XXXVII. Les catacombes de Saint-Sébastien
XXXVII. The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian
The French Chamber of Deputies debates Observatory funding, a Toulon court-martial examines the wreck of the steam frigate Grozenant, and Florence counts the cost of catastrophic flooding.
- French glassmakers Bontemps and Guinand offered the Académie des Sciences telescope lenses of 57 centimetres diameter — free of streaks and bubbles — and proposed scaling up to one metre for a mere 2,500 francs per disc, potentially dwarfing any telescope yet built.
- A total lunar eclipse visible across France is predicted for Sunday 24 November, with the moon plunging into full shadow from 11:07 p.m. until 12:40 a.m. and glowing a reddish hue throughout, while Jupiter shines brilliantly nearby.
- Lieutenant Besson's steam frigate Grozenant ran aground off Morocco in thick fog, came under fire from nearly 600 armed Arabs who wounded thirteen crew, and was finally torched by its captain on Prince de Joinville's orders — the court-martial drew crowds to the Toulon Place d'Armes.
- Floodwaters in Florence left hundreds of families destitute overnight, required horses to be hoisted to upper floors for safety, and moved Grand Duke Leopold II to personally tour the stricken streets, reportedly exclaiming: 'My poor city of Florence!'
- A convicted felon named Claréty ambushed a young innkeeper's daughter on a country road near Padirac, murdered her with a stone after she knelt to pray for him, and was caught only because a seventeen-year-old shepherd had watched the entire scene from behind a wall without uttering a sound.
- A Parisian court convicted the editor of the Courrier des Spectacles, Charles-Maurice Descombes, of defaming Vaudeville actor Laferrière and sentenced him to two months' imprisonment, a 500-franc fine, and 3,000 francs in damages.
- A new illustrated edition of Hugo's Notre-Dame de Paris, published by Perrotin with engravings by Meissonier, Daubigny, Tony Johannot, and five other artists, has just been completed and is tipped as the most sought-after New Year's gift of the season.
- At Maubeuge, the 9th Hussars celebrated their regimental anniversary with a ball whose chandeliers were fashioned from rows of saddle pistols, each barrel holding a candle — officers from Belgium and Valenciennes danced until four in the morning.