The Sun. — London, England, 1870-11-18 00:00:00

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The . mercantile :ford-street, and in con ; passing at ,ioner till put out acy sprang cl to the were veil .espondent'B :onsequenee Ler was not the respon daughter's vents were struct the --- --- er married should not ill continue truction. in ndent, and that She when he father was )revent her ; he would I him that nce of the . promising s daughter. the servant rig inquiries. paying for Lit and slept and, and in hat she was with a roll at n ight. instruction wife nearly poke to the stated that 1 Wheland, She replied marriage )t since her lded that at n her sesta second mar back to big t Whelan" Freeborn, lent lodged was alleged (land," and ebb."—Mr• 1 sister, said ig with the Mr. Free •respondent 1 Freeborn dent was was given, d was prO' twine will iatic crisis ; I the other Kinalinn is premises , et, leading rket-street , his famou s y cream o f .ctly pure , brandy' well-know n iortation at essrs. Bass , :ign Wines LATEST T INTEL LIG GLACE. SUN OFFICE, S A M. THE WAIL 20,000 GERMANS NEAR SENS. • TOURS, November 17. The advance of Prince Frederick Chlrles co ti-1411es to be reported, but the exact position of his T., a ngliard is evidently not known. Tonnerre, where Ge neral Voight Rhetz was on Wednesday with 4 + o oo men, is in the rear of Sens. The Prince's army is said to be marching in columns, one of which is passing through Ao gent-sur-Seine, Montereau, and Fonta;Twbleatt, Vlite the o th er h as crosse d th e Yonne at Seus: The lines himself is still at Troyes. C APTURE OF A RELATIVE OF COUNT BISMARCK. News comes from Orleans that the Franc-tireurs are effected the capture of an important personage relative of Ccunt Bismarck, and that they in 'and to retain him as a hostage for their cora- Pan loes that may be captured by the Prussians. RUMOURED FRENCH SUCCESSES. LILLE, Thursday. The Echo du Nord says that rumours are current, 1 1111 01 it publishes under reserve, that " reports had be received of a French success around Paris, B°2ll e attributing it to a sortie by General Trochu, : 11 _d others to a movement by the Army of the Loire, in which 40,000 Prussians and 15,000 French ere hors de combat. The Gazette de Cainbrai believes that the German 41 °Yeraent upon Chauny and the north is a feint to cover the enemy's real object—an attack upon Amiens. FRENCH REPULSE AT BELFORT. Yesterday(thel6th) the French made a sortie frol3l lfort. The force consisted of three bat in7ll°3ls, with three guns ; but after sonic severe 'Lighting the French were repulsed, with the loss of ° vex 200 killed and wounded and 60 prisoners. RETREAT OF THE GERMANS. At Tours yesterday, it was stated that General 011 der Tann is making a retrograde movement „. Toury, but it is uncertain whether he intends retreating on Etampes or executing a flank march ott the right. • T he Maniteur announces the retreat of the Prus 4Mixt from various points. The German positions, it 178) arenow Basoches les Hautes, Tille, Le Peleux, n e rraigniville, and Voves, on the Chartres road, ' l largeres, Corminville, and Giugonville. GARIBALDI'S CORPS. Bad news reaches Tours from Garibaldi's corps. A portion of his !corps at Autun has been guilty °f lawless undisciplined conduct, and the Govern kent has taken most severe measures for- its re Pteaaion. TRIERS AND THE ARMY OF THE LOIRE. A 8 Paris paper states that M. Thiers recently 13° k( 3 as follows with regard to the . 4 7 14 L Y of the Loire:—" I have passed t" ough the Army of the Loire ; there are 8▪ 0 ,000 men well armed, well equipped, well in "lneted ; I have also gone through the Prussian . ".arnong the best Prussian troops ; soldier for - " Ld ier I prefer ours." AUSTRIA AND FRANCE. The Lille papers publish a despatch from Vienna, dated November 15th, announcing that a popular keeting had been held in that city to consider the Position to bo taken in the Franco-Prussian ee flict. The assembly passed resolutions against t he continuation of hostilities by Prussia, denounc -132g the right of conquest, and calling upon the Atistrian Government to sustain the French Re pt%lie by all means. RECONSTITUTION OF GERMANY. '"I eNVB was received at Carlsruhe on the 16th from D er sailles, stating that a Treaty between Hesse, a rtastadt, and the North German Confederation f or the entry of the Grand Duchy into the Con federation had been signed, the North German Con federation being adopted. THE ARMY OF THE LOIRE. BERLIN, November 17. No information has been received here of any r°litary movement either about Versailles or on the 40 . Things appear to be in statu quo. Ten French ships have been observed sixty miles meet from Heligoland. The t Queen, who is at present at Coblentz, is about 0 return to Berlin. The Crown Princess, along with Princess Louise o , Meese, will come direct from Homburg to Berlin °II Saturday next. DR. JACOBY. BERLIN, November 17, (11.26 a.m.) Dr. Jacoby, of Konigsberg, many years a member fo r Berlin in the Prussian Parliament, has not been re-elected this time, though the advanced Liberals filed the metropolitan elections as formerly. They ,7 .8 abandoned him because he had expressed ' llll Belf against the annexation of Alsace and Lor raine. The Grand Duke of Mecklenburg's army in Cen tral Prance includes the two Bavarian Corps d'Arm6e, °ll e Prussian Corps, three Prussian cavalry divisions, ai ld a strong artillery force. lIMIOURED CAPTURE OF THE PRUSSIAN FLEET. The Couriser de to Manche it) informed that :the t rench fleet has captured the whole Prussian fleet 4 h t Jande, in the North Sea. This important event Ite ) according to a private telegram, hap red as follows :—Two French frigates, the eillante and the Gauloise, have been sacrificed 4_' explode the torpedoes placed at the entrance of t he harbour. Then all the French fleet followed, aid Captured tho Prussian fleet as in a net. The 'y o uvelliste de Rouen confirms this intelligence. 131, 0 WIN- UP OF A PRUSSIAN BARK. I ntelligence received this morning from Storno ,ay (in the Hebrides) states that the Prussian bark u " o e L i nalm Helbmanns, which left Scapay (Isle of p t 'neY) a few days since, was blown up by a rench man-of-war, off Dunvegan Head on the ful h"?lng morning. It is stated that the firing was ear d all along the coast. ELECTION OF A SPANISH KING. ------- h the Cortes at Madrid, the Duke d'Aosta i aa . been elected King of Spain by 191 votes to 120 . Duke d e d e p u ti es vo t e d for the Republic 22 for the de Montpensier, 8 for Marshal Espartero, 2 for the Infant Alphonso, and 1 for the Dake de Mont -If3eesier's daughter. Eighteen deputies abstained °lll 'voting. Great excitement prevailel in Madr id, rbut disorders are reported. t T he official report of the vote on the Duke's elec -01 gives the number who voted at 3 11 , those en ed to vote being 845. The requisite ma- J ,,,, eri tY for h e e l ec ti o n of a King was 173. The Duke d'Aosta., having obtained 191 and b w ° adhesio ns more , h as b een proclaimed King j u t he President of the Cortes. The salvoes of ar ell' announce this event to the town, where per fect tranquillity prevails. tHE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY - , NOVEMBER 18 1876, WITH GARIBALDI. A correspondent of the Daily News writes from Autun, under date November 13th : This town abounds In churches and convents, all of which are crowded with soldiers. Those lodged in the cathedral scarcely seem to appreciate the honour, as they are grumbling at the damp i and insufficient straw supplied. The Bishop of Autun is indignant at the Garibaldian invasion, and gives the sous-prefect no peace with his complaints. That functionary, being ultra-liberal, passes on the chap ters of lamentations to headquarters, and there is an end of them. Within the last three days we have had two Garibaldians condemned to death by court-martial, one for stealing a revolver; the other, who luckily for himself escaped, for a far more serious crime. The court is composed of two French and two Italian members. The revolver case caused great excitement. PetitiOns were sent to Garibaldi for a remis sion of the sentence. He declined to interfere, saying in France French laws must be obeyed, and that if. he par doned an Italian, he could not in any case condemn a Frenchman. A telegram was sent to Gambetta, who suspended the sentence. Accepting Colonel Tanara's invi tation to breakfast, I rode out on the high road to Epinac, which runs through a fertile plain shut in on one side by snow-covered hills, on another by oak and pine woods ; corn-fields and vineyards are on all sides. I found the Colonel and his staff lodged in the most modest of cottages, in the midst of a very slough of despond. One tolerably-sized room serves as sleeping apart ment for himself and four officers, dining, drawing room, and office ; the chief furniture consists of two massive oak wardrobesi with massive steel ornaments, occupying one entire side of the room ; the walls hung with pictures of saints and martyrs, crucifixes, and saintly relics ; from the blackened b ,ams of the ceiling hang nondescript articles—boots, hams, sides of bacon,, bunches of canary seed, dried herbs, and from cords slung from beam to beam the officers' gear. From the adjoining room, which seems to serve as kitchen and sleeping apartment for the family, savoury odours pro ceeded, and presently a regular Italian soup of ham, vegetables, and broth, flavoured with real Parmesan cheese, was set on the table, followed by a dish of liver and potatoes, and another of stewed fowls, the first substantial meal I have eaten in France. The messes they give us at the hotels are simply uneatable water-soup, particles of chopped meat in thick black mud—so that your choice lies between starvation and feeding exclusively on the one recog nisable plat gigot de mouton. Some bottles of Burgundy and Sauterne were produced, a present from the " lady of the chateau ; " but we all drank very moderately. The Colonel, the gentlest-tempered man alive, was, for a wonder, in bad humour. The curate of the village had summoned his flock in the parish church—told them the Garibaldians were heretics and heathens, that the Prussians were their real brothers, that if they fed them, housed them, or assisted them in any way, the Prussians, when they came, would burn their villages, destroy their herds, and send them off as slaves. Tanara naturally had them arrested, but on an order from M. Gambetta he was obliged to set him free again; hence the cause of his ill-humour. PROBA BLE RESTORATION OF THE EMPIRE IN FRANCE. In a letter from Cassel, dated November 15, the corre spondeut of the Daily News says :—From what I see and hear I become more and more convinced of the impending re-establishment of the Empire in France, if the French do not succeed in forming a legal Republican Government before the fall of Paris. It is, of course, im possible to communicate to others what are mainly personal impressions ; but there are also considera tions of a general and public character that ought not to escape the attention of the European public. Just let the reader put to himself this question—What are the Germans to do with their prisoners if the war be protracted beyond the fall of Paris? They cannot keep and feed them for ever, and if they, sooner or later, must send them back to France, the resistance of the French at the same time continuing, can they do it in any other way but on condition that these prisoners themselves must overcome the resistance ? But, then, this must be made sure of beforehand, by the prisoners being reorganised into a regular and disciplined army, acting in the name of a Government—a French Government—which has made its peace with Germany. What other Government is to be had for this purpose like an exclusively military one composed of Louis Napoleon and his marshals ? It is not at all necessary that this Government should first ratify the cession of Metz and Stras burg. The Germans hold what they want ; they have nothing to receive ; they will only give back what they are ready to give back. Having taken Paris, _they can put it to the choice of the Parisians, whether they prefer to be kept in order by a German or by a French garrison. The result of this choice, which cannot be doubtful, will be the title of posses. sion for the reestablished Empire. Suppose the South and the West being then yet unsubdued, what harm would it be to the Germans ? An Empire in the North, a Republic in the South, and perhaps a Bourbon Monarchy in the West, struggling with one another, would only contribute to the safety of the German conquest. This reads like Macchiavelism, but it is far more a consequence of French thoughtless ness in political things, than of German astuteness. Re volutions and coups d'etat are not the means of strengthening the position of a nation in the long r un . Violent changes of government and law are followed by disastrous consequences, be it ever so late. And the Germans could not even be reproached with having purposely brought about such a state of things. They were ready to let a National Government be formed; they offered every facility for forming it they safely could. THE WAR VICTIMS' FUND. Mr. Tom Taylor has favoured us with extracts from communications he has received from gentlemen who are at present engaged in distributing relief to the sufferers by the war in the Metz district. The subscriptions to the War Victims' Fund already forwarded to the offices, 8Q Houndsditch, have reached the amount of £12,000. Manz, November 13, 1870. Two days since I left Metz by the Port des Allemauds. I proceeded along the road which winds under the fort St. Julien; to thh village of that name. This village, which was one of tha fAVddrite feßorts of the people of Metz on Sundays and festivals, has not itself suffered much, but all around it is a scene of hopeless desolation. There were great numbers of suburban houses here with neat gardens, and, besides these, many market gardening establishments, some on a large scale, with great quanti ties of fruit trees, ruing, &c. All this is one mass of ruin—the walls are levelled to the ground; the houses de stroyed, and the gardens rooted up. Great lines of earth-'. works stretch across the plain, hastily erected byl the French before the battlbs of the 12th and 14th August. One great conservatory was still left standing. It was pitiable to see thousands of fruit trees so hopelessly ruined and trampled into the ground, and of course the people ruined too, in another sense of the word, for they were all small proprietors. I visited the villages of Poix and Servigny.. In the former there were two houses burned, and in the latter eleven. The Mayor told me that it would take a year's patient labour to level the earthworks and restore the land to its normal condition. Almost everything is gone—crops of every kind, hay, straw, corn, oats, and potatoes. No houses, no cows, farming implements, carts, &c., almost all burned for firewood by the peasantry. Great quantities of bedding and clothes pillaged. Out of 250 persons 50 are now in want, and there will be 100 in three weeks, when the little that is still left is gone. This a fair description of three out of every four villages in this diitrict: I went out to St. Barbe, *lade 11.6 hchissis verb burned. I visited nearly half the houses in the village, and in all I saw only one bed. The church had been used as a barrack, and the belfry as a stable, and on the door of the sacristy were still scrawled in chalk the words " Regiments Bureau." Half the seating in the chnrch had been burned, the walls were disfigured with hooks and nails, the pulpit rails and the confessional had been broken. In the belfry among the litter of straw I observed the fral,„rments of a handsome candelabra in gilt bronze , which formerly hung in front of the altar. The people here are all small proprietors who look to the pro duce of the autumn for their support in winter and spring. They have nothing now their houses are un inhabitable ; they have neither food, bedding, nor clothing. Their vines, the labour of years, are 11 destroyed, trampled into the very earth. The tubs and casks for making and storing the wine are almost all burned, as well as the sticks to support them, which are worth a great deal of money. Ido not say that this is an ordinary case, but it is little in excess of many others. On my way home I visted Nouilly and Noiseville, both of which have suf fered severely. Here there are a great many masons, car penters, &c., who work esenerally in Metz. Now, of course, there is no work, and they ate almost on the verge of starvation. To-day I was at Peltre, where 92 out of 106 houses are burnt, together with the church and convent, part of which was a school for 500 girls. The unhappy people have taken refuge in various villages round ; who can measure the distress which such a frightful occurrence as this causes? It was a rich village, but there is absolutely nothing now but crumbling walls and a few poor people, who I suppose have no where to go to. Have I said enough to show you that there is use for every shilling you can possibly raise ? As far as our inquiries' have done, and they are not yet finished, there are now from 6,000 to 8,000 persons in need of assistance, and there will be 12,000 or it may be 20,000 before the war is over. In fact, it is impossible to say how many people will actually want bread before the Ist January. There are so many villages in which there is still a little left, and there is such a spirit of independence and brotherly help (a very noble form of communism), that as long as half the population have enough, the others won't be let to starve. But this cannot last long, and in many vil lages we shall find some day (or, rather, those who succeed us will) that there is neither food nor money left, so that it is impossible to say how far our esti mate is below the mark; above it it certainly is not. I had a long conference to day with M. Magnin, and we arranged the heads of the infor mation he is to seek from the mayors of each commune, t.s to the condition of agricultural affairs, and the pro b able wants in seed-corn and other seeds. One point he mentions is of the greatest importance, he said that there was no question that in the spring there would be numbers of speculators going round selling old seed cheap, which, of course, will not grow ; and he said that there was no way in which we could confer so great a benefit on the agricultural community as by selling seeds where we did not think it needful to give them. He said that it could be easily advertised beforehand, and that his warranty would give confidence to all purchasers. There is great need of warm clothing, and of clothing of every kind ; and we are very glad to find that you have already sent out a good quantity. I wish you could have seen the delight of the poor people to whom I made dis tribution at Briey, last Sunday and Monday, and the following day as I passed through the villages I was of course recognised pleasantly. Poor creatures ! many of them looked as if they had not had a good meal for a long time ; which was indeed, no doubt, the case. RUSSIA AND THE EASTERN QUESTION. ST. NTERSUBRG, November 17. rho note of Prince Gortschakoff on the subject of the Treaty of 1856 is universally approved here. All the papers have strong leading articles on the subject. The opinion is expressed that the matter will be peacefully settled; but it is at the same time indicated that Russia is ready for war, should wai become necessary. The Golos calls upon the public to organise a na tional subscription for the purpose of building a Sea fleet. An Imperial decree, signed yesterday, is published in the Official Journal to-day, in virtue of which the Russian army is to be recruited on the PrlPsian THE ATTITUDE OF PRUSSIA. BERLIN, November 17. In official circles here a peaceful solution of the Black Sea question is looked for. It is freely ad mitted that an understanding exists between Prussia and Russia, and that in the event of war they will co-operate. The news from London and Vienna has caused a panic on the Stock Exchange here. The Berlin journals are for the most part silent on the subject of the Russian demands. The Vienna correspondent of the National Zeitung says that Austria is determined to go hand in hand with England on the question. Turkey is said to have proposed an European Congress in a note to Austria. The semi-official Provincial Correspondenz be lieves that the great Powers will consent to a modi fication of the Treaty. The Vienna Presse has a conciliatory article, and relies for a solution, without recourse to arms, on the peaceful disposition of some members of the Eng lish Cabinet, as shown before the Crimean War. The Neue Preie Presse violently attacks Russia, and appeals to England, which ought, it says, to consider the infraction of the Treaty as a casus belli. BERLIN, November 17 (Evening). A Vienna correspondent writes regarding the demand of Russia, that if the Czar had sought to attain his object by diplomatic means his proposals might have been entertained ; but Russia's arrogant self-assertion would neces sarily imply not only the infringement of the rights of nations, but the destruction of the basis of all the treaties by which the Eastern Question has been settled, and certainly of the peace of Austria. All the Powers which subscribed the Treaty of 1856 are bound firmly to defend these threatened rights. The deepest interests of Austria are concerned; but all the Powers should unite for their common defence against this spirit of aggres sion. These are the feelings which prevailed univer sally in Vienna.—Telegraph. AUSTRIA PREPARING. VIENNA, November 17. Trustworthy advices have been received here to the effect that Russia has recently been supplied with 540 Gatlin guns from America. It is also stated that she has in the Euxine forty steamers, ostensibly in the merchant service, but really manned by the Imperial navy, and capable of being imme diately converted into ships of war. From the War Office here it is reported that Austria intends, and is preparing, to despatch 300,000 troops to her Eastern frontier. A collective note will not be sent to Russia, but Austria has sent a dispatch to St. Petersburg quite as decisive as that of Earl Granville. The Porte has made it known that its reply to the communication will be firm and energetic. PRINCE GORTSCHAKOFF'S CIRCULAR. The semi-official North German Gazette, which re frains from expressing any opinion on the Russian Note, states that the violations of the Treaty to which it refers were the cruise of the Prince of Wales in the Black Sea in an English man-of-war ; a similar voyage by the English Ambassador, Sir H. Bulwer ; the appearance of the Austrian squadron at Varna during the Emperor's Eastern trip; and a voyage by the Sultan in a large man of-war. The Russian Ambassador formally pro tested at the time against this last proceeding, but without success. A dispatch from Bouillon, dated the 17th, states that Mr. Odo Russell, and Captain Percival Robbins have arrived at Sedan. [CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.] MR. GATHORNE HARDY, M.P., ON CHURCH AND STATE. Mr. Gathorne Hardy, M.P., speaking at Bradford last night, in reference to the efforts made in certain quarters to bring about the disestablishment of the Church of England, contended that the money possessed by the Church, though in one sense national property, was in reality only held by the State for the benefit of the Church. • It was like a marriage settlement. The dowry was settled on the wife of the State ; and if she was to be divorced and sent adrift, it must be given up to her. It was alleged that the Church was not the Church of the poor, but he asserted that she was emphatically the Church of the poor, and had first developed voluntary offerings by her labours for the edu cation of the people. Mr. Hardy depicted the evils that would result from the state of infidel government that, he said, would practically follow disestablishment. The working classes were apathetic on the question of dis establishment, because he believed the funds of the Church could not be better applied than at present. He counselled that the attacks upon the Church should be met with boldness. Alluding to the Education Bill, Mr. Hardy said it was a fairer and a better measure in its original form. Since, however, it had become law it behoved the community to make the best of it ; it afforded scopo for distinct, though not sectarian, religious teaching in all the rate•aided schools. The speaker expressed his conviction that if the Church rose fully to the discharge of her national duties she need not fear the formidable attacks which atheism in its various forms was making on religion. LIBERAL SOIREE AT BRISTOL. A Liberal soir6e was held at Bristol last night, Mr. Morley and Mr. Hodgson, the city members, being present. The former, referring to the Continental war, said Eng land was interesting in preventing France from being re duced to a third-rate Power, but she needed guarantees for her conduct in the future. He believed the youngest among them was not likely to see a renewal of war after the present one was settled. He hoped England would not rush into an enormous expenditure under panic. He believed England was never safer from invasion than at the present time. Her army and navy were never in better condition. Mr. Hodgson said England had never stood higher in the estimation of con tinental nations, though some persons made persevering efforts to persuade people to the contrary. The Crimean War he considered a gigantic folly, and assured his con stituents that they would not find him an earnest advo cate for war in the East. Mr. Gilpin, M.P., hoped that it would be ,the expressed sentiment of England that she would have no more war on behalf of the Sick Man of Turkey. ASSOCIATED CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE. The Southampton Chamber of Commerce decided last night to invite the Associated Chambers of Commerce which meet at Bradford next week to hold their hext meeting at Southampton. GREAT BANKRUPTCY IN LIVERPOOL. A meeting of the creditors of Messrs. W. C. Miller and Son, shipbuilders, at Garslow, was held at Liverpool yesterday. The liabilities are £40,000, and the gross assets 220,000. It is understood that the proceedings in bankruptcy already commenced will go forward, Mr. Bolland being receiver. A proposition to wind up in liquidation was relinquished, owing to the opposition of a Leeds creditor, who represents 24,000. A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL BOARD. The Bolton School Board, elected last night, is com posed of four Churchmen, three Wesleyans, two Inde pendents, one Quaker, two Roman Catholics, and one Unitarian. SIEGE RECORD OF METZ. The special correspondent of the Times has collected some very interesting facts connected with the siege of Metz. The blockade of Metz commenced on August 19 and terminated on October 29, or a little over 70 days. In the month of August the consumption was,-52 horses, 1,517 oxen, 1,269 calves, 1,330 sheep, 1,353 pigs, and 18 lambs and porkets ; in September, 975 horses, 353 oxen, 48 calves, 919 sheep, 1,091 pigs and 17 lambs. The accounts are made up to the 28th of each month, and from September 28 to October 28, 1,897 horses, 90 oxen, 6 calves, 169 sheep, 301 pigs, and 4 lambs or porkets were killed. From October 28 to October 30, when the town commenced re-provisionin, 124 horses were killed, and scarcely another animal. `this was fora population about 40 per cent. larger than usual. The number of horses killed for the use of the army averaged from 140 to 150 per day. There was a total of a little over 10,000, which tallies with these daily figures. But it was not until September 10 that the army began to eat horseflesh ; as regards other cattle the correspondent could not procure estimates of the consumption outside the walls. The several corps and divisions had slaughter-houses of their own and kept their own accounts. For the garrison inside the city and in the hospitals, numbering 40,000, there were at the commencement of the blockade 600 oxen, some pigs, but no sheep. In reference to the mortality during the investment of Metz, the correspondent says :—" The average daily mor tality of Metz is from five to six . '. During the sieve it rose to 25 daily, the highest maximum of any one day being 35. It has sunk in the last ten days to 20. As re gards the army, those killed during the sorties were mostly buried where they fell. The deaths in camp and hospital were in August 468, in September 2,094, and in October 1,522. This last is not complete. This mortality arose chiefly from three epidemics—dysentery, typhus, and smallpox. In the first stage of the siege dysentery was formidable, in the second typhus, in the last, and at this moment, smallpox. The writer proceeds to give extracts from a complete file of one paper and the odd numbers of another, which are interesting in that they shew how the people were deceived in the matter of news, and record the action of the mili tary authorities. He goes on to say : "On October 15 appears a decree of Coffinieres, ordering that in future only one species of bread should be made, and strictly delivered by ticket-400 grammes for adults, 200 for children, 100 for infants. This woke up suddenly the population from the delusions which the journals were daily propagating. On October 16, the commander sharply replies to an address from the Municipal Council expressing their dolorous astonishment at the tardy intelligence given them the day before of the approaching failure of provisions, and stating that the city will not assume the responsibility of a situation of which they neither knew anything nor were forewarned. On October 20, 12,000 rations were to be delivered daily to the indigent, and on the 21st the military authorities notify that they can deliver no more horses for the city. The number which have died during the siege from ex haustion and want of forage and shelter has been enor mous. On October 22, at the meeting of the Council, Gene ral Coffinieres and a number of officers enter. He has come to tell them plainly the position of the city as regards provisions. He can give bread to the army and city for very few more days. As to the few horses left, he has come to consult with them upon the best means of consuming them. On October 23 the General issued a decree for a mixed commission, civil and military, charged with the selection of the horses remaining to be killed in succession, and paid for by valuation. -As coal was running short, no gas was to be burnt after seven o'clock. On October 26 the horses sold by auction for the abattoirs realised prices from 60f, to 700 f., a curious discrepancy of values seeing that they. were all sold ptxely as butchers' meat. After noticing the announcement of the impending capitu lation on the 27th of October, and the scenes which ensued, the 2'imes correspondent concludes :—Doubtless France has been betrayed- -there is no question whatever upon this point, but by whom, aud.by what? By her own over weening vanity and presumption, and by the writers who have pandered to these national frailties in her public press. In the Court of Exchequer it teas been decided than an architect, where a building has not been co rn • menced. is bound to hand over his plans. This does not rule the case where the building has been completed. RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT LYONS.— An accident occurred a day or two since on the Mediterranean line, near Lyons. A train of goods, en route to Marseilles, was delayed by an accident to its engine. Another engine was sent to take it on, and during the moment it passed to the head of the train the latter was moved on to the other line. Unluckily at this very moment the Lyons express came up and dashed into the goods train. For tunately the passengers by the express escaped withou t fatal injury. An employe in the Post Office was much hurt. • • -- - CONFERMENT OF DEGREES.—III a congregation held at Oxford yesterday, the following degrees were con ferred :—B.D. and D.D.: Augustus Jessott (Worcester). Master of Arts : T. Blunt (Magdalen Hall), Augustus Legg (Christchurch), D. Lysson (Exeter C olle g e), S. Packford (Brasenose), W. Duggan (Lincoln), C. Reade and E. Richards (St. John's) ; J. Lee (Anson University), E. Penford (Worcester), A. Lloyd (St. Edmund's Hall). Bachelors of Arts : C. S. Taylor (Merton), C. J. P. Clay (Trinity). .The Taylorian Scholarships will prob4Ply not be awarded until Monday. VERDUN AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT. In a communication addressed from the Headquarters of the Eighth Army Corps, Samognieux, November 8, the special correspondent says :—Verdun was fortified by Vauban, and remains an immortal monument of the genius of the days he represented. But since that period things have changed ; and Vauban must give in to guns that carry a little further than he ever calculated upon when making his designs. The situation of Verdun is by no means secure or strong ; for, like Toul, it is completely commanded by a high ridge, called " St. Michel," on one side— while on the other, immediately opposite the citadel, is an elevation, at a distance of 2,500 yards, which also entirely commands the town. Entering by the gate leading into the town from the road of Metz, we came upon the first line of defence —a simple Vauban fort, with a couple of small cavaliers, the rounded bastions telling at once of its ancient construction. Not many guns were mounted on this side, and those which I saw were mostly old siege guns of an andent pattern. Following the ramparts round to the Meuse, we came upon the Jardin de la Fontaine, which lies immediately under the Citadel. Standing upon a gun-carriage, I obtained from this spot a splendid view of the town. Shouldering itself high above a mass of buildings whose architecture seemed to date from before the Flood, towered the old Cathedral—a splendid specimen of old Norman architecture ; the roof of the west aisle having been completely destroyed by a shell. The streets of Verdun are certainly not handsome, nor are the houses by any means such as would please the eye of a modern architect; but then Verdun is an old town, and antiquity often serves as excellent excuse for ugliness. The inhabitants had covered their cellars with bark, to make them as nearly bomb-proof as possible ; while many of the poorer classes were obliged to spread manure over the traps, not being able to afford the more expensive luxury of bark. I need hardly add that this device did not improve the purity of the air. A good many of the bons citoyens were very drunk—so were three or four soldiers who had remained ; whether to drown their sorrows or to testify their joy I know not. The town was filthy and dirty; shattered window-frames, slates, and chimney pots, dead cats and dogs, dead horses and mules, lay about on every side. Entering the citadel, I was a good deal surprised to find the ditch, and the drawbridge lead ing over it, white with the flour which had been reck lessly destroyed, the sacks having been cut open and their contents scattered in every direction. Inside the citadel—especially on that side which faced the German batteries upon St. Michel—nothing but the bomb-proofs remained standing. Such a heap of ruins as the mass of rubbish into which the barracks and storehouses had been knocked, I have seldom seen. A small chapel— probably designed for the use of the soldiers—was a com plete ruin. That portion of the town lying towards the citadel, especially the Rue St. Pierre, had suffered severely ; in many houses the shells had gone through ' two and three storeys, demolishing the windows, and breaking down the staircases. The subject for debate at the Cambridge Univer sity Union last Tuesday evening was " That this house sympathises with France in her determination to establish a Republic." The motion was lost, there being 42 ayes and noes. plan. SPURTING INTELLIGENCE. SHREWSBURY RACES Y ESTERDAT. LONGNER STEEPLECHASE. .__. Souvenance .... Bonaparte 9 Five ran. SELLING HURDLE. , Leases Spitfire Wild Bee G 3 Six ran. HANDICAP HURDLE STAKES. Standard nea.ret Wamba Victress... • 1 2 3 Three ran. SELLING NURSERY. Minette Daisy Queen Eliza Four ran. WELTER PLATE. Masaniello......•• • Cantate Leonides 'Four ran. COLUMN HANDICAP. Moslem Wild Flower.... •••••• Nero Ten ran. CASTLE NURSERY. Royunte Blenheim King of Clubs! Nine ran. FORESTER PLATE. Antdri. . • • Witchcraft Mdlle. St; Igny.... +r,.111. 1' Ten rat!• SHORTS SELLING STAKES. Seringapatam Sallie Minytus Seven tan, COLONEL ANSON, M.P., ON MILITARY MATTERS. Colonel the Hon. A. H. A. Anson, M.P., V.C., was present at the annual dinner of the Lichfield Liberal Association on Tuesday night, and in replying to the toast of his health, said the great war which was going on abroad had taught us the truth of the well-known saying that Providence was on the side of the big batta lions, especially when those big battalions were led by highintellects, and organised hi such a way that nothing ever went wrong either with their ttanspoit or supply services. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, who was in that neighbourhood on a visit to Mr. Bass, M.P., and who he should have been glad to see present, said at Elgin that the war had taught us that stand ing armies were of no use. Mn Lowe in this remark very nearly hit the point but just missed it. The real lesson that the war had taught us was that standing armies were of no use unless they were sup ported by the nation by means of some such organisation as the Prussians possessed. It w as perfectlytrue that there was a very great chance against our ever being Called tipoil to defend this country except with our navy ; but the experience of the last three months should teach us the danger Of being over-confident; Could anyone suppose that any army this country could produce tinder the present system would be of the slightest rise in case of invasion? If England were ever invaded it Would be by hundreds of thousands of men, win& 'e shoUld have to meet with the whole strength of the nation. He advo cated not the Prussian system, but the Prussian principle. He would have the country divided into so many military districts, each to provide a certain number of militia battalions. No man should serve in the militia for more than one year, but he would have that year's service a consecutive one. The reason why our militia and volunteers were now worth very little was that their trainint , was so intermittent that they were nev er thoroughly b grounded in their work and in the great art of knowing how to obey. Ile did riot think it possible to snake an • efficient militiaman under a year's service. When the time of danger came we did not know where to lay our hands upon the men we wanted. But to meet such an objection it might be provided that if any district were ready with the prescribed number of men, those drawn by the ballot—which he would still have take place—should not be called upon to serve, but should merely be registered. He would have militia officers appointed in the same way as officers of the regular army were now, and would require them to be properly trained. He believed that the militia force, thus properly organised and officered, and properly sup plemented by sufficient artillery and the nucleus of a transport and supply services, would prove a perfect defence for the country, and tend to prevent those dis graceful panics which were now so frequently occurring. THE BRIGHTON RITUAL CASE The case of Hebbert (heretofore Elphinstone) against the Rev. J. Purchas, for offending against the law and constitution by ritualistic practices, was resumed yesterday before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Mr. Stephens, in continuing his argument on the part of the appellant, contended that the use of the vestments in question was contrary to the laws of the Church of England, resting his arguments on their abolition, as being sacrificial vestments, by the Act of Uniformity. He submitted that immediately after the passing of that Act all sacrificial vestments were destroyed, including the chasuble, the tunicle, and the alb, while the non-sacrificial vestments, the plain cope, the surplice, and the hood, were revived from the Prayer-book of Edward VI., havin been altogether, with the sacrificial vestments , excluded from the second book by the passing of the Act of Uni formity. Under the first book the cope, surplice, and hood oould be worn, but not the chasuble, tunicle, and alb ; and that was the distinction he proceeded to establish by quoting a number of ancient authorities. Mr. Stephens then submitted that under the Act of Uniformity it was illegal to teach the doctrine of the sacrifice of the Mass orally. How, then, he asked, would it be lawful to teach the doctrine symbolically by the use of sacrificial vestments ? The learned counsel's address not being completed at four o'clock, the hearing was adjourned. EXTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF LIBEL AGAINST A LADY. In the Queen's Bench (present : Mr. Justice Mellor, Mr. Justice Lush, and Mr. Justice Hannen), Mr. Powell, Q.C., (with him was Mr. Jeff), applied for a rule nisi for a criminal information against a lady named Waters, the wife of a medical practitioner resident in Worcestershire. The application was at the instance of Lord Sandys, Lady Sandys, his mother, and the Hon. Cecil Sandys his sister, and was on account of certain libels alleged to have been published by Mrs. Waters in relation to Miss Saudys. The libels charged the young lady with having recently given birth to a stillborn child. From the affidavits it appeared that Dr. Waters practised in the neighbourhood of Omberley Park, Lord Sandys' residence, and was the ordinary medical attendant of the household. In the course of last July Lady Saudys and Miss Sandys arrived on a visit at the park, and some time in August the young lady became unwell. It was considered that Dr. Waters was not sufficiently experienced to attend the case, and thereupon a Dr. Bowden, from Droitwich, was called in. This appears to have greatly incensed Mrs. Waters, as admitted by Dr. Waters him self to Lord Sandys. On the 20th of August a letter reached Lady Sandys stated to have been picked up on a road in the neighbourhood. This letter was the first of the libels complained of, and it purported to have been written by a maid-servant in London to another servant in the neighbourhood of Omberley Park. The writer referred to the recent pre mature confinement of Miss Sandys, and made comments on the event. In the next place, on the 10th of Septem ber, the following announcement appeared in Aris's Bir mingham Gazette under the heading Births :" "At Omberley Park, the Hon. Cecil Sandys (prema turely) of a son, stillborn." Explanations were at once demanded from the proprietor and editor of the Gazette. In reply a letter was produced, purporting to have reached the office from the Hon. Marcus Sandys, Lord Sandys brother, requesting that the premature confinement of his wife, the Hon. Mrs. Cecil Sandys, should be announced in the terms in serted. At the same time the fullest apologies were offered for the mistake, and assurances made that every assistance would be given to discover the libeller. The letter authorizing the insertion of the ad vertisement having been given up to the family, the conclusion was come to that the handwriting was that of Mrs. Waters, although it was very . much dis guised. A similar conclusion was formed in respect of the letter of the 20th of August. Counsel said he was prepared with very strong affidavits to establish the identity of the handwriting in the letters with that of Mrs. Waters. Mr. Justice Mellor : It is only necessary to establish a prinza facie case to entitle you to a rule. A rule nisi accordingly was granted. SERIOUS EXPLOSION AT BIRMINGHAAL—Another explosion occurred a, 4- , Messrs. Kynoch and Comp6.ny's cartridge and percussion cap manufactory, Wilton, near Birmingham. The firm for some time past have, it is stated, had large orders for cartridges on hand. In one of the sheds used for the manufacture of these articles, twenty five persons were engaged yesterday ; and eitherby acciden or by the clumsiness of one of the boys, a cartridge burst, causing an explosion of others, which blew the roof off the shed, and injured all the persons engaged in it. They were taken to the General Hospital at Birmingham, where they now lie, many of them being seriously hurt. Several are not expected to recover. Mr. HARVEY LEwis, M.P., AND THE CHANCERY COUR' —ln the Rolls Court Mr. Jessel, Q.C., made an applica tion on behalf of the official liquidator in the matter 0: Charles Lafitte and Co. for an order of the court to compel Mr. Harvey Lewis to attend before a special examiner and give evidence with respect to certain move , tart' transactions between the National Bank, of which he was a director, and the company now being wound up. An order had been made by the Chief Clerk in Chambers, which Mr. Lewis had, it was alleged, disregarded. Mr. Jessel now stated that previously Mr. Lewis, acting upon bad advice, had refused to give evidence, but he now with drew his refusal, and was willing to accede to the notice, and pay the costs of the motion, OUR COTEM --This iViorßing THE EASTERN (41JESTION. The Times, in considering the Russian diplomatic circular, says present fatal war, of which we all deprecate the continuances, has not very greatly affected. the general position. Russia cannot be stronger than all Europe. If the drift of Prince Gortscha koff's note is to go back to the pretensions which seemed to be abandoned after the fall of Sebastopol —if Russia's aim is the destruction of the Ottoman ranpire and the absorption on her part of tile Danubian Principalities and the Straits, there is no doubt that all Europe must, in self-defence, combine against Russia. Dynastic sympathies and mutual obligations would be of no avail. Whoever may happen to be on Rus sia's side at the outset - could scarcely fail to to turn against her in the end. Russia in possession of the Straits invalves'a question vital to us all. The Cabinet of St. Petersburg must. well consider the consequences of its own act. Russiahaa not as yet actually increased her naval forces in the Blaak. Sea ; she has only attempted to vindicate her right to do so ; and at the very moment that she announces a settled. and, to all appearance, irrevocable resolution she is anxious to disclaim any intention of again raising the Eastern question, and professes the utmost zeal for the preservation and consolidation of peace. But her very eagerness to deprecate any sinister construction that may be put upon her act proves a consciousness on her part that the right she claims to violate the neutrality of the Black Sea, and to keep an unlimited naval armament in its waters, does, indeed, amount to an actual revival of the Eastern Question, and constitutes a positive breach of the in ternational peace. It would be impossible to convey the mind of the English people on the subject, in more firm • and distinct and, at the same time, more I sober and conciliatory terms than those used by Lord Granville. It is not the matter, but the manner of the Russian Circular which, has given difenoe ; but it is difficult to say to what extent the manner is intended to aggravate the matter—to what extent an apparently inoffensive proposal is made in a tone purposely studied to give offence. There is every appearance of Russia seeking a quarrel. The anti-Russian feeling in England, dying away under the influent* of new ideas of policy, the Daily News remarks, was fast becoming an obsolete prejudice, when the action of the Iniperial Government has suddenly revived it in more than its wonted strength. The circular of Prince Gortschakoff forces upon those who hoped and wished for better things the doubt whether, after all, the great semi-Asiatic Power which occupies Eastern Europe really belongs to our international system, as ac knowledging the common obligations of Christian and civilized nations. Turkey was comparatively the other day brought within the public law of Europe. Russia seems disposed to banish herself from it. A Power which dis- cards its most solemn pledges ae soon as an opportunity offers, peg far to place itself beyond the range of diplomatic intercourse. A nation which does not acknowledge the force of Treaties can only be dealt with by force of arms, if it is to be dealt with at all. The cool announcement which Prince Gortschakoff makes, that the Emperor of Russia withdraws from that part of the Treaty of 1856 so far as it restricts the rights of his eovereignty in the Black sea—that is to say, that he declares to fulfil the conditions by which he purchased peace fourteen years ago—stands almost alone in reeent times in its flagrant violation of personal and political good faith. A celebrated monarch once declared that if honour fled !men all the world she should find a refuge in the bosom of khigs, We would advise her, if Prince Gortschakoff's despatch really represents the deliberate purpose of his august master, not to seek for a lodging in the breast of the Emperor of Russia, which is occupied, it would seem, by a tenant of a very different sort, with whom honour cannot take up her abode. For fourteen years Russia has observed the Treaty. Did she do so because it was a Treaty to which she had set her seal, or because she was not ,strong enough to break it? If she answers the former question in the affirmative, she pronounces her own condemnation no If she replies " Yes " to• the second, she confesses to a course of perfidy meditated while the promise was on her lips. At present, declares the Standard, the chief source of danger undoubtedly is lest, by our mild and pleasant manner of speaking, we may lead the continental rowers to believe that England means never more to ,take up arms in any cause. Nothing can be more fatal to our national interests—more injurious to the cause of peace that such an opinion ; and yet we perceive that it is an opinion which is universal throughout Europe. The foreign press whether Russian, Austrian, or Prussian, are fully per suaded that England will not go to war upon any provo cation. We shall be fortunate if Lard Granville's note succeeds in removing this universally preva lent impression from the European mind, or otherwise there is no chance of our escaping war. Already the affair has advanced so far that the pros pects of wiser counsels prevailing in Russia seem to be almost hopeless. To recede from her present position is for Russia to inour all the damage and disgrace of an open defeat. To hold to the terms of her challenge means war immediate and direct. We scarcely need to be told that the Sultan is resolved upon an energetic resistance to the Russian demands. It is impossible that he can consent to throw open the Eastern gate of Constantinople to his hereditary enemy. It is equally impossible that England can refuse to help him to maintain that which is the sole useful result of the bloody and costly war of 1854-55. The affair may yet be susceptible of arrangement on terms satisfactory to the great Powers, and not damaging to the prestige of Russia. But we confess we see but small grounds of belief in a pacific solution. Russia can hardly with draw from a position which she would not have taken up without due deliberation, and upon a full calcula tion of all the risks she had to encounter and all the help she had to expect. We do not yet know what is the nature of the help expected, and it may be that the Czar has interpreted certain promises too literally, or that he has prematurely reckoned on them. It is possible that Prussia herself is disgusted with this untimely or too broad exploitation of the plot, and it is probable that she will have quite enough on her hands without taking part in an Eastern war. That Russia should venture single-handed to encounter the joint forces of Turkey, England, Austria, and Italy, with, probably, the addition of the Scandinavian Powers, would appear to be madness ; but there may be more method in it than we suspect. The Telegraph, considering the terms of Gortschakoff's circular, the advisability of a Congress, and the possible gain to Bismarck if he could but divert the gaze of Europe from Paris to the East, says it is not possible that Count Bismarck might even prefer the certainty of solid securities to the doubtful gain of two implacable pro vinces? The cry, however, for Alsace and Lorraine has become so loud and vehement in Germany that even the Chancellor himself might now be unable to insist on silence. Suppose, however, the Great Powers, who have hitherto remained neutral, to arm in hostile array, Count Bismarck would easily persuade his countrymen of the danger that must ensue to the Fatherland from extending the area of warlike operations. Germany would hardly relish the appearance of a fresh enemy in the field ; and before so great a danger Alsace and Lor raine would probably have less bewitching charms in the eyes of their lovers across the Rhine. From a new point of view Count Bismarck might step out among the nations in the character of peacemaker, and as the advo cate of a European Congress. Turkey has already broached the idea, and there is little doubt that England, wiser than she was when Lord Russell too summarily rejected Napoleon's proposal seven years ago, would at this moment receive it with a different tone from that of contemptuous disdain. An armistice between Prussia and France, with a general Congress for its basis, would be pretty sure to prepare for a peace built on a firmer foundation than any that the Germans can extort at the point of the sword. It is possible, then, though we do not put forward the view either as official or authoritative, that the Russian circular has been written more in view of a Congress than in prospect of war. In the absence of a written engagement, Count Bismarck would find it easy to advise the withdrawal of Prince Gortchakoff's des patch as a preliminary to the consideration of Russia's complaints. Such a step would probably not be very palatable to the Imperial Chancellor ; but he might take comfort in the reflection, as he looks on the records of the past, that he was not the first diplomatist whom a brother statesman had outwitted. Meantime, the duty of England is perfectly clear. Active and immediate pre paration is our business. The. Executive is bound to aid T.lour military and naval departments with unwavering resolve and generous confidence. - ROYAL COMMISSION ON SCIENTIFIC INSTRUCTION AND THE ADVANCEMENT OF SClENCE.—Meetings of the above Commission were held at 6, Old Palace-yard, S.W. on Tuesday and Wednesday, in the present week. Pre sent—The Duke of Devonshire, K.G. ; the Marquis of Lansdowne, Sir J. P. Kay Shuttleworth, Bart. ; Mr. B. Samuelson, M.P. ; Dr. Sharpey, Sec. F.P, S. ; Professor Huxley, F.R.S. ; Professor Stokes, Sec., R.S. ; and the L Secretary, Mr. J. Norman Lockyer , F,R,S. ; D avid I Wooster, Assistant-Secretary.