The Sun. — London, England, 1870-10-21 00:00:00

MONETARY REPORTS.-YESTERDAY. A fair amount of animation has been noticed in the Stock Exchange to-day. Influenced by the belief that the rumoured negotiations for peace will not be altogether fruitless, purchases have been more freely entered into, and have been concluded at a further advance. Home securities have been steady. Consols have risen * per cent., being quoted at 92k, 92i for delivery and the account. Reduced and New Three per Cents., 91, 911. Bank Stock, 232, 234. Exchequer Bills, 6s. to lls. prem. India Five per cents, 1101, 111; and India bonds, 18s, to 235. prem. Colonial Government Securities have changed hands quietly ; but prices have ruled firm. The railway market has been characterised by an in creased amount of steadiness, and an average improve ment of 1 has taken place. Metropolitan has risen 1, or 65, 651 ; Caledonian 1, or 761, 77 ; Great Northern A, 1, or 1351, 1351; Midland *, or 127*, 127 j; and North- Western 1, cr 129*, 129 a ; Brighton is quoted at 421, 43 ; South Eastern 75, 751 ; and North Eastern, 145, 1451. For Indian railway stocks there has been but little inquiry. East Indian, 1101 ; Great Indian Peninsula, 106 ; Oude and Rohilkund, 1041 ; and Scinde, Punjaub, and Delhi, 1031. Canadian shares have been steady. Great Western, 14a to 142 ex div. Foreign shares have been in moderate request. Bahia and San Francisco, 181 to 181 ex div. ; Dutch Rhenish, 231; San Paulo, 21 to 211; and Lombards, 141 to 14g. Purchases of foreign bonds have again been made rather freely, and a further enhancement has been esta blished. Italian (1861), at 551, 55k, are 1 better ; Spanish (1867), 5-16, at 291, 291; ditto (1869), a, at 29}, 29a ; Turkish Five per Cents., 1, at 441, 441; ditto (1869),1, at 512, 52 ; and Egyptian (1868), i, at 77i, 77i ; Peruvian (1865, 89L 90 ; Mexican, 14k, 15*. American securities have been firm. The Five-Twenty (1882) bonds are quoted at 89, 89i ; ditto (1885), 881, 882 ; Erie shares, 18k, 19 ; Illinois Central, 109 k, noi. Bank Shares have been firmer. Union of London have risen lor to 37 to 38. Anglo-Egyptian, 22i ; Imperial Ottoman, lig ; London and County, 482 ; London Joint Stock, 33 ; London and Westminster, sal to t Telegraph Shares have been steady in value. British Indian Extension, 61 ; British Indian Submarine, 8 ; Falmouth, 102 ; Hooper's Telegraph, 42. For Miscellaneous Securities the demand has been inactive. - General Credit and Discount, 7 1-16 ; National Discount, 11i. The Clearing-house return for the week ending October 19th, shews a total of £76,700,000, against £76,850,000 for the corresponding period last year. The sum of £16,000 has been sent into the Bank to-day. There has been no feature of importance in the discount market. The Bank directors have failed to make any alteration in the official minimum, which still remains at 2k per cent. In Lombard-street, capital has been plenti ful, and three months' paper has been negotiated at 2* to 21 per cent. At a meeting of the Oriental Bank Corporation an interim dividend of £1 10s. per share for the half-year ending June 30th, was declared. The Liverpool Journal of Commerce states that Mr. Henry Wilson, of Newman's-court, Cornhill, late one of the partners in the firm of Cunningham, Andrews, and Co., cotton brokers, of Liverpool, has petitioned the Court of Bankruptcy for liquidation by arrangement. A meeting will be held at Liverpool on the 26th inst. At a first meeting of the creditors of Mr. John Hill, metal broker, of Liverpool, debts to the amount of £4,803 were proved. Mr. Bolland was chosen trustee, and the Manchester and Liverpool District Bank was named depository of the proceeds of the estate. The unsecured debts amount to £6,978, and the assets to £250. The traffic return of the Great Northern Railway for the week ending October 16th, shews an increase of £1,612 over the corresponding week of last year; the Caledonian an increase of £1,572; the Bristol and Exeter an increase of £140; the Great Western an increase of £l6 ; and the Lancashire and Yorkshire an increase of £2,045. The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire has decreased £1,204, and the Great Eastern £445. LONDON STOCK EXCLIANGE.-THIIRSDAY. LATEST PRICES.-AFTER OFFICIAL HOURS. The prices under the lines indicate the business done. GOVERNDIENT SHOURITIEB. Three per Cent Consols 921 921 DoApril &OctlBB3-85.. 11011111 921, 3, 3 111, 1, 11 Do for Account 923, 3 1033, i Three per Cent Reduced 911 911 Brazilian. 1865, 5p o .... 891 901 9 1 3, 1. 3. 3 903, 3, it New 3 per Cent 1 I, i 831 Excheq 9 ue 3, r .Bills. March 611 pm Do Rail Behan 7 p .. 98 100 - pm Italian, 1865, 5p o Do. Juno 6 11 pm Peruvian, 1865. 5p o .... 891 901 pm 90, 190 Bank Stock, 31 - - Portuguese 1869 3 p a.. 29 1 303 232 • India 5 per Cents - - Russian, 1862, 5 p a,. .. 88 89 1103 Do Nicolas 4 p o India Bonds - - 683, 91 23s pm Spanish. 1867. 3 pa Can 6pc Jan&Julyll77-84 10511061 29L 3, 30, 293 1053 Do, 1869, 3 p o Do March & Sept. 103 105 293. 3, I, 3, 3, i Do 5p c Jan & July .. 983 991 Ttukish, 1854, 6p o Bl 83 Do Inscribed Stock .. 97 99 81, 2 99 Do, 1865. 5p o Dom of Can 5p c 1903 .. 96 98 433, 43, 33, 41. 4 Ceylon 6 p c May and Do, 1865 6p c November 1878 lO7 109 633, 1, 4 Mauritius 6p c Jan and U.S. 5-20 Bonds,6 p o 1882 893 891 July 1873 lO3 105 891, 3, 1, 3 x d New S Wales 5 p 01871-76 10111021 Do do 1885 881 883 1011 833, 1, I x d New Zealand 6p a 1891 lO7 109 Do 10-40Bnds, spo 1903 87 871 Do 5p c Do 5p 0 Consolidated 98 99 ErieSha,loo dols, all paid - - 98}, 3, 3 x d Illinois Central Shares .. 10911101 Do 6p c Mar & Sept 1891 106 108 Atlantic and GW R Con Do June & DeclB9l 108 110 Mortgage Bonds 291 301 Viet 6p c Jan &July 1891 113 115 303, 293 RAILWAYS. Bristol and Exeter B6 89 Do Ist Pref 80nd5.... 59 61 Caledonian 761 x d 2nd Pref Stock Great Eastern 3 83. I i Grand Trunk of Canada Great Northern 1221, 3,2, 3 173 Do A 135 136 Great Indian Pen gsp o 10511061 135, 41, 6 106, 1, 6 Great Western 703 711 Great Western of Canada 141 141 71, 1, 703, 11 141, 1, 3 x d Lancashire & Yorkshire 13011311 Do 6p c Bonds, 1873.. 101 103 1313, 1, 1 Do 51 do, 1877-8 96 98 Lon, Brigh, and S Coast 43 431 Do 5p c pref. issued 80 par 2pm 421, 31 x d Lon, Chat, and Dover .. 131 14 Madras guar 5p o 131, 14, 131 105, 1 Lon and North-Western 129 1291 N. Railway of Canada, 1283, 91 6p a Ist Pre Bonds Lou and South-Western 89 91 Gude and Itohilkund g 90 Mau, Shef , and Lincoln 45 451 5p a 1041 10311041 451 Scinde, Punjaub, and Metropolitan 641, 5, i 1031, 3 Midland . 127 1271 Bahia and San Francisco 1273, 7,1, 1, 1 g 7 p c North British North-Eastern Consols 145 146 Belgian E Junction .... 13 21 145, 1 Buenos Ayres Gt Sthrn.. 253 25( South-Eastern 75 751 Dunaburg and Witepsk 18 181 75, 1 Dutch-Rhenish 22 24 Atlantic and St Lawrnce 77 79 231 78,1 Eastern of France - - Bombay, Baroda, and Great Luxembourg Central India, g 5 p c.. 10411051 Lemberg Uzernowitz pia Buff & Lake Huron Pre - - 7p 0 163 163 Do 51 p c Bonds, 1872-3-4 80 82 163 Cape guar 6p c - - East Bengal guar 5p o lO5 106 0 ttom (Smyrn a t o Aidin) 5 51 1051 Recife and San Francisco East Indian, g 5 p o 103, 10 x Grand Tr l unk Canada Do Equip Mort Bnd 1 213, 1 charge 6p c x d 143, Do 2nd do Scrip BANKING COMPANIES. Pd Pd 1 Agra Bank (L) A 8 9 20 L on C har of Austrlia 23 24 81 23 25 Alliance (L) and County 47 49 10 Anglo-Austrian 20 Anglo-Egyptian (L) 221 23 15 London Joi n t-St oc k 32 33 221 33 50 British N American 53 55 20 Lon andWestmnster 60 61 20 Ch of India, Austrlia 131 141 601 f, 1, 1 141, 14 10 Metropolitan Bl 8/ 25 Char Mere of India 241 251 20 Midland (L) 25 20 New South Wales .. 76 37 10 City 25 Colonial • 45 47 411, 2 4 Consolidated (L) 20 Eng. Scot, and Anse 16 17 15 Union of London .. 769 37i 20 Imperial 11.1 - 10 Imperial Ottoman 111, 1 TELEGRAPH COMPANIES Pd Pd 100 Anglo-American L) 85 87 10 Great Northern .... II Hi ? 868, 5 6 Great N. China, and 10 Anglo-Medltrn (L) l3l 14 Japan Extension.. 321 die 100 Atlantic — 5 Indo-European (L).. 12 14 100 Do 8p c — 10 Marseilles, Algiers, 10 British Australn (L) 3/ 31dis and Malta (L) .... 51 61 10 British Ind Eaten (L). 6 61 61, 6 61, 1 10 Mediterrn Ex (L) .. 41 5 10 British Indian Sub- 21 Puma and S. Pcfc(L) 3 2 did marine, (L) 8, 715-16 20 Soc Trans France (L) 141 141 2Ch ina Submarine (L) 4141 d is 100 Submarine 233 234 10 Falmouth, Gibraltar, Do Scrip 2 21 and Ma ta (1.1 108 MIHORM,ANEOU9 REIM R ITI ES. ill Anglol, ustrian 13nd- P. 130 London Fin Asso c (L)lBllndis 10 BerliuM'o4erwork s (L) 14 holder,' Certificate 11i 151 2i 4 Lou Gen Omnibus .. 23 30 Bolckow. Vaughan (L) 33 38 m 3 2 Lon & Prov Marine L)parlp Boston City (U.S.) 5 p 1 00 Madras Irrig. & in pc SI -ding Loan.. 91 93 Canal IC 5 Pc by Ind Gov. 1 102 4 Brit & ...1. Marine IL) 221prn 2 Mauritius Land (L) 1 di me s. par 25 Canada company. .. 72 76 5 Natni bigot Clomp (L) 11 111 10 Ceylon Company (L) 41 3 1dis 111 35 City t)(n t.es (L) 25 24dia 21 N Zealand Loan and 20 Colonial (L) 5 Coln ITI,!ou Assumes 24 3pm 5 N Zealand Loan and • 74 . Trust (L) , ..... ... la 12 pi , 10 Crdt Folic of Bng (L) 2* 24 64 N BritshandAlere IL.) 27 28 21 5 OceanMarinelnsu r .. 13114 nm WO Crystal Palace PO Do Pref 100 Do 6p c Perp Deb.. 108 113 10 Do do New. 1867 2 dispar 27/ Ebbw Vale Steel (L).. 81 Bdis 50 Rhymney Iron 100 Egyp 9 p &Troy Loan, 15 Do New Bl 91 gulr by Egyp l Gov.. 100 102 60 Royal Mail Steam 001,1. 5B 13 Fore-st Warehouse (L) 64 61pm 12 Tel Con and Main (L) 261 261 100 Fgn and Colonial Gov 264, I Trust 6p o Bonds.. 96 100 2 Themes and Mersey 97 Marine Insur (14 71 Gen Credt &Met (L) 1 1 dis St Tobacco 6p c Loan, 7 1-16 guar by Italian Gov. 86 89 14 Gen Stm Navigation 28 30 5 Trust and Loan Co o f 7 Hooper 's Tel Works 24 2dis Upper Canada 41 6 7-16 17 Hudson's Bay 9 91 5 13 . Marine, Lvpool (L 41 51pm 45 Indrbbr, Gut Per, and 20 Union Steamship (L) 24 26 Tel Works (L) ... 371 381 6 United Ms Corprn (L) 11 &did 5 Intern' Finan Soot . L) If lithe 5 Univ Marine lnsur (LI 41 spm 20 It Irrig Can Cavour 31 3/ Viceroy of Egypt 7P 0 100 Do 6p c Bonds. re- Mortgage Loan.... deemab:e 1870 . 61 64 12 Warrant Finance .... 9 7 dis MINING SHARE LIST.—OCTOBER 20. Messrs. WATSON BROTHERS. Market active for Tankerville, Taquaril, West Chiverton, Kitty St. Agnes, Povidenoc, G rea t V or, Grenville, and East Lovell. Mining °dices, I, St. Michael's Alley, Cornliill, London. Australian United, 9s, Ile Pary's Mountain, 31, 4 Bwlch Consols, Prince of Wales, 10s, 12s Chiverton Moor, 31, 31 Providence Mines, 37, 39 Chivertou Valley, Rosewall Hill and Ransoms Chontales (Gold), United. Cook's. Kitchen, South Condurrow, 21, a Devon Great Consols, South Frances, Drakewalls, 21s, 23s Tankerville, 141, 15 Dolcoath, Tincroft, Don Pedro North Del Rey, 3, 34 Tan-yr-Allt, East Bassett, Taquaril (Gold), 48s, 50s East Caradon, 41, 5 Trumpet Consols, East Lovell, 29, 30 Van. East Wheal Grenville, 21, 21 Van Consols Frontino and Bolivia (Gold), West Caradon, —B., -B. West Chiverton, 531, 54 General Brazilian, West Drakewalls. Great Limy, 174, 18 West Frances, 31, 33 Great Retallack, West Maria and Fortescue, 3133 s Great Wheal Vor 7, 71 West Seton, Hingston Down, Wheal Crebor, Marke Valley, 61, 7 Wheal Grenville, 32s 6d, 37s 6d New Lovell, 11, 2 Wheal Kitty, St. Agnea, 8,8/ North Crofty, Wheal Mary Ann, 81, 9 Pacific, 11, 1 Wheal Seton, 34, 36 friE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAI, ocroßEn 21, tB7O it is a sortie of about 30,000 men sent to dislodge the enemy from the heights. The short duration of the engagement makes me think that it has not been suc cessful" The artillerymen in the Paris forts are very prodigal of their ammunition. They fire away on the smallest provo cation. Yet each shot fired from their guns using the great conical shells must cost at least £l2. A Versailles letter in the Cologne Gazette says that the Paris sewers had been provided with petroleum and even torpedoes, placed at suitable spots, in order to annihilate the storming Germans; but on the approach of the bom bardment they have become alive to the frightful danger of such explosive machines to the defenders themselves, and General Trochu has directed the hasty removal of all destructive substances. Are the Germans quite sure that they have been removed ? The order of General Trochu may be one of those blinds which the Germans themselves frequently employ. The Paris papers are driven to great straits through the scarcity of paper. Some consist of a single page, printed on silk paper, copies of which, with the title and margin cut off in order to make them as light as possible, are despatched by balloon post, and occasionally reach their subscribers. The Gaulois, which prior to the siege was a broadside of four pages, is now reduced to the size of a sheet of notepaper, almost as light as a feather. It is lithographed on one side, the writing being so minute as to be almost illegible. But these difficulties do not matter much, for these journals never contain any news. The Figaro is the most lying paper in all France. It may even aspire to the distinction of being in this respect the first in the world. Some of the Imperialist papers were not bad ; the late Palikao Government was pretty fair ; but the excellence of the Figaro's mendacity is unapproach able. Day by day has this paper, which is published in Paris, given fine accounts of what was happening in the provinces, when nobody else in the capital , not even the Min sters, could obtain so much as a scrap of information about events beyond the German lines. The Government asked M. Villemessant, the editor, where all these good things came from. They (the Government) would be happy to get a supply of news in the same way. One of the staff of the journal declared that he got news from the provinces through a certain railway guard, who was in the habit of passing the Prussian lines. On further inquiry it was found that no such guard existed, and the Figaro has in consequence suffered public denunciation in the Official Journal. Every body knew that the Figaro staff were confirmed —, but they didn't like the Official Journat ' to publicly say so. The Times correspondent notices the universality of th change that has come over Paris. "It is not merely that certain once fashionable spots like the Tuileries and the Champs Elysees are now camps, that almost every open space is filled with bodes of men drilling, and that every third man is in some sort of military . uniform. Scarcely anywhere is there an outward sign of luxury or wealth to be seen. To talk of Paris without glittering equipages and brilliant toilettes sounds like a contradiction in terms, but now-a-days a fine carriage or a handsome dress in the streets is almost a curiosity, at once attracting attention, and inviting even some risk of insult. The ladies go about in the very quietest dresses, many of them in deep black, and not a few with the ambulance badges —a large red cross on their breasts." MARKETS. BIRMINGHAM CORN MARKET, THURSDAY. —At this market to-day the supply was short. There was a thin attend ance, and few buyers. Wheat was ls. dearer, both English and foreign. Barley, oats, peas, beans, and maize were firm, and without alteration in price. METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET, THURSDAY.—Not . withstanding that there was only a moderate supply of stock on sale, owing to the detention of French and German beasts at the waterside, the sales effected were on a limited scale. Neyertheless, the rates current on Monday were fully realised. In reference to beasts, there was a fair supply. The demand was dull, but prices were maintained, the best Scots and crosses being sold at 6s. per 81bs. The market was moderately sup plied with sheep, which came to hand in poor condition. The inquiry for all descriptions was inactive, at previous quo tations. Calves and pigs experienced a steady sale, at prices tending upwards. Per 81bs. to sink the offal: -Coarse and inferior beasts, 3s. Bd. to 45. 6d. ; second quality ditto, 4s. Bd. to ss. Od. • prime large oxen, 6s. 2d. to ss. 4d. ; prime Scots, drc., ss. 10d. to 6s. Od. ; coarse and inferior sheep, 3s. 6d. to 3s. 10d. ; second quality ditto, 4s. Od. to 4s. 6d. ; prime coarse-woolled sheep, 4s. Bd. to ss. 4d. ; prime Southdown ditto, ss. Bd. to 6s. Od. ; large coarse calves, 3s. 6d. to 48. 6d. ; prime small ditto, Is. Od. to Is. 10d. ; large hogs, 4s. 4d. to ss. 2d.; neat small porkers, Is. 6d. to 6s. 2d. Quarter old store pigs, 225. to 265. each. Arrivals.-English :-Beasts, 670 ; sheep, 3,480; calves, 35 ; pigs, 10. Foreign : Beasts, 480 ; sheep, 4,500 ; calves, 220 ; pigs, 180. Total : Beasts, 1,150 ; sheep, 7,980 ; calves, 255 ; pigs, 190. BRISTOi, CATTLE MARKET, THURSDAY. -At this market to-day there was a fair supply of mutton. Good sheep were in demand, at Bd. to 80. ; all sold. Beef, 725. top price. The demand was good ; all sold. Store cattle were about the same as last week. METROPOLITAN HAY AND STRAW MARKET, THURS DAY.-The market to-day was fairly supplied with hay and clover. The demand was moderately animated, at the annexed quotations :-Prime old hay, 1275. 6d. to 1355. ; inferior ditto, 110 s. to 120 s. ; prime new hay, 1153. to 1255. ; inferior ditto, 100 s. to 1108, ; prime clover, 130 s. to 140 s. ; inferior ditto, 115 s. to 1255. ; prime new second-cut clover, 120 s. to 130 s. ; inferior ditto, 110 s. to 116 s. ; and straw, 30s. to 345. per load. COLONIAL AND FOREIGN PRODUCE MARKETS, THURS DAY. -Sugar-The market is moderately active, at firm quota tions, Superior white crystalised Martinique, duty 65., 355. 6d. to 365. ; low middling to good yellow syrups, duty ss. 3d., 265. to 278. ; good middling to fine brown syrups, Penang, 225. to 248. 6d. ; low yellow, 255. per cwt. Coffee steady. Native Ceylon, good ordinary, 48s. ; fine ordinary to fine baked, 498. to 535. Tea is purchased to a fair extent, at full pfices. Rice quiet at late rates. Saltpetre -Business doing at 9to n lbs. ; Bengal at 248. 6d. to 255. 6d. short prompt. Cotton is in rather better demand, at improving prices. Hemp firm. New Zealand flax rather more saleable, at previous rates. LONDON OIL MARKET, THURSDAY.--Linseed, 30s. London and Hull on the spot ; 295. 9d. last two months Hull. Rape, 425. for English brown in all positions to the end of the year. LONDON TALLOW MARKET, THIIRSDAY,-Tallow sells slowly, but at full prices. Y. C., spot, 435. 6d. LONDON METAL MARKET, THURSDAY.—MetaIs are quiet Tin firm at £l2B for Straits. Spelter, £l7 6s. to £l7lox. Chi copper, common bars, £6l. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, THURSDAY.—Opening Re port.—This market opened with a fair inquiry to-day, at yes terday's prices on the spot. Probable sales, 10,000 bales. There was less offering to arrive, and buyers were at last night's closing rates. Imports, 8,534 bales. Closing Report. - This market closed with a very firm tone, on the rumours of the capi tulation of Metz. The sales on the spot were 120,000 bales. There was more demand to arrive, and prices were id. dearer than last night's closing prices. MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT, THURSDAY.—This market is reported as being dreadfully easier in prices to-day, and the recent nominal advance has again been lost, and there is the prospect of even lower rates than those accepted during last weeks. The amount of daily is again very limited, and await a more favourable opportunity. The cotton market in Liverpool is again also easier, and this fact warrants buyers here in holding aloof for a little time. BRADFORD TRADE REPORT, THURSDAY.—This market during the past week has been tolerably good. There continues to be a fair demad for many descriptions of English wool, and particularly for wethers. Lincoln, Leicester, Irish, Kent, and north wethers are all saleable, at fully late rates. Low sorts are also in request. There is a full sale for downs, halfbreds and hogs of all sorts. Prices keep quite firm, and the rates is the country make it impossible for staplers to replace at an advantage. Worsted yarns for the export trade are still very little wanted, and the loss of the import branch of the trade is seriously felt. The home trade, however, is all the better in consequence, and keeps a great deal of machinery in full em ployment. Prices have not suffered much, as spinners are obliged, from the firmness of the raw material, to maintain quotations. Operations from stock may possibly be done at a trifling reduction. In piece goods there is rather more inquiry for Germany, and the Americans continue to buy to a limited extent. The home trade is quiet, and prices re main nominally unchanged. SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE IRON TRADE REPORT, THUM DAY.—The meeting of ironmasters at Birmingham to-day was well attended, and was characterised by a cheerful tone. The peace rumours which are still clung to are received with great satisfaction, and in view of the possible cessation of hostilities, the prospects of the trade are hopeful. Th e or d ers g i ven out since the quarterly meeting have not been very numerous, but it is anticipated that the season will be a busy one. All the iron mills and forges in the Wolver hampton district are reported to be steadily occupied. A NOTABLE BANKRUPT.—A first sitting was held before Mr, Registrar Roche in the case of Peregrini Taylor Bingley, late Paris agent to the South Eastern Railway Company. The liabilities are about £4,000, and most of the creditors are resident in Paris. On their behalf it was asked that the sitting should be adjourned, as the case could not be properly investigated unless they were present or represented. This was opposed on the part of the English creditors, who urged that an adjournment on such a ground would be equivalent to a postponement sine die. His Honour said it was well known that intercourse with Paris was com pletely stopped—in fact, the whole commercial law of France might now be said to be in abeyance. Acting on the precedent in other cases, in this and other Courts, he would adjourn the sitting for a month. THE ECLIPSE CF DECEMBER 22.—Mr. Hind has published a Nautical Almanac Circular with reference to the path of the total phase in regions which are con veniently accessible. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the shadow of the moon passes across the south of Portugal and the Straits of Gib raltar to Algeria, reaching its most southerly limits in about longitude 4 degrees east of Greenwich, where the southern boundary of the shadow-path is in about 34 2-3 degs. north latitude. Thence the shadow passes to Sicily, the northern limit passing slightly to the north of Mount Etna, and so, touching the extreme southern point of the Italian Peninsula, by the south of Turkey, past Thessaly. The most important parts of the shadow's path are those across the south of Portugal and Spain, in Algeria, and across Sicily. The chief towns which lie close to the central line are Odemira, Silves, Almodovar, Tavira, Ayamonte, Huelva, Palos, Xeres, Cadiz, San Fernando, Arcos, Este pona. and Marbella, in the Spanish peninsula ; Oran and Ratna, in Africa ; and Syracuse, in Sicily. Incredible as it may seem, the Admiralty have refused the use of a ship to convey the astronomers and others who had volunteered to observe the eclipse. It will be felt by all that the chief misfortune here is not the loss of the opportunity of making observations likely to throw light on the subject of solar physics. Important as the results of well-concerted ob servations would in all probability have been, we could better have sacrificed the result of the observation of fifty total eclipses thau have suf fered the shame of such paltry parsimony to rest for ever as a blot on the scientific repute of England. To all ages the story will be handed down that in 1870 England seemed to have forgotten the traditions of past munificence in the cause of science, and that when 60 generous men volunteered their services, at no unimpor tant sacrifice, England could not find a corner for them in all her navy Where George 111. could be generous, insomuch that under his auspices ships were sent to the Antipodes to ob s erve a transit of Venus, a Liberal government in this 19th century can risk the reputation of the country through a miserly economy. But then there is war, and who can say what risks this country might not run if any one of her ships should be employed to leave observing parties at Gibraltar or Syracuse, and to transport them back again to England? The prospect is terrible indeed. Yet unless we err, this country has done more than that in the cause of science when Europe was in arms from the North Cape to Gibraltar and Matapan. France also when in the throes of a terrible revolution, and threatened by armies on all sides, could employ Delamore and Mdchain to measure an arc of the meridian, under circumstances of such difliculty and danger that the completion of the task is among the wonders of science. Truly our boasted pro gress is of questionable value if the spirit which has ren dered it possible is to be thus forgotten. The Popular Science Review. BREAK FAST.—EPPS'S COCOA.- -GRATEFUL AND COM FORTING.—The very agreeable character of this prep ara ti on h as rendered it ageneral favourite. The Civil Service Gazette re marks :—" By a thorough knowledge of the nat ura l l aws w h ich govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, an d b y a careful application of the fine properties of well-selected cocoa, Mr. Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately flavoured beverage which may save us many heavy doctors' bills." Made simply with boiling water or milk. Sold only in tin-lined packets labelled—JAMES EPPS & CO., Uomceopathi Chemists, London.—Advt. THE WA R. THE SIEGE OF PARIS. A PARIS RESIDENT'S IMPRESSIONS. The following letter has been received from a young lady resident in Paris : " Paris, 11 October, 1870.—(En temps de Siege.) " Dearest A—, It is wretched to write thus, in extreme doubt whether your friendly eyes will ever read my few words, but I think you will be glad to have some news of us, and a little of that talk with me which it is as difficult now to establish between us, as if I were in some lonely spot on the other hemisphere. So the letter shall try its fate, le jeu vast bien la chandelle. Its depar ture does not promise to be speedy, for in the last twelve days only one balloon containing letters has been able to leave Paris on account of the contrary winds, and you may thus guess the pretty accumulation of letters lying at the Rue Jean Jacques, and how this one will have to :be , there while waiting its turn. No walks to catch the half-past five o'clock post ; no busy clerks stamping letters to waltz tunes in the bureau. There is scarcely anything to do there. One guichet remains open, and behind sits a man with his hands before him on the newspaper. We write " Par ballon monte " on our letters ; we mustn't use envelopes. It doesn't matter when we write or when we post ; we never, never can have answers ; we feel a million miles from everywhere. We are tied up within our walls, and cut off from the whole world, where Dieu salt qua may be happening— and we only say and feel. How odd ! how very odd ! how awfully odd ! I feel as if Paris were a little island sur rounded by the ocean ; but the ocean is made of dark blue men with spiked helmets, and the iron band they have set round us is tightening, and tightening. But our Paris army, and our forts, and our Mobiles are behaving so admirably, and the glorieux enemy cannot succeed in getting up their hideous batteries around us. But there—l must not say anything of so martial a strain, or my letter will look sus• picious to those who most likely will open it before it reaches your hands, and you will never get it at all. But I must tell you how strangely quickly we have got accus tomed to the cannonading. We thought before that we never should, and though, but three weeks ago and I heard it for the first time . (we happened to be alone at the moment), we started, and flushed, and trembled with feelings of no small horror, we now listen to it almost as a normal thing. The guns have been roaring from the Mont Valerien during the last few days, and we can see the puffs of white smoke that issue from it at every coup. Looking from the windows through opera glasses is a favourite occupation ; we look at earth works, barricades, camps, and trenches, casemates and cannon, but not a single Prussian yet. In the Place Courcelles there are 9sone barricades and a huge battery. You can never know how queer it all is. The consoling thing is that we shall have lived it, and shall be lionised in our own estimation for ever afterwards. F--: says she always felt she was born to be a heroine The siege has supplied us with plenty of inspiriting ex citement and—may I say it, in spite of its terrible menaces--a great deal of amusement. The fight for meat is something tremendous. There are queues of for midable length at the butchers' shops, and Katrine has to stand for hours, beginning at six in the morning, to get a joint. The quantity is fixed now for each person at 100 grammes a day, which makes for our family of seven a little over a pound and a quarter ! And this can only be had on presenting a card procured from our mairie, which is stamped by the butcher, and prevents anyone going twice in one day. Of fresh butter there has not been a bit in all Paris since the siege began, three weeks ago, and the salted compound whose nastiness is difficult to define is five francs a pound. Milk is most difficult to obtain, cheese and ham impossible, vegetables are getting rarer and rarer, and fowls are fourteen francs a piece. But still we shan't starve for there are loads of bread and wine and groceries in Paris, and the meat being dealt out so carefully will last long. Horse and ass are being eaten ardently, but we have not brought ourselves to taste them yet, and in the latter case I should fear for our minds. Enfin, you may imagine how glad we are, with all this, to have got over a great case of smoked, preserved, and potted things from England Our preserved milk is a precious boon, and with a bravery excited by necessity, we are getting accustomed to odd plats. We are hardly getting accustomed, however, to the noise and tumult brought around our house by the siege. From six in the morning our Place is full of National Guards at drill, of cantines and cantinieres, drums and trumpets beaten and played vociferously ; the whole culminating in shouts of " Yive la Republique." The cantinieres of the Garde Nationale, are volunteers ; and appear in the most dashing costumes, a bunch of tricolour ribbons in their hair, and tricolour feathers in their free-shooters hats. M-- has gone into the Garde Nationale, and with him our last civilian friend has gone, excepting E— who has not yet been called out,—guns having run short. M. -- mounts his guard on the ramparts with the rest, twenty-four hours at a time, sleeping when off duty in open tents, which, in the wind and rain we have occasionally, cannot offer much luxurious comfort to our defenders. M. M-- is camped in some distant place in the Bois de Boulogne, and can never come to us. F—, as I told you, I think, is tending the wounded prisoners at Sedan (how far away Sedan battles seem !), and every one else we know is away. Thus to return to our one friend. M-- spends long afternoons with us, and we all talk of the siege with ever-renewed ardour. Poor P-- will soon be marching towards us with the arm& de la Loire, to deliver us from our enemies, it is fervently to be hoped. How long may all this go on ! Our hearts turn sick when we hear surmises of it continuing on into the winter. What will become of us if it does ! It is now more than three weeks since we had our last letters from England, and the Grande Rue, Boulogne, and all that time of course, K— has not heard of her children. I cannot tell you how I long to hear from you. I need not ask you to think of us often. Love to all yours. F-- sends her love.—l remain, your affectionate friend, THE AMAZONIAN CORPS. The Paris correspondent of the Standard, who forwards is letter by balloon post, writes as follows concerning the :ormation of the Amazonian corps :—" Having been attracted by a crowd round an insignificant-looking bill which caused many readers to turn away after perusal with a smile on their lips, I find that in the Rue Turbige an office is open for the enlistment of Amazons. My curiosity being some what aroused I continued my walk in that direction. Arrived at the house indicated I found two of these placards posted on each door-post, which circumstance added greatly to the difficulties of those who were endea vouring to enter for enrolment, owing to the crowd they drew together. I managed, however, to elbow myself a passage, though it is doubtful whether I should have ventured on such a course if I had not seen several Amazon, s perform it successfully. I found the office in course of arrangement ; the list will only be open to morrow, but there was a gentleman there to give infor mation, which he did with great politeness to the many most respectable ladies I saw there. The conditions are these Every Amazon must be presented by some person in a position to answer for her respectability, and must engage herself for the duration of the war. The duties they will be called upon to perform are the same as those of the ' Garde Nationale Sedentaire,' to which will be joined the first care of the wounded on the ramparts. Their uniform (found by themselves) is to consist of black trousers, with an orange stripe, a black woollen blouse, furnished with a hood and a `kepi,' with an orange band. The Government is to be asked to supply a light gun, carrying not less than 250 yards, and to grant them the same pay as the National Guards, if 50c. per day. From what I can judge from the women I saw in the office, I should not be at all inclined to underrate the services this corps might render; they were principally women of the lower middle class. However, the higher ranks in society were not unrepresented. • One lady espe cially shewed great enthusiasm ; her husband, who had been a lieutenant in a foot regiment, had been killed at Sedan ; her brother was in the garrison of Metz, and her uncle had been taken prisoner after having taken part in the defence of Strasburg. In her eyes gleamed a thirst for vengeance, and her words and actions expressed the joy she felt shat the opportunity had presented itself. It would of course, be premature to express any very decided opinion, but I left the office far more inclined to encourage the movement than I had entered it. It is stated in an evening paper that a gentleman noticing a contemptuous smile on certain persons' faces while reading the announcement, reproved them in these words : Citizens, let us not laugh. Everything is serious at the present conjuncture. Who can tell butthat in the ranks of the Amazons, a Jeanne d'Arc may not be found to save France.' An announcement was made in the newspapers that a number of merchants had undertaken to furnish the town with provisions, and it is believed that they will succeed in getting their waggons through the the Prussian lines. Misery however continues to grow, and nothing has yet been heard of any provisions arriving. Cannonading has been heard this afternoon in the direction of Clamar•t. One of my friends, on whose information I can rely, tells we that FIGHTING AP BRETEUIL. The Aroniteur de l'Oise describes the fighting which took place at Breteuil a few days ago :—" On Thursday last the Prussian troops in garrison at Beauvais proceeded to Breteuil. They were about 1,500 men, consisting of cavalry, infantry, and artillery. One battalion of Mobile Guards of the Somme, from Doullens, was stationed at Breteuil, A fter a few shots had been ex changed the Mobile Guards, perceiving that theyead to ' fight against the Royal Guard, supported by 10 artillery pieces, retreated towards Amiens. After some cannon shots had been fired on the town, the inhabitants sent a flag of truce, and the Prussians entered Breteuil. The National Guard was disarmed. We are assured that some Mobiles were killed and wounded in the small engagement which took place. The Prussians lost a non-commissioned officer and two men wounded. Thirty-two Mobile and National Guards, among them one officer, were made prisoners and brought to Beauvais." Commander Hure, of the 4th Battalion of the Somme Mobiles, supplies the following information :—" The Prussians commenced their attack this morning at eleven o'clock ; there were about 2,500, with cavalry, seven guns, and two mitrailleuses. The 4th Battalion of Mobiles of the SOMME 4 hardly numbering 1,200 men, advanced in the van with much vigour. Five horses were captured, three of which must have arrived at Amiens. But we were obliged to retreat before superior numbers and the artillery, the hollow shots of which fortunately passed over our heads. Whilst retiring inch by inch we were able still to fire on the Prussians in the direction of Equesnoy. We retreated towards Piers. At Breteuil the enemy took possession of all the silver plate and valuable articles." IN FRONT OF METZ. The special correspondent of the Telegraph, writin from the headquarters of the First Army, under date October 15th, says :—" To-morrow—so a French officer, taken prisoner at Maison Rouge, and just brought in, tells me—the Republic is to be proclaimed in Metz. As yet General Bazaine and his colleagues have managed to keep the townspeople in ignorance of the true state of political affairs in France ; but, by some means or another probably through exchanged prisoners —the news has oozed out that the dynasty of Napoleon uo longer exists. The people of Lorraine and Alsace are nowise Republican ; but their dreams of glory and accession of territory have received a rude shock. They have seen the troops who but a short time ago left Metz to conquer return to its sheiter, not disgraced, but yet utterly defeated. They have learnt that French soldiers are not invincible, and that the incapacity of officers will defeat an army composed of the best material in the world. When, therefore, they hear that France is governed by a Republic, and that Napoleon 111. is no longer Emperor—that there in a chance of their getting out of a pestilential city, and avoiding hunger and starva tion—a different state of feeling will, perhaps, spring up ; and Metz la Pucelle may come to terms. That Bazaine will hold out to the last I have not the least doubt; and that he will do so in no very gentle manner, I am also certain, from what this officer told me. He will go to any lengths to compel the obe dience of the population; but the reaction will be trying for him, and Metz may yet open her gates to Prince Frederick Charles, and release his army from this trying, wearying, death-dealing blockade. As to provisions, this officer laughed when I suggested to him the possibility that famine might compel the bravest army to succumb. Ah, bah ! nous avons assez, allez I' he cried. La farine est lh,, nous avons toujours des chevaux, et l'on ne pent pas emp6cher la recolte de pommes de terre.' I mildly suggested that salt, although a common and cheap commodity, was yet most necessary. On fait la cuisine sans sel, monsieur—voila tout,' was the answer. In the abstract, this sort of argument, no doubt, is all very well ; but, unfortunately, my friend's face was a perfeet denial of his assertions. He looked as if he had eaten nothing for a fortnight. I placed sardines, bread, and a bottle of wine before him; and, thinking h.o.uid- r e.haps appease his hunger betteralone, or that he would object to show a stranger how hungry he really was, I left the room. In half an hour I returned. The box of sardines was empty, the oaf had disappeared, and the wine was —not. By way of apology, he said, `Mon camarade, j'ai fait un petit paquet de tout ca pour la route;' but I confess I saw nothing like a packet about him. This afternoon I rode with the young Duke of Mecklenburg and Prince Reuss towards Mercy-le-Haut, and, as if to refute any hopes that we might have had of the surrender of Metz, the batteries were more than ordinarily noisy. Arrived at the camp of the 9th Regiment at Orly, six shells welcomed us one after another, killing two men, and wounding six. Then came the roar of the big gun behind the railway embankment by Montigny ; then Queulen thundered away ; in fact, the fire from the batteries around the town was more severe than ever. The outposts suffer dreadfully, and, if you add to the hardships which we suffer from the town itself those we now endure from the miserably rainy, cold windy weather, you will complete the chronicle of our misfortunes. As I returned, a small batch of prisoners and some horses were brought in from the neighbourhood of Colomby and Ars Laquenexy. Poor fellows ! they • looked anything but in good condition ; and, as to the horses, they were nothing but bags of bones. On my arrival at headquarters I heard a rumour that $ French General, with a flag of truce, had just gone through to the King. Indeed, some officers most positively asserted that it was General Bourbaki himself ; but from the description I hardly think so. I had scarcely taken my seat beside a warm tire, when a perfect rattle of musketry made me spring up and ask the mean i ng o f all the noise. Just then an ordurly galloped past and said that the French were advancing by way of St. Privat. In a moment we were in our saddles, and as we clattered through the streets of Jouy, the Gist and !Ist Regiments were getting under arms. Riding along the road which leach into Metz by way of Montigny, I met a company of the 2nd Jagers iu► columns of sections doubling to the front. A dropping fire was going on in front of Frascati, and as I pulled up in rear of a garden wall I heard the whistle of a locomo tive in Metz. I thought we were in for another bad nhzht, but, with the exception of a little smart shooting before Frascati nothing occurred ; so I rode quietly back to my quarters." THE POSITION AT TOURS. TOURS, OCT. 17TH. The effects of the late defeats on the morale and disc pline of the troops has been repaired in part, but by no means wholly. Bands of men are still walking about this place utterly unamenable to command. Some are drunk, some are without uniforms, some have half their uniforms ; all are worthless tor mili tary purposes. An insubordinate soldier is a most formidable individual—to his friends. These strictures apply to the Regulars chiefly. The Mobiles are dispirited, but not disorganised, by their defeats. They are still ready for battle, and very many of them have not yet undergone the trial of a flight before the enemy. The Army of the Loire is yet great in num bers and formidable on paper ; but the demoralisation of a great part and the raw condition of the rest make it no match for anything like an equal number of Germans. The officers are in great measure to blame for this state of affairs. Good leaders make good men. The First Napoleon always managed to get on very well with the raw levies which formed so large a proportion of his later armies. But the officers here seem to pay very little attention to business. They smoke in the cafés, flirt in drawing rooms, and wander about the public promenades; but the parade ground is little patronised by their presence. The petit verre is pre ferred to the manoeuvre. This is a time when the utmost and incessant exertions of every officer, no matter of what rank, are needed. If anything is to be made out of the Loire army, it will not be by suffering it to make or un make itself at pleasure. Yet, with the exception of a few worthy labourers at the thankless task, nobody rises equal to the emergency. The demoralising, the bruta lising effects of the Second Empire are spoken of as the cause of all this lassitude. Poor Second Empire The fact exists, whatever may have produced it. Another diffi culty is the inexperience of the officers. The practical men are inside Metz, or in German fortresses, or at large their parole. Most of those at Tours are either very old or very young. If they have been tried in war, it has been in Algeria ; and experience of warfare, as practised in the African colony, is perhaps worse than no experience at all. It is to the habit of fighting with the wild tribes of Algeria that the incurable carelessness of the French in the matter of keeping guard, is to be ascribed. There is no occasion to keep a look-out for Arabs. These warriors always begin firing off their rifles about . two miles before they get within range : the Germans wage war on a different system. Some of the papers notice the officer difficulty in very severe terms. One, not published at Tours, even hints at the stern rigour adopted by the First Republic. Unfortunately, a bad system is scarcely to be amended in the middle of a war carried on as rapidly as the present one. Even the Revolutionary plan of degradation and death as the penalty of inefficiency could scarcely restore victory to the French arms. However, another trial is to be made. More men have been brought up, and some mitrailleuses are ready for use. It is hoped that at the next battle, which is expected every day, the artillery will arrive in sufficiently good time to be fired at the Germans, which was not the case at Orleans. General Bourbaki is here, and his presence leads the papers to vie with each other in their energetic efforts to explain the remarkable incident of his departure from Metz. Most of them agree that the theory of Bourbaki being asked to take the Prince Imperial into the fortress, there to be proclaimed Emperor by the army of Bazaine, is the correct one ; but they differ as to the personages to whom they attribute the de sign and attempted execution of that remarkable scheme. Some allow that the Empress was a party to it ; others that she was indignant at the design, which was the work of M. Rouher and Prince Napoleon. Certain it is that the Jersey cauldron (M. Rouher and other Imperialists are at Jersey) is boiling with intrigues of some kind or other. The theory about the Prince Imperial has, moreover, this evidence : it is next to impossible to conceive for what other purpose Bourbaki could have passed the German lines. A GERMAN BLUNDER. A correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, writing from Lille, notices the greatly improved spirit in defence shewn by the population of Northern France. This the writer attributes in great measure to the harsh proclama tions of the German leaders—one of whom has threatened that for every Prussian killed by the inhabitants or Free shooters, four Frenchmen, innocent or guilty, will suffer. The inhabitants being brought to the conclusion that their chance of being shot was the same whether they fought or remained passive, resolved that they might as well fight, and thereby gain the approbation of their fellow-citizens:—" It would seem that this conclusion has been arrived at over a rather large extent of French soil within the last few days ; for both departmental authori ties and individual Republicans who were enraged at what they considered the cowardice of the rural popula tion are now much more content with them. And while the more romantic of them attribute the improvement in the attitude of the villagers to the con tagion of a general élan, those who wish to shew their knowledge of human nature say it is simply the result of the last decree cf the German authorities in these neighbourhoods ; and certainly it would seem that the less tact these gentlemen shew in the administration of the occupied provinces, the more chance is there of the main body around Paris hav ing its communications with Germany harassed, and its provision trains captured or destroyed. In towns like Lille, Roubaix, Valenciennes, inhabited chiefly by mer chants and manufacturers, a change of a very similar character has taken place. A few days ago these towns were not quite willing even to give the money asked by the Committee of De fence ; now you hear them speaking of the necessity of downright fighting. Many a stout, steady citizen of Lille—forcibly reminding one of the English porter ' Wanted,' with the fear of the Lord, and able to carry 2 cwt.—is preparing himself not only for the defence of his native city, but to march ou beyond it." The statement that Prince Frederick Charles had recovered seems to be erroneous. Not only is he still unwell, but he has been obliged to leave head-quarters for change of air. The French Government have appointed as prefect of the Var M. Marc. Dufraisse, one of the members of the Mountain in 1848. At that time he made a violent speech justifying the execution of Louis XVI. He was replied to by M. Berryer in a powerful speech, which was applauded throughout France. The Zukunft is an " advanced" Prussian paper. Regard less of the warning furnished by Dr. Jacoby's arrest, it publishes a list of 100 persens protesting against the an nexation of Alsace and Lorraine, and against the illegal restrictions upon right of free speech which now prevail through military force in a great part of Germany. Some railway trains containing Germans have been up set in the eat of France. In consequence the French authorities have been required to appoint hostages, who will accompany every train in the front carriage. In case of destruction of the line and accident to a train these persons will forfeit their lives. Nothing is said as to the mode in which persons are to be chosen to perform the agreeable duty of hostages. The Journal de Vire says that fourteen Prussian spies have been caught at Mezidou, who were marking the farms with red chalk. When questioned they admitted they were Prussians, and papers found on them explained the red chalk marks. They indicated the wealth of the inhabitants, the number of soldiers they could accommo date at need, and the amount of the requisitions tha7 might be exacted. All the spies wore French military uniforms. Eleven were shot, the other three escaped. Whilst staying at Trouville-sur-Mer, M. Thiers con stantly dwelt on the war, and said that independently of his public utterances, he had become increasingly con vinced that the French people had been shamefully betrayed as to the state of their army. He asserted his belief again and again that the Government had not more than 200,000 regular troops of the line that they could bring to face the enemy, instead of some 500.000 as stated in the official journals, and that looking at the in sufficiency of the forces alone, it was a war of utter madness. A writer in the Daily Hews attributes the constant defeats of the French to the neglect by their commanders of the " idiosyncrasy of their race." The French are formed for attack, and yet they were kept constantly on the defensive. Once only- -at Alars-la-Tour—wer e they allowed to attack, and they well nigh won on that occa sion. "I don't care to say, now that the affair is past and gone, how near the Prussians, in my opinion, came to losing that battle of the 10th of August 7 vou Moltke must have drawn a long breath of relief when the morning came and he found his enemy had known his own fortune so little as to fall back on the plateau of the ravine beyond Gravelotte." The Manchester Examiner has a telegram from Berlin stating that Metz has capitulated ; but no confirmation of this news has been received. It is said that 1,133,341 arms have been distributed among the National Guards, including 280,738 rifles for the Paris guard. The Brussels Moniteur publishes some fresh documents relative to the transport of the wounded German° through Belgium, refuting the charges made by some of the German papers as to the alleged ill-treatment , and says :—" Sufficient light has now been thrown upon this grievance, and we may consider the question as settled." A bargain has been concluded between the Minister of Public Works and the great manufactory of Grevelle- The house of Cail undertakes to construct as rapidly as possible 50 mitrailleuses of a new kind, firing 120 balls a minute; 50 field pieces of fourteen centimetres, breech' loaders, having a range of from 7,000 to 8,000 metres; 35 cannons of 25 centimetres, weighing 150 kilogrammes , which are destined to rival Krupp's famous siege guns• M. Cail declares himself ready to second the efforts of the Government in every possible way, and professes hi willingness to give up all private orders to meet the re' quirements of the National Defence. GOLDWIN SMITH ON THE WAIL-A meeting of the Labour Representation League was held on Wed' nesday evening, at which a letter from Mr. Goldwin Smith was read. His satisfaction at the establishmen t of a Republic in France is tempered by the conviction that in no country in Europe is the Republican element so weak. Mr. Smith is of opinion that German is noW securing her unity and her independence ; political pro gress will soon follow. He heartily wishes England had been strong enough to put her veto on the war; but she will do nothing great until her Government becomes thoroughly national. In treating of the German terms of peace, Mr. Smith remarks that if France chooses to make war, she must accept its chances, like any other nation. TIIIONVILLE.— The Prefect of the Nord Depart - Inent sends to the papers a report on the state of this fortress :—" The fortress of Thionville, into which I No s unable to enter, in consequence of a complete, though very recent investment, is provided with abundance (Jf provision and ammunition; its revictualling was never intErruptecl. The garrison, which wa s not numerous before our disaste r s, h as b een gradually hi' creased by the debris of our armies, especially escaped, prisoners. It now numbers m ore th an 8,000 men o f nh arms, not including a brave body of Franc-tireurs. BY; the end of last month these had captured a convoy of provisions consisting of 78 carts, and which was destine,' for the Prussian army under Metz. On Monday last, the 10th of October, the investing army attempted to estah lish batteries on a hill commanding Thionville, but was compelled to desist on account of th e we ll sus t a ined an d directed lire from the ramparts. A vigorous sortie Was made by the garrison, when 300 prisoners were taker; The French losses amount only to a few killed and wounded." A WONDERFUL TALE.—The days of Amazons are not over if we are to believe the wonderful tale told 11, the Salut Public, a Lyons paper, respecting the women 05 Rambervilliers, a small town in the Vosges. Sixty" six Uhlans, according to this account, mad,' their appearance at Rambervilliers to demand supplies, announcing that they had behind theni an army of 20,000 men. We may presume that the heroines of the town did not believe this story, but at any rate they were prepared for action. One thousand women, armed with sticks, spades' scythes, and anything else they could lay their hands on, presented themselves before the enenLY , and dared him to advance. It is a worthy we' elusion to the story that the Uhlans, who are not usual l l_, remarkable for cowardice, s h ou ld h ave b een t err ifi e d and taken flight. Perhaps they doubted what sort of beings they had to contend against. The Sitcle, in holding up these somewhat mythi ca l l a di es as an example, points the moral to the women of France, and tells them that if they choose, the enemy might be easily routed. GENERAL BOURBAE AND THE TOURS GOVERN ' MENT.—We have reas on f or b e li ev i ng th at G en. Bourbaio resolutely declined to accept the command of the beats." and demoralised Army of the Loire ; and that hU appointment to the command of the Army of th e North—an army yet to be made—was the result of al l enforced afterthought on the part of the French Provisional Government. The sojourn of the Delegation at Tours will not so far as we understand. b e longer protracted. Should the issue of the b 4148 that will probably be fought, south of the Loire, withal? day or two, be adverse to the cause of France, it is probable that Bordeaux may be called on to provide ae", commodation for the Minist ers " d e t ac h e d on s pecial service," and for the members of the Corps Diplomatiqiis now at Tours. It is reported that there has been Boole discussion as to whether Bordeaux or Clermont . Ferrand should be the next seat of the Delegation ; but Bordeaux, by our latest information, won the preference in the opinions of those most directly le' terested.— Telegraph. LORRAINE AS IT Is.--" Two children whom we found at Chenby," writes Ferdinand Gregorovius, the German poet and historian, from the neighbourhood of Metz, " spoke good French which they had learned a school. A little girl shewed me her school-books or prizes which she had gained for application. She VI able to talk of the causes of the war. When I remarked that we, the enemies of France, were here in the count* ? against our will, she said, ' I know that the Emperor Na' poleon, and not you, declared war.' Francs-tireurs do n Oll shew themselves, and there are only isolated cas es of fanaticism. On the 3d, three drunken peasants) who had fired on a dragoon officer, were arrested, and pro' bably shot, and a schoolmaster, with some companions , who surprised and killed by night a sleeping patrol, hav e been hanged. At Laquenexy a musketeer is posted by a cistern in order to prevent the water being poisoned, 011 has several times been attempted. Many of the inhabl . tants, in spite of their fear and hatred, are beginning t o return in order to their fields. When I saw a solitary team in the fields, or a plough, or a newly-tilled fartc. l ,' these primitive and oldest of a ll h uman employments, seemed to me like an evangel of returning civilisation/ Stealthily, like criminals, like banished Cain, these Po°, r people cultivate their own gro u nd. Th e s k y i s lit u p by the warmest October sun, and the lark carols in the blue air. If this faithful friend of the husbandman had eyes and intelligence, as we have, it would certainly be mut e ' As far as the eye can reach wild mustard covers the fields, and its yellow colour imparts a soft mild tone to the Pic turesque fields, which gives them a charming grace. They glitter with it like gold, b u t wee d s are to -d ay the gol d 0 ' these fertile fields." THE POPE AND VICTOR EMMANUE lA. Speaking of the relations between the Pope and Victor Emmanuel, the correspondent of the Daily Hews saye: —. All mediation has proved useless. The mot d'ordre 118 ' 9 been given. The Italian clergy all over the Peninsula are to act with the Republican party and work together for the overthrow of a sacrilegious sovereign. The war is to be a l'outrance. The French journals, which on the breaking out of the war with Prussia had been deceiving the Parisians by allowing them to cherish the idea that an Italian army would cross the Alps and would join the armies of the Rhine are now taking their re venge by menacing, when the war shall be over, a new French French occupation to restore the Pontiff. The fact is that the French look upon a war with the Italians as a rehabilitation for their army. The answers give n by M. de Beust and by the Bavarian Minister to Signor Visconti Venosta's note announcing the reso lution taken by the Government to occupy Rome are anything but satisfactory. Indeed, the Italian Minister at Munich has arrived unexpectedly at Florenc?, and I have reason to believe that the object of his journey is to iuform the Government of the host le spirit animating at this moment the Bavarian Court Baron de Solvyns, the Belgian Minister at Florence, 1 . 4 continually remonstrating with the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, and has frankly stated that in case of an European Congress meeting, his Government will never approve the Roman occupation. Amidst all these PT tests and menaces, and declarations how could the Italia' Ministers think any longer of a reconciliation ? [ADVERTISEAIENT.] - Holloway's Pills. Disordere d Stomach, Torpid Liver.—Under every roof these terroro sometimes dwell : the peer and pauper are alike obnoxious to them. If every household possessed these Digestiv e Pills, how much annoyance would be spared, how nit il irritation averted, how many quarrels escaped ! A`• T 4: ordered stomach d o th th e m i n d i n fl ame !" These Po': operate equally on every di s tu r b e d f unc ti on , an d do n l9l ' confine their power to any p ar tith i l ar organ ; t h e stomach, liver, kidneys, bowels, blood, brain, and muscles, alike derive wholesome tone from this alterative preparation , which is entirely free from mercury and every other, noxious ingredient. Any m em b er o f a f am il y, w ithou regard to sex or age, delicacy o r v i gour , may therefor e b . use these Pills with the gr e a t es t sa f e t y an d u t mos t con' fidence. BIRTHS. On the 19th inst., the wife of Major Montagu J. BattY e ' of a daughter. On the 19th inst., at 41, Onslow-gardens, Mrs. A. Leland Noel, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the 18th inst., at St. Leonard's Church, Streathara, William Rea, Esq., of Barnwood, Gloucester, to Kat e j second daughter of the late Orlando Stone, ESq• I a n Mrs. Stone, of Holmesdale, Streatham. , - On the 19th inst. at Christ Church, Broad-green, Col; don, Walter Philip, only son of Richard P a ttende,n, Loughborough-road, S.W., to Lena, only daughter o f Edwin Bentley, of Clifton Villa, London-road, Croydon. DEATHS. On the 18th inst., at Brixton, Mr. Richard Marsh, for• merly of Cheapside, aged 89. On the 16th inst., at Leek, John Heathcote Hacker, Egg , aged 76. London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAN D BoycE, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by him a " THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the County of Middlesex. Xricloy, October 21, 1870, ;~ ~._ l~ 1 ~Ry „ieetho p,„ 4 , 11 y B 1 l an dil eto p r, err n concert 24. 6 d I: l lnisQ e ms) tv \` ~`IIL ~ `flE m ilt At Tit gape: - 1 itm e a Pend ot h t: e , —__ 41 eni 'tanc est ic i 14.6 1.10 Nati ,Pi SI 1%. "111 198