, there was then no prospect or probability of an enemy marching on Paris. The fact was in his anx? iety to have the fortications constructed arose from the attitude of the Parisians towards the government. Republicans and Bonapartists ad coalesced against the ruling dynasty. In August of tiie same year (1840) Louis Napole? on had made the attempt at Boulogne, and, though he failed and was captured, it was seen that he had the sympathy of the mass of the People. To fortify Paris against the Parisians was the real object of M. Thiere, and he press? ed the law with such vigor that on the 25th of June, 1S41, it was passed by the Chambers. Singular as it may seem Paris had never before been regularly fortified. The Revolutionary Directory had entertained some idea of having works constructed, and subsequently Napoleon himself gave the subject serious consideration. The victory at Valmy saved the Directory the .necessity of defending the capital, and the wars of Napoleon were all aggressive, except? ing in 1814 and 1815. In both these years, on the approach of the allied armies, defensive works were hurriedly thrown up, but though they enabled the defenders to resist the pro? gress of the enemy for a brief while they were entirely inadequate to the wants of the city. PLAN OF THE FORTIFICATIONS. v The plan agreed upon by the commission is what was adopted by the government and car? ried out. It jirovided for a double line of de? fences, the interior to consist of a continuous enclosure, and the outer line of a series of de? tached forts, each complete of itself, indepen? dent of the other, and yet all so arranged as to afford each other the amplest assistance-in the event of an attack. Their fires sweeping each other, it is necessary for an enemy to pass be? tween them before he can attack the iuner walls, whose guns also sweep the open space between the forts. THE INNER LINE. The inner line of works consists of a series of bastions, which present ninety-four angular fronts; The line is irregular, but surrounds the entire city, going through the Bois de Bologne on the west, and touching the Bois de Vincennes on the southwest. It is twenty-two ' miles in circumference, and is probably the longest continuous line of bastions in the world. The wall, which forms a part of the bastions, is also terraced and has an escarpment of thir? ty-four feet, faced with masonry. Each of the angular faces (i. e. bastions) has a medium length of 1,100 feet In front of the whole and entirely surrounding the city is a continued fosse, or line of wet ditches, lined with mason? ry, and of a depth of eighteen feet by a width of twenty feet. From the bottom "of these ditches to the top of the embankments crown? ing the walls is a height of about forty-five feet. The bastions will have mounted in them an average of about ten guns each, which will make a total of 940 for the ninety-four angular faces. This agrees with the dispatches from Paris which report 1000 guns mounted on the ramparts since the battle of Woerth. About one hundred gates pierce the ramparts,; the ditches being covered by draw-bridges, which ean be removed at a moment's notice or de? stroyed in two minutes by the cannon in the bastions. At different points in the rear of the lineare placed extensive magazines, well supplied with ammunition for the artillery, and amply pro? tected from the shot of the enemy. Siuce the accession of Louis Napoleon these magazines have been entirely remodelled, and are now ab? solutely impregnable to rfiot and shell. The old military roads of communication, construc? ted during the reign of Louis Philippe, no longer exist, the city limits having been ex? tended to these inner fortications, and, in fact, all the ground from the old wall, which can be seen traced on the map, and at which the octroi duty was collected, to the bastions, hav? ing been laid out in streets and boulevards, Which are for the most part built up. In place of these routes there is a line of railroad di? rectly in the rear of the fortications and around them, by means of which troops can be thrown from one part of the line to the other with great rapidity. There is no high ground in front of the works excepting that on which stand the outer fortress. - The entire zone from the detached forts to the ditches is a clear, level and almost open country. We have al? ready been informed by telegraph of the de? struction of the de Boulogne ana the Bois de Vincennes, and the tearing down of buildings and clearing away of gardens to give the guns a clear and unobstructed sweep. Much as it is to be regretted the destruction of so much that is valuable and interesting in nature and art, it is undoubtedly necessary to a proper defence of the city. At no point along this line of inner works, with but two exceptions, are the bastions be? yond cannon shot of the outer waUs. The ex? ceptions are, first, on the north, the fortress of La Double Couronne du Nord, covering St. Dennis, and about three miles distant; and next, Fort de Nogent, on the east. Communi? cation between the two lines is always perfect; but to make it more assured, we find it stated that they will be connected by lines of ditches perpendicular to the ditches surrounding the ramparts. This will involve a gigantic amount of work and will hardly be finished before the Prussians arrive before the city?that is, if they do get bet?re it. Nevertheless it is undeniable that such a connection will be of immense ad? vantage to the garrison as eaabiwig<?a?ops to reinforce the forts rapidly and with little risk to life in the midst of an engagement. It is as well to say here that only the artillerists are in the bastions at any time before an actual attempt to storm the line. It is not probable that such an assault will ever be attempted by the Prussians, should they besiege the capital, as it does not offer the slightest chance of suc? cess. Until the present war broke out there was not a gun mounted upon the ramparts, nor was the encierUs complete. To-day every bastion is bristling with cannon, and the entire inner works are in a complete state of preparation for an enemy. We have no knowledge what size guns have been mounted, but they are doubtless of heavy calibre, ranging from thir? ty-six to sixty-four pounders. These will have before them a clean sweep of from one and a half to three miles, so that even if the Prus? sians succeed in forcing a passage between the outer works they will be met at the onset by a concentric fire from two of the forts and from the ramparts. THE DETACHED FORTRESSES. Having described at some length, and we trust clearly, the line of inner works which sur? rounded Paris, we now direct the attention of the reader to the outer [Us forts detaches.) These are fifteen in number and are of various sizes. They cover a considerable length o?the Sein river, which on the west makes a deep bend forming a broad peninsula. On the south? east the junction of the Seine with the Marne is covered by a fort of which we shall speak hereafter. Beginning on the west we have Fort Mont Valerien, situated on the mount of that name. This is the most powerful of all the fortresses, and is regarded as absolutely impregnable to assault. It stands on the left bank of the Seine, high above the surrounding country, which it sweeps with its guns in all directions. Five miles southeast of Mont Volerien is Fort d'Issy, situated near the bend of the ri7er. One mile and a quarter east of the last named place is Fort de Vanvres, and one mile and three Juarters distant to the east stands Fort de lontrouge. Continuing on in an easterly di? rection, one mile and a half off is Fort d' Arcueil, or Bicetre, as it is more generally call? ed. The next, a mile and a quarter to the east north-east, Fort d' Ivry. These six forts are all situated on the left bank of the Seine, and cover a front of ten and a half miles. They embrace within them the suburbs Ivrjr, Gen tilly, Montrouge, Vanvres, Issy, Sevres, Sares ncs, and St. Cloud. In front, the nearest high ground is at Chatillon, distant three-quarters of a mile southeast of Fort de Vanvres and one mile and a half southwest of Fort Montrouge, which last named fort is also one mile distant from the high ground at Bagnex and three Suarters of mile from the hills near the acque uct. Both the forts named, aided by Fort d' Arcueil, command these elevations their guns sweeping them at easy range. Two miles and a quarter east of Fort d'lvry, on the right bank of the Seine, near its junc? tion with the Marne, aud consequently near I the apex of the angle formed by the two rivers, I stands Fort de Charenton or d'Alfort. Three miles and a half northeast of this, and near the Marne, is Fort de Nogent, another Fortress of great strength, standing on a high hill whicn commands the country for miles around. North-northwest, at a distance of two miles from de Nogent is Fort de Rosny, situated on the extreme right of a tier of hills which ex? tend in a west-northwest direction to Pantin. In the centre of this tier, a mile and three quarteis from Fort de Bosuy, is Fort de llo mainville; while on the extreme left of the tier, one mile and a quarter distant, is Fort de Noissy to the cast of which, near by, stands Pantin, the place referred to in the foregoing : sentence, from this fort to Fort Aubervillicre, two miles and a half to the northwest, the country is an open plain, through which runs the Canal de Oureq. These six forts are all on the right bank of the Seine, and cover a front of Fort de Rosny there is some high ground near by, but it is commanded by Fort de No? gent, as well as by the fort it confronts. Besides these forts, there are three impor? tant fortresses. One mile and a quarter north? west of Auburvilliers is the strong redoubt La Faisanderie and one mile and a half northwest of that is the double Couronne du Nerd, situa in front of St. Denis, and being one of the most important fortresses around the city. One mile west of this fortress is Fort de la Briche, situa? ted directly on the bank of the Seine. From this point to Mont Valerien, on the southwest, there is a gap of seven and a half miles unpro? tected by any forts. But it will be perceived that along here is the great bend of the river. In the event of an enemy crossing between forts de la Birche and Mont Valerien, he would run a very great risk of being cut off from re? treat by a movement of the garrison from the north, and hemmed up in a narrow tract of ground. From our statement of distances it will be ascertained that the circle of fortresses covers a front of thirty-fivo miles, or rather that that number of miles is their circumfer? ence. Such a front would compel the enemy, if they sit down to a regular siege, to cover a circumference at least of fifty-five miles with lines of eircumvallation and contravallation should the object be to cut off the besieged from all chance of relief. It will thus be seen that the Prussian army has a rather formidable job to accomplish before it can shut up the French in Paris. Having minutely located and named the dif? ferent fortresses, with the distances between them, a general sketch of their capacity will be found interesting. The fifteen forts combined present ninety three fronts. Each fort is a sep? arate and distinct work, intended to rely upon itself in case of necessity, though receiving support from the works that flank it. All are casemates, and, combined, mount twenty-three hundred guns of all kinds and calibres. Their armaments have been in them for a long while, so that but little work has been required for them since there was a prospect of Paria, being besieged. Each has its own magazine, barracks, storehouse and supply of water, so that should one be captured the two on each side would not be inconvenienced in the slightest degree, while the captors certainly would be from tho flank fire of the two forts referred to. THE GARRISON As announced from Paris, thegarrisor: in the event of a siege, will consist of 130,000 men. Of this number 30,000 will hold the outer or detached works. These will be, wc shonld say, veteran troops, and not of the Garde Nationale. The ramparts will be manned by 20,000 artil? lerists?principally sailors and marines from the seaports?while the remaining 80,000 will be stationed at different points in the rear of the line, ready to be thrown to any locality at a moment's notice. These latter troops are composed entirely of the Garde Nationale of Paris. They are, doubtless, very raw at the Eresent moment, but one month of steady dril ng will ?uffice to make them good soldiers. OTHER DEFENCES. We should not omit to state that in addition to the forts named, Vincennes is a formidable fortification, which has been greatly enlarged and strengthened during the past twenty years. It stands almost in the rear or Fort de Nogent, but has an open sweep of the country between that work and Fort de Charenton. Further? more, there are two redoubts between Fort de la Birche and Fort Mont Valerien, which are able to keep an advancing enemy in check for a considerable length of time, if not repulse him. At but two points?one south, the other east?is there any high ground in close proxi? mity to the outer fortresses, and these are over? looked and swept by the guns of five forts. For at least thirty out of the thirty-five miles the country is in part open and almost level, so that a hostile army will find it difficult to erect batteries and mount siege guns close enough to the walls to do any material damage to them. conclusion. A great deal of unnecessary sorrow is being expressed at the prospect of Prussian shells battering down the splendid edifices of Paris. It is exceedingly doubtful if any of their shells will fall much beyond the inner line of works and for the reason that they will not be able to construct batteries near enough to the outer fortresses to throw shells into the Tuileries, un? less they brine six hundred pounder guns with them and we doubt much if their siege artil? lery contains guns of any such calibre. Fur? thermore, to surround the walls of Paris would require a much larger army than the Prussians now have. Five hundred thousand men may do it, but half that number cannot. They may occupy all the avenues of approach, but each force of occupation would be so far from the others that by rapid massing the French would stand a fair chance of thrashing the besiegers in detail. - Novel View as to the Origin of the War in Europe.?The Berlin correspondent of the Boston Advertiser takes a new view as to the origin of the great war now progressing in Europe: When the history of this war between France and Prussia shall be written, it will appear that the idea had long been a familiar one to both parties. This is truly Bismarck's war. The good old King tried every way to avert it. He gave Benedetti audience anywhere, and at any time; introduced the subject of Leopold's non acceptance of the Spanish crown himself to the i French Minister on the promenade at Ems, and, it would seem, not as the King of Prussia, but as the head of the Hohenzofiern house, was willing to make any concessions which the French might ask for. It was at his own sug? gestion that Benedetti made that last memor? able call at the Palace at Ems?after the morn? ing meeting on the promenade. Why, then, did the King tell him when he called that he had nothing farther to communicate? Because meanwhile the Minister of the Interior had ar? rived from Berlin with a letter from Bismarck, saying that if those semi-official interviews be? tween the King and the French Ambassador were to be continued at Ems, the King must accept the resignation of his Prime Minister.. Even then the parting of the King and Benedetti was friendly. The understanding was that the mat? ter was to be adjusted with satisfaction to the French, in the ordinary way, by diplomacy. What inflamed all Germany, and France too, was Bismarck's telegraphic despatch, written by himself, yet published without his signature, rep rescntinc Benedetti as insulting the King, and ejected from the Palace for his impudence. It was that despatch which united for the time the I South Germany States with the Northern and raised the cry: "On to Paris!" It was that despatch which made all France boil over with rage, and pre? cipitated the declaration of war. Probably ninety-nine men in ever}' hundred throughout Germany, and France too, believe to-day that there was a kind of a quarrel at Ems between the King and Benedetti. In almost every shop window here in Berlin one sees the photograph of the Ambassador, representing him as pushed down the steps of the Palace by a strong Prus? sian hand, his hat and French documents car? ried away by the wind. Nothing is further from the truth. While the crowd here was filling the Unter den Linden, and shouting, "Down with France," the King and Benedetti, all unconscious of any unpleasantness between each other, were affectionately exchanging salutations at the railway station at Ems. If Bismarck were approached on the matter of this despatch, he would possibly disclaim all responsibility in the affair, and point to the fact that it emanated from the telegraph bu? reau, and was published with the same author? ity as the transactions of the Bourse in the same column. If confronted with the proof that he did write it himself, he would say?for he does say?that a war with France was certain to come ; that the history of the diplomacy be? tween the two nations since 1866, which he has just published, proves it; and if theie must be a war, it is better for Prussia that it come now than later. -* Orange Peel Poisonous.?The Pacific Medical and Surgical Journal says : Now that oranges are in every child's mouth, it is well enough for parents to know that fatal conse? quences may follow the swallowing of the rind. Many year* ago we had in charge two little girls, sisters, four and six years of age, who were seized with violent inflammation of the bowels from this cause. One of them died in convulsions, and the other had a narrow escape. Since that time quite a number of instances, similar in character, have come under our ob? servation. Quite recently we have seen a child, some? thing over a year old, that was attacked with violent dysenteric symptoms, for which no cause could be assigned. The attack came on during the passage of the steamer from San Diego. The symptoms were so identical with those which we had previously noticed to arise from poisoning by orange peel, that we were induced to inquire particularly if the child had had an opportunity of getting this substance in its mouth. We were informed that it had been playing with an orange and nibbling at it just before the attack ol the disease. The dis? charges from the bowels were frequent, and consisted of blood and mucus. After a week of severe enteric inflammation, the child died. We have no doubt that the disease was brought on by the rind of the orange. Though but a small quantity must have been swallowed, yet a very small quantity of such an indigestible and irritating substance will often produce most se? rious consequences The oil of the rind is highly acrid, and adds greatly to the noxious quality of the indigesti? ble mass. We learn that it is a common prac? tice among the children of some of our public schools to eat the rind, and that juvenile mer? chants have been known to trade off the inside of the fruit for the skin. ? Chillicothe, Ohio, has an ordinance closing even apothecaries' shops on Sunday, so thattho inhabitants must either be taken sick early on Saturday night, or put off their illness till Monday morning, which is exceedjugly incon? venient for those who have much business to attend to on week days. Southern Patience. The St. Louis Republican pays this just trib? ute to the Southern character: "Patience was not once esteemed a Southern virtue, but afflic? tions sometimes reveal heroic attributes that prosperity and success cannot develop. Our and passionate, but the slow-burning furnace they have been subjected to for five years past has shown that, without being less brave and passionate than we esteemed them, they possess profounder properties of heroism than they have been credited with. Their condition at the close of a four years' exhaustive and un? successful war, in which absolute failure had followed the expenditure of all their resources, was pitable to a degree that has seldom been witnessed. Defeated, disarmed, and utterly impoverished, would appear to make up the full measure of misery to a people; but in the case of our Southern countrymen there was added to this the rare humiliation of being placed in political subjection to their own slaves ?an ignominy which none but themselves can fully comprehend. For a time the accumulated burdens seemed more than they could bear, and the commence? ment of a despondent migration to Brazil was apprehensively regarded as the initiative of a movement that might possibly make the South the desolate, exclusive home of semi-barbaric Africans. But fortunately for their Northern kinsmen, and fortunately for the Government that seemed resolved to drive them to despair, the Southern leaders came forward and exerted the personal authority which had demonstrated such potency in the war. They condemned the Brazil movement, and advised their people to remain at home and accept what might come. Their counsel was obeyed, and they thus be? came the instruments of saving to the country an element which that country appeared anx? ious to get rid of, but which it will yet learn to appreciate. Beaten in the war, disarmed, deprived of the political rights which were a part of them? selves, harassed by constant military interfer? ence, and annoyed by the offensive conduct of the ignorant masses into whose hands had been entrusted the authority they once wielded, there was nothing left them but to seek a partial ob? livion of their afflictions in hard labor in their mortgaged cotton field while their ex-slaves wallowed in franchises they knew not the value of, and an unfriendly party in Congress spent year after year in passing measures to perpetu? ate the subjection of four million Americans to four million Africans. It was this weary or? deal of five years, in which Southern heads were smitten down whenever they dare to lift themselves up, that has added to the Southern character a fortitude that it was not supposed to possess, and such as few people have ever ex? hibited. Had this people been brave and pas? sionate only, they would have broken out in re? peated futile resistance to the Federal author? ity. But they made no such resistance. Their submission at Appomatox was absolute, and has been maintained and unbroken every hour since then. They recognize that it was their duty to suffer, and they have endured their suf? ferings, apathy and despair, but with an un murmnring patience thoroughly heroic. They have added their valuable little cotton crops, produced by their own labor, to the wealth of the country; they have assisted to pay the debt that represents the cost of their defeat; they have submitted without opposition to orders and process issued by those who were once their servitors; they have seen their hardly earned substance devoured by greedy and characterless adventurers from distant States, and they have done and borne all this without either resent? ment or influence. In view of the spectacle they have thus pre? sented, and are still presenting, it may be asked in their behalf, if it is not time that their op? pressions should cease? Has the Government of the United States, this day, more valuable and virtuous citizens in any part of its entire domain than those proscribed white people of the South ? And can any government, with justice to itself, persist in oppressing and dis? abling a people whose only answer to the in? fliction is the mute eloquence of a fortitude that has scarcely a parrallell ?" Ftte Minutes More to Live.?A young I man stood up before a large audience, in the most fearful position a human being could be placed. He stood on the Platform of a scaffold. The noose had been adjusted around his neck, and in a few minutes more he would be in eter? nity. The Sheriff took out his watch and said: "If you have anything to say, speak now, as you have but five minutes more to live/' Oh, what awful Words for" a young man to hear, standing there in full health and vigor ! Shall I tell you his message to the young about him ? He burst into tears, and said, with sob? bing : ?'I have to die 1 I had only one little brother. He had beautiful blue eyes and flaxen hair ; and oh! how I loved him. But one day I got drunk, for the first time in my life. I came home and found my little brother gathering strawberries in the garden. I got angry with him without cause, and I killed him with a rake. I knew nothing about it till I woke next day and found myself tied and guarded. They told me when my little brother was found his hair was clotted with blood and brains. Whis? key has done it. It has ruined me. I have only one more word to say to the voting people before I go to stand in the presence of my Judge. Never, never, never touch anything that can intoxicate !" As he said these words, he sprang from the box and was in eternity. The Two Prince Williams of Prussia.? As some confusion may arise between these two Princes, both prominent officers and corps com? manders,, jfcmay be useful to describe them. Frederick William is the Crown Prince, and only son and heir of William I, now King of Prussia. He was born in 1831, and in 185G married Queen Victoria's eldest daughter. He distinguished himself at Sadowa, and by his timely arrival saved the battle. Prince Frederick Charles is a nephew of the King. He is forty-two years of age, and ranks with the first military generals of the age. It is said he forced the Sadowa fight risking the junction of his cousin the Crown Prince, who came up in time to gain the victory. He is considered as having as much military abil? ity as any officer in Germany, and though all deference is paid to Frederick William as heir apparent, who possesses quite a fair share of warlike prowess, he yields to his cousin Fred? erick Charles. ? Mrs. Partington has been sick, and being inspired, expressed her feelings in the following language: "La, me 1 here I have been suffering the Digamies of death for three mortal weeks. First, I was seized with a bleeding phrenology in the left hampshire of the brain, which was exceeded by the stoppage of the left ventilator of the heart. This gave me an infiamation of the borax, and now I'm sick with the chlore &rm morbus. There's no blessing like that of ' health, particularly when you're sick. ?out] era brethren were A Scrap of History. Was Judge Orr a secessionist in 18511 Some old citizens contend he delivered a speech in this District favoring secession at that time, and that soon afterwards he found himself facing the current and tacked sail so promptly, that his real position on the then question has | always been a matter of doobt. To settle all doubts on this point, we publish the following extract from a manuscript letter of his own to an influential citizen of this county i Washington, 24th January, 185L My Dear Sir: * * * * I hope a ticket for the Convention will be fixed upon in Pickens and Anderson, and that the people will generally turn out to the most im? portant election ever held in the State. You should be careful to send firm, and true men. There must be no wavering. From all the in? formation I have been able to obtain here, I am under the impression that if our State should alone secede from the Union, as I belive she will with great unanimity, that neither the President or Congress would attempt to use force to keep us in the Union. The Northern men with whom I have conversed express great regret at the prospect of our seceding, but say that a collision between the general govern? ment and South Carolina would at once unite the entire South under one flag, and that a total disruption of the Union would be inevitable. The greater the unanimity in favor of secession, the less will be the danger of a collision. I, therefore, hope to see the State unanimous, and whilst the horizon now indicates a peaceable secession, it is entirely prudent to prepare our State for the worst contingency. ******* Such were the views of the man who soon after became a blatant co-operationist. Public opinion had followed the counsels of Perry; and Orr followed public opinion. Suppose it other? wise, and Judge Orr had used his powerful in? fluence in behalf of secession then, our condi? tion might now be different. There was less of union and strength in the Radical party North, and less of bitterness on the part of the South. By prompt action then, those questions, which afterwards produced war and the ruin of the South, might have been settled for years to come, and the late war been averted. Such was surely the opinion of Orr, and if his opposition to secession in his public speeches had been honest, no one could have charged him with fault. He was our nominal leader, our repre? sentative in Congress, and had the best means of judging the proper course for the true in? terests of our people. Did he so advise them, or did he, as now, take the strong side against his own opinion ??Keowee Courier. A Wonderful Potato* Mark Twain has been visiting Beecher's farm, Greeley's farm and the farms of many of our leading city farmers, so that he has fallen completely in love with the busiuess, and es? pecially with that part of it which raises the wonderful new seedlings. He states his "agri? cultural" line by the announcement of a new potato. He thus tells its origin. "I obtained it by crossing the yam of the tropics with the Canada thistle; aud by carefully selecting and cultivating the best specimens for several sea? sons, I have secured a product that perma? nently combines the earliness of the former and the endurance of the latter; in other words, my new potato is a rare combination of speed and bottom, and it will do to bet on. I have christened it the 'Early Stunner*?a name sug? gested by its extraordinary qualities and per? formances." Mr. Twain, however, not having had much experience in farming, thought best to place it in the hands of some reliable men in whom the public had confidence, and publishes heaps of testimonials. We give a specimen from Mr. John Smith, a respectable butcher, whose repu? tation for veracity is so well known. He says : "I am perfectly satisfied with the 'Early Stunner.' The pound that I purchased Of you will do me. In fact, it has already done me, so that I shall not want to buy auy more. The day after I planted them my swine made a raid on the patch, aud I supposed I had lost my crop. You may imagine my disappointment when I saw the foremost hog?after greedily opening the first hill?suddenly drop the slice ot 'Stunuers' which he found there, and, with an expression of disgust and mortification, 'walk off on his ear,' 'a sadder and a wise hog,' followed by the remainder of the drove. My hogs usually range my potato crop, aud a hog proof potato has long been my hope. I hail the 'Stunner' with enthusiasm as being just the thing for poorly-fenced fields. Dr. Jones the celebrated physician also gives the following testimony : "Having no land of my own, I planted a pound of 'Earlv Stunners,' in the macadamiz? ed road, opposite my residence. One of my neighbors recommended an application of plas? ter, as he thought the road had been 'Sumioler fallcrcd' too much to raise crops without a stim? ulant; and as this was my first experience in agriculture, I acted upon his suggestion, and applied one of AlcockV porous plaster to each I hill. The result was amazing. On the first of July I had 100 bushels of Buckeyes; July sec j ond, 100 bushels of Pinkeyes ; July fourth, a pair of Blackeyes; July sixth, twins, July seventh had to dig my potatoes or give bonds to keep the peace. "Accordingly I hired a couple of Irishmen, sunk a shaft m my front yard, tunnelled under the road, and soon strack"a magnificent vein of potatoes. I shall never know how many bushels there were, n> a rumor got abroad that I had opened a potato mine, and that night there was an irruption of predatory Fenians. Before the next morning's sun burst, the last potato had disappeared, and I was ruined." -<? Saluda Dental Society?This Society which our readers will remember, met for the first time last June, in Newberry, held its sec? ond meeting at Williamston, S. C., on the 25th just. Six new members were added to the Society. The time of the Society, yet in its infancy was most creditably occupied in the reading of important essRys, which provoked spirited and edifyingdiscussion. Among the essays were i one by Dr. Wardlaw, of Abbeville, on "Dental Societies," and another on "Materials for filling Teeth," by Dr. Thompson, of Newberry. Drs. Wardlaw and Crymes were elected dele? gates to the Southern Dental Association. The Society adjourned after a delightful and harmonious session of two days, to meet again, at Greenville, S. C, on the third Thursday in January, 1871, at 8 o'clock p. m. We cannot conclude this article before we have offered our congratulations to the gentle? men who compose the Saluda Dental Society, and also expressing our desire that they may soon meet with that success which their noble, humane, health-preserving and progressive sci? ence so richly merits? Nevooerry Herald. ? There is a poor fellow at Bangor who says "it's working between meals that's killing him." ? If, as Lucy Stone says, "the cradle is wo? man's ballot box," there has got to be a law passed in Indiana against "repeating." A- wo? man there has-Jnst cast three votes at endV. Death of Little Nelh by charles dickerts. She was dead. No sleep so beautiful and calm, so fair to look upon. She seemed a crea? ture fresh from the hand of God, and waiting for the breath of life; not one who had lived* and suffered' death. Her couch was dressed with here and there some Winter berries and green leaves, gathered in a spot she had been used to favor. "When I diej put me near something that has loved the light, and had the sky above it always." Those were her words. She was dead. Dear, gentle, patient Nell was dead. Her little bird, a poor, slight thine the pressure of a finger would have crushed, was stirring nimbly in its cage, and the strong heart of its child mistress-was mute and motion? less forever I Where were the traces of her early cares, her sufferings, and fatigues? All gone. Sorrow was dead, indeed, in her; but peace and perfect happiness were born, imaged in her tranquil beauty and profound repose. And still her former self lay there unaltered in this change. Yes I the old. fireside had smil? ed upon the sweet face; it had passed, like a dream, through the haunts of misery and care; at the door of the poor schoolmaster on the summer evening, before the furnace-fire upon the cold, wet night, at the still bedside of the dying boy, there had been that same mild and lovely look. So shall we know the angels, in their majesty, after death. The old man held one languid arm in his, I and the small, light hand folded to his breast I for warmth. . It was the hand she had stretched ! out to him with her last smile; the hand that I had led him on through all their wanderings; Ever and anon he pressed it to his lips, then hugged it to his breast, murmuring that it was warmer now, and, as he said it, he looked in agony to those who stood around, as if implor? ing them to help hen She was dead, and past all help or heed of help. The ancient rooms she had seemed to fill with life even while her own was waning fast; the garden she had tended, the eyes she had gladdened, noiseless haunts of many a thoughtless hour, the paths she had trodden, as it were, but yesterday, could know her no more. "It is not," said the young scholmastcr as he bent down to kiss her on the cheek, and gave free vent to his tears, "it is not in this world that Heaven's justice ends. Think what it is, compared with the world to which her young spirit has winged her early flight, and say, if one deliberate wish, expressed in solemn tones, could win her back tc life, which of us would utter it?" She had been dead two days; They were all about her at the time, knowing that the end was drawing on. She died soon after daybreaks They hid read and talked to her in the early portion of the night; but as the hours crept on, she sank to sleep. They could tell by what she faintly uttered in her dreams, that they were of her journeyings with the old man; they were of no painful scenes, but of those who had helped them kindly; for she often said, "God bless you!" with great fervor. Waking, she never wandered in her mind but once, and that was at beautiful music, which she said was in the air. God knows. It may have been; Opening her eyes, at last, from a very quiet sleep, she begged that they would kiss her once again. That done, she turned to the old man, with a lovely smile up? on her face, such, they said, as they had never seen and could never forget, and clung with both her arms about his neck. She had never murmured or complained; but, with a quiet mind, and a mind quite unaltered, save that she every day became more earnest and more grateful to them, faded like the light upon the summer's evening. The child who had been her friend came there, almost as soon as it was day, with an offering of dried flowers, which he begged them to lay upon her breast. He told them of his dream again, and that it was of her being re? stored to them, just as she used to be. He begged hard to see her, saying that he would be very quiet, and they need not fear his being alarmed, for he had sat alone by his younger brother all day long when he was dead, and ne felt glad to be so near him. They let him have his wish ; and, indeed, he kept his word, and Was, in his childish way, a lesson to them all. Up to that time, the old man had not spoken once, except to her, or stirred from the bedside. But when he saw her little favorite he was moved as they had not seen him yet, and made as though he would have come nearer. Then pointing to the bed, he burst into tears for the first time, and those who stood by, knowing that the sight of the Child.had done him good, left them all alone together. Soothing him with nis artless talk to her, the child persuaded him to take some rest, to walk abroad, to do almost as he desired him. And when the day came on which they must re? move her, in her earthly shape, from earthly eyes, he led him away, "that he might not know when she was taken from him. They were to gather fresh leaves and berries for her bed. And now the bell, the bell she had so ofteu heard by night and by day, and listened to with solemn pleasure, almost as a living voice, rung its remorselcs9 toll for her, so young, so beau ful, so good. Decrepit age, and vigorous life, and blooming youth, and helpless infancy, on crutches, in the pride of health and strength, in the full blush of promise, in the mere dawn of life, gathered round her. Old men were there, whose eyes were dim and senses failing, grandmothers who might have died ten years ago and still have been old, the deaf, the blind, the lame,-the palsied, the living dead, in many shapes and forms, to see the closing of that early grave. Along the crowded path they bore her now, pure as the newly-fallen snow that covered it, whose day on earth bad been as. fleeting. Un? der that porch where she had sat when heaven, in its mercy, brought her to that peaceful spot, she passed again, and the old church received her in its quiet shade. Woman's Brains?The smaller size of wo* man's brain may be made up for the greater activity of Dervous fibre, and by its proportion? al size to the body beiu? equal relatively to that of man. Still it is said, in reply, that men possess larger and stronger heads for the same reason that they have strouger limbs?viz: that Nature has fitted them to do stronger work. But, according to the London Lancet, when we pass to the domestic and social relations of woman, to the emotional part of her nature, to her instincts and affections, which are also in? stinctive, and to the powerful influence which these exert on her, and through her on her hus? band aud' her children, no physiologist can doubt, wc think, that there is a corresponding relation between the delicacy of the organiza? tion aud character of the physical structure --f woman and that of her usual duties in life, l.', continues the writer, women.are to marry and be given in marriage, we fear that these' dutie v of life must form an insuperable obstacle to I their becoming bread-winners and brain-work? ers in the same sense that men are; and what ' is more, we conceive that it would be a very grievous thing for our children and ourselma it'were otherwise. ? >? ? -? . ...