The Sun. — London, England, 1870-12-12 00:00:00

)OKS. holly, end, evergreens, Ls in binding very age and nost of the Routledge's ears in some ley. C. and " The 11 maintain Those wh° from the r ounger, or Perils the gold ;ome cow incidents, like " The sated. For p, or three which re y of boys play at is a very Liu without bound and interesting %bbits and iestic pet, ad butter ne in this 3 author of 3d. This is alights and )f Patience calls her, we must Literature, lliant than are perfect glow with is the old Mother.' ig illustra- Thite Cat," the Duck r shilling size, but ,tter, are " Rumpel ventures of books con- Lle House Red Riding handsome ad,contains arty," and er volume, i together a l legendarY y Beard " y." The 3. "I saw lice sailors L the hold" Duck is a blime ! A nes," set to gracefully side group al) time to ;htf ul lif e ir Pletsch from the )ampb ell ; ming. As children's lted Read little ones, Ltish Read ,ced. Alto- lon, Mr. d Church dd at the ►nsider the 3sibly lay s Church 1m the list !f3 repro in Union ) as stated .aster, and he pulpits dissenters, s, Father egulations a Mormon ple. But le Scotch priests of any good Baldwin of whom uTence in president of Trade ma steam e of Cap ntted the in the curious A deposit been dis citement. e rapidly however, -old leaf, the com- IN THE onging to and. A. 3, inform -9 mother, reached he grave. the ship, abscribed rbe, who of Divi id Army 18. He uently at tenant of Being ac isters for it, he re d expedi- Hon our. so useful tch pos 3elf by 6 signal iji Omar i Central ,ce. His 3, and he nt of the :al Socie lublished ters, and he topo ies. a reply. Letts's Letts's Letts's LATEST INTELLIGENCE. SUN OFFICE, 8 A M. THE WAIL OCCUPATION OF DIEPPE. VERSAILLES, December 10. "After the engagements of the last few days, the troops on the Loire were to have rested to day. "The enemy, however, in the morning in large force again assumed the offensive. "lie was repulsed in an engagement carried On chiefly by the artillery, which lasted tll the evening. " Our losses are very insignificant. "Some hundreds of prisoners are in our hands. " General von Manteufrel announces that Dieppe Ivas occupied on the evening of the 9th by troops of US army. _ _ _ "A portion of the 3rd field railway division with fifty of the infantry have been surprised at Ham and carried off." To hinder the organisation of fresh forces in France some more provinces are being rapidly occupied with the help of the newly-embodied reserves. _ The arsenals And cannon foundries of Bourges and Douai being already menaced by the 2nd Army, those of St. Etienne and Toulouse will soon be the only ones left to M. Gambetta. A.n official report from Versailles states that the last sorties from Paris were undertaken by the depot troops of the line with some Mobiles, in all about 0 0,000 strong. Before retreating they killed the wounded horses and took with them a portion of the flesh. They had no cavalry, but a numerous artillery. ANOTHER ENGAGEMENT ON THE LOIRE The King of Prussia has sent a telegram from Versailles to Queen Augusta, announcing the defeat et the Army of the Loire. His Majesty says On the Bth the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg , had several Severe engagements before Beaugency with the remainder of the Army of the Loire, which had be'en reinforced from Tours. The town of Beau gency was occupied, one thousand five hun dred prisoners and six guns being taken. A similar fate met the remainder of the second army, Which was in less force on the road to Bourges. In the engagement before Beaugency the enemy deployed between that place and the Forest of Mar ehenoir. Besides the troops engaged on the first day, at least two more Army Corps of the Army of the Loire were driven from Orleans, and endeavoured to arrest the advance of our troops. The latter, nevertheless, steadily gained ground, and took in succession the villages of Cravant, Beaumont, Messas, and afterwards also Beaugency. On the 9th the villages of Bonvalet, Villorceau, and Cernay, Still occupied by the enemy, were taken horn him, many more prisoners being made. To-day there was again a very warm struggle on the part of all the. Grand Duke's Army Division. The enemy was driven from all his strong positions in the Forest of Marchenoir, and many prisoners were made." The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg has forwarded a telegram to his Duchess from his head-quarters at keun g , dated December 10. He states that the atity under his command was violently attacked by the French yesterday (the 9th), but they were victoriously repulsed by the 17th and 22nd Divisions, notwithstanding the superiority of their numbers. The Grand Duke says his losses were but small. TOUR.% December 9. General Chanzy has forwarded a report to the Go- Irernment, dated Thursday evening. He states that 4 e had been again attacked on the whole front of his army by Prince Frederick Charles, but that his troops had held their position throughout the day. The Whole of the corps between St. Laurent to Beau rucy were engaged. The General states that his ( Irees encamped for the night in the positions they held in the morning. THE IMPENDING BOMBARDMENT. VERSAILLES, December 9. The advance of Prince Frederick Charles to *zirds the south—although occasional fluctuations i °l fortune may have marked the encounters of t he advanced corps—has resulted in the break-up o f the great French Army of the Loire. With th at result, all hope that Paris can be relieved a ppears to have vanished. The Germans now seem !' 0 believe that all fear of further military resistance 18 at an end. There is no doubt that, should the Parisians tot be convinced of the hopelessness of further delay in capitulation, by the events of last week, the Germans will unhesitatingly proceed to the cruel work they have so long deferred—the bom bardment of the city. At this moment the shells of German batteries already command the centre of Paris, and Notre Dame itself can be made as good a target of as the Cathedral was at Strasburg. According to all accounts, the bombardment will Probably commence on Monday week, the 19th bud. NEWS FROM THE NORTH. One of General Trochu's aides-de-camp, who left Paris in a balloon, has arrived at Lille. His ob net is said to be to communicate to the com manders of th e E as t, th e W es t, th e N or th, and the L oire: the ne w pl a ns ad o pt e d i n P ar i s . H e a l so sa ys ) 1 the fighting on the 30th November and 2nd ) 1 v _ e cember, which he describes as two great victories, " Prussian hisses are declared to have been 15,000 kill and wounded, a proportionate number of Prisoners, and six guns. The measures of defence complete, and the city is absolutely safe from s.tt ack. itl ight hundred Prussians arrived yesterday (the t 2 l ) at Albert. They blew up the railway viaduct ule c he neighbourhood, and left again for Amiens in evening. THE FRENCH PRISONERS. 13mniaN, Deeeml]er 10. 2. 110 prisoners taken in the great sortie from Paris 6 :7led several days' rations, having been ordered to Clt their wa y t o F on tai ne bl e au, where they w o u ld 4, 3 :: the Loire Army. As usual, they attacked ve ' e elY while permitted fo advance, but retreated t Y soon a ft er being stopped. THE SPANISH CROWN. OPallish deputations have been received by the d'Aosta and Prince Carignano with to guy' of congratulation. Most of them proceed tt„ e noa and Milan to present addresses to Prince mtobert. ITALY. Tel egraws from Florence, dated the 9tb, state k t ,„ t 13 ills have been laid b e f ore th e Ch am b ers emi t() t l g the Ro man Pl e bi sc it e f or changingthe capital Bilge, and als o for a credit o f 17,000,000 li re . to be has als b een introduced defining the question e l , given to th e P o p e i n re f erence t o the_in 80litY f the personal prerogatives of the vereis.-n Pontiff. T RANQUILLITY IN CHINA. V" ft o °I h ave received th e f o ll ow i ng commun i ca ti on peen the Foreign Office :- (4 A telegram, dated November 26, has been received from Mr. the7.e St ating that all was qu i et i n Chi na, an d t h at „ ler eivn resid en t s rema i ned to winter at Pekin as in. THE TREATY OF 1850. The 7 imes correspondent forwards the following telegrams : _ _ _ BERLIN, December 10, The semi-official Constantinople Turquie says that the formidable power of torpedoes having been proved in the present war, Turkey requires no longer Treaty Protection for her shores. PESTH, December 11. The French Chargé d'Affaires has been here in the matter of the Conference. France is ready to participate, but to do this shii must have a recognised Government, for which the convocation of a Con stituent Assembly is indispensable, and in its turn is conditional on an armistice. If, therefore, the Powers wish fur the participation of France, they ought to do something in this direction. Count Beust, while expressing his readiness to assist, declined to take any initiative, and advised that the two questions should be kept apart. The participation of the Envoy of the Provisional Go vernment in the Conference• would be an indirect recognition of the latter. The Daily News' correspondent sends the follow- VIENNA, December 11 (9.30 a.m.). Count Beast has sent his answer to the last Russian notes. He supports Lord Uranville's position. Count Mosbourg, the French agent, and Baron Albenburg, have gone to Pesth. Fresh peace negotiations will, it is expected, be shortly opened. VIRNNA, December 11 (3 p.m.) The Presse says that if Count Mosbourg comes to request Austrian intervention, it will be well for Count Beust to tell him that Austria can only act in concert with England. THE NEUTRALITY OF LUXEMBURG.I BRUSSELS, December 11. The Handeleblad says that the return of Luxem burg to Germany is decided upon, and will meet with no difficulty. . "In political circles in this capital enough is known to give cumulative testimony to the fact that Prussia has resolved to annex the Grand Duchy ot Luxemburg. It is now pretty well understood, in quarters that ought to be well informed, that the Russian denunciation of the Treaty of Paris, and the Prussian denunciation of the Treaty of London are, at least of Prussia's com plaints, leading up to such a contingency—were con certed beforehand; and that they would not have been so concerted but for the desire to present the most formidable apparent obstacles to the interference of England. Here nobody doubts that a close alliance, or, at all events, a very intimate understanding, subsists between the Courts of Berlin and St. Petersburg, and that the two Governments, in order to convince the smaller States that yet remain to be " agglomerated " of the hopelessness of resistance to their future policy, desire to prove to all the rest of Europe that the status and power ot England in European affairs has become a thing of the past."—Telegraph. UNITY OF GERAIA_NY. BERLIN, December 10. The Treaties with the Southern States were passed by the Federal Parliament all but unanimously. To secure their ratification Count Bismarck had threatened that he would dissolve Parliament or himself resign were they rejected. The opposition mainly proceeded from the Unity party, who demanded still more centralised institu tions, but eventually were induced to accept those offered by Government. (OENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.) CONSERVATIVE BANQUET. A dinner took place in the Great Hall, at Pomona Gardens, Manchester, on Saturday evening, in honour of Mr. Hugh Birley, M.P., who was returned at the head of the poll to represent the city in the Conservative interest at the general election in 1868. About 1,500 ladies and gentlemen were present. The chair was occu pied by Mr. Callender, Chairman of the Conservative Union, and the Hon. Algernon Egerton, jM.P., and Mr. Charley, M.P., were also present. A confident hope was expressed by several speakers that at the next election two Conservatives would be returned for Manchester. Mr. Egerton, in addressing the meeting, said, referring 'to the Eastern Question, that Lord Granville's published despatch was creditable to him as the Foreign Minister of England. He hoped that in the approaching conference he would be allowed to carry out his own policy unhampered by his colleagues, that he might maintain the honour and dignity of England. 1 HET2Sti N, LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1876. time. The engine driver of the coal train was next examined at some length ; after which the chairman of the magistrates, in addressing prisoner,fsaid they consi dered it to be their duty to commit him for trial at Durham Assizes, which commence to-day. THE SORTIES FROM PARIS. The special correspondent of the Telegraph, writing from the Royal nead-quarters at - Versailles, Dec. 7th, says :—The recent sorties from Paris have brokett dawn through want df energy dr talent on the part of their commanders; not throngli ladk df epurage or resolution in the soldiers. Nothing dould have been niare gallant than the bearing of the' MoblotS during their long struggle with the Wurtemburgers and the Prussian Saxons. They undoubtedly had the best of the hitting for a considerable time, and, had they been phshed forward without an hour's delay, either towards Lagny or Fon tainebleau, I have little detibt but that they might have .broken through tae German lines altogether, and, besides inflicting incalculable daniage upon this army, might have forced it to ra.igd siege of Paris. The inaptitude of the French generals seems to have reached its apogee yesterday morning, when, after developing an army of seventy thousand men in battle array on the plain fronting their newly-acquired positions—Brie-sur-Marne, Champigny, &c--at eight a.m., they marched the whole force back to Paris at midday, although not. a gun was fired at it from the German batteries, and withirew their troops from the villages they had occupied at such slim , mous pains and terrible cost. It,, was a lovely morning, although atrociously cold, the sun shining brightly, the ground as hard as a stone, and the weather in every respect favourable for rapid movements of infan try and artillery. We were all out, as near the field of the expected action as we could get, and on the qzti tire, although more than half frozen, and waited for hours, vainly endeavouring to keep up something like circulation of the blood by violent exercise, listening to the distant booming of the guns from Vanves, Montrouge, and Bicetre, which kept up a drop ping fire at the Bavarian and Prussian works throughout the day, and gazing wistfully at the glittering mass of white buildings, far away to the westwards, through the field-glasses our stiffened fingers could scarcely grasp. Beautiful city ! who can think of its cruel pangs with out sorrow ? But we waited in vain for the advance of the dark battalions, gathered together in huge oblong blocks on the plain intersected by the Marne ; for hours they moved not, and when they did, it was to retire slowly towards the fortress of Vincennes. The losses sustained by the Germans during the three days' fighting are heavier than was at first supposed. In all— killed, wounded, and prisoners—they amount to nearly six thousand men. The Wurtemberger and Pome ranians (2nd Corps) have been the greatest sufferers. His Majesty of Bavaria is expected next Friday or Saturday, and, it is said, will bring with him the " Kaisermantel." Trianon is set apart for his residence, and has been put in order for his reception. The Russian Question, I hear. is in a fair way towards adjustment, at least, for the present. It is to be hoped that the English nation will select some suitable and handsome means of expressing its gratitude to Mr. Odo Russell for the inestimable services he has rendered to the interests of Great Britain during his stay here. Speaking with the reserve that my position here imposes upon me, I may venture to state authoritatively that no one has contributed so largely to the maintenance of peace, with the single exception of Count Bismarck, as our distinguished and talented countryman by his clever and intrepid manipulation of the recent difficulty. Paris was summoned yesterday to surrender on the terms already made known to you. I have just heard (3 p.m.) that the Parlementaire has returned, and that Trochu has declined to surrender, and, moreover, manifested no desire to verify the statements of the despatch forwarded to him. We must, therefore, expect the worse. It may come to a bombardment yet, though I still doubt the adop tion of that extreme measure. The correspondent of the Standard at Paris, sends the following, under date December 2 :—A. determined attempt to regain their lost ground was made by the Prussians at the break of day. They appear to have called up reinforcements from Ferrieres and also from their positions to the north of Paris. Trains were heard passing in the night in the Dammartin direction, and as soon as there was light sufficient they were noticed to stop opposite Aubrey, and discharge their passen gers on the borders of the Forest of Bondy. The advance on the French lines was made in conipact masses, and was as furious as the onslaught of the Rus sians at Inkermann. But for the strength and admirable placing of the new artillery, powerfully aided by the redoubts in advance of Vincennes and the long-range guns from the forts of Nogent and Charenton, the young troops could hardly have withstood the assault, so fierce it was. A desperate fight continued for seven hours with varying fortune, but on the whole the French had the advantage, and at a quarter to two, when the last despatch arrived from the field, the Prussian infantry, which had temporarily succeeded in getting on the heights of Villiers, was forced back all along the line, and steadily retired to the coppices an cover in the rear. General Ducrot inspired the French by his daring example. He was present everywhere. Trochu was also conspicuous, and was hailed with enthu siasm as he rode along the line of skirmishers from Brie to Champigny at one o'clock. The action continues, and the issue is still doubtful, but reinforcements have been rapidly .sent on, and General Vinoy having lent them aid by a vigorous diversion to the south, the chances are in favour of the French. Thirty-three battalions of the National Guard have marched out under General Thomas to their support, and General Liniers and De Beau fort, with the 3rd and 4th divisions of the 3rd Army, are held in readiness. The struggle is much fiercer than that of Wednesday, of which it may be considered the complement. The losses on both sides are serious. Joinville-le-Pont is choke-full of poor wounded wretches. Many of them, less fortunate, I fear must rest on the ground the length of this bitter cold night. Their agonies are dreadful, owing to the frost. The city is quiet, but thrills with suspense. No wonder, when one thinks how sons, husbands, and fathers may be dead or dying at the moment. A DEFAULTING SECRETARY. A communication was received at Worcester on Satur day by Mr. Power, the chief constable of that city, from Mr. Adcocks, the missing secretary of the Stourbridge Railway Company, stating that it was his intention to surrender himself to-day. This news is authentic ; and little doubt is entertained that he will fulfil his promise. His address is known to Mr. Power, but for obvious reasons he declines to make it publii. THE GALE ON THE NORTH-EAST COAST. The gale on the north-east coast was greatly abated, though the sea is very rough at present. All the vessels which have come ashore at South Shields are breaking up. No more bodies have come ashore from the schooner which went down on Friday night. A report is current there that a screw steamer belonging to the Tyne has been run down off Flamborough Head and all hands lost.—lt is announced from South Shields that the weather last night indicated the approach of another storm. The glass was rapidly falling. A captain who arrived in the Tyre yesterday reports that the schooner Samuel Bar nard, which went down with all hands on Friday, had on board a crew of four men, besides the captain and his two sons. The captain's wife and two infants may also have been in the ill-fated vessel. Half of a child's foot was washed ashore yesterday. THE BIRMINGHAM EXPLOSION. Of those killed on the spot by the explosion at Messrs. Ludlow's cartridge manufactory, Witton, near Bitming ham, on Friday, not more than half will be identified, so terribly are the remains charred and mutilated. The fol lowing have been recognised, not so much by their fea tures as by pieces of clothing :—Harriet Smith, aged 16 ; Selina Bulwant, aged 27 ; Maria Brown, aged 23 : Amelia Woodman, aged 39 ; Mary Owen, aged 18 ; Jane Ward, aged 14. The stocking on the leg blown off the body of another woman has been recognised by her husband, who has thus learnt that his wife was one of the victims of the accident. Two of the women received into the Birming ham hospital have been prematurely confined, and one not expected to live. The infants were born , dead. The total number of deaths is now 23, and others injured are hourly expected to succumb. THE ASSAULT ON AN OFFICER IN FER MANAGH. Orders have been received from the Solicitor-General, by the Crown Solicitor of Fermanagh, to institute pro ceedings against Mr. John G. St. Porter, of Belisle, S and the four men who assisted him in the late outrage on Captain Poynter. The captain wished to seek damages through a civil court, and declined criminal proceedings ; but the police objected, and they have issued summonses. The case will come before the magistrates at Enniskillen to-day. A great deal of interest has been created at Enniskillen by this romantic affair ; and the conduct of the lady who is the cause, of it is much animadverted upon. THE ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY. At a special sitting of the South Shields County Magistrates on Saturday afternoon, Robert Hedley, the pointsman who caused the collision at Brockley Whine Station, was brought up on the charge that he did feloniously kill and slay Frederick George Younge and others on December 6th, contrary to the statute. Alfred Harrision, engineer of the North-Eastern Railway, ex plained the nature of the collision. Mr. Swinburne, perm Anent way inspector of the company, said that he bad not given prisoner specific instructions regarding the points, but he knew his duties well. The practice was to put a new pointsman on probation with the old one. Prisoner's wages were 17s. a week, and he was on duty from ten in the morning till forty-five minutes past ten o'clock at night, Prisoner was in charge the wholly/ that VATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT. An accident occurred at a cdllidry at Accrington on Saturday afternoon, which resulted in the death of one man, and serious injuries to five others. The men were on a scaffold, sinking a new pit, when the scaffold gave way, and precipitated them to the bottom of the pit, in which there was water to the depth of fifteen feet. Five of them were got out alive, but the sixth was dead when extricated. OPENING OF THE CITY OF_ GLASGOW UNION RAILWAY. The City of Glasgow Union Railway was formally opened on Saturday by passenger trains running over the full extent of the line. The passengers were the Lord Provost, the magistrates, officials of the city,- the rail way directors, and others. This railway is intended to connect the old railway system of Glasgow ; though only the North British and Glasgow and Southern companies have carried out the undertaking. Messrs. Brassey are the contractors. The line will be worked by the Glasgow and South-Western Company, most of whose trains will run over the line into a fine station in Dunlop-street, Glasgow. The passenger traffic commences to-day. A TIMELY RESCUE. Eight of the crew Of the brigantine Bessie, of St. Ives, 200 tons burthen, were landed at Penzance on Saturday night by the ship City of Tanjore. The Bessie, laden with wheat, from Baltimore to Falmouth, met with heavy gales in.the Atlantic. Her foremast had to be cut away. Several men were washed from their stations, and when, on the 29th of November, she was sighted by the City of Tanjore, fifty miles west of the Azores, she had five feet of water in the hold, and her pumps were choked. She was expected to sink almost immediately after being abandoned. THE GREAT FIRE AT HULIIE. It is stated that the fire at Messrs. Reilly's chair manu factory at Huline on Friday consumed property to the amount of from £1.0,000 to £15,000. About 300 work men will be thrown out of employment. The Manchester Guardian says :—" It may be well to call attention to one of the incidents of the fire. In close contiguity to the faCtory was the magazine of the cavalry barracks—so close that the entrance to the magazine could not be approached, and the soldiers had to pull down a wall at the back, and so remove the ammunition to a place of safety. But to this source of danger—and this is the point which is of supreme moment to us all—was added . an insufficient supply of water from the mains." MR. HELPS AND EMIGRATION. Mr. Helps contributes to the current number of Good Words a paper upon emigration, and in it draws attention to several points of special interest. His ideal condition of a colony would be realized where the union with the parent State should be so complete that the difference between the colonist , and the citizen at home should be a difference of distance only from the centre of government. He admits that there are few if any perfect instances of this condition of a colony, but sees no reason in the nature of things why there should not be a complete assimilation of purposes and interests as affecting the colony and the mother country. Mr. Helps revives the scheme, which has been already discussed in these columns, of colonial representation either in the Imperial Parliament or as at the India Office. But the most useful portion of this article is that in which he distinguishes between our colonies and our naval and military stations. There is much confusion of mind on this branch of the subject, and it is difficult to convince some people that the abandonment of a military settement is something wholly different from casting a colony adrift. Mr. Helps avows himself most unwilling to relinguish any of our colonies, but he is none the less ready to admit that some of our settlements of offence and defence may be untenable, or, at any rate, not worth the money annually expended on them.—Pall Mall Gazette. THE AURORA BOREALIS. Mr. Kinahan, of the Geological Survey of Ireland, writing to Nature, says --" In many parts of Ireland a scarlet aurora is supposed to be a shower of blood.' In 1854, while stationed at Bearhaven, county Cork, a scarlet aurora that then appeared was said to be the blood of the people that were slain at Balaklava. About two years ago, while driving be tween Oughterard and Clifden, at two o'clock in the morning, there was a magnificent scarlet aurora (by far the most brilliant I ever saw), on which the car-driver remarked, ' I wonder, can that be the blood of the Ame ricans ?' The late aurora is said to be the blood of the Frenchmen. In the old annals showers of blood are recorded at different times, always in connexion with a great battle or the murder of some great chief. The earliest I can remember is that of A.D. 688, in the " Annals of Cloonmacnoise," after a battle of the Leinster men and Ossory men (now in the King's County, but formerly in Munster), wherein Foylcher O'Moyloyer was slain. This battle and shower of blood, in the Annals of the Four Masters,' is said to have happened in the year A.D. 690. These annals also mention that butter was turned into the colour of blood and a wolf was heard to speak ; while the Annals of Tigernach ' place the battle in A.D. 693, and say that the blood flowed in streams for three days and three nights. During the aurora I saw about two years ago, and the two nights that the last aurora was seen here, the lakes and rivers looked to be full of blood." LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND THE STAGE. The Athenceum, has the following :—Mr. Macdowal has resigned his membership of the Royal Acadmy, on ac count of ill-health. He was born in 1799, elected Associate of the Royal Academy in 1841, and a full member of the body in 1846.—The autumn issue of the annual publica tions of the Arundell Society has been delayed, since two of the chromoliths after Albert Purer, although com pleted, are in Paris, and, owing to the siege, cannot be forwarded to London.—The centenary of Thorwaldsen's birth has been celebrated at Copenhagen.—A new drama, by Mr. Hazlewood, entitled " Wealth Won and Lost," has been played at the Britannia Theatre.—Miss Helen Faucit has taken her leave of the Glasgow stage, where she has been a great favourite. Her last appear ance was as Julia, in " The Hunchback," but she has also played Lady Macbeth, Pauline, and Rosalind.— The year 1871 being the centenary of Sir Walter Scott's birth, our first number for the New Year will contain a criticism of his writings, their character, and present in fluence.—Mr. Robert Buchanan's new lyrical drama on the war, " Napoleon Fallen," will appear early next week. —Balloon sorties from PariB have hitherto been simply recorded. All details, scientific or otherwise, have been wanting. This want is about to be supplied by M. de Fonvielle, who promises to give a full account of his late eccentric and eventful balloon voyage from Paris, in the next number of Temple Bar. —Some of the ladies who are students at the college at Hitchin, are at present at Cam bridge for the Little-Go. Not being members of the university, they are not admitted to the examination; but, like everybody else, they can obtain the papers after they have been given out in the Senate House, and the examiners have consented to look over their answers pri vately. The Orchestra says :—We regret to hear of the illness of Mr. W. C. Levey, the orchestral conductor at Drury Lane—an illness which precludes the execution of his duties.—The Royal Court Theatre (Sloane-square) will shortly open with a company, including Messrs. Belford, Edward Righton, Robert Astley, Miss Maggie Brennan, Miss Eleanor Bufton, Miss Kate Bishop, and Mrs. Stephens. Negotiations are also pending with Mr. Her mann Vezin and Mr. Frank Matthews.—Mr. Arthur Sketchley is about to publish " Mrs. Brown at the Play " —the first and best of the Brown Papers. With this issue the adventures of Mrs. Brown in public may appro priately close. CRYSTAL PALACE.—HaIf--a-Crown Day, Satur day, Dec. 10th, 1870.=-Admission by season tickets, 3,865 ; ditto on payment, 998 ; total visitors, 4,773. • - _ Dr. Russell is tiring of Versailles, " There are many persons here who, without any great desire to get into Paris now, would be very grateful for a chance of getting out of Versailles. I admit I am among them. There is an old saying, `You may go further and fare worse.' The fare is not bad, but a long journey on bad food would be pre ferable to the monotony of this chilly Capua. CAN I AFFORD IT?—Under this quaint title Messrs. Letts, Son and Co. publish a system of everyday book keeping so simple and yet so complete as to be of use even to very partially educated persons ; a system, too, which, if generally adopted, would keep many a straggling householder from running into debt and danger; The books to be used are three, which we would recommend Messrs. Letts to bind into one volume, staining the edges in different colours, and then, indeed, each head of a family without trouble could answer the pertinent query, " Can I afford it?" THE " RED " PRINCE. Prince Frederick Charles, says the correspondent of the Telegraph at Versailles, has taken his " double first " as a general by his splendid conduct of the campaign against Aurelles de Paladine, and has astonished even his most ardent admirers by displaying in the highest degree a quality for which even they scarcely gave him sufficient credit, namely, caution. Those who are best acquainted with his fiery character and impatience of half measures had been holding their breaths for more than a week. Tormented by a sort of hopeful apprehension, they had anxiously awaited from hour to hour the news that the Royal Field-Marshal had, more suo, recklessly dashed at his foes whenever he found them, and that he had either well-nigh annihilated them or suffered a terrible reverse. The consequences of the latter alternative might have been the raking, of this siege, and the retreat of the German armies to Lorraine. To the manifest surprise of a great many experienced officers who have carefully watched the Prince's military career from its very inception upwards, nothing in the least resembling precipitation has charac terised his proceedings from the momenthe took command of the allied forces' told off to account for the Army of the Loire. he had to deal with opponents occupying positions of great strength, and pecu liarly difficult to reconnoitre by reason of their being covered along the whole extent of their line by enormous woods. He, therefore, felt for the enemy patiently, day after day, until he ascertained the disposition of their forces so accurately as to enable him to concentrate his own right upon the smaller end of the Bois d'Orleans, without fear that Aurelles de Paladine, breaking out on the left, might succeed in fight ing his way up the Fontainebleau road. When once the Prince had made up his mind, he acted with the promptitude that especially distinguishes him ; and of the result you are now enabled to judge. You will understand, of course, that the reason prompting H.R.H. not to effect a junction with the Grand Duke until the end of last week, was the doubtful attitude of the French ; neither one General nor the other could accurately ascertain whether the Bros of the French force was massed to the eastward, with a view to operating in the direction of Chartres, Dreux, Evreux, &c., or to the westward, purposing to advance on Fontainebleau, Melun, and Etames. It was necessary that either commander, in default of sure information respecting the French dispositions, should be prepared to sustain the shock of the whole Loire Army which might at any moment have been hurled against the right or left wing of the allies. Prudence was therefore the order of the day, until, as usual, the magnificent cavalry had cleared up the doubts of the Red Prince to his entire satisfaction. Once assured of the enemy's where abouts, he moved his troops over from left to right, joined the Grand Duke, and began to hammer at the Loire Army in the manner that is dear to his heart, until he broke, routed, and drove them before him like sheep over the river, his adventurous horsemen pursuing them even across the broad stream that will now probably serve till the end of the war as a frontier between Germany in arms and the southern moiety of France. There was a trial of preserved meat from Rosario, iii the Argentine Republic, in London, on Wednesday, with, it is stated, satisfactory results. The preparation was effected by immersion in a solution of bisulphate of lime, according to the process of Messrs. Medlock and Bailey, of the Horseley Fields Chymical Works, Wolver hampton, and the meat was sealed up in a cask in the presence of Mr. Hutchinson, the British Consul at Rosario, on the 10th of August last, and brought by him to this country. It had, therefore, been kept four months, and had made a passage across the line, yet was found perfectly fresh, not only in quality, but in appearance, and was deemed by the persons present at the trial equal to any good ordinary home beef. A. young boatman, named George Harding, was tried at the Glamorganshire Assizes, on Thursday, for the wilful murder of Edward Daley, another boatman, at Cardiff. The prisoner and the deceased had met at the Custom-house Hotel. An altercation ensued between them as to which of them was "the best man." The prisoner got intV a boat lying at the quay side. The prisoner dared the deceased to come on board at his peril, upon which the deceased did jump into the boat. A struggle here took place, and while the deceased was restinc , on the side of the boat after a cessation of their struggle for one or two minutes, the prisoner rushed at him and threw him into the water, and he was drowned. The jury found the prisoner guilty of manslaughter. The judge said that, had the verdict been one of murder, he should not have said it was a wrong one. He sentenced the prisoner to twenty years' penal servitude. THE SKATING SEASON will open with a novel and clever skate, which without straps or plates fits any boot, and is adjusted in a moment. Nothing can surpass this Ameri can notion. Skaters should see the Forbs' Patent. Acme Skates, and they cannot but purchase. The agent is J. G. Rollins, American merchant, Old Swan Wharf,' London-bridge. Parties residing in the country may order by giving the size of•their boots.—ADvr. THE FIGHTING ON THE LOIRE. The special correspondent of the Daily News at the headquarters of the Duke of Mecklenburg, writing from Jeanville, December 2, thus describes the fighting on the Loire :—Early this morning the Grani Duke rode out with the entire staff to the front, and shortly after the headquarters were under alarm, and retired outside the town. At eight o'clock the engagement had already commenced. The whole country north and north-west of Orleans, to the distance of twenty-five miles and more, is one vast plain. It is thickly dotted with villages, all of which present the same characteristics. The houses are low, with walls of mud and stone, and roofs of straw. The inhabitants are poor and miserable. The day was lear and cold, the thermometer standing nine degrees below zero (Rdaumur), and varying but little during the day. As I drove along the highway leading towards (Means I stopped and counted twenty-one of the small villages ; so that without inquiring of the villagers, although with the most accurate maps, it was impossible to come to a conclusion respecting their names. The small square windmills were everywhere along this vast plain in motion, while on my right and left, to a distance of twenty or twenty-five miles, a furious fight was raging. The battle, as far as I can at present collect the details, commenced against the Bavarians, who were four times beaten back, and at last were unable to resist any longer, and their place had to be supplied with the 75th and 76th Hanse atic Regiments of the 17th Division, who entered the fight at about eleven o'clock. The battle gradually ex tended towards the east, and at two o'clock the whole line, from beyond Artenay to the Bavarian lines, was one continuous storm of shot and shell. The French stood their ground bravely. The Germans, weary and exhausted by long marches, made desperate efforts to beat back the French, who were largely superior in numbers, and had cannons, mitrailleuses, and Chassepots. Besides, the whole Seventeenth Division was entirely new to serious engagements. Quickly all the houses in the line of battle, which were, as - I have mentioned, of very in flammable materials, were in flames from the bursting shells ; and as night approached, on one side the moon shone brightly, and on the other, the whole horizon was illuminated by the glare of burning houses and vil lages. The ground was very well adapted for cavalry charges, and opposite Artenay the Fourth Cavalry Division was very active. At one time along the road I was met by a herd of over a hundred riderless horses, which galloped along in great terror, most of them being very badly wounded, and covered with blood. A whole cavalry regiment had been met by a deadly mitrailleuse fire. The battle to-day was one of those very bloody ones of which the three before Metz in August are the most striking examples, and like those, it is apparently without any result. Towards evening it was everywhere loudly asked " Where is Prince Frederick Charles? Why does he leave us alone in this way ? " I have just returned to head quarters after having passed along the entire line of battle. Everywhere the number of dead and wounded was very great ; nowhere appeared any decisive advan tage on one side . or another ; and in all pro bability the slaughter will recommence to-morrow. If Prince Frederick Charles sends reinforcements, the sue eess of the Germans is certain. But the Bavarians are hors de combat. It is, of course, impossible to estimate the losses with any accuracy. Lieutenant-General von' Stephan, commanding the first Bavdtialt Division, i 8 badly wounded, so are also Colonel von Neutiithart; of f the 76th Regiment, and Major von Hirschfeld, o the 75th Regiment. It is also said that General Vdn der Tann is wounded, but of that I have no trtistvedftlit intelligence. I saw eighteen hun dred rteneh HBOtiergi among them a general. Selen eannotts have sled Nett taken by the Germans. When I left the geld of battle at dietieti eelosk at night, the virortien find children and did men were wandering about in the iiiferise cold hi search d shelter, having been driven out of their 41146'6 bq the flames. The troops were mostly in bivouacs witlidiit eo*ering, and ex pecting a renewal of the combat. The Moon was shining brightly, lighting up the whole plain except where its light was obscured by the black smoke frond the burning villages. The sanitary arrangements are excellent. Net' house, every shed that could be rescued from the flames was I.4tvinptly applied for the use of the wounded, and during the whole tight the medical corps was busy in carrying off the wounded froth tilt field. There were physicians in abundance, and all necessary materials for their prompt treatment. M. GAMBETTA AND THE PROJECTED ARMISTICE. The statement which we published on Friday with respect to M. Gambetta's application for an armistice, 'bas based upon a telegram from a member of the Provisional Government to a French gentleman in London. A subsequent telegram froth the same quartet states that M. Gambetta, finding the spirit and temper of the Army of the Loire much better than he had sUppfosed, and being especially encouraged by the success of General Chansy, had for the present abandoned the design of asking for an armistice. He will remain at the headquarters of the Army of the Loire.—Daily News. The Morning Post says 3 The exact truth about the recent proposal is that M. Gambetta suggested to Lord Lyons that, with a view to the speedy meeting and efficiency of the coming Conference, an Armistice shonldbe pressed forward by the Neutral Powers. This would allow of the election of an Assembly, and give increased weight to the presence of a French plenipotentiary. This sugges tion of M. Gambetta has not, however, been attended with any result. THE EXPECTED ATTACK ON HAVRE. The Daily News correspondent at Havre, under date December 9th, writes as follows :—Thd Prussians are marching rapidly on Havre. Telegrams this evening say that they have reached Bolbec, a town of 10,000 inhabi tants, distant about 18 miles from here. The despatch goes ott to say that at 11 o'clock this morning 31 hussars, one regiment of infantry, six squadrons of cavalry, and two batteries of artillery entered Bolbec. In all probability they will reach Harffent, to which place the fortifications of Havre extend, to-morrow, and perhaps we may be startled by the booming of cannon on Sunday. The people of Havre are determined on a most resolute defence. The journals of this evening appear with the most spirited appeals to the patriotism and courage of the inhabitants. No doubt we have a large force of troops in garrison, if they are ably managed. The French soldier is ready and willing to fight, and fights bravely, particularly with the bayonet, if he is only well led ; but during the present campaign there appears to have been mismanagement and bad generalship in almost every important encounter. However, the Havrais have the utmost confidence in their commander, and thoroughly believe in his loyalty to the Re public. He reviewed the mobilised National Guard opposite the Hotel de Ville to-day, and expressed himself pleased at their appearance. The fortifications are now occupied by the Mobiles, and the Marines are busy in giving their cannon a last regulating before using them against the Prussians. Great indignation is expressed here_at the amount of money the Prussians have exacting from the town of Rouen. People declare that instead of giving the invaders seventeen million francs, they will give them seventeen million French bullets. They say there was treachery at Rouen ; but the French people are prone to attribute all their disasters to that fatal cause. OUR COTEIVLPORARIES — This Morning THE PROPOSAL FOR AN ARIII STICE. Thd rifiag says : With respect to the proposal for an armistice, vms stated on Friday to have been made' by M. Gambettai we believe that no step what ever was taken by 111 1 ,tat gentleman to put himself in communication Witki the German 'Leadquar ters at Versailles. The french Minister of War simply signified to her MalePtes Ambassador at Tours - that France could not be duly represented at the London Conference unless a regular Government was instituted by a Constituent Assembly ; and that, there fore, it was the duty of the English Government to negotiate an armistice with a view to allow the elec tions to tee heti As the re-victualling of Paris was included arriorig . the conditions of the armistice, it was, of course, impossible that M. Gambetta's proposal could be entertained. As, indeed, we have often stated, it is not an armistice, but a peace, that France should negotiate. There can be no doubt that the Germans are as anxious to accept as the French can be to offer it, and the course which military opera tions have lately taken allows no doubt that peace is for France rather a matter of necessity than of choice. Everywhere, away from Paris, the re sistance of the French is overpowered ; and, as for Paris, General Ducrot evidently thinks he has fulfilled his vow, " never to re-enter the city except dead or vic torious," by stopping outside at Vincennes, which is, indeed, no more Paris than Kensington is London. It will be well for France if her enemies have mercy' upon her, for her professed friends have none. Incapable or unscrupulous domestic rulers ' might seem a calamity heavy enough for that sorely-tried nation, without the addition of dangerous foreign advisers. No despotism ever cost a country more blood than AL Gambetta's dictatorship has caused France to shed, and to shed in vain. Had France made peace after Metz and Sedan she might have looked upon herself as the victim of an undescrifed disaster. But after Metz and Sedan, thanks to Gambetta's misrepresentations, it was the nation itself that entered the lists; and it is now irretrievably overpowered. THE BOMBARDMENT OF PARIS. The Dally News re m arks:—lf we look at the spirit which has governed the conduct of the Prussians- towards towns which they have captured, and at the claims which Ger many and the German armies are alike urging upon head quarters, it may fairly be concluded that no private senti ments will be allowed to interfere with "militaryreasons," should it be found practicable and prudent to bombard Paris. Such an event would cause more dismay and horror ttmcing neutral spectators than anythingthat has happened during the War ; and it would probably bring down a weight of opprottinin on the Prussian commanders which they are anxious to avoid ; but should the position of the German armies in i?tartee demand it, and should there be a reasonable chance of a bombardment coercing the population of the capital into a speedy submission, it is only too likely that Europe may have to look on, helpless and horrified, at by far the most terrible and tragic spectacle of the war. What are Trochu's chances of breaking the line of invest ment before the curtain rises on this final act of the siege ? The French are strongly fortifying their position on the right batik of the Marne, where, indeed, they are protected by Forts Nogent and Charen ton, and a series of earthworks which are not of recent formation. The fact is, that the troops of General Ducrot, after having had their sortie of Wednesday " re pulsed along the whole line," fell back on one or two villages which were, in the phrase of 'a correspondent, mere "man traps." The sortie having totally failed, there was no advantage in their retaining possession of these villages, and they accordingly retreated to a more secure position in the Bois de Vincennes. There Ducrot, who has sworn to re -enter Paris either dead or victorious, may even now be preparing, according to the terms of his proclamation, to strike another blow. But if he has been gathering together his forces once more, the Germans have been firmly strengthening that portion of their lines which the French deomed most susceptible to attack. Hence we are again confronted on every side by prepara tions for another stage of the campaign, and the end is not yet. THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION. The Standard says : The North German Confedera tion now belongs as completely to the past as the old "Bund," which came to such a violent end in June 1866. Before the Parliament—the first and the last regular Parliament of the Confederation — separated on Saturday, it had approved the treaties with Baden, Hesse, Wurtemburg, and Bavaria, containing together the constitution of the new federal state which embraces the whole of Germany, as the Treaty of Prague marked its limits, and given to the new combination the great name of German Empire. The Empire is, therefore, established. King William has nothing to do but to nodify his assumption of the Imperial title, and to supply his representatives abroad with fresh letters of credence. No one will refuse to recognise his new dignity, and William the First of Germany, the first Emperor of that name the world has known, has but himself to please as to the time at which he puts on the purple. It is true the treaties constituting the new Confede ration or Empire have not received the assent of the Legislatures of the four South German States, but that assent, unwillingly as it may be given, is but a question of a few weeks or days. Assume, what is practically an impossibility, that the Bavarian second or popular Chamber should reject tho treaty as a whole, or 'make some material amendment in it, the German Empire is nevertheless established, and Bavaria, though nominally outside, will, for all practical purposes, be a member of it. Count Bismarck caused it to be understood that he deemed the question one of confidence, and so in the end the partisan, of unity changed their mind, and will not have it on their consciences that they prevented the unity of Germany—that to gratify theories of their own, for the realisation of which, however desirable, Germany can afford to wait, they rejected a union which assures. as far as any union can do, the safety and the prestige of Germany, the secure development of all her resources, the practical dissolving of all local, we might almost call them. national, prejudices and hatreds in the common senti ment, and, moreover, gives to that union a form and an expression in the creation of the German Empire, which will touch the heart of the people and console it for many sacrifices. THE LUXEMBURG DIFFICULTY. The Telegraph says : As if the war were not enough to absorb all his energies, Count Bismarck appears to be preparing another complicated problem for the considera tion of Europe. The list of troubles which 1870 has brought would not have been complete if the year had expired without A revival of the Luxemburg diffi culty. The very name of the Grand Duchy is so associated with the idea of international complications that we cannot be surprised if general uneasiness should have been created by the report that Prussia had re opened the vexed question. For our own part, we cannot credit the rumour of Count Bismarck's having declared to the Government of the Netherlands that Germany no longer holds herself bound by the treaty of 1867. The Chancellor of the North German Confederation is far too astute a states , . man to place himself wilfully in the wrong ; and the outcry occasioned throughout Europe by the Russian attempt to repudiate Treaty obligations has afforded a warning of which Count Bismarck is certain to take heed. Yet, if the Germans should carry out their purpose, and annex Alsace and Lorraine, the Grand Duchy will be surrounded south 'as well as east by the territory of the Fatherland. The acquisition of Luxemburg would thus be of advan tage to Prussia, with the view of strengthening her hold upon the annexed provinces ; and we should not be sur prised to be told, that Metz cannot be held with safety unless the fortress of Luxemburg forms one of the new chain of German strongholds. By the Treaty of 1867, however, Prussia has pledged herself to respect the neutrality of the Duchy ; and, as she can no longer plead that there is any danger of its being suddenly annexed by France, it is not easy to see on what grounds any argument can be based for its cession to Germany. No such demand has yet, we be lieve, been put forward ; but, judging by , our past ex perience, those querulous Prussian complaints of alleged breaches of neutrality suggest difficulties which it may require some tact to remove. BABY FARMING IN THE METROPOLIS.- At the Ham mersmith Police•court, Charlotte Buchanan, a widow, living in Blythe-lane, was charged before Mr. Dayman with causing the death of an infant named Edith Reynolds. The mother of the child gave evidence at the inquest. She stated that she was the wife of a builder, residing at York. Her husband was not the father of the child. It had been out of her care since October. She had known Mrs. Buchanan for many years, and paid her 55. a week for nursing it. Another child belonging to her, two years and three months old, had also been placed with the pri soner.—The accused said that the deceased had not good health, and suffered from fits. She fed it on milk and Bath cakes, but had great difficulty in getting it to take the food. She was not accustomed to take in nurse-children. —A surgeon stated that the cause of death was inanition, arising, in his opinion, from deficiency of food. The con tents of the bowels contained only one tablespoonful of fluid. Charlotte Buchanan, the daughter, said the child was fed with milk from a bottle. She heard her mother warming it in the night. They had three children to take care of. The magistrate ordered the prisoner to be conveyed to Newgate under the warrant of the coroner, the jury having returned a verdict of "Manslaughter " against her.