The Sun. — London, England, 1870-09-03 00:00:00

THE WAR. THE BATTLES IN TIIE NORTH: SCENES IN THE CORPS LEGISLATIF. PARIS, THURSDAY If what the papers say of war news is to ,be believed, we are getting on nicely in the Ardenne forest. Mac Mahon is achieving the most wonderful triumphs. He is not only winning battles, but he is succeeding in more directions than one. The Liberte simply - says he has gained a great victory. The Public declares that everything is going on with MacMahon as well as could be wished, but Count Palikao keeps things secret—very secret. The Public even assures us that he will not let his colleagues in the Ministry know the contents of his despatches, for fear at an involuntary indiscretion. These worthy colleagues must be wonderful men. It would be Interesting to learn whether he informs the Empress. She is a, woman, and according to the old rule is more likely to be guilty of " an involuntary indiscretion" than the unfortunate Ministers. But even Count Palikao's extraordinary caution could not prevent the Patrie going into full detail on the subject That journal professes to know all about the operations which were not confided to the Ministry. It gives the following account of them :—" In spite of our habitual reserve, the false despatches sent by the Prussians to the foreign journals oblige us to state the facts pre cisely. Marshal MacMahon, whilst executing his magnificent movement—all the phases a which we have followed—has had numerous engagements with the enemy, always glorious for our arms. He has effected the passage of the Meuse in a brilliant manner, and has fought with the Prussians a successful battle near Longwy, a small town in the department of the Moselle upon our frontier. The Prussians, defeated after a severe contest, took refuge in the territory of Luxem burg, where they have been disarmed and de tained. This information, transmitted by our repre sentative at the Government of Luxemburg, has just arrived in Paris. It may be seen from this and from the situation at Longwy, Thionville, and Metz that the plan of Marshal MacMahon has been accomplished with perfect success." The same journal also says : —"A report has spread that a despatch sent from Rheims this evening an nounces that a considerable action took place on Wednesday. An important battle is said to have been gained by MacMahon. This affair must not be con founded with that in which Marshal Bazaine destroyed the Prussian cavalry. It is said that 60,000 Prussians have been placed hors de combat. We reproduce these ru mours under all reserve." The Soir also has its version. It declares that MacMahon was successful in passing the Meuse, and that at Carignan, on Wednesday, a genuine victory was gained. So the reader will be able to see that all the papers have news, and possess the further advantage of each securing a different account. But there is a very dark side to these admirable reports. There are very persistent rumours of disaster to at least a portion of MacMahon's army, and it is noticed that the Government is entirely silent. If the Ministry has reasons for reticence, why should the papers give news? On the whole the silence of the autho rities together with the not very reassuring fact that any publication of unfavourable news is immediately punished bysuspension of the paper in which that news appears, has not produced a favourable impression here. The reports in the papers are absurdly contradictory and untrust worthy. They give no satisfaction, for no one with the least sense can doubt that if the French armies had won a victory the Government would have been only too glad to spread the news far and wide. We areutterly without information from independent sources. 'Yesterday's proceedings in the Chamber, which have already been briefly referred to, were highly interesting. It will be remembered that M. Keller brough* forward some melancholy details of the bombardment at Strasbourg, and the condition of the peasantry in the "Lower libinedepart. meat. Of the Strasbourg narrative the Chamber bad but one opinion. It condemned the conduct of the Germans in directing their fire upon the city instead of the fortifica tions, so that the sufferings inflicted upon the inhabitants might induce them to press the Governor to surrender, It expresied great commiseration for the unfor tunate victims of such barbarities s and it rose as one man, and with tremendous energy declared that the inhabitants of Strasbourg should never cease to be French citizens. But the case of the peasantry was a different one, M. Keller reported that bawls of Baden peasants, armed with sabres, but without muskets or uni forms, had crossed the frontier, and were plundering the Alsatians, The latter were not disposed to quietly sub mit to such treatment; but they were unable to resist. They Lad no arms, and the Government refused to sup ply them with any. In some cases a display of valour on the part of the peasantry of the Lower Rhine had even been repressed by the local authorities. M. Keller pro posed that a commission should be appointed to examine into the details of this affair, with the view of nominating a special commissioner to see to the defence of Alsace. The Minister of War was not present when the question was raised, and an adjournment to six o'clock was agreed to, in order that he might be able to give explanations. When six o'clock and the Minister arrived there was a stern dispute. Count Palikao would have no special commissioner. For the Chamber to nominate such a functionary would be 'to interfere with, and to that extent to super- sede, Government. One deputy called out that the Government were incapable. " Dismiss them, then," answered the Minister ; "to apppoint a commissioner would be an act of defiance to the Government." The Left denied this. The question, con tinued the Minister, is whether the Cabinet is worthy of your confidenceor not. If it is, let us go on; if it is not, I turn us out. We will not leave our pressing occupations in order to come and discuss matters of this kincL At this sally there was, as might be expected, a fearful uproar. Fancy an English Premier telling the House of Commons that he had- a great deal to do, and could not find time to come and parley with such a contemptible thing as a parliament. This sort of talk went on for some time, M. Keller hitting the nail on- the head when he declared that the Government had evi dently resolved not to allow the Chamber any par ticipation in the defence of the country. This is obvious. It has a large and subservient majority at its back, and the time has not yet come for that majo rity to desert its masters, like the rats desert a sinking ship, or, to bring the comparison still nearer, like the dummy senators of Napoleon I. deserted him, when his hour of misfortune had arrived. All the fine things said in this debate are not given above. Just enough is quoted to shevr what the relations between the Government and the Chamber really are; on the one side is a bodyof men, including, no doubt, several fanatical and unpractical persons, who honestly wish the Parliament to exercise -a just control over the affairs of the country ; on the other is a vast array of con venient persons who do precisely as they are bid. Need less to say that M. Keller's motion to submit the condition, of the Alsatian peasants to a commission was rejected. It mustered 59 supporters against 180. There was another irritating question raised in this sitting. Count IC4ratry declared that the officers of the Garde Mobile were appointed through favouritism, and that the list ought to be overhauled. After a good deal of shouting, this proposition, too, came to grief. 4.nother refusal on the subject of arms has been re , ceived from the Government. M. Dalloz proposed that with -the view of encouraging the importation of arms, the duties now paid upon that kind of manufacture should be abolished. He expressed his confidence that, in spite of the difficulties in the way of such trading, an a b undant supply of good breech-loaders could be had from England and America ; and there can be little doubt that he was right. The commission of parliamentary initiative to which the proposal was referred, rejected it. If the duties were taken of foreign arms, of course full liberty of manufacture must be given to French artisans, which is refused at present. It is the old story. Do what the deputies of the Left and Centre may, they cannot succeed in inducing the Government to give the people arms. In these times of excitement and frequent disputes in the Chamber, it would appear that the official reports of the debates are not always characterised by strict accu racy. M. Pelletan complained yesterday that his words had been garbled. He saw the proof of his speech— French deputies very often correct their discourses before they appear in print—and it was then quite correct ; but when it was published the very opposite ' of what he intended to say was given to the world. It had been altered after he had read the proof. M. Ras pail made a similar complaint. The Government re porters seem now to often adopt the expedient of mak- 1 ing it appear that the latter part of_ an observation had been drowned in wrathful or applauding exclamations, when the obnoxious expression has really been quite audible. No incident worthy of mention has occurred in the Corps Ltislatif to-day. From the explanation given by the Minister of Commerce to the deputies it appears, to regard to the provisioning of the capital for the prospec tive siege, that since the 29th August there have arrived from Havre 4,800 waggons of grain, rice, coffee, and sugar, and that already there are provisions made in oil, wood, and live cattle sufficient for the next three months. No less than five hundred much cows have arrived in Paris, together with supplies of fodder in every way adequate for their nourishment for a like period. All this moreover - is but the advance guard, as it were, of the supplies already purchased through the provident care of the Minister of Commerce, and on their way now - to the metropolis from all parts of Prance. Many of the saloons of ' the Hotel [lieu ate at this moment fully prepared for the reception of the wounded. Four more of those inculpated in the affair of La Vil lette have been conducted to the prison of the Connell of War. From Havre we learn that the ir aurrean had just re entered that port. No credence was accorded to the rumour relative to the departure of the Fillibuster from America. Further than this, in the Journal Ogiciel of to-day, we read that the Minister of France at Washington, hav ing been consulted in regard to an announcement published in the Figaro, concerning an expedition against the French ports, has at once replied by telegram, through cable, that the statement was absolutely false. Tirki SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1870. NEWS FROM RHEIMS. According to the very able special correspondent of the Temps, writing from Rheims under date the 31st August, we read that two days previously the Crown Prince had his head-quarters at Sariguy, midway between Monthois and Vouziers. His Royal Highness was then installed in the house of M. Douray the notary. During the course of the morning he received three despatches in rapid suc cession. Of these the two first were received with appa rent indifference. On the arrival of the third, however, ' he seemed, on the contrary, to be pro foundly moved, and gave his orders for in stant departure. - Although;ifcontinues M. Gustave Isambert (the Temps correspondent just referred to) the Prussians have occupied without resistance four of the de files of the Argonnes, and are in a fair way to dispute the fifth, that of Le Chesne, very good positions are still hi our hands on this side. The village of Voncy has not been burnt as was announced to me yesterday. Flames had been seen in that direction, but they arose from the destruction of a grove of trees hard by the country-house of M. L4on Robert, formerly one of the popular representatives. This wood was destroyed by the French artillery to the fire of which it was an obstruction, and where since then they have preserved an advantageous position. They tell me of a combat, the news of which comes at the same time from very different directions. A body of French troops, it is said, planted upon the heights of Somville, caused the greatest possible destruction to the German squadrons, hurling them into the channels and reservoirs of 134r0n then deeply flooded with IN ater—a dangerous point situated to the north of the defile of the Chesne. and which feeds the lateral canal to the Aisne. To-day the workmen employed on the Eastern Railway received orders to go and re-establish communications be tween Epernay and Chalons. Hardly, however, had they quitted the station at Epernay when they were warned by the cantonniers of the return of the Prussians to Chalons. There are, it is said, from 1,000 to 1,200 Prussian horsemen between Chalons and La Veuve. Upon this information a reconnaissance has been undertaken by 200 of our soldiers, who left for this purpose about four o'clock, taking with them a couple of mitrailleuses. The first of these horsemen were met about • 20 kilometres from Rheims at the station of Vez-Thuiay. A little before arriving at the station of Petit-Mour melon they round the road .cut. They then put foot to grenra and directed their course across the site of the camp% The enemy's horsemen were still found in the direction M the Imperial headquarters. Six discharges of mitrailleuse were fired in that direction. Several of the horsemen were dismounted and some of the horses killed. The reconnaissance returned about eight o'clock with the satisfaction of having disturbed the dinner arrangements of about 1,200 enemies, who had ordered covers to be prepared for them at the inns and eating-houses of Mourraelcrn-le- Grand. The day before yesterday a company of Chasseurs made a reconnaissance at Amagne, a little below Rethel,but with' small result, The PrUSSiallfi had taken their departure thence about three o'c'ock. They had, cut the rails and caused- great destruction to the lino of telegraphic com munication.. An attempt had also been. made to break the viaduct of the Four Valleys between Amagne and Salves. Happily, however, the mine had remained open at both ends, and the effect had cousequently not been suf ficient to cause a serious fracture. Yesterday I received a letter from Metz, under date the 17th, whieh twitified to the firm tuttitu i de assumed there by the population. My correspondent confirms the accounts we have already had of the bad feet from which so many of the enemy are suffering. After having executed so many and such rapid movements with a discipline and a pi ecision impossible to deny, many of the soldiers have found it a physical impossibility to fol low on yet further. A medical man in this neigh bourhood has seen fully a score of these suf ferers at Suippes, all of them with their feet so inflamed that they deemed it better to treat them as among the wounded than as among the prisoners. P.S.—A letter received this evening from Dorchery announces that the Prussians had experienced on the 28th and 29th a serious defeat near the forest of the Marf6e. The troops thus defeated belonged all of them t o the corps of Prince Frederick Charles. 2nd P.S.—There has just arrived here another message which is described as distinctly official, according to which the troops of the Crown Prince had been crushingly defeated near Monthois. The particulars as to the losses appear to be doubtful, but the fact seems to be beyond dispute. A Prussian officer, who fought at Gravelotto, says : " All the officers of the battalion are either dead or wounded. Of the 1,000 men with whom we went into the battle only 400 are left." The Princess Clotilde has refused to leave Paris. To an invitation to visit Italy, she has replied that she would consider it as an act of weakness to separate herself from the Empress and quit France under the present grave circumstances. The Staatsanzeiger states that the Crown Princess intends making a long stay at Homburg, with the view of devoting special attention to the numerous hospitals in the neighbourhood of Frankfort. For this purpose her Royal Highness, on Saturday, had a lengthened con ference with the Central Committee of the German organization for the care of the wounded- A correspondent of the Manchester Guardian, alleges that, during the whole war, the French have only taken 734 prisoners, but no guns or stores of any kind, and so recently as last Thursday week the 734 German prisoners were turned out of Metz because there was no food for them. He also reports that the Germans admit having had 28,000 men killed and wounded in the battles of the 16th and 17th . ult. M. Michelet has written a fetter to the Committee for the Defence of Paris, in which he urges the members to put a stop to military executions. Were time allowed him, he says, twenty thousand signatures would be attached to his protest besides his own. .M. Michelet is of opinion that, no matter how conscientious the military judges may be, their proceedings are conducted in great haste, and more than one point remains obscure. He, therefore, begs that those proceedings may be stayed. A Saxon officer, very severely wounded, sought shelter in the house of a peasant in the neighbourhood of St. Marcel. The unfortunate man, exhausted from fatigue and loss of blood, threw himself upon a bed and fainted. Whilst in this state of helplessness the woman to whom the house belonged deliberately gouged his eyes out with a fork, and then left him to die a horrible death. He lin gered long enough to tell his fearful story to a Prussian ambulance train. One of the National Societies Officers visited St. Privat, near Metz, a spot where a most violent struggle occurred. He says :—" He says the c h urc h an d h ouses are near l y all destroyed. Picture to yourself a vast plain terminating towards the horizon in verdant woods and luxuriant and undulating pasture. In the midst a. heap of blackened ruins, a f arm hut, the insignificanc e of which has saved it from total destruction. Gardens trodden down, trees torn with shot, all around bursting graves, rudely-constructed crosses, remains of bivouacs, dead horses, broken tumbrils, arms, shakoes, uniforms, ammunition barrels, in front of crumbling walls which a few days since enclosed contented homes, sitting on bare stones in the mute agony of deep despair poor women, to whom laothing is left but the memory of a past. May God save England from such a scerfe as this 1" THE WEEK'S FIGHTING. It was then, according to the King's despatch, the 4th and 12th Corps of the Crown Prince of Saxony's army' which defeated the army of MacMahon, with the aid of the Ist Bavarian corps, which belongs to the army of the Crown Prince of Prussia. No more of the Crown Prince's army seems to have come up, and the Guards were apparently not engaged. We may gain some notion of the practicability of the design to relieve Metz by observing the movements of MacMahon and these various corps. On the 22d MacMahon left Rheirn,s. On the 24th, we learn, from the special corre spondent of the Times that the Ist Bavarian Corps passed through Ligny, a little south-east of Bar-le-Duo; and it was only on that day that intelligence reached the Crown Prince's headquarters of • the abandonment of the camp of Chalons. MacMahon, therefore, had two days' start of this Ist Bavarian Corps,. Yet It caught him up and attacked him on the left bank of the Meuse on the 29th. Again, while MacMahon started on the 22nd from Rheims, the •own Prince of Saxony was engaged on the 25th in an unsuccessful attaok upon Verdun. If MacMahon's army had marched twenty miles a day, it Might have effected the passage of the Meuse almost, if not quite, unmolested. But it took seven days to march less than seventy miles. Its movement was known by the Prussians two days of ter it commenced ; and in five days they were able to throw themselves into its path and on its flank. On the 29th a portion of it was met on the right bank of the Meuse by a body of troops strong enough to succeed in driving it out of Carignan, and back towards Sedan ; while at the same time such portion as was on the right bank was " driven back from Beaumont beyond the Meuse, near Mouzon." Was it that MacMahon utterly miscalculated time ; was it that he found his intendance defective, his transport out of order, his army demoralised ; or was it that he never moved or thought of moving the bulk of his army across the Meuse towards Metz ? The defeat • of, the French by the Prussians with such remarkaLle ease can only be accounted for in two ways. Either the French army was composed of very inferior troops to those which fought at Weissemburg, at Woerth, at Forbach, and at Metz, or it ivas numerically much inferior to its enemy. Another fact worthy or notice is, that the railway com munication between Paris and the north has been much interrupted for the last two or three days. This may mean that troops and stores were being sent- from Paris northwards to strengthen and supply MacMahon ; but it may possibly mean and we have thrown out this idea before— that MacMahon is sending troops with the utmost rapidity southwards to strengthen Paris. Tne intelli gence, somewhat ostentatiously proclaimed, that 50,000 men had left Paris to join MacMahon may very possibly only be a ruse to induce the Crown Prince to send larger forces northwards, and so gain more time for the preparation of the defences, and the increase of the garrison of Paris. But the Emperor, it will be said, was with MacMahon at Carignan. Well, that might only be a repetition of an old trick of the First Napoleon, which served him in good stead more than once, notably, if our memory serves us, in the campaign of Marengo, when he sent Lannes southward to Chivasso to mask the march on Milan, and showed himself there to the troops ,of Melas, leading them to suppose his army was going to cross the river Po. We do not attach' much importance to these speculations, but we advance them to show how, if the French under MacMahon had the design to retreat on Paris; by the northern railways, the course they have adopted •is admirably suited to veil that intention.— SCandard. Although the contrary idea has found careless sup porters, it is evident that in. reality two, if not even three, battles were fought on Tuesday. There is some confusion about the dates of two of them. The first account, from Buzaney, said that the victory of Beaumont was won , on Tuesday, the day on which the despatch was dated ; while a telegram from King William to Queen Augusta, despatched from Varennes at 3.30 p.m. do August tile 30th, says that the battle was fought " yes terday " Monday. But Varennes is thirty miles from Beaumont, and the results of a pursuit that only ended at nightfall could not be summed up in a despatch dated four hours previously ; so we are dispbsed to think that the Buzancy telegram is correct, and that tl?e King's should bear the date of the 31st. On the other hand, two telegrams informed us that, on Tuesday, the vanguard of the Twelfth Corps was engaged with De Failly's men, at Nouart, and that the Corps itself took . part in the greater battle at Beaumont on the same day. Now, it is quite possible that both these events actually happened on Tuesday ; but since the probabilities lie in the other direction, and since people in Berlin believe that the Nonart affair took place on Monday, we are disposed to think the telegrams wrong and the ' other supposition right. And, indeed, we need find no difficulty in explaining the circumstances. We have already brought the Crown Prince of Saxony's army to Stenay on the one hand, and the Montmedy-Carignan- Sedan road on the other. We shall not be far out in supposing that the Prussian Guard was among the yet unspecified troops which attacked MacMahon's position on the plateau of Vaux on Tuesday. If, as now seems to be the case, the smaller portion only of MacMahon's men advanced on his left wing, north of the Meuse, then the Guards alone, which form the strongest corps in the North German army, might have succeeded in driving back the enemy towards Sedan. The King says that the corps engaged at Beaumont were the Fourth, the Twelfth, and the First Bavarian —in all, about 90,000 men. Evidently, they had crossed the Meuse at Stenay, perhaps on Sunday or Monday ; and on that day the advanced guard of the Saxons may have advanced on the Buzancy road, thrown back a part of De Failly's corps moving to gain the bridge, and compelled it to retreat upon the main body of MacMahon's right wing, moving by Beaumont to Laneu ville. However this may be, the Crown Prince of Saxony's army attacked the French at Beaumont on Tuesday ; an d, since so many Germans were engaged, and since the King's telegram speaks of the battle-field is very exten sive, it may be inferred that more than the half of MacMahon's army was on the south of the Meuse. A telegram from Bouillon, on the Belgian frontier, dated yesterday, says that " MacMahon was reported between Douzy, and Bazeilles "—a little place three or four miles nearer to Sedan ; while the Prussians were between Remilly, on the left hand of the Meuse opposite to Douzy, and Balan, a village between Bazeilles and Sedan. The telegram shakes our faith in its credibility by the statement that, if the Prussians have advanced so far from Tuesday's battle-fiield, it is because "Marshal Bazaine is driving them towards Sedan." We may therefore receive with much suspicion the further assurance of this authority, thr t on Wednesday the French took thirty guns ; and, indeed, he admits that down to yesterday morning "no positive result had yet been received." No doubt MacMahon will fight hard to secure his retreat; for his advance to the relief of Bazaine it is hopeless now to fight—and, indeed, there is little hope on either side. For as yet there is silence as to the movements of the three German corps that conquered easily at Beaumont ; from Beaumont to Flize or Donchery, on the Meuse between Sedan and Maibres, is but twenty-five miles by the longest road ; . and if the river were crossed there, while MacMahon was fighting on the Chiers, Sedan might become another and a still more hopeless Metz.—Telegraph. THE SIEGE OF STRASBURG. An inhabitant of the besieged city on the Rhine far• nishes the Paris Temps with some particulars of the bombardment :—" None of the defenders of the place posted upon the ramparts have as yet been killed. The walls, palisades, and gates of the town are still intact. The Germans only fire upon the city, and seek to destroy as many houses as possible. The commandant of the place sent a Captain Roederer with a flag of truce to endeavour to obtain from the German commander permission for the women and children to leave the town. The German General returned a negative response, saying that if the women and children were let out the place would not surrender. The trumpeter who accompanied Cap tain Roederer was killed, and that officer was himself wounded. It was only after the 22nd, when the Badese had brought up their heavy guns, that Strasburg began to suffer the worst. Whole streets have been burnt. The Rue de Dome is a mass of ruins, as is also the Rue de la Nu6e Bleue. The City Library and that of the Protestant Seminary have been demolished. The Protestant College, rebuilt about four years since by public subscriptions from all parts of the world, no longer exists. The Temple Neuf has been partially burnt. Two quarters of the city have been entirely destroyed. La Kratenau and the Marais Kajenck no longer exist. L'Aubette, the Picture Gallery, the Scheidecker Mansion, the Church of St. Thomas, with the famous mausoleum of Marshal Saxe, all have been destroyed. Everywhere there is ruin, ashes, and fire. The unhappy inhabitants, huddled together in cellars, see their homes burning, and cannot attempt to save them. Shells and rockets continually feed the flames. Many citizens have been killed. The potter of the Hot -1 de la Maison Rouge, while going his rounds with laLtern in hand, had his had carried off by a cannon ball. The statues of Kleber and Gutenberg hare been injured, and the Cathedral has received its share of de structiou. Several portions of it have been knocked down. General Ulrich has declared that he will not sur render except upon a heap of ashes, and a heap of ashes will very shortly fill the place of a city which but a little while since was so flourishing. A correspondent of the Carlsruhe Gazette says : At this moment Strasburg is burning in at least four places, one near the Cathedral. Although this is intentionally spared as much as possible, the roof has already been struck by a few bullets. The condition of the inhabi tants, as described by a few fugitives, is frightful, and one cannot deny them the deepest sympathy. Already 600 persons have been killed by our projectiles, and whole streets are as good as destroyed. The governor has de clared that if the town falls into the hands of the Ger mans they will find it only a heap of rubbish. This fierce resolution is partly attributable to his having lost a son in the battle of Woerth. IN FRONT OF THE FRENCH AT G-RAVE- LOTTE. Some idea of what the fighting is like in the present war may be gained from the following portion of a letter by a Prussian officer who fought at Gravelotte :—" .` Second company to the right ; first to the left ' As we are turning a copse we are suddenly in the thick of it. Into the copse, then, and along its outskirts. The fire is heavy, but as yet the balls fall short of us. At first we are at a loss to make out whence they come. Can it be that we are fired at from the heights in front, at a dis tance of at least 1,800 paces? As we proceed our doubts are set at rest. We have the enemy really before us, and in a few minutes begin to suffer very perceptibly. Forward ! forward ! Spreading out_in thin lines, we are running on while our breath lasts. But we are exhausted even before wee= see the enemy, so great is the distance, and so steadily ascending the long-stretching slope we have to go over. Stop ! We are still at 1,000 paces from the French, and must take breath before we can proceed. Not a shot is fired. Now on again, a few hundred paces right into the potato-field. Stop again, fire a few shots, and now at them at a run. At last we succeeded in get ting near enough to see the heads of the French popping out of their ditches. As usual, they were in rifle-pits on the slope and top of the hill. By this time very many of us had fallen, and we . halted, on wholly unprotected ground, to exchange some rounds with our friends opposite. Captain Baron Von Arnim was shot in the foot, but remained sitting in our midst to direct the move ments of the company. He soon got another hall in his breast, when he had to give it up. Finding we could not do much execution, we betook ourselves to .our feet a g ain, and ran to within 500 paces of the enemy. Now, at last we had a fling at them. I measured the distance myself, took a dead man's rifle and popped away as fast and as well as I could. At this juncture Major von Fabeck was shot, Captain von Hagen was shot, and four men next to me were shot. We were in skirmish ing order, and beginning to melt away like wax. In front stood the French, concealed in excavations up to their very eyes ; behind us for a distance of 800 paces the ground was strewn with dead and wounded. If we had been strong enough, we should have tried to cross bayonets, but our numbers had already been so very much reduced that we could not think of making the attempt. Indeed, had the French assumed the offensive they must have taken .or killed every man of us. But according to their practice they kept in their ditches, and were quite satisfied with slaughtering us at a distance. The thing became perfectly unendurable, and there arose a low murmur in our lines that we had better fly at them at any expense and knock down as many as we could while there were any of us left to do it. At this moment Captain Von Berger, the adjutant of our Brigadier, came up at a gallop, shouting from a distance, and ordering us to remain where we were if we would escape being taken prisoners. So we just stood our ground until troops were perceived coming to our sup port in the distance, when we all advanced again, and at 300 paces once more opened a murderous fire. All through my men were very calm and self-possessed, Under the circumstances of the case they could not but know that the gieater part, and, perhaps, all, of them had got to die. Yet they were as tranquil as the few of their officers still remaining, and fooked with perfect equanimity upon the French relieving again and again their tirailleurs in the ditches. We are now near enough to see that they had four rows of rifle pits, the one over the other. The fire was terrific, and Sadowa in compari son to it mere child's play. By and by our cartridges got exhausted, and we had to empty the pouches of the dead and wounded. As many of the latter as had a spark of life left (lid all they could to assist us in this. But everything has an end, and so had our ammunition. I had given orders that every man was to reserve two cartridges in case the French took the offensive, and with these two cartridges in our possession we confronted the enemy even after we had ceased to fire. After a little while, which seemed to us terribly long, our supports came up. They were skir mishers of Queen Elizabeth's Regiment, and the moment they joined us I heard their captain give the command in my rear, ' Charge with the bayonet !' I was lying on the ground with a shot in my left arm and shoulder blade; but as I heard those glorious sounds I jumped up, and halloaing to my men, fiercely repeated the word of com mand, ' Charge with the bayonet !' But alas ! there were only three men left to respond to my call. With the ex ception of a few who had joined another company the whole of my men were down. I do not know whether the three survivors took part in the attack. As . for myself I could not do it. I sat down on the ground. The moment the Elizabeth regiment charged the French jumped out of their ditches and ran away. An enormous quick fire was opened upon them, and, as I can assure you, to some purpose. The French were driVen from their whole position. The villages around were on fire, and the shooting continued here and there. We had been opposed to the Guards, who were the last to retreat. A NIGHT SURPRISE IN THE BALTIC. A correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Hamburg, on Tuesday, tells the following story :—" It cannot be denied that the infant German navy is animated with quite as much patriotic zeal as the army, and, where it has the opportunity, shews sufficient pluck and knowledge of warfare to entitle it to take equal rank and hold its own amongst the other and older navies of the world. A gallant if not foolhardy action has to be recorded of the corvette Nymphe, stationed at Neufahr wasser, the port of Dansig, the particulars of which are contained in a private letter from an officer of that ship, which I have been permitted to read. After having left the port almost every day for the last fortnight to look out for the French fleet, and sometimes running along the coast as far as I illau, but always in vain, three French iron clads were at length discovered about noon on the 21st inst. to the north of the harbour, having in company a small despatch-boat, all under steam. They approached so near the batteries, but without coming within range of the guns, that they could be plainly distinguished on shore. In the afternoon, after cruising off the coast, probably for the purpose of reconnoitring the strength of the batteries, they steamed out to sea, and anchored for the night at a spot called Putziger Wieck, under the shelter of Hela Point, and about twelve or fifteen miles from Neufahrwasser. This was considered on board the Nymphe, whose presence on the station must have been well known to the French admiral, as an act of daring and presumptuous arrogance, and the captain determined to spoil his night's rest for him. Accordingly steam was got up on board the corvette, and about half-past eleven o'clock, the obstacles that block up the entrance to the harbour having been removed, she steamed quietly out and proceeded i n • a northerly direction to Hela, there being no lights on deck, and every chink below carefully stopped up to prevent her being seen, while perfect silence prevailed on board. To the north the sky was pretty clear, and illuminated by the rays of the moon, whilst behind them the horizon was dark and gloomy, and over their heads masses of rain-clouds were gathering, under cover of which they approached. About one o'clock in the morning they came in sight of the enemy's ships, which were lying at anchor in a line, the despatch-boat, which they had hoped to run down, placed for better security between two of the big ironclads, and not a sound was to be heard on board any of them. The corvette proceeded cautiously and quietly at half-speed without being perceived or challenged till within a distance of twelve hundred yards, when she rounded off, the engines were stopped, and she delivered her whole broadside from the port battery, then put about and discharged her starboard broadside, after which she retired. Full six minutes elapsed before any reply was given, and then five or six shots were fired, but so wide of the mark that , none of the balls were heard whistling through the air. The French vessels appeared to have banked up their fires ; but the order must have been given to put on fresh coals and start in pursuit, for immense clouds of thick black smoke were presently seen to issue from their funnels, and the drums were heard to beat to quarters. The chase then commenced, and from time to time shots were dis charged at the corvette from the French bow-chasers, but without effect. One of the ironclads of greater speed than her Consorts appeared for a while to be gaining on the Nymphe, and perhaps in a longer run would have come up to her ; but as the 'distance, was comparatively short, she managed to make good her retreat, and about 4 aan, just as it was beginning to get light, she returned in safety to her anckorage ground at the mouth of the harbour. The chase was commenced by the French so soon after the attack made by the German corvette as to give rise t. the supposition that they must have slipped their cables. Whether the two broadsides of the Nymphe did any damage to the enemy appears to be an open question; several shells were seen to explode on the decks of some of the ironclads, 'but,' as the writer of the letter himself says, 'Ms so easy to be deceived in things one most wishes for.' This much, however, he can assert as un deniable truth—that on the following day, after the French had received reinforcements, amongst the five vessels that , were seen cruising off the coast they missed one of the ironclads that had been there the day before, and formed part of the squadron on which the night attack had been made. Whether it had gone to some part to repair damages, or was sent away for any other . purpose, must be open to conjecture only. On the' following day they had all dis appeared, and found a mere quiet anchorage at RixhOft, where they could sleep without fear of interruption ; but they did hot remain there long, and the coast telegraph reported their departure the next day, steering apparently in the direction of the Island of Bornholm. MR, FRELINGHUYSEN. The American papers publish the following letter ad dressed by ex-Senator Frelinghuysen to President Grant, immediately after the official news of his nomina tion as Minister of the United States to the Court of St. James's : " Newark, N.J., July 27, 1870. " To His Excellency President Grant. " Permit me to express my appreciation of the distin guished honour done me in my appointment as Minister to England ; an honour the more valuable because origi nating with one whose confidence I so highly prize. I received the official notification of my appointment on Friday, the 22nd instant. Since then, and before, I have deeply and disinterestedly reflected on the question whether it was my duty to accept the office, and having come to the conclusion that it was not, I regret that the telegrams indicating the resolution to which I have come, sent, the one on the morning of Thursday, the 14th inst., just as soon as the rumours of my possible nomination took place in the press, and the other on the morning of the 15th, as soon as I heard of my nomination, did not reach their destination in time to lead to the selection of another than myself for the position. Although my mind was fixed on this subject when I telegraphed, yet the most grateful vote of the Senate on my confirmation, which I am aware was to a good degree the result of a natural kindly feeling toward a recent associate, and also an ex pression of views as to the national policy, has led me carefully to review the subject. In view of my domestic relations and duties, which, I was gratified to find, in a recent interview, you appreciated, my own distaste for diplomatic position, and my conviction that there are others better suited to the office, I am brought to my first conclusion, and shall forward my letter, declining the office, to the Secretary of Slate. While I regret that my efforts to avoid the association of my name with this office were not successful, you will please permit me again to express my high appreciation of the honour con ferred. I am, with much respect, your obedieni servant, " FRED'S T. FRELINGHUYSEN." The Newark Advertiser explains that Mr. Frelinghuysen never accepted the position or intimated that he would. His friends in the Senate requested him to remain silent to avoid confusion at the ch,se of the session of the Senate. NAPOLEON'S DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS. ENGLAND OFFERS A CHANCE OF ESCAPE. England has offered to the French Emperor a way of escape from the difficulties and dangers which threaten r his overthrow and expulsion, and the re-establishment of the republic in the further prosecution of this war. England's proposition is simply a treaty of peace. Napo leon intimates through Lord Lyons that he is ready to bury the hatchet, but King William replies to the special messenger of Queen Victoria that if France wants peace she must ask an armistice in the nsual way, or , leave the issue to the arbitrament of war. This reduces Napoleon, then, to the war of an armistice, and while by war his empire may be lost, through an armistice the em pire and his dynasty may yet be saved. It is probable, too, that with very little urging on the part of her Britan nic Majesty the Emperor will be persuaded even to an armistice. Why not ? Excepting a sus pension of hostilities, with a treaty of peace, what alternative of safety is offered to Napoleon ? With -the presence of the Prussian invading army in front of Paris "the republic" is threatened, and from present appearances this invading army will not be arrested till in front of the walls of Paris. Stout old King William, over the most formidable obstacles of the most difficult line of approach from her Eastern frontier, has passed into the heart of France. Through a network of fortified cities and towns, over mountain ranges and difficult rivers, fighting and routing at every step the flower of the French army, its best generals and its best soldiers, the massive columns of the German Confederation have maintained their resistless . advance towards the French capital. Compared with the natural. and artificial obstructions they have passed the obstacles which lie between them and Paris are comparatively insignificant. They have shewn that against an invading army, powerful enough to protect itself in the open field, front, flanks and rear, detached fortified towns and cities, mountain defiles and river crossings are no impediments ; that all such obstruc tions may be swallowed up in the general advance. It follows, then, that, having driven the French army from the strongest defensive lines which lie between the French Rhine border and Paris, there is nothing that can arrest the advancing German columns except a more stubborn and effective resistance in the open field than any resistance they have so far encountered. The invading army of the Germans is reported as exceeding in numbers half a million of men; that each of the power - - ful and expansive wings of the Crown Prince and Prince Frederick Charles numbers two hundred and fifty thousand men, and that the veteran Steinmetz, who appears to be a second edition of Blucher, holds in the centre a chosen body of nearly a hundred thousand men. Nor is this all ; for it further appears that a second German army, one hundred and fifty thousand strong, is following King Wil liam's to protect his rear and his communications, &c. This German campaign, therefore, in France dwarfs the most imposing campaigns of the First Napoleon ; for even the mighty army with which he marched into Russia, French and Germans, hardly numbered, all told, four hundred thousand men. In half a dozen or more of the recent battles, from Woerth to the line of the Moselle, it would appear from the reports received that the Prussian forces alone has exceeded in numbers the strength of all the three armies engaged in the battle of Water loo. The great mistake of Napoleon, then, it would appear, in entering upon this war was in his calculations concerning the Germ'an army he would have to meet in the field. He evidently supposed that a fighting French force of 250,000 men would be sufficient for all the requirements of a short triumphant campaign to Berlin ; and under this erroneous calculation he advanced to the Prussian frontier and *opened the ball in the little deceptive affair of Saarbruck. We say deceptive, for only a few days after it the re joicings of Paris were changed into a panic with the news of the defeat of MacMahon by the overwhelming forces of the enemy. By one-half Napoleon's estimates have fallen short of the actual German army to be overcome. Can he now repair this blunder ? Can he even repair his losses with his new levies of raw troops ? The odds are heavily against him. He can hardly recover his strength short of a retreat with his disabled army to Paris. In the stubbornness of despair the tide of battle may, perhaps, be turned, but this alter native involves all the hazards of a crushing defeat. The only perfectly safe alternative of Napoleon in the crisis, as it appears to us, is the armistice suggested by King William and a treaty of peace, This will give the Emperor the strong hand over Paris, through his still powerful and loyal army, and then, thrceirrh conference of the great Powers, which Prussia can hardly deny, looking to the general interests of peace. France, under the empire, may be regularly acknowledged by all the great Powers, and still be maintained intact. England, Russia, and Austria have only to unite in saying that there must be peace, and there will be peace ; for has not Prussia already amply vindicated her rights and the rights of the German Fatherland? and has not Napoleon had enough of war to satisfy him that " empire is peace ?" New York Lord Eliot, the eldest son of the Earl of St. Ger mans, who, the Times affirms is to be called to the Upper House in his father's barony, as Lord Eliot, of St. Ger mans, Cornwall, a title created in the year 1784, and ranking among the Barons next after Lord Rodney, and before Lord Berwick, was born in 1829, was formerly in the diplomatic service, and sat in the Liberal interest for Devontiort from 1866 to 1668. THE PRINCE CONSORT IfIEMORIAL A. EDINBURGH. (From the Scotsman.) The public will learn with satisfaction that this great ' monumental work, so far at least as the sculptor is con cerned, is now approaching completion. It can hardly be necessary to remind our readers that the design selected for the memorial was one of three submitted in public competition by Mr. John Steell, R.S.A. It consists of what may be generally described as a great pedestal, sup porting a colossal equestrian statue of the prince, and itself enriched with bas-reliefs and subsidiary groups of statuary. The structure, oblong in ground plan, is formed in three stages. The first of these, which Pr e " sents faces of plain masonry about four feet in height, has at each angle a square projection, designed_ to sup port a group of figures. Over this rises the second stage, which is to have its sides covered with quotations from Prince Albert's published speeches. The third stage, or pedestal proper, is richly moulded, and exhibits en each side a bas-relief in b ronze , ill us t ra ti ve o f the prince's tastes, or of leading events in his life. One represents the auspicious marriage by which his royal highness be came connected with the British Crown. In another he appears in the act of opening the International Exhibi tion of 1851. These will occupy the two sides of the ob long, while at the ends there will be respectively a re presentation of the prince in the act of distributing rewards of merit, and a subject chewing his royal highnes s in his domestic relations. Under the centre of each bas-relief a group of emblematic objects, sug gestive of the prince's honours and pursuits, will rest on the ledge formed by the projection of the second stage beyond the base of the third. The groups of statuary for which places are provided on the first stage are design ed to represent people of all classes in the act of approaching the prince with looks and gestures of reverence and affec tion. In accordance with Mr. Steell's expressed wish , the execution of the subsidiary groups was entrusted to other Edinburgh sculptors. That representing the aria" tocracy wasundertaken by Mr. Brodie. The figures stand - g ing for the army and navy were assigned to Mr. Clark Stanton. The late Mr. McCallum took the group repre sentinglabour ; but after accomplishing the greater part of his task, left it to be finished by Mr. Stevenson, who had also clotted to him the figures intended to denote science and literature. Of the four groups, only the one last men' tion now remains to be completed, and that, we believe, is nearly ready for casting. The other three stand coin plete in the bronze in Mr. Steell's foundry, where also may be seen the emblematic groups to be placed below the bas-reliefs. Of the bas-reliefs themselves, all designed W . Mr. Steell, three are finished, and lie in the sculptors studio. The fourth, representing the prince's domestic life, has been somewhat delayed by certain alterations of detail, but will go to the foundry at no distant date. - With regard to the equestrian status, which will of course form the leading feature of the monumen t, matters are so far advanced that, were the erection of the pedestal fairly commenced, Mr. Steell could easily finia l ' his work within the time required tl complete it. Mean while some delay has taken place in respect to the pedes tal, in consequence of the resolution adopted about a yea r ago to substitute Peterhead granite for freestone. Sin ce this decision was come to, Mr. McDonald, of the granite working firm of McDonald and Leslie, Aberdeen, has mani fested a great interest in the undertaking, and has been systematically setting aside the largest and finest blocks , so that the monument may shew the produce of the Peterhead quarries to the best advantage. It wil l, however, require nearly 12 months to execute the commission for granite-work, after the order shall have been given ; and, having this margin to come and go upon, Mr. Steell, with the hearty concurrence of the committee, is, if we may so say, linger ing fondly over his work, touching and retouching, with the determination on such an occasion to produce hi° very best. It will thus be seen that any delay this has taken place is not chargeable upon the sculptor and that the date at which the monument shall b e finished depends on the time when the pedestal can be definitively ordered. That, again, depends on the raising of the £l,OOO or so which is still wanting to make up the extra cost of red granite, the committee being' naturally averse to proceed until.they see themselves at. least in t ' fair way of realising the necessary funds. A FIRSE-GLASS MISSION GOING BEGGING The muddle which has been made over the recall O f Mr. Motley would be absurd if there were not 31e° something thoroughly deplorable about it, Mr. Motley can scarcely be fulfilling his duties at present with very cheerful mind. It is impossible to recall a man, he was recalled, without subjecting him to some degree of humiliation. The least that can be done afterward is t ° allow the person thus treated ta quit his post as soon 8 . 9 possible. At present, Mr. Motley occupies a most dis agreeable position. The Cabinet to which he is accredited knows that he has no longer the confidence of his own Government, and, consequently, it would be very flak ward to hold any serious c mmunication with him, 11° matter what crisis might arise—and we live in times whe n startling events may happen at any moment. Cora plications may occur which would render it extremely desirable that we should have at the Court of St' James a Minister in every way qualified to represent the views of the Government and i the people. Yet, at 5° critical a period, the Mission is practically vacant, and the President seems to be at a loss to know how to fill it oIN There is an originality, we will not say, eccentrici t i l about the way in which General Grant makes and revoke s appointments which it would sometimes puzzle all the wise heads in the nation to explain. Amid much that je unintelligible, the only certain thing is that when the, President has made up his mind there is no possibility e! changing it. Instances of this characteristic will at ono; occur to every reader, but we think that it will be admittl; that in regard to a post so important as the E n g lie Mission a little more care than usual should have heel) exercised in providing for the future. Bober: Kr" recalling Mr. Motley his successor should been found. The position was offered to DJ' Frelinghuysen, and everybody has been Nv° ll ; dering why he has been so many weeks hesitating wheth er he should accept it or not. The World takes him totasf d with some severity for his indecision. But it apPe e l from a letter written to the President, on the 27th July, by the gentleman himself, that he lost no time positively declining the post. When his nomination only a rumour—namely, on the 14th of July— he " I Frelinghuysen telegraphed word to the President that b could not go to England. He repeated that telegram Or c i the 15th. But the President had decided for him the nomination went to the Senate. Then Mr. Frail/3: huysen reconsidered the question, as it was very proPei,s he should do, and the result was that he adhered t"„ his original resolution to decline diplomatic hono ur ' —such as they are. Once more he made kn°W! his views to the President, and after all this 111 will perhaps strike him as rather hard that 16L should be ordered up for punishment by the Wori Well, then, what is to be done ? No doubt the PresidenD could easily pick out some one from among his f? ie who would not throw away this opportunity of gaioill 6 distinction. Perhaps it would be well to select a cerl; petent man for the post ; but we make that sugg estio with becoming deference. It is quite certain that thet Mission should not be left much longer in its p rese t. state. Mr. Motley must be anxious to be relieved fow a post which he has not filled to the President's satisK. tion. Mr. Moran is an experienced and safe man , but Po is not will take wellthis English Miss to leave everythi on ?ng to It is being hawked b at present in a manner which does not add much to 1110 dignity. We trust the President has some one in his al; an it would be well to take care that this " som e one io will be ready to turn himself into a diplomatist .if he asked. —New York Times. S [A DV ERTISEMENT.] - Holloway's Ointment, ra.- - , eS De Cures—Sores, wounds, and other diseases affecting t , skin, are amendable by this cooling and healing ung,l l q, ( , It has called forth the loudest praises from persons v.'', had suffered for years from bad legs, abscesses, sores wounds, and chronic ulcers, after every hope had 1°1 1 ,`; passed away. None but those who have experienced tr; soothing effect of this Ointment can form an idea of t', l , comfort it bestows by restraining inflammation and allay ing pain. In neuralgia, rheumatism, and gout the sa.,T o i application properly used gives wonderful relief. In nursery it displays its curative powers over the ills 0 '; t ; fancy, with even greater prominence and happier eff ect than over the chrouic complaints of maturity. BIRTHS. On the 29th ult., at Culdees Castle , Perthshire , the 14°T1. Mrs. S peir, of a daughter. On the 31st ult. at Bayswater , the wife of H. W ile Clarke, Esq„ a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the 26th ult., at Inverary Castle, the Right lion. 6 ,., 51. John . McNeill, G.C.8., to Lady Emma Augusta 03111,5- bell, daughter of the late and sister to the pos - Dulie of Argyll. es On the 30th ult., at St. Luke's, Kentish Town, t o Gibson, eldest son of Mark Hornsey Deed, E 5C1. 4 .) : 0- Anne, daughter of Richard Green, Esq., of Bar" lomew Road, Kentish Town. DEATHS, On the 30th ult., at Lewisham, Mr. John A. Corti °°' aged 46. On the 30th ult. at St. Helier's, Jersey, Major Jo hn 14. Gosset, late Rifle Brigade, aged 77. On the 30th ult., at Sidmouth Villa, Lower W. H. Webb, Esq., in his 45th year. H o f London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYC:-/ a t No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by hint he THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of Savoy, in the County of Middlesex. Saturday, September 3, 1870.