The Sun. — London, England, 1870-09-07 00:00:00

THE WAR. THE CRISIS IN FRANCE. PARIS, MONDAY. The excitement still continues, though in a more modi fied degree, for the fear of riot and civil disturbance has considerably diminished since the pacific proclamation of the Republic. It has been evident ever since Saturday evening that the fate of the dynasty was inevitable, but the scene at the Chamber yesterday was very exciting nevertheless. The sitting was fixed for midday, but from an early hour the word was given to all the battalions of the National Guard to hold themselves in readiness to marched unarmed to the Palais Bourbon, and demand the deposition of the Emperor and the Regent and the proclamation of the Republic. Special precautions had been taken by the military authorities for the protection of the National representatives. Picquets of gendarmes and Paris Guards, both horse and foot, were stationed round the Palace, on the quays, and in all the environs. Long before midday an immense crowd assembled in the Place de la Concorde, and as the deputies began to arrive they were greeted with vociferous shouts of "Vive la 116publique ! " Some members of the Right who were recognised were hooted. So great was the crowd by this time that even the best known politicians and journalists found it very difficult to get through it The National Guards were fraternising with the people, and all alike were cheering and decorating the statue of Strasbourg. Several citizens harangued the people, advising -a ley& en masse against the Prussians, tut, as the first step towards the discomfiture of the enemy, the overthrow of the system of government which had led France into an abyss. The people applauded these sentiments, vocife rously 'shouting for la dech6ance # and la nation ! some times, though more rarely, for la Republique! Meanwhile the scene inside the Chamber was no less agitated. The sitting commenced at about twenty minutes past one, some delay having been occasioned by the difficulty of getting through the crowd. After the reading of the proem verbal M. Glais-Bizoin desired that his name might be attached to the proposition of M. Jules Fevre, which was, he declared, their only plank of safety. The Minister of War asked leave to speak, but M. de K6ratry interrupted him with a motion of order. He accused the Minister of War of having failed in his duty in putting a guard on the Chamber. The office of dis posing of the Parisian troops belonged to General Trochu alone. The Minister protested. General Trochu had only the command of the troops on the fortifications, those not required for defences were still under the orders of the War Minister. And besides, what had the Deputies to complain of ? That they were too well taken care of ? " Vous plaignez vous que I,marie6 est trop belle ?" This attempted jest in the midst of such serious surroundings gave dire offence to the Chamber. Parisians are now fully awake to the fact that they have been treated like children, soothed and flattered and amused by specious and hollow, promises of triumph and success which have turned into terrible defeats, and the Minister's light phrase seemed too much in keeping with the preced ing conduct of the officials. There was a violent uproar, which M. de Palikao listened to with, folded arms, and when it had a little subsided he proceeded to read the pro position which the Ministerial Council had decided upon. Under this a council of government and of na tional defence was to be formed, consisting of five members elected by the Corps Legislatif, The Ministers were to be nominated by this Council, and General Palikao was to be Lieutenant-General. The Left protested loudly, and Jules Fevre, in the midst of great commotion, demanded that his previous proposition -should have the priority. When Thiers rose, silence was restored. The zseteran. .statesman first declared that •he put Ms own personal preferences on one side, for union was iiadispensahla in face of theanemy, and he then reed a third .proposition„ whieb also proposed the establialunent of a committee of Government and of national defence to be appointed by the Chamber, but with the addition that a Constituent Assembly should be convoked as soon as circumstances permitted. M. de Palikao partly agreed to this. The country, he said, should be consulted as soon as they had emerged from the present embarrassment. Gambetta demanded that the three proposals should be voted urgent, and they were sent to the same com mittee for consideration, and the President having sus pended the sitting until they had been discussed, the deputies withdrew to the Bureaux. Meanwhile, the battalions of the National Guard had assembled en masse outside the grille of the Chamber. They were greeted with acclamation, by the public in the galleries, by some mem •hers of the Left, and by the journalists of that party. Greetings were exchanged across the bars. This did not last long, however, for the guards endeavoured to make their way in through a gate which had been left ajar. The porters resisted for a while, but the guards pro tested loudly against their exclusion. M. Steenackers, one of the deputies of the Left, tried to pacify them in vain, and finally agreed to their entry without arms. At first it was thought that only a deputation would be ad mitted, and it was attempted to close the gate, but once open this was impossible. It would have been as easy to keep back the advancing tide as to stay the onward pro , gress of the excited crowd who poured into the'Chamber, into the Salle des Pas Perdus, into all the corridors. In one of the galleries an angry discussion was going on, and eager questions were shouted to the deputies, who leisurely returned to the Chamber. The President ascended his chair and tried vainly to restore silence. Gambetta and Cremieux came up together and the former begged the people to be quiet. " You may be sure," he said, "that you will get what you want, only allow the Chamber to deliberate undisturbed." This appeal produced a temporary lull, but it was only temporary. The invaders pushed on and on, and as they could not find standing room in the galleries they entered the corridor behind the deputies' seats. Some efforts were made to dislodge them. but very ineffectually. A renewed appeal for silence on the part of the President produced, however, something like order for a few moments, but on the entry of M. de Palikao, hat in hand, the noise broke out again. The minister and his colleagues withdrew, returned and retired again, and finally vanished altogether amid a cloud of dust, and a deafening sound of confused voices, shouts, and mur- murs. It was a sensational, if not a very dignified, end ing for the short-lived war ministry. Meanwhile Jules Favre had gained a momentary hearing, and implored the people to reserve their arms and their opposition for the Prussians. At that moment the first thing wanted was union, and that was why they did not pro- claim the Republic. Here there there were violent interruptions, and cries of " Vive la R4publique I " The clamourers ascended the tribune and surrounded the speaker. One of them wanted to make a speech, and was with difficulty prevented. The tumult was great. The crowd kept pushing in, while the seats of the deputies, with a few exceptions on the Left, were empty. The President had left the chair, though his bell was rung from time to time by one of the National Guards. - So matters went on, until about three o'clock a cry was raised for Rochefort, and it was proposed to seek him in St. Pelagie. After some ho urs o f con f us i on f res h cr i es _ _ were raised for the Hotel de Villo and the Tuileries, and the crowd commenced to thin. Those who took the road to the Tuileries arrived there soon after three in a state of great excitement. When the crowd forced its way into the garden, it broke the grating on the side of the place de la Con corde, and tore down the eagles which surmounted the gates. The National Guard and the Garde Mobile took the lead of the advancing column. One of the Gard€,. Mobile was sent to treat with the soldiers, and told them that the Republic was proclaimed, and they cleshed to enter the building. The General agreed to send away his troops if the National Guard took charge of the Place. The flag on the pavilion was then lowered. The crowd then defiled amid loud cries, but they committed no outrages. The palace was .de- serted, one of the National Guard was furnished with the key of the private apartments, and was greatly affected on entering them. The reception rooms still preserved their usual look, but on the ground floor there waF§ great disorder. According to the opinion of M. Raveney, the National Guard before mentioned, the Empress had just departed, and there were signs of great haste having been made. The Imperial apartments were strewed with empty boxes, and various articles scattered about in confusion. In one place a child's sword • was thrown beside of a packet of some numbers of the Gaulois and Figaro. In one room there were traces of au unfinished breakfast. In the Emperor's room there were several maps of Prussia, the statues of the Prince Imperial and many illustrations of , Prussian officers and soldiers in full costume. No havoc was committed in the Tuileries, which were guarded by detachments of the National Guard and the Garde Mobile. Many inscriptions were traced on the walls, conspicuous among which was that of Vive la R6publique Francaise." Figaro says the Empress bad been making preparations for her departure for a fortnight. She left the Tuileries at one o'clock in the afternoon in a carriage by the small gate on the quay, accompanied by M. Felix, a hussar, and drove rapidly to the Northern Railway Station, The Empress is going to join her son at Brussels. The Prin cess Clotilde remains the last of the Napoleon family in Paris. After attending divine service, she left the Palais Royal at three o'clock for Prangiers, where her children are. At the Hotel de Ville all the doors were opened to the crowd, and those who came walked in uninterruptedly to the Throne Room itself. When the members of the new Provisional Government made their appearances the prefect, M. Blanche, immediately gave way to them,- and they installed themselves in his cabinet while M. Aragq, the new mayor of Paris, took possession of the sec. retary's room. The Republic, which had been resolved upon by the leading members of the Chamber, was prodlaimed by Gambetta and Jules Ferry in the Prefect's room, before some hundreds of persons. Some lively discussions took place,and the popular feeling was very plainly sewn. A fine portrait of the Emperor would have been destroyed had not Gambetta turned its face to the wall, saying, "It is useless." The tricolour flag was taken down from the wall, Gambetta and others crying that it had led the people to victory in 1793, and would do so again. Some protests were heard. "It is the flag of the Bour bons." The answer was, "No, the white is the old colour of France." " The flag has been soiled!" the murmurers cried again. " We will wash it," was the reply. Rochefort, who came in, was received with open arms by Gambetta, who made him take his place among the members already installed. The Temps says that the Republic has already gained twenty millions by the departure of one man and his family. The Civil Service weighed heavily in the nation's budget, and with the saving thus effected they can buy powder and balls. The decree which abolishes the Senate has also contributed greatly to the saving of expenses. THE SCENE IN THE CHAMBER The Paris correspondent of the Times, writing yesterday says that on his going about 11 o'clock to the Place de la Concorde it looked much as usual, the only novelty being that the statue of " Strasburg," which sits upon a trophy of cannon near the gate of the Tuileries, had a flag put Into its hands,and was crowned and decorated with flowers. Near the bridge, however, there was a crowd assembled, not a large one at that time, and which was prevented by lines of mounted Municipal Guards from pressing for ward towards the Chamber. There were cries of "Vive la France I" and the people were manifestly greatly ex cited. One or two deputies in open vehicles were cheered as they drove on to the bridge, which was prohibited ground to all who had not tickets of admission. The guard at the Chamber was composed of troops of the line; the quays and other avenues leading to it were barred at a certain distance by detachments of cavalry chiefly as far as I could discern, mounted Municipals. In no direction, as far as the eye could reach, was there any appearance of people hastening to the Chamber, the body of which, when I entered, was entirely empty. The galleries were already pretty full, and soon became crowded, and in two of them, appropriated, I believe, to ex-deputies, there was much loud discussion and more mirth than seemed becoming at a moment when Paris and France are plunged in the deepest mourning. It was one etlock before the roll of the drum announced the President's arrival. There were few deputies in the House when M. Schneider took the chair, He looked very much knocked up, flushed, and heated, and as he sat back in his ehair, his elbow on the arm, and rested his head upon his hand, partly shading his eyes, the expression of the old man's face was inexpressibly sad. The deputies began to flow fa rapidly ; the Left was the first to muster in force, and I fancied their air was confident, and that the Eight looked depressed. Gambetta was early a his post and Jules Simon and Ernest Picard,. Angel -c)1(1 Carrier Pages, and other pro ;ninon* Democrats, Jules ram arrived rather late, looking pale and haggard and resolute. The Chamber was very full, and a great malority of the deputies Were seated when M. Thiers entered, and a buzz ran round the galleries, "Vol% M. Thiers ! " After some &lay the President rang his bell, and the sitting was opened. The public sitting was soon afterwards adjourned., and I went down into the court, crowded with deputies, journalists, and spectators from the tribunes. The court is closed in front by lofty iron railings, continued along the whole front of the building. In this court animated conversations went on, and in some cases became angry disputes, and finally violent quarrels. Several blows were struck, and at one time two pairs of gentlemen were exchanging fisticuffs with right good will. Meanwhile a crowd of National Guards were uttering various cries, among which were chiefly distinguishable "La d6ch6ance 1" (of the dynasty, understood) " Vive la France ! Vive la Republique 1" A number of persons on the upper steps, some deputies, some in National Guard uniform, waved their caps and responded to the cries. At the same time a strong agit ation was carried on with the object of replacing the troops by the National Guard. Officers, some of them with the insignia of high rank upon their caps, passed to and, fro. At one moment it seemed i as if bl o od s h e d mus t ensue . I returned to the box, one of those on the first tier, in which I had a place. On entering, the deputies were still absent, with the exception of a few who stood 'about near the entrance and platform. In the tribune was M. Gambetta haranguing the galleries, into which a few very noisy and turbulent persons had found their way, and ex horting them to order. The malcontents, however, would not be silenced, although the feeling of the great body of the spectators was manifestly against them. As we sat in the tribune we heard strange noises outside. Some persons at first took them for musketry, but it presently became manifest that they were caused by blows dealt upon one of the doors of the building. The noise increased, and became very loud and violent. Presently the rumbling, tramping noise of countless foot steps ascending the stairs and coursing through the corri dors was distinctly heard. The door at which they had been hammering had given way and the people had in vaded the House. The door was opened, and the people, or National Guards, or whatever they may best be called, poured in as fast as the narrowness of the entrance would allow them. The general aspect of the crowd was not encouraging. I walked down into a large light lobby, having a very large window and glazed folding-doors,:opening upon the court,at right angles with the wall in which is the deputies' entrance. The court was crowded, crammed ; one could have walked on the heads of the throng, which consisted of the soldiers of the line already mentioned, of National Guards, and of civilians of all classes. Gambetta appeared on the steps. He is one of the popular heroes of the hour ; his burly form, dark aquiline countenance, and black beard were recognised by all. He spoke, but the window was between us and the noise was still great, and little of what he said reached one ; he had fallen back into the crowd that surrounded him, and perhaps had returned into the Chamber, when the doors opened wide and the throng in the court began steadily to press forward into the House. The military force near the Chamber was very large. The Place de la Concorde was crammed with people; there was no passage over the bridge lead ing to it. The nearest possible way to the boulevards was by the Pont des Invalides and the Champs Elysees. Everywhere one saw crowds of people. and groups in eager discussion. There was a large body of troops in the Tuileries ; a good many of them were of the Imperial Guard. The flag still flew on the Palace, indicating the presence of the Sovereign. It would be a good hearing that she was gone, for the exasperation seems aug menting, and I saw more than one fist shaking menacingly at the Tuileries. There may be danger of an attack by the armed and furious multitude, and if the soldiers are faithful to their trust a terrible • conflict might ensue. The soldiers at the Chamber were amenable enough, and quite ready to acclaim the downfall of the dynasty and the,establish ment of a Republic. The Empress is high-spirited and courageous, and just now greatly excited, and she may refuse to go, although her obvious place now is with her son, in Belgium. Last night her cousin, the Duchess of Malakoff, and the CountessWalewski, who are her two most intimate friends, did all they could to get to see her, waited at the Palace, sent in urgent note and messages, but all in vain. She would see no one, and up to a late hour none had gained admittance to her. What has since passed I know not, even at this moment, and it is now :7 o'clock p.m. I doubt whether Paris knows the full extent of the national misfortunes. IRE SUS, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1870 who was the officer in attendance on the King when he was at. Compiegne. He was the bearer of an autograph letter from the Emperar, addressed to His Majesty, and written in no agitated hand. You already know the terms Mon Frere,—N'ayant peut mourir h la tete de mon armee, je depose mon epee au pied de votre Majesty." This letter was immediately conveyed to the King; who, with Count Bismarck, General Moltke, and his Staff, was looking down from a height above Wadelincourt' on the extinction of an 'Empire. His Majesty's answer was courteous fond firm, and meantime General Wimpffen was informed that the terms offered to the army was the surrender of the whole force, guns, horses, and material to the Prussians. At ten o'clock the town was to be bombarded, and the Frehch army around it to be shelled, unless the capitula tions were signed. It is stated that the scene inside the walls and out WAS, to use a strong expression, Hell broke loose," When the Emperor, who passed weary hours, looked out in the early morning he beheld a forest of steel and iron on valley and hilltop, batteries posted on every eminence, cavalry in all the plains, as far as his eye could reach the hosts of embattled Germans. • His deci , sion was taken at last. He would see the King and seek to obtain from him some mitigation of the terms. Attended by a few of his staff on horseback, his Majesty proceeded along the road from Sedan in a brougham. Count Bismarck was in bed in his quarters in Donchery when an officer rushed in and announced that the Emperor was coming to meet him and to see the King. Count Bismarck rose, dressed hastily —you may be sure in the white-peaked cap with yellow band, dark uniform coat with metal buttons and yellow facings—and hastened off to meet the Emperor. He was just in time to stop the cortege outside the town. I was away on the field, and therefore cannot, of my own per sonal knowledge, state what occurred. As His Majesty alighted I hear Count Bismarck uncovered his head, and stood with his cap in his hand, and on a sign or request from the Emperor to put it on the Count re plied, "Sire, I receive your Majesty as I would my own Royal master." There happened to be near the place where the interview occurred, a few hundred yards outside the squalid town of Donchery, the humble cottage of a handloom weaver, of whom there are numbers around Sedan. Count Bismarck led the way, and entered it. The room was not inviting. The great Count walked upstairs, and found that the apart ment was filled by the handloom and appliances of the weaver; so he descended, and found the Emperor sitting on a stone outside. Two chairs were brought out of the cottage. The Emperor sat down in one outside the cot tage, Count Bismarck took the other, and placed it on his Majesty's left-hand side. The officers in at tendance on their fallen master lay down some distance away upon a small plot of grass in front of the cottage. The conversation was a strange one, and as Count Bismarck has repeated it freely, or the principal points of it, no doubt it will be soon known and remain for ever as historic. The great point to be gained was peace, but, as far as his Imperial Majesty was con cerned, no assurance of it could be obtained by Count Bismarck. The Emperor stated that he had no power. He could not negotiate a peace ; he could not give orders to the army, nor to Marshal Bazaine ; the Empress was Regent of France, and on her and her Ministers must devolve negotiations. So Count Bismarck thereupon remarked that it was of no avail to hold any further conversation on political matters with his Majesty and that it would be of no use to see the King. The Emperor desired to see the King in person, but Count Bismarck declared that it was not possible to accede to his Majesty's wishes " until the capitulation had been signed." "Then, as the conversation was becoming rather dangerous, and as the situation was be coming difficult on both sides, we ended it." The interview terminated. Count Bismarck went to see the King. The Emperor withdrew to consult his ' officers. It was a stupendous moment. The garrison of Sedan was furious at the idea of capitulation. But there, in grim black lines, on every bluff and knoll, on every ridge above the Meuse, on all the heights around, were drawn, up the batteries which would rain a hail of fire on the devoted town. Negotiations an. to terms went on, and at last the modifications which the French urged as to the- officers side arms. and parole were agreed to. At 11.30 the capitulations were signed, as agreed upon by General Wimpifen and General von Moltke, and I believe. Count Bismarck took part in the deliberations :—The garrison and army of Sedan to sur render as prisoners of war, to be sent into Germany; the officers to be liberated on parole that they would not serve against the King of Prussia in case the war goes on; all horses, guns, and munitions of war to be given up. The Emperor's detention in Germany was under stood to be a part of the stipulation. About two o'clock the King, with' his body guard and an esoort of cuirassiers, attended by the Crown Prince and a staff of general officers, proceeded to a cha teau outside Sedan, and received the Emperor, who came with his personal followers and staff in charge under escort, which was ranged on the other side of the avenue facing the cuirassiers. The King and his captive retired into the glass house off one of the saloons on the drawing. room floor, and they could be seen by the staff outside en gaged in earnest dialogue. After the interview with the King the Emperor had a few moments' conversation with the Crown Prince, in which he was much agitated when alluding to the manner of the King. His great anxiety seemed to be not to be exhibited to his own soldiers. The result was, however, that his Majesty, wishing to avoid one mischief, was exposed to a great humiliation, for his course had to be altered to-avoid Sedan, and thus he had to pass through, the lines of the Prussian army.—Cor respondent of the Times. THE IMPERIAL PRISONER EN ROUTE. (From the Special Correspondent of the Times.) DONCHERY, SEPT. 3, 9 A.M. The Emperor of France, a prisoner of war, has just passed below my window through the main street of Don chery. It is raining in torrents, and a column of Wur temburg troops coming in the opposite direction blocks up the way a little. The cortege is preceded by a troop of Black Hussars in full uniform and uncloaked. Then came a brougham with the Emperor. He wore a kepi and the undress uniform of a Lieutenant-General, with the star of the Legion of Honour on his breast. His face looked exceedingiy worn—dark lines under his eyes, which were observant oi what was passing around, for he saluted an Englishman who ran out to see him, and who raised his hat. By his side sat a French officer, I think Achille Murat; but who could look at any one but _ - the one man, and it was only a glance any person with good feeling would care to give at such a moment even to him. The horses, all unconscious of the fallen estate of their master, were worthy of the Imperial stables. The two postillions were as smart as if they were in the Bois or ea route for St. Cloud on a wet day. They and the two who sat behind wore long wafer , proof cloaks, glazed hats, and the Imperial cockade. As the 'brougham was stopped for a moment my courier caught sight of his Majesty's face. " What a change," he says (even allowing for the lapse of years), " since the Prince Napoleon lodged in my house in London before he went to live in King-street !" He had his hand to his moustache, which had the well-known pointed and waxed ends, but there was no nervous twitching visible, and the emotion which shook him for a moment when he was speaking to the • Crown Prince yesterday of the kind manner of the King had passed away. Then he brushed the tears from his eyes with the gloves he had in one hand, and was over come for several seconds. After the brougham came a char-ec-bane, with Normandy percherons, filled with French and Prussian officers together, mostly cloaked, with hoods drawn over kepis and caps. Among the latter were General Boyen and Prince of Limars, who are appointed to wait upon his Majesty. Some ten or eleven Imperial carriages, chars-a-bane, fourgons, with superb horses, filled with officers, followed, then some French officers on horseback, and after a long string of saddle and renfort horses, ridden by grooms, 60 or so in number, the rear being closed by a troop of the same Black Horse. I shall leave it to others to moralise on the spectacle. I shall not say a word about fallen greatness. Every one will be ready with the trite saying, "No one cried ' God bless him !' " The French men and women who stood out in the rain certainly did not venture to shew any sympathy or sor row, if they felt any. The only sound was the tramp of horses and the inopportune jingling of the bells of the char-à-bane horses ; but now and then a chorus was sung by the Wurtemburgers trudging through the mud, celebrating the victory in which; so far as they are con cerned, they had, they doubtless regret, little to do. The Emperor is on his way to Wilhelmshohe, in Cassel — Schloss Napoleon, some say it has been called ; and, as he expressed a wish not to be shewn to his soldiers, the Prussian Government applied to the Belgian authorities for per mission to pass him through their frontier with his guard and escort. As both countries agree, there seems no reason to object to the proposal; but,.unless M4zieres has surrendered, it is not easy to understand how the Emperor can get on the road he has taken to the Belgian frontier, as M6zieres is right on the line of march. THE EMPEROR'S JOURNEY THRO UGH BELGIUM. The ex-Emperor of the French on Sunday travelled through Belgian territory. About five o'clock on Satur- THE FRENCH PRESS ON THE CRISIS. The Siècle contains an impassioned larticle, which Calls upon the people to take up arms. Now that the invin cible banner of the Republic has been raised, the nation may hope to be free from the evil effects of the despotism which was imposed by the traitor of December, From the Alps to the ocean, from the Vosges to the Pyrenees, let one cry alone be heard, the cry of the sovereign people who have risen against the stranger. The Prussians be lieved the war to be terminated when they had captured the Emperor. Let us shew them they are, deceived—that, far from finishing, the war cora , rnences. Let us skew them that Republican France is armed and ready to sacrifice her last man rather than submit to the yoke of the stranger. A people of thirty seven millions cannot be easily conquered. Spain, in 1408 gave us a memorable lesson of what a nation can do even without soldiers, against the bravest armies in the world. Let our towns be inspired by the heroic example of Saragossa, which withstood for months the entire army of Napoleon. The Prussians cannot prolong the war for an indefinite period. Their military organi sation will not allow theni to carry on a war of invasion. Time will fight onr battles. To arms then, and Vive la Republique ! If we have the true Republican spirit we shall follow the example of the volunteers of 1,793,, and deliver the country from the double disgrace of despotism and invasion. The Liberte declares that after the miseries which have been Inflicted on the country by an incapable ministry, France requires that her rulers should inspire her with confidence. Europe will regulate her friendship according to the degree of confidence with which the Government will inspire her. M. Gambetta is a wise choice r and it is to be hoped that the others may prove themselves equally worthy of regard. In conclusion the Liberte thus addresses the new administration :—Citizen ministers, we trust to see you, by your acts, influenced the interests of the country, and by the love of liberty, founded upon order and the rights of all. Now, in the name of the Republic, act in such a manner that France need not be compelled to hope in trembling. The Patric declares that in presence of the events which have just occurred, it insists on the importance of two things which will be of great consequence for the future. In the first place the nation must follow without a moment's hesitation the counsels which are given to her ; union and concord among the citizens must be general, in order to make a stand against the enemy. In the next place universal suffrage must be resorted to as soon as the state of things will permit. If these two conditions are carried out, France will again recover her grandeur, and will remain a powerful and honoured nation. The Journal des Debats does not stop to consider the legal worth of the Government which is now at the Hotel de Vines Whatever opinion may be held with respect to the revolution which has broken out, there can be no doubt as to the necessity which exists for the establish ment of some power which can withstand the terrible difficulties from within and without which oppress France at this moment. It trusts that the Ministers will acquit themselves lionouralaly of the important charge which has devolved upon them. What is most important is that the °country should be permitted to decide upon its own destinies. A proclamation of the Provisional Government has announced the end of personal government. The men who signed it are sufficiently enlightened to know that the country no more desires the personqi Govern. ment of eleven persons than that of one. The Figaro believes that the catastrophe which has taken place is without precedent in history. In fifteen hours a throne which had lasted for nineteen years has crumbled away, the edifice of which the foreign invasion was the crown has given way like a fragile structure. To day is no time to consider the advantages and disad vantages of a Monarchy or a Republic. Little does it matter by which name it is called, it is a Government which is required. France has no time to deliberate She wishes to rise en masse. She demands guns and ammunition. She is determined to shed the last drop of her blood in order to exterminate the enemy, to reconquer her independence, and to re-establish her honour. The Government, by whatever name it may be called, which conducts France to her deliverance will de serve the eternal gratitude of the country. The Constitutionnel considers that the situation of the country has never been more critical than it is at present; neither 1815, nor 1830, nor 1848, offered such an accumu lation of 'Arils of all kinds. 'Under those difficulties the object which each nenchman must set before him is to save the country and to organise a government. Upon the common ground of saving the country all opinions will coalesce and all hearts be united The appointment of General Trochu ito.the double post of President of the Government and Director of the National Defences furnishes the assurance that the public safety will be cared for, and that the new Government will know, as each one must know, how to subordinate every other interest to that of the country. THE STREETS OF PARTS ON SUNDAY, The excitement in the streets culminated on Sunday. The National Guard and the people were enraged at file conduct of the police on the Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle on Saturday evening. At one o'clock a deputation of the National Guard appeared un armed at the Pont de la Concorde on their way to. the Corps Legislatif. A body of gendarmes were at the end of the bridge. The members of the depu tation demanded permission to pass, and were answered by sabre cuts. One man of the National Guard, who re ceived a deep wound on the head, fell covered with blood. His comrades got round him, took him on their shoulders, and bore him to General Trochu's house. Two battalions of the National Guard who were there to ask for instruc tions were crying out, " Vive Trochu ! vive la France !" When the wounded man was brought to the house, the cries were redoubled ; the men called for General Trochu, and demanded vengeance on their assailants. The appear. ance of a captain of the line was the signal for loud cries of " Vive la Ligne !" which was gracefully acknowledged by the gallant officer. Some few minutes afterwards M. Durieux appeared on the steps of the house. He said, " General Trochu is unwell; he cannot receive you at this moment; he has directed me to tell you to get your arms and march to the Place de la Concorde, but with bayonets not fixed." After a short time hundreds of the National Guard might be seen in the Rue de Rivoli, on their way towards the place specified by the General. In the court yard of the Tuileries carabineers, grenadiers, and light infantry were encamped. After the opening of the Chamber the Place de la Concorde was the theatre of scenes which pass description. The companies of the , National Guard, who arrived one after another, carrying arms, were the objects of enthusiastic acclamations from a hundred thousand excited speet§tors: The cry of " Vive la France ! " is raised, and some one replies, " Viv e la R4publique ! " Presently the passage of tho bridge, which was guarded by mounted gendarmes, is forced, and National Guards in a few moments cover the steps in front of the Palais-Bourbon, while above the immense crowd floats the tricolour. At half-pant two the Guards of Paris, who had been posted in the environs of the Chamber, retired in good order, and the sergents-de-ville followed—the majority of the latter being disarmed by the populace. Some of their swords were twisted and thrown into the Seine or laid at the foot of the:city .of Strasburg, which since Saturday has been covered with flags and gar lands of flowers. One of the crowd sings the " Marseil laise," and the refrain is taken up in a moment by thirty thousand voices. One of the Garde Mobile, meanwhile, places upon the pedestal the swords and three-cornered hats of the ser gents-de-ville, and takes off the eagles from the flags. One cry is heard above all. It is this " Vive la R6publique !" At four o'clock MM. Cremieux and Gambetta, followed by an immense crowd of citizens and National Guards, went to the Hotel de Ville by the left bank of the River. All the men of the National Guard had taken the eagles out of their shakoes. On the quays of the left bank MM. Ferry and Jules Favre were seen, also going to the Hotel de Ville. All the rifles of the National Guard and the hats of the crowd were ornamented with ivy leaves. From the Place de la Concorde to the Hotel de Vile, the Rue de Rivoli was crowded with people who, with one voice, cried out, " Vive la Republique !" Towards the Hotel de Ville, columns of National Guards, with and without arms, flowed in from all sides. A four seated vehicle was provided for MM. Jules Favre, Jules Ferry, Gambetta, and Crdmieux. After a short parley, the gates of the Hotel de Ville were opened, and the Deputies entered, followed by an immense crowd. The place outside was densely packed. M. Pelletan arrived in a carriage, and entered the hotel amidst the acclama tions of the crowd, which he frequently acknowledged. A detachment of the 66th of the Line, and a contingent of the Municipal Guard raised their guns in the air amidst the loud and prolonged cheering of the people. The cries of " Vive la Rtipublique !" and " Vive Rochefort" were then redoubled. A carriage containing Rochefort and the brothers Fonvielle drove into the square through the avenue Victoria, whence it was dragged along by the people. Before the vehicle marched one of the' citizens, carrying a tricolOr. The people cou tinued to cheer the Deputy of the First Circumscription, and the carriage in which he was sitting entered the court yard of the Hotel de Vile amidst a scene of enthusiasm which may be not inappropriately described as a triumph. Correspondent of Telejraph. THE CAPITULATION OF SEDAN. T .fficer who came out eventually and met General - Alolwic in consultation was, I believe, General Reille, day afternoon he reached Bouillon, intending to pass the night there. He was accompanied by many general • officers, among whom were General Castelnau, one of his aides-de-camp ; Generals de Reile, de Vaubert, Prince Ney de la Moskowa, and some twenty officers of various ranks. Many superior officers of the Prussian army represented in the cortege the command in chief of the armies of Germany—the King of Prussia, who had obtained from the Belgian Government the permission necessary for Napoleon traversing Belgium. A squadron of Chasseurs of the Belgian army preceded the carriage of the ex-Emperor, at the right side of which rode a Belgian officer, an equerry of the Imperial House, who was followed by a score of vehicles, containing the baggage of the prisoner. Napoleon alighted at the Hotel des Fortes, where he dined with thirty guests, and where he passed the night. On Sunday at midday Napoleon was at Libramont, a small station on the Luxemburg line. The train which was to leave was not ready, but the delay was excusable as the ex-Emperor arrived at Libramont sooner than was excepted. At least an hour elapsed before the train. departed. The ex-Emperor spent half an hour in the waiting-room of the Libramont_ station, and the other half hour in conversing with several persons, chiefly with M. le Comte de IVlontholon, who gave Napoleon many touching testimonials of his devotion, and who was unable to restrain his tears. M. de Bersolles, secretary of the French Legation at Brussels, was at Libramont, and Napoleon also conversed with him. He also addressed a word to the engineer of the Luxem burg Company, to whom he made known the place assigned for his residence, "I am going to Cassel," he said. His indifference struck every one present. Nevertheless he betrayed emotion, but only for a moment, when a despatch was handed to him from his son, or rather from his son's governor, dated from Maubeuge, and which ran thus :—" To the Emperor Napoleon, at Bouillon or at Libramont. The Prince is here in good health, he waits your orders." The train was at last ready, and consisted of a small number of carriages. The carriage reserved for the ex- Emperor was not, as at first believed, the Royal carriage asked for only at midnight on Saturday. It was a saloon carriage, part of the rolling stock of the Luxemburg Com pany, and which his Royal Highness the Count of Flanders had often used. It had three compartments —a saloon in the centre anct a coupe on each side. The ex-Emperor took his seat in one of the coupes. Lieutenant General Baron Chazali who had been informed on Saturday of Napo leons's entry into Belgium, and who had come from Bure to Bouillon, entered the carriage after him, with his aide de•camp, Captain Sterckm. The other carriages were occupied by two Prussian general officers, a French gene ral officer, who was said to be General Felix Douay, and by M. Raimbaux, one of Napoleon's equerries. One of the Prussian generals, Von Boyen, wore his helmet. The other was said to be the Prince de Linne, a German Prince. Rumour had it that it was the Prince Frederick William or the Crown Prince, but that was not the case. The Prince de Linne wore a eimple travelling cap. M. Raimbaux wore the grand costume of an equerry, em broidered and tagged. The train took the line of the Ourthe from Libramont to Marlaye, and from Marlaye to Liege. All along the line the news of Napoleon's journey ran with electrical rapidity, although everyprecaution was taken to keep it as secret as possible. At every station, and every spot available for sightseeing, crowds of persons were assembled eager to see the Emperor. At Jemelle, Prince Pierre Bonaparte was at the station. Profiting by the 10 minutes' stoppage, the cousins conversed together, Napo • leon remaining seated in the carriage, Prince Pierre stand ing at the door. Of this conversation, broken only by the sobs of Prince Pierre, only one word of what the ex-Emperor said was heard—" We shall return in a short time." At ten minutes to four o'clock the train entered the station at Liege. The Liegeoise were ignorant that Na poleon was passing Liege ; there were only a few persons at the station-150 at the most—persons in the employ ment of the company, and tourists who waited some time in the hope of seeing the Emperor. Those pre sent crowded close to the Emperor's carriage, but Napoleon was concealed by the blinds of the carriage; but, noticing the eagerness of those present, and divining their wishes he raised the blinds which hid his features, but without noticing those who looked at him The impressions produced on those who sr.w him were. various. One said, "He has a good figure." Another was struck with his calmness, and witk his eternal cigarette. A third remarked the traces of old age and fatigue, his dull eye, and pallid and haggard look. In his presence a profound silence was maintained by all. On departing some saluted the prisoner. A special train with the ex-Emperor's suite left Libra mont shortly after the train by which Napoleon travelled. The rumour was that this train would bring Marshal MacMahon, but that was not the case. It appears by a letter addressed to La Meuse that the Marshal has been sent to Bouillon in order that the severe wound he received in the engagement on Ist September before Sedan may be properly attended to. AN EXTRAORDINARY STORY. A story is current in Paris which would account for the difference between the paper and the effective force of the army, and which to a certain extent explains why the Emperor rushed into war, although he knew he was unprepared for it. Of late years his Civil List has not been large enough to provide for the lavish ex pense of his Court, his largesse to his adherents, and the secret service money which was required to keep up the love of Imperialism among his subjects, About two millions sterling were therefore yearly taken from the Ministry of War, and handed over to him. This larceny was concealed by stores figuring on the accounts which never had been bought, and by looting the' money which was paid into the military treasury by those who were drawn for the conscription to enable Government to buy substitutes. Regiments, conse quently, which were nominally 2,000 strong, only had an effective of 1,500 ; the money for the substitute and the supposed yearly cost of that substitute, were appropriated to the Civil List. When the Emperor was obliged, a few months ago, to yield to the cry for parlia mentary government, he knew that the next Legisla tive Assembly would contain so many Constitutionalists that, even if there were still an Imperial majority, the scandalous fraud would be brought to light. His only chance, therefore, was to wage war; a successful campaign gained might put off parliamentary government, or, if that were impossible, the falling off in men and stores might be ascribed to the war. Marshal Lebceuf hoped that even with the small force at his command one victory might be won, and that a glorious peace would then be concluded. He and the personal adherents of the Emperor were in the secret, but they we re all tarred with the same brush ; and they felt that they must sink or swim with their master, and that, for them as well as for him, the only 'chance of impunity was in this one victory. But the chief robs, the subordinates will rob too. The Emperor and his Minister of War found that they could not well count on the men and stores which they imagined they possessed. Food and ammui- Con were found to be wanting for a movement across the frontier; hence the delay to attack, and the subsequent disasters. I give this story as I have heard it from persons in a position to know what has passed " behind the curtain." What confirms it to my mind is, that many personal adherents of the Emperor who have occupied official positions, and had no private fortunes before the Empire, notoriously spent double their salaries, and are now the owners of houses, estates, and other equally solid investments.—Daily News. THE FIGHTING FORCES OF FRANCE. ' The correspondent of the Daily News thus states his views of the present " situation " on the Continent : " An old Republican journalist, whose patriotism is un doubted, said to me to-day, while sobbing with sorrow at the French reverses, ' This proves that Pretorian soldiers are no match for free men.' My friend is perhaps right so far, and there is much comfort in the thought. But I could not without huting his feelings say to him what I now say to your readers, , that in my opinion the change in the form of government from an Empire to a Republic will not enable the Fr —ch nation, after having lost the flower of its army, to resist the disciplined and hitherto victorious invaders. I as sume, of course, that the invaders will be mDderate, and only ask such terms of peace as the tribunal of the world may approve of. Of course, Prussia could not ultimately conquer this great nation, even if she wished to do so— conquer it, I mean, in the sense of annexing it to Ger many. But I have a very strong persuasion that the vital forces of France for all reasonable fighting purposes are well-nigh exhausted. and that her best citizens should now turn their minds to peace. The demoralising results of, twenty years of Brummagem Caesarism cannot be repaired in sufficient time to give France generals and soldiers fit to cope with the German nation in arms. This, however, is not the French opinion, and it would not be safe to express it in any French society whatever. I am afraid that rivers of blood must yet flow before the impulsive French people become alive to this truth. It does not matter that many of the comparatively disciplined troops of MacMahon fled like sheep when the balls began 'to whistle about their ears. They have an intense belief in - I" France rising' in its might," and fancy that the thou sands of civilians now walking about the streets with gun s in their hands, will do better than the trained soldiers who have been beaten under the best Generals that France could produce. The Emperor di d not fulful his threat of dying gloriously in a cavalrycharge. He very t ame ly surren d ere d hi mse lf a prisoner. The Empress, whose ca l m d ec l ara ti on th a t if the Prussians came t o P ar i s th ey wou ld fi n d h er near do le her flatter ers i n t o rap t urous paroxysms, has very se nsibly taken herself o u t o f h arm ' s way. I d o not k no w Pre cisely how or wh en s h e wen t , wh et h er b e f ore or a fter saw the Tuileries flag taken down to-day, but she is gone, and will nev er b e seen i n P ar i s again. General Wimpffen, sent for from Africa to supersede General de made the first use of the command-in - ch ief which he received when poor MacMuhou met with his wound to surrender himself 3 prisoner, with 40,000 men. And yet when these men' whose trade is war, and who from training and esprit d e corps will run risks of life which are to civilians incom prehensible, yield to stern necessity and surrender rather than die, the deluded citizens of Paris imagine that men having no military qualities or habits at all will die to the last man on the Paris fortifications rather than allo w the serried legions of the Red Prince and Prince Frederick Charles to parade the streets of Paris. 14 ' caricature of Gill in the ' Eclipse' precisely represents the feeling of Paris at this moment. Paris, standing en, her fortifications, is depicted by a f ema l e fi gure called Judith. Outside is th e Ki ng o f P russ i a i n th e gu ise of Holofernes. Judith beckons to Holofernes, and says ' Come here !' and the obvious moral is that if he listens to the voice of the charmer it will be all up with him. THE MILITARY SITUATION. The Standard discusses the question,What further tary operations will take place ? No doubt the Prussian s will advance on Paris with the utmost speed, for es throughout the war, it is a match against time. It is said the Crown Prince has already commenced his march, and has arrived within thirteen miles of St. Quel l ' tin. The Standard is inclined to doubt this, despite the wonderful activity of the Prussian soldiers, for the line of advance seems too norther l Y- No doubt, hoNiever, we may expect to see the Prussians before Paris by the 15th. Bazaine still holds out nea r Metz, and does good service by keeping some 150.000 Prue' sians to guard him. General Vinoy was fortunate enough to be unable to reach MacMahon i°, time for the battle of S e d an , an d h as re t r eated with his 50,000 men on Laon. There are 60,0 0 9 regular troops in Paris, and about 150,000 Garde National e Sedentaire, Garde Mobile, sailors, pompiers, volunteers , &c., make up another 140,000. , Besides these we learn that 200,000 Garde Mobile are to be summoned to Paris from the departments, and an army of 100,000 regula r troops has been for the last ten days organising at Lyons. There are thus, it will be seen, plenty of men; but w ill the best use be made of them ? That seems doubtful, and there is everylikelihood of victory and France being sacrificed to the feats of the Parisians. In Paris they have already got more than they can well wield. and any additional troops which can be got together ought to be sent to the active army, of which General Vinoy's fifty thousand men would form the nucleus. Even in the interest of Paris itself should this be done, for two hundred thousand me° at Amiens,from whence retreat by rail to the south or west of Paris would be perfectly feasible whenever desired, would so threaten the communications of a besieging army, that till it were beaten or driven away nothing serious could be effected. The object of the-Prussians is, no doubt, to try what the moral effect of penetrating to the heart of the French Empire may be, especially at the time of dismay than seriously intending to besiege a city 30 miles circumference and garrisoned by 200,000 men. A fey / more days will, however, probably discover what their real designs are. The New Free Press of Vienna' learns from Florence that Minghetti has proposed at Vienna an Austrian and Italian alliance to guarantee the integrity of France. The Governor-General of Alsace, Count Bohlen. has issued a proclamation to the inhabitants of Alsace. ti e says that he is called upon to represent the German Powers upon a soil that the fortunes of war have thrown into their hands. He will aim at the maintenance of existing laws in the limits imposed by military regulations► and everything will be done to soften the horrors of war' for the inhabitants. In return he trusts that the people will second his efforts and submit to the new administrx tion with cheerfulness. We regret to hear of the death of Lieut-Colond_Pen' berton, who, while acting as the Times corresponden t, was killed by the side of the Crown Prince of Saxony in the battle of Sedan. Dr. Russell, in communicating the sad intelligence, says :—My last words to him were t o warn him that he was not to seek danger, and that in the capacity in which he was then engaged it was his bounden duty not to run risks. Had be fallen for his country in battle it would have been some consolation to those he has left to mourn his fate. Cheerful, witty, full of life, spirit, and talent, he has met the d e ath he, above all deaths, would have desired—a soldier's• " Kit Pemberton dead !" I fancy how these words will fly through many an English home. I have written to the Crown Prince of Saxony, and will try to have his resting-place properly marked, or obtain some clue to its locality. It is said that Mr. Salk, the well-known litterateur, has been arrested on suspicion of being a Prussian spy, and horribly knocked about. He was confined in a dirty dun: geon with the foulest criminals. Directly intelligence of this came to the ears of our popular ambassador, Lord Lyons, he was released. An influentialcommittee has been formed at Cardiff for the purpose of collecting subscriptions in aid of the sick and wounded. The Marquis of Bute has headed the list by a donation of £lOO, and the leading colliery proprietors and merchants have given sums varying from £2O to £s° each. Upwards of £4OO has been already subscribed. The amount is to be placed at the disposal of the International Fund Committee, to be equally divided between the French and the Germans. A Paris telegram in the Standard says—" It is announced , under reserve, that Italian troops, commanded by Cadorna, are marching to occupy Rome." The Soir of Monday says that the very first act of M. Jules Favre as Minister for Foreign Affairs was to announce by telegraph to the Government at Washington the proclamation of the Republic, and to ask the moral support of the United States. A public meeting has been held in Limerick under the presidency of the Mayor, to raise funds f or the relief of the wounded French soldiers. Strong sympathy with France was expressed by the speakers. A meeting was held at Killarney, at which resolutions were passed stigmatising the Germans as marauders, and describing the war as a legitimate struggle by France to maintain sovereign prestige as the foremost nation in Europe. In the apartments of the Prince Imperial at the Tuileries were found some little soldiers in lead lying on the ground, a copy-book was lying on the table which contained some lessons from history. One page of this was covered with small writing, very straight and con' tracted. It referred to the days of Louis the Fifteenth. On the second of August the Emperor Napoleon took Saarbruck, and exactly a month afterwards, on the second of September, the French army was defeated, and Napo' leon gave up his sword to the King of Prussia. [ADVERTISEMENT. ] - Holloway's PHlL—Fever and Fe brile Complaints.—ln the summer this type of diseases usually makes its appearance, being occasioned by the miasma of decomposing animal and vegetable matters evolved by the sun's heat, probably aided by sudden electric disturba nces i n th e a t mosp h ere. These purifying Pills are specifics for arresting the transit of the fever, poison through th e f rame , an d f or expe lli ng a ll mor bid matters from the blood. They ward off diseases by rousing the liver to increased action ; while they regulate the impulse of the heart, and steady the circulation, they improve digestion and stimulate the kidneys. HollowaY'e Pills act so mildly that they are particularly efficacious in removing all febrile disorders, without irritating the brain or nervous system. BIRTHS. On the 4th inst., at Tregoyd, Viscountess Hereford, of a daughter. On the 2d inst., the Right . Hon. the Lady R o ll o , of a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the Ist inst., at East Dulwich, William, third son o f G. Nicoll, of Clothworkers'-hall, to S ara h K a t e , th° eldest daughter of the late Edward Baylis, of Pudding" lane, city. On the 3d inst., at St. George's, Bloomsbury, Edward F: Andrews, of Guildford, Surrey, to Jessy Maria, eldes t daughter of Alfred King Judd, late of Abi ng d on , Beni :. shire. DEATHB. On the 4th inst., at 4, Portugal-street, Grosvenor-squa re ' John Bacot, Esq., formerly surgeon of the Grenadier Guards, aged 90. On the -3(1 inst., George Beard, Esq., of The Cedars, Long Ditton, Surrey. London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BoYCIZ, of No. 112, Strand, Printer and Published by Win t e THE SUN Office, No. 112 Strand, in the Precinct of Savoy, n the County of Aliddlesex. Wednesday, September 7,18 TO.