The Sun. — London, England, 1870-10-07 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE. t DESPERATE ATTEMPTS AT SUICIDE.—Henry Highfield, a labourer, was charged on remand,- at the Westminster Police-court, with attempting to commit suicide by taking laudanum at York-street, Westminster, and again by cutting his throat at Westminster Hospital. Mr. May, the house physician, proved that the prisoner was brought to the hospital suffering from the effects of some narcotic which by the odour turned out to be laudanum; it had become thoroughly absorbed in the system, and there was a tendency to sleep ; by exercises galvanism, and other restoratives the effects were entirely worked off, and then the prisoner lapsed into a state of temporary insanity of a violent kind, declared he was the Saviour, and was in communication with the angels ; this again passed off, and he then attempted to cut his throat, severing the tissues, but not inflicting any serious injury. Prisoner expressed his deep regret, and the chaplain at the gaol gave him a (rood character, and thought he would repent of the rash act. His son, who, was a teetotaller, offered to take him home and let him ` share the savings of his sobriety. Mr. Woolrych dis charged him with a suitable admonition. DRUNKENNESS ON RAILWAYS.—Henry Lichfield, aged 46 years, of No. 3, Spencer-street, St, George-in-the- East, was charged before Mr. Paget, at the Thames Police-court, with being drunk and disorderly and tearing the uniform coat of a ticket collector named Wainwright, at the Limehouse Station of the Great Eastern Railway Company on their Blackwall line. The case was fully made out. Mr. Paget said this was a very P' proper proceeding on the part of the Great Eastern Railway Company. Every one must have observed in travelling on all railways in the kingdom, and particularly those in and near London, the great proportion of drunkenness in rail way carriages, and the annoyance and trouble they gave sober ancryespectable people. No drunken man or woman should he allowed to enter a railway carriage on any pre tence whatever. The prisoner was very properly pre vented travelling on the line and removed, and for the assault on the officer in the proper execution of his duty he fined him 10s. The penalty was paid. ENGLISH NEUTRALITY.—A SERIOUS CHARGE.- -Mr. Francis Davis, manager to Messrs. Edward Reilly and Co., gunmakers, of 502, New Oxford-street, appeared at Bow-street to answer five summonses which charged the firm with having unlawfully sent 2,000 gunpowder cart ridges by the London and South-Western Railway Company to Paris, by way of Southampton and Havre, without distinctly mentioning their nature on the outside of the five packages containing them or giving a written notice to that effect to the servants of the company. The packages contained potatoes, and the cartridges were concealed under the vegetables. The discovery of the real nature of thepackages was made at Southampton, and the company informed Mr. Reilly that the cases would not be forwarded for Havre, and that proceedings would be taken against him for the deception. Mr. Davis then called at the company's office, and said that the goods were sent as provisions simply because they would not pass the Customs it declared. The. French Government, he said, had taken all the guns from Mr. Reilly's Paris depot and required the cartridges, which request he dare not refuse. He further said if it was a matter of a fine only he would willingly pay it, and also subscribe to the Company's Widows and Orphan Fund, but there must be no exposure. On behalf of the defendant, it was asserted that he never intended to defraud the company in any way. In summing up, Mr. Vaughan said the railway com pany would greatly have neglected their duty if they had not instituted the present proceedings. It was impossible not to see that the result of sending cartridges without a declaration as to their nature might have been productive of the most fearful consequences to the lives of persons travelling by that train, as well as to the company's pro perty. The defendant had not only practised a fraud on the company for the purpose of enabling him to get muni tions of war conveyed to France, but he had acted in direct contravention of the Queen's Proclamation of Neutrality. The defendant's conduct was greatly to be condemned.; therefore, he (Mr. Vaughan) would impose the full penalty of £2O in each of the five summonses. The company's solicitor said they were not desirous of pressing the charge to the utmost, but wished to set an example, and he should not therefore ask for penalties on more than one summons. Mr. Vaughan said if that were so he would fine the defen dant £2O on one summons alone. SERIOUS CHARGE OF FRAUD.—Thomas Woolf, a rag merchant, was brought up at the Mansion House, charged with being concerned with a young m an name d Jeavons, in committing a fraud to the extent of £930, under the following extraordinary circumstances. The prisoner had, it was alleged, inveigled Jeavons, who was a clerk in the employ of Mr. Bacon, general merchant, of Blackfriars, Into certain monetary transactions, the precise nature of which was not stated. Having done this it was alleged that he incited the prisoner to rob his master. It was now shewn in evidence that the process of robbery was as follows :—A delivery note was made out by Jeavons on Mr. Bacon's contractors, Messrs. Hyman, for a large quantity of rags which the prisoner, it was stated, received and conveyed to his own stores. These goods were not entered by Jeavons as they should have been, in Mr. Bacon's books, so that the robbery was carried on for a considerable time without his knowledge. The demands of Woolf at length became so pressing that Jeavons became frightened, and having communi cated the circumstances, got away, and had not since been heard of. Letters were produced in which the prisoner had promised small sums, and urged Jeavons to do various acts which it was alleged were the offences in question, goods in some instances having been obtained above £lOO. Prisoner was remanded without bail. LIVERPOOL FAILURES.-At the County Court, Liver pool, a meeting of creditors under the failure of Mr. Patrick Hunter Dixon, who carried on business in Liver pool as a broker, with a partner, under the firm of Browne, Hunter, and Co., was held before Mr. Registrar Rime. Debts amounting to £8,495 were proved, and Mr. Harmood W. Banner chosen trustee, without a committee of inspection, at a remuneration of 5 per cent. on the gross proceeds of the estate. The bankrupt did not appear. The public examination was fixed for October 31. A meeting of the creditors of Joseph Edwards, who carried on business in Preeson's-row as a ship-broker under the firm of Owens, Edwards and Co., was also held before Mr. Registrar Hine, but there not being a quorum of creditors present, an adjournment was taken to the 11th instant. Previously to the close of the meeting Mr. Morris , applied that the proceedings under th e petition against Robert Owen and the present bankrupt be amalgamated, and that Mr. Rolland, the trustee under the petition against Owen, be the trustee of the property of both the bankrupts. The learned Registrar declined to order them to be amalgamated, leaving the parties on the appointment of a trustee under the second petition to apply to the court, under the inherent powers it possessed in the interest of the creditors, to make the order for amalgama tion if it thought fit. ALLEGED HOMICIDE.—Messrs. David Law, junior and senior, proprietors of the building at Hillhead, Glasgew, at which an accident recently happened, have been appre hended on a charge of culpable homicide. At the close of a preliminary examination they were admitted to bai in sums of £2OO each. SIR MINTO W. T. FARQUHAR'S BANKRUPTCY.—The hearing of petitions, in re Sir Minto Walter Townsend Farquhar, Bart., which had been adjourned for the pur pose of adjudication, came on again for hearing. Appli cation was now made for a further adjournment, on the ground that there was every chance of the bankrupt's affairs being settled out of Court. It w as s t a t e d th a t there would. be a meeting of creditors shortly, and the application was granted for a hearing after that time. The Lord Lieutenant and the Countess Spencer have arrived at the Viceregal Lodge, Dublin. A con siderable number of ladies and gentlemen met their Excellencies on their arrival, and they were heartily cheered. Another extension of the Street Tramway system in London was brought into operation on Wednesday, the line from Brixton-rise to the Hercules Tavern in the Westminster-bridge-road having been opened for traffic. A further portion of the route will be completed by next week. THE LIVERPOOL MUNICIPAL PALACE.—It tran spired at the meeting of the Liverpool Town Council on Wednesday, that the cost of the new municipal offices, recently completed, including fittings and £33,000 for the land, amounted to £162,637, and that the annual expendi ture upon the establishment, including repairs, might be estimated at £3,000. BEYOND THE LnuT.—ln the Manchester Times the following advertisement has appeared :—" A young widow who, to escape from the persecutions of the Con tagious Diseases Act police, has been obliged to leave her former employers, is now doing well in a situation, but is unable to earn enough for the support of her three children, aged two, five, and nine years. Contributions on behalf of these children will be thankfully received," &c. One of the references named is Mrs. Butler, of Liver pool A private letter from Paris, dated the 28th ult., gives a very favourable account of the state of the city. The writer (a Frenchman) says that the health of the Parisians is good, both morally and physically. Not the slightest fear is entertained of provisions running short. Nothing is wanted but milk and butter. The former is kept for the babies and the sick ; the latter is seven francs per pound, and will soon be unattainable at any price. The weather was splendid. The Lord Primate of all Ireland delivered his an nual charge to the clergy of the diocese of Armagh in the Armagh Cathedral on Wednesd a y. H e counselled them as to the new marriage laws, condemned any hasty interference with the Prayer Book, and said the principal work before them was to attend to the future support of the ministry. He stated his belief that it would be a delusion to expect any great advantage to the Sustenta tion Fund from commutation or composition, and declared that they need have no fear of ritualism in the Irish Church. The attendance of clergy was large. A SHOWER OF SAND AND SHELLS IN TH E ATLANTIC.--The ship Universe, Captain Jones, which arrived at Savannah on the 16th of September from Liverpool, encountered a most extraordinary phenomenon on the 4th ult., in the Atlantic. On that day the ship experienced a terrific squall from the MN.E., which blew for a time so furiously that no canvass could stand against it. During the hurricane a heavy shower of rain fell for about half an hour accom panied by quantities of sand and shells. After the storm had abated a quantity of the sand and shells were gathered from the deck.. Some of th e s h e ll s were broken into small fragments, whilst others remained whol e . C a pt a i n J ones, whilst at a loss to explain the real cause of this extra ordinary phenomenon, is of opinion that an enormous waterspout must have burst, during the prevalence of the storm, in the neighbourhood of the vessel, an d t h at during ' its formationi it had sucked up the sand and shells from ' the bed of the ocean. THE WAR. THE SIEGE OF PARIS. - A COOL RECEPTION AT VERSAILLES. There can be no ambiguity about the feelings with which the inhabitants round Paris regard the invaders. The Germans themselves bear testimony to the hatred with which they are confronted on all sides. Herr Wacl-enhusen, one of the correspondents of the Cologne Gazette, states that nearly all the women in Versailles wear mourning, in token of their patriotic feeling, and do not favour a Prussian even with a look. The old women go about the whole day in tears. In the hotel where he is staying the three women of , the house sit behind the buffet and weep. If asked a question in the street, they hardly deign an answer. Even the children are taught to fly from all contact with a Prussian. The inhabitants of Versailles admit that the army will enter Paris, but they predict that then the struggle will but begin, and that even if the men are all killed the women will resort to sword, 'poison, and treachery, in order to rescue the capital. The King has remitted the sentence of death passed on several peasants and artisans who fired on the troops. At Meudon a soldier of the 47th Regiment was found a few days ago, whom the peasants had tied to a tree, in order then to cleave his skull with a hatchet. The guilty parties are not discoverable. The order which a General has given to his men is, therefore, quite justi fiable ;—" If you catch a franc-tireur, shoot him on the spot, for they are the fellows who lie in ambush for our people wherever they find them singly, therefore, no mercy for them." They promised to act accordingly, but Herr Wachenhusen is sure they will, nevertheless, have mercy on the armed French rabble. This writer explains the present inaction of the Germans by the theory that they are waiting for siege guns. A fortnight may elapse before they arrive. He fears the troops must make up their minds to a long siege ; but the railway round Metz being com pleted, the communication with Germany is materially. facilitated. While the Parisians carry on aerial inter course with the provinces, that by water is beginning to be cut off by the German pioneers. At Borugival they fished up, to their great delight, the cable in the Seine, cut it, and thus prevented any further despatches by the Government to Rouen. There was great surprise in Paris at no answer being received. "We require an answer," was repeatedly telegraphed ; " your batteries are too weak, strengthen them." Unluckily, it was not possible to fetch a telegraph operator, so as to deceive the Paris Government and entice them into farther messages, which would no doubt prove interesting. LETTER FROM AN ENGINEER, By a private letter from Paris we learn that the staff of the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers is employed on the manufacture of small-arms ammunition. A scientific commission has been appointed, consisting of the following engineers : President, M. Tresca, of the Arts et Mdtiers; Members MM. Martelet, Puillemin, Martin, Saurens, and Paul Lecceun-e. It has the following duties : "1. To organise the civil engineer volunteers. 2. To form engineer corps for special services during the siege. 3. To super intend the (private) manufacture of mitrailleuses, and of shells for heavy guns." The letter states that the public is becoming calm and determined ; and its writer, an engineer of European fame, says that he could never have believed that Paris would have shewn in so admirable a light under such circumstances.—Daily News. THE FOOD QUESTION. Do the Prussians really mean to starve us out ? The Government gave out a fortnight ago that there was food then within the city for two months' consumption for a population of two . millions. It is calculated that, includ ing the Mobile, there are not above 1,500,000 mouths at present to feed, so that with proper care the supplies may be made to last. for three months. Prices are, however, already rising. We have it bread and a meat maximum, but to force a butcher to sell you a cutlet at the tariff price, one has to go with a corporal's guard, which cannot always be procured. The Gazette (Middle contains a decree regulating the sale of horseflesh. I presume if the siege lasts long enough, dogs, rats, and cats will be tariffed. I have got I,ooof. with me. It is impossible to draw upon England, consequently I see a moment coming when, un less rats are reasonable, I shall not be able to afford myself the luxury of one oftener than once a week. When I am at the end of my I,ooof. I shall become an advocate for Ftlix Pyat's public tables, at which, as far as I under stand his plan, those who have money pay, and those who have not eat.—Daily News Correspondent. STRASBURG AFTER THE SURRENDER. The officers of the Strasburg garrison who were set at liberty on parole returned to France through Switzerland and passed by Lyons. General Bavral, who contrived to make an entrance into the besieged town after its invest ment by the enemy, and contributed greatly to the defence by his skilful management and active directions, stayed some time at the railway station en route from Geneva to Grenoble. He was sad, gloomy, and dispirited, and scarcely uttered a word. His chief remark was a reproach to France : that, if Strasburg had only received timely succour, it would have been saved. Had 20,000 men been provided in time all would have been well, but further on it was impossible. During the close of the siege an army of 65,000 Prussians were collected in entrenched and fortified positions. A lieutenant of a line regiment, who was about to rejoin his family in Brittany, said that from the sixteenth of August, the day when the bombardmen commenced, until the evening of the fatal day of the 28th ro of September, the officers of the rampart had not a people, _ moment's respite. They slept for a few minutes, seated under arms. or standing. If they laid down, they ran the risk of the at her disposal ; bomb shells and the obuses. The fortifications of Stras- flood of the enemy, and 6_ burg had no casemates, and the defence service was corn- tary forces of the country. a.- pletely exposed. DUring the last fortnight they ate mense, and lam convinced that s horses. All the ,horses of a squadron of artillery were shall conquer the enemy and drive hn sacrificed. During the forty-three days which the tory." bombardment lasted more than 400,000 explosive pro jectiles were thrown into the unfortunate town. THE GERMAN AND THE FRENCH Fuses were thrown on masses of houses, and when once ARMIES. they took fire the batteries poured a deluge of projectiles An interesting letter, from an American gentleman a on them, to prevent any help from being given. One the head-quarters of one of the Prussian advanced guards quarter of the city after another was destroyed by this has been forwarded to the Times. The writer had frequeni means in the most methodical manner. The buildings opportunities of communicating with the German officers, which belonged to the Germans were spared in the midst and he relates the result of his conversation with them. of places that were completely ravaged. The young The men have a self-respectful bearing, and I have officer saw the white flag waving over the powder-mag- never witnessed :any roughness or overbearingness on azine. He had been made lieutenant the previous evening the part of officers towards them. The Prus by the death of a comrade, and he believed they were to sian military system carries everybody, without continue the defence a l'outrance. He received a letter distinction of wealth or social position, through the ranks from his colonel which said that their comrade who had for three years. There are thus counts, barons, professors, just died, was to be envied, for he had escaped disgrace. members of the learned professions, and sons of wealthy The colonel desired that the eagle of the regiment might be families in the ranks as common soldiers. This, coupled with placed in the grave of their friend, and the flag torn up the fact that all (all except a few still from Schleswig and divided among the soldiers. So soon as the Germans and from Posen) can read and write, and are, therefore, took possession they commenced the work of restoring the more or less intelligent and thoughtful, ought naturally to place to a position of defence, and in a short time it is ex- produce the result thus claimed. At the same time the petted that Strasburg will be a formidable entrenched presence of such a sprinkling of persons of superior culture Prussian camp. They are not likely to forget the case- and manners must produce the effect of elevating and mates. moralizing the whole body. Their minister tells me they The correspondent of the Daily News, in a letter dated are generally religious. Under the French conscription the 2nd instant, remarks :—" I have not yet said any- the upper classes, for the most part, keep out of the ser thing about the condition of the Citadel of Strasburg vice. About £lOO buys a substitute: The ranks after the bombardment. The place is a mass of rub- are necessarily filled from the poorer and in France bish. I had supposed that bastion No. 11 had suffered totally uneducated classes. They are brave, reckless, the most, seeing that a breech was made there, and and impetuous enough, of course, being Frenchmen. that the interior had been rendered entirely untenable._ As uncultured Frenchmen, too, they are necessarily Yet the Citadel was even in a worse state than irreligious, loud-talking, self-asserthig, and vain, this bastion. Where a gate stood on the side facing Kehl, and prone to violence tending towards brutality, not so was now a rude pile of stones, the materials composing the much in manners as in morals. With such a soldiery gate and the adjoining wall having fallen forward, and cultivated officers cannot be on very friendly terms nor in formed an artificial pathway over the moat. With the close rapport. And this is one of the most important exception of some minor gateways no place was habitable elements of military efficiency. They consider the within the vast area covered by the citadel. The French much less steady in the field than their own supposition was, that after the city was occupied troops. A French battalion once repulsed is rarely the Citadel might be held. The truth is that the brought up to the attack a second time ; the former proved the stronger, and the latter much Germans easily again and again. I mentioned more easily destroyed than had been anticipated. having heard from our famous General Scott This is partly due to the accuracy and severity of that nothing was more rare in war than the the double fire to which the Citadel was subjected. While crossing of two bayonets ; that moral force carried the batteries at Kehl kept up an incessant fire on the one the day; and that by the time the distance was side, those near Schiltigheim threw bombs into it on the narrowed to a few paces, if the attacking column had not other. Many shells were thrown into it from the giant been beaten back by the fire, but kept up the charge with mortars. That the fire from the Citadel should latterly the moral fire on their countenances, the recipient body, have been very weak seems perfectly natural to those who whose front rank was of the -same number of men, gener have beheld its present condition. That it held out so ally gave way, carrying with them as they broke those long is more surprising than that it surrendered who were behind them. These gentlemen said that the when it did. Perhaps it may interest some per- Prussians received as well as delivered the bayonet charge sons to learn that in General Werder's opinion very firmly ; that the Austrians did the same, and that the siege works constructed by the Wurtembergers bayonet crossing was frequent at Sadowa. In point of this , were patterns of military engineering. A foreign steadiness, they considered the Austrians and also the Danes officer of engineers with whom I walked over the works superior to the French. They recognized the impetuous elan said that he had never seen trenches or parallels more of which the French speakso much, but they considered the skilfully planned, or more efficiently finished. If our fame of the furia francese very much exaggerated by the Government thought that English military engineers had phrase itself. They regard France as having now no army anything to learn, they would doubtless have sent one to (that of Bazaine at Metz being as good as in watch the siege, and to report as to the works. It is their hands) and scarcely any efficient war possible that such an officer was present. If so, his material left, The National Guards, both Mobile presence was kept a secret. An English officer of and S4dentaire, they regard as rubbish, in a marginsie was the said to d have been there during th e l a t er m ili tary po i nt of v i ew. T hey relate how, at a villaag-e f bombarment. Neither professional men named Citry (I believe), a squadron of their cavalry, with nor sightseers will long have an opportunity of a battery, came into contact with two battalions of inspecting these works, for they are being swept away Mobiles ; that two shots, at about a kilometre of distance with great speed. It -is possible that General Werder dispersed one of the battalions, thoirgh, owing to "Imperial Headquarters, . . . ~ 1870. " Soldiers,—The Emperor has confided to me the com mand of all the forces which, with the army at Chs ions, are about to assemble round the capital. My most ardent desire would have been to go to the help of Marshal Bazaine, but after close examination I am convinced this enterprise is impossible under present circumstances. We could not reach Metz for several days, and before that time Marshal Bazaine will have broken through the obstacles which detain him. Our direct march upon Metz would only During our march towards the east Paris would be uncovered, and a large Prussian army might arrive under the walls. After the reverses which Prussia suffered under the first empire she has formed a military organisation enabling her to rapidly arm her people, and within a few days place her entire population under arms. Prussia has, therefore, a considerable force at her disposal ; the fortifications of Paris will stop the flood of the enemy, and give us time to organize the mili tary forces of the country. The national ardour is im mense, and I am convinced that with perseverance we shall conquer the enemy and drive him from our tern tory." THE SUS, LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1870. will be blamed for the way in which he conducted the siege, and may even be severely censored, not only.fer making a large portion of Strasburg an unsightly-06*d' ruins, but alsO for inflicting much suffering upon defenceless inhabitants. In anticipation of these charges, I may state what ' I know from di rect personal knowledge to be the view held by the general himself. His own desire was to do nothing that would protract or embitter the war. He was anxious to act in the way most conduciv to the re-establishment of 'peace. The bombed. Julep t which Strasburg underwent in the first inFtanee was simply designed with a view to demonstrate to the citizens that the risk of refusing to capitulate at once was alike serious 'and palpable. Nor was the damage done by this bombardment so great as has been alleged. It fell upon the public authorities far more heavily than upon the inhabitants. Private , houses suffered but trifling injuries. Unfortunately one of the first buildings to be struck and set on fire by a shell was the new Protestant Church. The building forming a part o this church was that in which 'the famous library was contained. Again, it must be noted that the blame for this piece of vandalism rests upon Governor Uhrich rather than upon General Werder. As I have mentioned in previous letters, the latter gaire twenty-four hours i notice of his intention to bombard the city ; but the former omitted to communicate the intelligence to the inhabitants. Nor was the bombardment protracted. No sooner was it perceived that the garrison had determined to hold out than the siege was conducted with direct reference to the destruction of the fortifications. But these have been so constructed as to render it impossible to direct a fire against them, which would not at the same time destroy the dwellings immediately behind them. Indeed, the con clusion to be drrwn from the fate of Strasburg is, that a large city should never be fortified. Thb inhabitants of Strasburg say that if the Germans would raze the fortifi cations, and make their city an open one, they would hail, annexation to Germany with enthusiasm, and would never regret their severance from France. DaT,ll herseif." Queror EXTENSIVE PURCHASES OF ARMS FOR FRANCE. A correspondent writes :—" During the past few days most extensive negotiations have been proceeding for the purchase of arms, ammunition, clothing, and provisions for transmission to France. At one of the principal exchanges in the City the commission agents who gene rally undertake such business have found it impos siMe to execute the orders offered to them. In the largest transactions, which were of a gigantic cha racter, a deposit was demanded, according to the usual rule, but it was at once intimated that the solicitors acting for the French purchasers were prepared to pay all amounts in full at the time the contracts were signed. These terms have naturally given an immense stimulus to the operations of the contractors, who have sent repre sentatives to the manufacturing centres to ferret out such surplus stores of arms as may remain, and to effect purchases in a wholesale manner. Arms now regarded as almost obsolete have been readily treated for at prices far beyond former averages, so that manufacturers have abundant opportunities of reaping a rich harvest. Cartridges cannot be obtained in sufficient quantities. The variety of bores which necessarily pre vail in the miscellaneeus weapons which have of neces sity been accepted, present an almost insurmountable dif_ culty, and there is reason to believe that, according to present arrangements, loose ammunition will be served out to the soldiers for whom it is intended, and that they will make it up into cartridges for themselves. As an illustration of some of the orders which have been given, it may be mentioned that on Saturday last one agent alone received an order for 50,000 Chassepots, but not being in a position to meet such a demand at so short a notice, an offer was made, which it is fully understood has been accepted, for the supply of 5,400 Tower cap guns, at 30s. each ; 18,000 Sniders, at 455. each; and 9,000 of the new Russian guns, at 90s. each. All these arms are, ac cording to the contract, to be fitted with bayonets com plete; and the order also comprised 17,000 Colt's six-chamber revolvers, at 50s. each. In addition to the above orders there has been received a requisition for five millions of pounds of gunpowder, and the contract has been completed, as far as can be ascer tained in a matter where all parties are desirous to preserve secrecy, at the great price for this quantity of about 3s. per lb. The public will not be surprised to learn that the orders for percussion caps have been proportionately large. With respect to stores, equally extensive requirements are in the markets for boots and other kinds of clothing; while for dry provisions oatmeal, flour, and the like—there has been similar de mand. A further noticeable feature in the different con tracts is a stipulation that the place for debarkation for the materiel shall be a certain neutral port in the Mediter ranean."—Daily News. THE FRENCH PRESS ON THE SITUATION. The Parisian press, though scattered through the pro vinces, is not silenced, and the whole of the French journals, in fact, now discuss political news more freely than they could under the Imperial regime. They are for the most part very resolute in their tone, though they do not attempt to deny the gravity of the situation, and openly admit that peace would be advantageous to France. The Journal de Fecamp, a provincial journal, speaks very strongly on this head. " Peace," it says, "is the desire of France. France, conquered and humbled, desires it. All resistance is henceforth powerless. It will only add a new hecatomb of a million corpses to the million of corpses which rot unburied at Weissem burg, Reichsoffen, Jaumont, and Sedan. We are con quered, crushed, as never was nation at any period. Let us cease to blind ourselves by new illusions, and to place too much hope in an impossible defence. We have been honourably conquered. Our army, which exists no longer, has made heroic efforts. It has commanded the respect even of its conquerors. Honour is intact. We are conquered. Let us humble ourselves. Let us have the dignity of misfortune. Let us submit silently and modestly. ' Peace, peace, univer sally called for by all Frenchmen, can alone save the future of France by husbanding her resources and men at the present hour, in the face of the misfortunes of the country we must have the courage to bow the head and demand peace." The Courier du Havre says that the Revolution needed by France consists of Peace, Liberty, and Morality. " Peace This is the cry which rises at this s moment from millions of hearts in the five quarters of the world, as well in France, oppressed and fallen, as in Germany, intoxicated with her unexpected triumphs ; wise Eng land, and in practical America; in provident Russia, as in loyal Spain, and in Italy, which ought to think of The Siecle, which is located at Poitiers, says that if M. Favre's interview with Bismarck was practically useless, it was indispensable on some grounds. It was necessary to force Prussia to break silence, and to exhibit all her pretensions in the face of Europe, to disclose the hypo crisy of the professions of King William and Bismarck, to prove to France that it was against her, and not against her ex-Emperor, that Germany, hurried on by its veterans, was making war to the knife. The visit paid to the rulers by the representative of France and of the Republic has attained this end. Meanwhile, the situation is clear and well defined. Europe knows on which side lie justice and right; it is for her to take speedy measures, for the consequences of the fresh struggle which is about to begin are incalculable. For us, I our duty is marked out. To put the Prussians to flight, that is our business, and our business alone. We shall at once free France and Germany, both equally oppressed, and the Republican flag will float over all the dun geons of the despots." The Siecle, however, strongly opposes the immediate election of the Constitnent As sembly. There should be no elections before the close of the v. ar. Good citizens have but one thought, war l'outrance• To expel the Prussians from the soil of France is one of the first considerations. It is not the time for deliberation, but for battle. The Siècle quotes with approval the address which M. Keller, formerly deputy of the Haut - Rhin, has issued to his electors. M. Keller rejoices in the delay of the elections, and says that had they offered him their suffrages he should have replied ' the best votes will be given by your guns.' The Siecle concludes by declaring the election of the IGth to be both impolitic and dangerous, impolitic with regard to the Republic, not yet firmly founded, and dangerous with regard to the foreigner who remains to be expelled. The Liberte is even more indignant. In an article headed " -Impasse," (an inextricable difficulty,) it attacks the Government in no measured terms, and ad vises them to study the fables of La Fontaine, and learn from them the superlative value of common sense. The Patrie prefers to credit the statement of M. Favre rather than that of Count Bismarck. It does not expect the rest of Europe to take up arms against Prussia, but whle the armies of the Confederation aro exhausting them sclve:l before Paris, the general ill will of Europe may make itself felt in many ways even by the con- The Liberals of Germany, like Jacoby-and Vagt, apposed to the continuance of the war. Let the —.- French lie firm, be patient, and above all united, and they may see the disunion which the Prussians expected to find in their ranks in those of the enemy. The Constitutionnel does not think a general levde en 9nEse would be desirable. It fears the disorder irre parable, from large masses which the authorities have neither time to regulate nor to --- arm. Thcic is an absolute dearth of military experience —a sort of mania to repeat the events of 1792, and a fascination in historical traditions which encourages illu sions and calls forth schemes more grandiloquent than efficacious. They talk of the country people rising lik usually bad aiming, nobody was hit ; that the other battalion stood, but . at once t 9n the squadron .labout 100- men) - - putting itself into mo tion for a . • charge, broke also without firing a shot. though armed with the fusils a tabatihre, which fire quite as fast as the chassepot, and took refuge in the houses and cellars of the village, out of which they were in ly cases drawn by the legs, and that with numbers revo:se'l—that is to say, 100 infantry of good troops, E 0 ' ought to have repulsed the charge of 500 cavalry. Th._y do not think Macifahon is a good man to command an army, though a good and brave officer at the head of a corps in line. Bazaine they. regard as a better com mander. The Emperor Napoleon 111., no soldier at all, in regard to whom it was absurd for him to undertake strategetical command. - Trochu has yet 'to prove himself, being hitherto known only as a subordinate, and as a good writer and a military critic. Changarnier, besides being inextricably shut up in Metz, they regard as too old for much use. They said their royal princes were all excel lent soldiers and commanders, the Crown Prince, Frede rick William, the Prince Frederick Charles, and the Prince Royal of Saxony, each at the head of a separate army, and all under the supreme direction of their King, also a complete soldier, with his staff of masterly strate gists, of whom the silent Moltke is the chief. I asked whether they regarded the surrender at Sedan of so large an army a justifiable military fact, and whether, in the circumstances of the country and the capital, it ought not rather to have cut its way out at the expense of half its numbers. It had struck me as rather an inglorious act. They answered that it was not so. There was no other resource left. one man, of the people arming themselves with scythes and reaping hooks. Victor Hugo is a master of this kind of talk. The Constitutionnel believes it would be wiser to arm first the men who are aiready at the diposal of the autho rities, to supply them with munitions, and to form a good artillery. The correspondent of the Nord says :—" It is necessary tobe able to choose between partial enfejblemont and total ruin. To be conquered is not necessarily to be dishonoured, and a nation cannot wish to commit suicide in consequence of a defeat. Honour being intact— and the enemy himself renders homage to the energy of the defence and the heroism of our soldiers—national interests must form the principal element of consideration in determining the course of action. Is it the interest of France to submit to the fortune of war, reserving, in view of eventualities more or less distant, the possibility of repairing her losses and rising again ; or ought she by pursuing a struggle a l'outrance, to condemn herself to an absolute destruction of all her resources—to annihila tion without a furure ? It is evident that this latter course would be preferable to a shameful peace. Rather death than dishonour is the feeling of nations as well as of individuals. But if an honourable peace can be obtained, it is none the less clear that it ought to be the object of all efforts." A ZOUAVE'S LUTER. A Havre paper publishes a letter which a Zouave, who, was with the army at Sedan, has written to his father. He writes from Lille, which he had succeeded in reaching after most perilous adventures, having escaped from the Prussians after the capitulation. He speaks of General ly as a traitor, and says that his own company did not take part in the engagement of the 30th, having only arrived at five in the afternoon. in the evening Marshal MacMahon came up to their encampment, and said to a group of Zcuaves who stood by, " This is unfortunate, is it not?" " Yes, somewhat," replied one of them. "We shall take our revenge," said the Marshal, alluding, the writer believes, to the treason of de Faiuly. The Zouave's company took a prominent part in the great fight on the Ist, and were decimated. When the flag of truce was hoisted by Napoleon's orders, part of aregiment stationed near the gate fired on the officer who waved it, and cut their way through the enemy. When the men learned they were all prisoners, their rage and grief were indescribable. They wept, they broke their guns, they were furious. imprisoned in the Maud which is formed by the Meuse, they remained seven days with only a few biscuits and some horseflesh without salt. On the 10th they started for Prussia, but the Zouave and two comrades escaped. Hiding in a church, they obtained food from the peasantry. His clothes were in rags, his shoes had to be tied round with string, but at last he reached Belgium. He consoles his parents by the remark that if bullets were to kill him he would have died at Sedan, where only 150 men were left out of his regi ment of 1,200. He has learned since his arrival at Lille that the 300 men who dashed through the enemy's troops at Sedan reached Paris in safety, bearing the Lieutenant- Colonel's flag. REVELATIONS RESPECTING MACINIAIION'S MARCH. In the Emperor's correspondence seized at Dieppe are documents which shew that Napoleon had made arrange ments for the Empress or Prince Napoleon to be Regent if the Prince Imperial came to the throne before attaining his majority. They also show that up to the 21st of August it was intended that MacMahon should retire to Paris instead of attempting to relieve Metz. The follow ing outline of a letter from the Emperor to Marshal Mac- Mahon is in the handwriting of M. Rouher : " Marshal,—Our communications with Marshal Bazaine are interrupted. The situation is becoming difficult and serious. I call upon your patriotism and devotion, and confer upon you the command of the army of Chalons and of the troops which will assemble around the capital and in Paris. You will have the great glory of combating and repulsing foreign invasion. As to myself, no political consideration will be placed above the safety of the country. I will be your first soldier, conquer or die at your si& in the midst of my soldiery." The following is the draught of a proclamation to be issued by Marshal Mahon : A FIGHT NEAR LUNEVILLE. It is not often that we hear anything of Luneville now, though the place was familiar enough in the days of Woerth ; but it appears that a skirmish took place there a few days ago. According to the German accounts it ended very favourably for them. A French force of Freeshooters and Gardes Mobiles had come up and established itself in the wood at Baccarat, where, in a strongly entrenched position, it caused great annoyance to "the enemy." A very motley force it was— composed not only of Mobiles and Freeshooters, who, whatever their merits, are not very " regular" in their appearance and accoutrements, but likewise of various Zouaves and Turcos who had run away after Woerth and Weisseuburg. There were also a couple of Line officers who rendered very good service by getting three cannon nicely into position. These guns, with the entrenchments, which were very regularly made, rendered the wood very difficult to ap proach. The French force altogether numbered from 1,800 to 2,000 men. At first up came a German patrol of the 31st Landwehr. A few shots were exchanged, but .the patrol could do nothing with such a force. The French, secure in their position, played away merrily with their three guns. A couple of days passed and then the Germans brought up a larger force. It consisted of one hundred cavalry—Hussars of the line, and of the Landwehr and Cuirassiers of the Landwehr—twelve hundred infantry (a company of Guards, and two battalions of Saxon lagers), with two guns. The fight commenced. The Mobiles held the town of Baccarat, and speedily sent back a dozen .Uhlans, who advanced upon it. The German artillery played into Baccarat, whilst the infantry advanced on each side. The French did not hold out long. They speedily retired, leaving six Freeshooters in the hands, of the Germans. These captives, according to the German account, were to be shot the next, morning. The Germans then tried to force the wood, but here the case was quite different. The fire of the French was hot, and their position so strong that no progress could be made against them. After losing several men the Germans gave up for that day. They left the artillery and infantry in Bac carat, and these the next day were strengthened, in order to hold the French in check until sufficient troops could be brought up to surround the wood and capture the whole party. Whether this interesting experirpent succeeded remains to be learned. The sick in the neighbourhood of Luneville are very numerous. The roads from Nancy are covered with trains of invalids from Metz and Paris. Typhus and dysentery prevail. and in the Luneville dis trict the hospitals are all full. THE BURNING OF BAZEILLES. The burning of the town of Bazeilles, near Sedan, is a sore point of dispute amongst writers on the war. The French ane Germans each contradict the other ; and the English, who might be expected to form a trustworthy opinion on the subject, are so little at one, that it is ex tremely difficult to draw a conclusion from independent testimony. Some say that when the Bavarians occupied Bazeilles they burned the town down and behaved most barbarously to the inhabitants. Others aver that the suffer ings inflicted were grossly exaggerated, and the Bavarians destroyed the place because the people killed their wounded. The Duke of Manchester takes the German side, Mr. Seymour supports the French. A correspondent of the Daily News, however, represents bolh that the barbarities of the Bavarians were even worse than they have been depicted, and that they were entirely without justification. The Bavarians lost heavily, but in fair fight with the French troops. Only one woman fired upon the troops, and her husband and son had been killed. The writer adds :—During the fight certain thinks took place which have not yet been made public. A woman of independent means, named Ducheny, was so foully abused by the soldiers—and that phrase is intended to describe the most serious outrage that can be inflicted upon woman— that she died three days afterwards, This fact was attested by the priest, who confessed the woman in her dying moments. Her house was subsequently set on fire, andthe outer walls only nowremain. Many of the villagers, deceived by the proclamations of the Germans, remained, be lieving that war was not made upon them. When the fight commenced numbers hid themselves in the cellars of their houses. M. Robarts, a wealthy brewer, and his servant, were dragged from the cellar of their house and shot. In another house two children named De haye, one six months and the other eighteen months old, were pitched from the window of the, house into the street by the Bavarians, then thrown back again into the house, which was set en fire, and the children burnt ; but their parents escaped. A young man named Remy, 32 years of age, who had been confined to his bed two years with a spinal complaint, was bayonetted and killed as he lay on, his couch. In another house, a man named Vanchelet, his daughter, his brother-in-law, and his father-in-law, were fastened in the cellar and burnt to death. Their charred remains were subsequently buried by some of their neighbours, who had known them. Cotin Chartier, a married man with a family, was wounded by a ball in the shoulder and made a prisoner. He was tied up, naked, in the railway station for eight days, and then died from his wound. Henri Aubergiste, landlord of the Golden Lion, was shot on the doorstep of his house. These are the names of some of the sufferers, and I have no doubt that a complete list of those killed may be obtained when the Prussians are gone. • But at present, out of a population of nearly two thousand, scarcely fifty remain. The Prussians have taken possession of Beauvais without opposition. They will make it a victualling cent/ e. The ground in front of the Paris forts is often illumi nated by the electric light so powerfully that anewspaper can be read at a distance of two miles. At the Augeville railway station, near Paris, the Ger mans found, buried under the ground, thousands of bottles of syrups and the finest extracts, also some champagne. In the adjacent chAteau thirty-five bottles of wine were 'ound buried. The place was completely deserted. Seven railway carriages, cased with iron and loopholed, intended to convey troops upon the Western line, have been sent from the station of Rennes to Mans. The two locomotives to which these carriages are to .be attached have also been cased with iron. M. F. Pyat announces in the Combat that the musket of honour which is to be given to the man who shoots the King of Prussia is to have inscribed upon it the word " Peacemaker." The impression at Paris seems to be that if the King were killed, all the remaining German leaders would be ready for peace. Mr. Edgcomb, one of the correspondents in the neigh bourhood of Paris, suffered the usual fate of those en gaged in his business. He was arrested as a spy, and matters were in this case pushed unpleasantly far, for he was led out to be shot, and only escaped by the " skin of , his teeth " at the last moment. It is a favourite expedient with the inhabitants of Paris to mount the flag of the Convention of Geneva above their houses, in order to protect them from Prussian balls. It is also a favourite expedient with the men to enrol themselves among the followers of the red cross.. This non-fighting body is thought to be agreat deal too numerous. The Daily News correspondent 'notes that Rochefortl who was regarded even by his friends as a vain, mad. brained demagogue, has proved himself one of the most sensible and practical members of the Government. He has entirely subordinated his own particular views to the exigencies of the defence of the capital : and it is owing to his good sense that the ultras have not indulged in any revolutionary excesses. A gentleman who is shut up in Metz succeeded in get ting a letter out of the place by balloon. It is a very thin slip of paper, about four inches long by two broad, con taining the address on one side and whatever the writer could say on the other. Unfortunately the writer does not appear to have been at liberty to give any information whatever on the state of affairs inside the fortress. The letter is addressed to his wife, and the balloon containing it fell between Metz and Verdun. The French postal authorities forwarded it to London at a charge of a franc and a half. Thence it was forwarded to Lancashire, after a fresh charge of sixpence. LATE NEWS FROM PARIS. The Pall. Mall Gazette has received the following from its correspondent by balloon post : "PARIS, MONDAY. " Having just received notice that there is the pes' sibility of sending a letter in a quarter of an hour, I write a few hurried ,lines, as there is much doubt P. to the arrival of the epistles which correspondents send by balloon. Paris itself is quiet, and the people, con fident in the powers of the R e p u bli c , are d e t erm ined to fight to the last. Every attempt made by ultra-demo , gognes to disturb the Provisional Government has failed, and there is a tacit understanding now that all partY quarrels shall be laid aside until after the war. Though the National Guards and Mobiles are not pulling very well together I have come to the conclusion that the pro fessional jealousies between the two corps will not have any serious result. In the encounters which have taken place outside the walls the line have not behaved well, and severe examples have been made, but with the Mobiles the case is different. Their conduct in the face of the enemy has been unimpeachable, and I have onlY heard of one instance of a, moblot having committed a gross breach of discipline -- he was shot yesterday morning for rape and robbery. On Friday last there was severe fighting in the neighbourhood of Villejuif, Chevilly, and Hay. A strong reconnaissance was made by the French, who tumbled as usual into a kind of ambush, and were driven back with heavy loss. As far as we can learn, however, the Germans also suffered considerably, as some of the outlying forts took part in the engagement, and did great execution in the ruined villages, behind whose walls the enemy had taken up his position. The battle-field remained in the hands of the Germans, who speak highly of the courage of the French soldiers, but say that they were badly led, and further that they were well aware that this sortie was about to be made, as they had received notice of it from friends in Paris. Saturday and SundaY were quiet, and, in fact, there was an armistice yesterday during which the dead were buried. " We are very badly off here for meat, as there is some difficulty between the butchers and the Government. I rather suspect that the sheep and cattle have b' en dying for want of proper food, and that there is a scarcity which is beginning to be severely felt. " Paris was much grieved yesterday to learn the fall of Toul and Strasburg, and the statue of the latter town is to be cast in bronze in memory of Uhrich's heroic de fence. " Thursday, tho Republicans' New Year's Day, or Ist Vend6miare, threatened to be stormy, but blew over quietly. The clubs and other Republican paraphernalia announced a manifestation in front of the Hotel de Ville, to force the Government in a peaceful way." [Our correspondent encloses a copy of Monday's Coma tutionnel, consisting of only a 'single sheet. In it appears the official announcement, which it seems the Parisians had only just received, of the fall of Toul and Strasburg•] General Treshow is in command of the Germany arinY that is to march into Southern France. The Democratic Workmen's Union at Berlin have met and adopted a resolution against the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine, and against the arrest of Dr. Jacoby. Count Bismarck came in for much invective on v., - ....Junt of his annexation policy. The French soldiers captured by the Germans have been set to work. At Augsburg above a thousand , are making a road, at Magdeburg 2,000 are constructing an embankment for the Elbe, and in Hanover 4,000 are reclaiming waste lands. A letter published by the Journal of Frankfort declares that the force besieging Phalsburg, the Vosges fortress, is becoming greatly disheartened. Tile peasants attack the trains that bring their stores by night. The soldiers are exhausted by fatigue, sleep being almost d e nied them. One company has 72 invalids beside the wounded. General de Failly, whose military incompetence con tributed so greatly to the disaster of Sedan, has a beautiful country estate near Pierrefonds. The Prussians have recently paid it a visit, and one of the officers slept i n the general's bed. He left an inscription " Thanks, Mon sieur, without you I should not have slept here." He Was alluding to the double errors of Reichshoffen and Sedan. Hunger was the cause of General Uhrich's surrender at Strasburg. No meat was left in the city except horse flesh, and that cost two francs the half kilogramme—a little more than a pound. A handful of dried beans com manded between 2f. and 3f., one egg was cheap at Si% sous, and a greengrocer who parted with carrots at three sous a-piece " was considered an exemplary character, and a comforting instance of the inflexibility of humane . prineiples under affliction." According to the New York Times, the steam-vessel Lafayette has left New York for Havre, with 6,000 cases of Remington breech-loaders, several million rounds of ammunition, a number of revolvers, some provisions, and upwards of 250 recruits. In spite of a protest on the part of the German Consul, it was found " that there did not exist sufficient legal cause for the detention of the vessel," and, as regarded the pretended emigres, a couple of Prussian spies failed to identify any of their number. The prisoners who were led out from Strasburg were ill excellent condition. Few of them were wounded, and almost all looked as if they had enjoyed good fare and bad little to do. But it seems certain that the stock of food was.exhausted. A German paper notices that nearly all the.prisoners had a new pair of shoes on. There was doubtless a good stock in the fortress, and General Uhrich most likely came to the conclusion that they might as well be on the feet of his men as in the hands of the besiegers. The works of the Germans before Strasburg are very extensive. Although constructed in a few weeks, they are said to form a perfect maze of ditches, shafts, galle ries, and passages, some above and some underground. The whole is as large and almost as artistic as a mine which has been worked for years. To enable the soldiers to find their way in this labyrinth of lanes, the various trenches, &c., have had names given them, posted up like street names at house corners. Each trench is provided with caverns for the soldiers to sleep, dine, and rest in, special excavations of greater preten sions, in the way of moss beds, straw, carpets, and stump seats, being to the officers in command. The Cologne Gazette and the ludependance Beige are both of opinion that there still exists some underground com munication between Paris and the provinces, as dispatches are daily received from Paris by the Government dela gates at Tour. The vote for the French Constituent Assembly will only occupy one day ; there will be no second ballot, and the result will be known the same evening. The electors will vote in the chief place of each canton. The place of meeting of the Assembly has . not been decided upon, but it is believed the Assembly will meet wherever the seat of government is. r THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH AT RHEIMS. The Independance Belge says that several papers have spoken of the death of a great personage at Rheims, whose name was kept a profound secr e t. Thi s person and his aide-de camp were struck in the carriage by the free-shooters at 3 short distance from the town, and neither of them survived his wounds more than 24 hours. The deceased person of most importance appears to have been the Duke of Nassau, and it was his coffin covered with gold cloth, and escorted by 3,000 Wurtemberg soldiers, which passed through Tael some days back. The prince in question must have been Adolphe William, of Nassau, who became reigning Duke in 1839, and was a general' of the Prussian cavalry, and commander of a regiment of Westphalian Lancers. - - [ADVERTISEMENT.]-Holloway's Pills. —Dismiss your Doubts.—Let no one be longer oppressed with the notion that his malady is incurable till these purifying. Pills have had a fair trial. Where ordinary preparations have failed, these Pills have been used with the most marked success. A course of this admirable medicine clears the blood from all impurities, and improves its quality. The whole system is thus benefitted through the usual chan nels without reduction of strength, shock to the nerves ! or any other inconvenience. The weakest woman and most delicate child may fearlessly resort to this cooling corrective, and withal strengthening medicine, which works the most beneficial changes where health se,,,,i,ed hopelessly lost. BIRTHS. On the 2d inst., at Goldsborough Hall, the wife of P. S. Wilkinson, Esq., of a son. On the Ist inst., at Hyde-park -gate S., Kensington-gore, the wife of C. Price, Esq., of a daughter. MARRIAGES.: On the 3d inst. at St. Paul's, New-cross, Augustus, son of the late W. Priest, Esq., of Addlestone, and Tudor street, E.C., to Jeannie Isabella, daughter of the late J. Wightman, Esq., of Addlestone. On the Ist inst., at Little Berkhampstead, H. J. D. H o rne, Pgq., F+)11 of the late Sir W. Horne, Q.C., of Epping house, Herts, to Margaret Selina, daughter of the late Hon. and Rev. G. Hastings, rector of HertingfordburP DEATHS. On the 29th ult., at St. Leonard's-on-Sea, Mr. Markiand, Esq., of Loraine-place, Holloway, aged 68. On the Ist inst., at Cambridge-gardens, Kensington-park J. C. Clendon, 111.R.C.5., aged 60. London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by him at THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, i❑ the County of Middlesex. Friday, October 7, 1870, T i - 1 to Ngr'. P tel e Coi n , CENT A' Price s Till T ~....... --_ CR e ll erru e° nCer n, W ar and t AL p S uPer ' ices, „ ,‘. ~.) - k gente,_