The Sun. — London, England, 1870-12-26 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE. SUN OFFICE, 8 A.M. TI-TE WAR. BATTLE IN AMIENS. DEFEAT OF GENERAL FAIDHERBE. VERSAILLES, December 24. An official despatch has been issued from theßoyal headquarters stating that the army of General Faid herLe, 00,000 afro' g, was d el eat,id yesterday (Friday) by General Mauteuffel. Only part of two dividons were engaged. The pursuit was interrupted by night. The following despatches from the seat of war have been received at Berlin : " VERSAILLES, December 24. "The Ist Army, under General Manteuffel, attached the enemy on the 23rd in his position north east of Amiens. "In spite of his numbers being double ours, and °I his numerous artillery, Beaucourt, Montigny, Prech,encourt, Guerrieux, Pont Noyelles, Bussy, Vecquemont, and Daours were taken, and victori °lll4 held against violent offensive onslaughts, until night put an end to the c intesit. "Up to this time more than 400 unwounded Prisoners have been brought in. AMIENS, December 24. "Yesterday the Ist Army had a victorious en gagement on the River Hallu, a mile and a half (German) north-east of Amiens, with the hostile k tray of the North, 60,000 strong. "After the storming of several villages by us, with Very considerable losses, the enemy was driven back ever an arm of the Hallu. "At present 1,000 wounded prisoners have been P rouz.ht in. A. despatch from Amiens says the first German a rray is pursuing in a north-easterly direction the defeated French Army cf the North. All communi cations between here and Paris are for the present l aspended, because the French fire upon the German Parliamentaires bearing flags of truce, and even chile the conventional flag is raised, TRENCH ACCOUNT. LILLE, Sunday. Th e Echo du Nord says that during the engage 111ent at Pont Noyelles on Friday, General Faid eerbe had his horse shot under him. The Prussian lefi Wing, attempting to turn the French right, was eta and thrown back upon Abbeville, being caught b etween two fires. The Prussians engaged is e stimated at 30,000 and 10,000 reserves. r'The Prussians lost heavily, the bayonet charge by the French being very effective. The French Wounded were distributed amongst the towns in the n orthern region. Many have already arrived at Mlle and others at Roubaix and Armentieres. The Commissary General, who was in the fight, returned t° Lille on Saturday morning. ATTACK BY GENERAL CHANZY. BORDEAUX, December 24. On the evening of the 23rd a severe engagement t ook place between the troops under the command of General Chanzy and the Prussians under the coin bland of the Duke of Mecklenburg. The French occupied the heights, and the Prus 41ans attacked in great force, but were met by a murderous fire from the mitrailleuses', which inflicted heavy losses, estimated at 4,000 men. The French evacuated Vendome, and continued 'heir movement of retreat, which is Chanzy's plan ° I Campaign. The communication between La Frere and Laon 1146 been cut by the Army of the North. THE BATTLE NEAR BOLBEC, HAVRE, December 25, (2.35 p.m.) The official report on the battle which took place Yesterday, near Bolbec, states that The Company Mocquart, the Vengeurs, the Franc ?eurs of Havre, the first battalion of the Mobilised ',National Guard of Havre, and the Franc-tireurs pf llobceur, took part in the affair. The le ft column c omposed of the Mocquart regiment and of the engeurs of Havre, left Beauzeville at half-past fi ve a.m., and took the direction of Moinlot. At half-past seven the battle began by a brisk volley of musketry on the Prussian scouts, two of W hom were left on the field. A strong c o lumn of b i'russian infantry, supported by a number o f ca valr y , l ien marched out to the village of Moinlot. The struggle was 'very keen, but in prese nce of a fo rce of the enemy estimated , at 3,000 m en, the t ecquart column, consisting of 800 only, gained t he heights of La Jolie, above Bolbec, keeping up u ring the whole course a well-sustained fire. The c entral column was at Jolie with two cannon. Our Pieces opened fire, and at once dismounted a Prus -441a gun. About 11.30 a.m. the firing on both sides ceased. The Prussians in retreating ransAcked Bolbec. A. body of 100 horsemen of the Irish ambulance 4 , l ll eaoured the wounded of the Mocq uart column. In defiance of the Convention of Geneva, the Prus ePne captured the ambulance, in which were ono d ead, and five wounded. The Mocquart column caused a loss to the Prus sians of 150. It had 12 men killed or wounded, and five made prisoners. The Mobilised Guard, on their part, made a recoil- Ila iesance with effect. It caused a loss to the enemy Of three killed, while it had only two wounded. The Prussians directed their steps towards L 'ye tot, ,The French, afraid of being outflanked, too k u p their old positions for the night, from whence they I narcli to-morrow in order to resume operations. THE SIEGE OF PARIS. VERSAILLES, Dec. 22. There has been a good deal of randoin firing during e last twenty-fours from Mont Valerian. The r anch have put seine heavy pieces there which Will astonish Versailles by their length of range. There has been a sound of cannonading to the north-east of Paris. It is said to be the beginning °I an attack on the outworks iu that direction. Such an attack is far more likely than the b om ha.rdment which could only be opened , if at all , from high ground to the south-west of the city. THE GERMANS IN THE NORTH. BORDEAUX, December 23. According to reliable informatio n, onl y 1,500 Q "mans remain in Rouen. On the coast of Bon ec cnirs two guns only are planted. At E lboeu f th ere are only 1,000 German.. Two British shi p s ha ve been sunk in the Seine near 1) uclair to bar the th e navigation, and torpedoes have been placed in the seine between Daclair and Rouen. All the wharves a nd clocks at Rouen have been plundorel by the ti elnans who have oven taken linseed oil, and a ll their bo o ty has been forwarded to Amiens. The Prussians have evacuated the c o untr y near Rouen. The Army of the North has cut the communica tlollB between La Fere and Laon. LILLE, Dec. 23 No additional intelligence has been rece i ved either kroue Amiens or St. Quentin. According to the Echo du Nord the Prussian f° l'ec at Rheims has been greatly strengthened. rii., 'he number of troops now there amounts to 10,000, 14 Place of 2,500. An order is in force which prohibits all persons f rom walking in the streets of Rheims without 113 E SUN, LONDON, MOND A , DECEMBER 26, 1870. THE BESIEGERS ALARMED. The special correspondent of the Daily IV ews, writing from the Headquarters of the Crown Prince of Saxony, Champs, December 9th, says :—" What a glorious thing it would be for the newspapers if their war correspondents were endowed with the gift of übiquity," was th( quaint remark made to me yesterday afternoon by a young subaltern of the German Guards who stood beside me in the lee of the white house on the summit of the height overhanging Stains and Villetaneuse. I suppose the multiplicity of objects of interest in the prospect before him prompted him to the reflection. The long chimneys of the St. Denis facto ries were smoking as vigorously as if they had been Black Country chimneys when a batch of urgent orders are in hand. What did they smoke for ? Was it machinery below them grinding corn for the two million beleagured one ? Were several brawny men",a,t work in the forges below pouring molten iron into moulds, hammering the out side of cannon barrels, rifling the bores, filling the breeches. casting the projectiles which these cannon were designed to pitch among the ranks 'of the enemy ? Do they indi cate powder manufacturers? Perilous juxtaposition must not be studied in such a pinch as Paris is in now. Are they the chimneys of batteries, or of huge sausage machines for chopping up horseflesh? Whatever they represent, they are smoking away with a curious air of manufacturing prosperity that seems utterly incompatible either with a bloody siege, a close blockade, or threatened starvation. Were his companion übiquitous, thought the Guardsman, the Puzzle—for to me, as to most, these factories are a stand ing puzzle—would cease to be, nay, never would have existed. Then there are those waspish-looking, low, black little gunboats every now and then showing their sharp snouts out from behind the crown work of La Briche. What are they doing ? Have they any intention of another reconnaissance ? Are they acting as ferry-boats, or have they parties of ladies on board, to whom these curious grass hopper like motions afford pleasure? First, there comes out one—puffing as if she were flapping her chest with her arms to raise her courage. Out she comes bodily with a dash, and a big gun from where I stand might cover even her stern. Then she seems to lose heart again. You almost think you hear the skipper crying " Ease her," " Stop her," and then the word is " Turn astern." She goes back in a droll pirouetting fashion, feeling, as it were, from side to side with that huge antenna on her deck, I take it she came out to see whether she could not find an eligible object at which to discharge her gun. No reliefs are crossing the plain, the officers in Epinay are at dinner, men have learned to lie close in Deuil, Mont magny, and Stains. A few minutes after two come out abreast, and, so far as we can make out with the glass, there are groups on the deck that seem officers. Was yesterday's reconnaissance, then, not enough ? Is there still a craving for an attack upon Epinay, notwithstanding yesterday's lesson from Mont d'Orge mont ? Perhaps Trochu is himself aboard, with Ducrot and Vinoy in the other, craft, so that the destinies of Paris might not be entrusted to one fragile concern of tin-plates and maple'rpannelling. Were one übiquitous, he might dispense with these speculations—does any cynical reader say he might dispense with them in any case? In the green foreground of Gennevilliers we could dimly see masses of men, now to all appearance swelling into densely packed bodies, anon elongating into columns. What was their purpose, or had they one ? Were they listening to a speech from Trochu, were they collecting there to be ferried over by the gunboats from Epinay, in case these should make a rapid voyage in that direction? or were they being marched away in the direction of Besons, in view of a renewal of the attempt to bridge the Seine at that point ? Again the lieutenant's remark as to übiquity comes home to me. Boom, and boom again, one gun from Du Nord, one from La Briche in momentary succession. With a far-off sough we heard the whistle of the shells through the air—that is a sound that carries far; but we heard not the dull clash that is the signal of the impact, nor the sharper crack that the explosion produces. Was the fire against Stains, or Le Bourget, or Epinay, or into miscellaneous space ? Non-übiquitous, we could not tell ; but' it was some consolation to know in this case that übiquity of presence might be accompanied with übiquity of danger. Ten minutes more, and the same double salute ; still another ten minutes, and the repetition with such clockwork regularity, that shewed a mutual under standing by signal, telegraph, or otherwise, between the gunners of the two forts. A fourth double discharge, this time almost simultaneous and an ticipatory of the expiry of the statutory ten minutes. That far - off sough comes nearer, nearer, nearer—cuts the air, as it seems, so close to our ears that I, at all events, swerve involuntarily. There is no mistake about the crash of the explosion this time — far too near to be pleasant. It is clear that we, and none other, were the marks for these two shells, at least. What keen dogs they must be behind these grim embrasures Good afternoon, Herr Lieutenant, my winsome youngster, smiling there from ear to ear, as if gunpowder had been an amalgam of your mother's milk, and as if shells had been the bons-bons of your boyhood. I am not sufficiently acquainted with your domestic affairs to know if you have anybody whose livelihood de , pends on your existence otherwise than in little pieces— L I have, and so adieu to you, with all decent precipitation. THE CAPTIVE MARSHALS IN GERMANY. In a communication from Stuttgart, under date Decem• ber 3, a correspondent of the Daily News remarks : Stuttgart just now contains two celebrated French gene rals—Marshal Canrobert, of Crimean fame, and General de Wimpffen, who signed the capitulation of Sedan The former is installed in the second floor of a mode rately good house, where he lives with his family in the most unostentatious manner. He seems to feel his captivity acutely, and whatever his personal sen timents towards the Emperor may be, I am certain that were he at liberty to do so, he would at once accept service under the Republic. Madame Canrobert occupies herself in assisting the wounded and visiting the poor prisoners, and her charitable exertions do much to keep up her husband's popularity among them. At one time this had suffered somewhat, for although the Marshal had not the responsibility of surrendering Metz, it was considered that, being Bazaine's senior in rank, he might have exercised considerable influence in delaying the capitulation, which has, in truth, been a much more severe blow to France, in a military point of view, than the disaster at Sedan. lam told that when the Marshal arrived here the inhabitants behaved very badly, receiving him with hisses and groans, and, indeed, assuming so threatening an attitude that some hussars who happened to be at the railway station had to use considerable force to get him through the crowd. At the present time, the French officers who wear plain clothes without any distinctive mark can go where they please without being molested, and have won the good opinion of all by their conduct. In the various towns of Germany I have passed through, I have met many French officers. They are all very unhappy, and very poor, but do a great deal to assist one another. I may mention too that the majority, if not all, are totally opposed to the principles of M. de Cassagnac's journal, which to their disgust is forwarded to them daily ; and in spite of what may be said to the contary, I can assert that not even liberty and promotion would induce them to assist in restoring Napoleon 111. The discon tent caused by the privileges granted to Bavaria will soon be forgotten in the lust for glory, but the Wurtemburgers are paying dearly for it. Their contingent originally consisted of 25,000 men, with a reserve of 10,000, and it is estimated here that in the recent sor ties from Paris some 4,000 men were killed and wounded, while in the previous battles of the campaign their losses have exceeded this number, so that one-fourth of their army must be hors de combat. When I arrived here a few days, I found the town in a great of agitation, for the first batch of wounded had just come in. - Since then there have been several other trains-full, which is a pretty sure proof of the severe nature of the fighting. From what I hear on all sides, there seems to be a very intense desire for peace, .coupled with the very irreconcilable but unanimous wish for the cession of Alsace and Lorraine, a complete disdain for the powers of resistance of France, and an utter asto nishment at the earnest manner in which she con tinues the struggle. By the Germans lam assured that Count Bismarck does not return to Ger many until these provinces are ceded ; by the captive French officers and soldiers I am told that France will never consent to surrender them. The Germans, meanwhile, have very great cofidence in their ultimate success ; but it is based upon the assumption that France is well-nigh exhausted, and at present this can hardly be said to be the case. I have just met a friend who has arrived from Saarbruck, and regret to learn from him that the English Society for Aid to the Wounded is about to wind up its affairs through want of funds. This will be a great misfortune, for the good that these societies have done is incalculable. Meanwhile the staff is being distharged, and the "Well and wounded" are practically requested to get on or before De cember 3l. CRYSTAL PALACE.—BOXING DAY.—The Christ mas Entertainments at the Palace will be unusually attractive. Amusements from 12 till 6, including the Grand Pantomime, " Gulliver," Skating, Curling, and outdoor games. The Palace will be brilliantly illuminated till 9 o'clock. STARVATION OR SURRENDER. The following is an extract from a journal of the Siege Paris from the special correspondent of the Standard : Yet another proclamation stares from the walls and informs us that there is no need to be frightened about bread—there is enough and to spare, only housewives must not be running to the baker's in panic, and buying up other person's shares with their own. Assuredly if more sacrifices were necessary, Paris is prepared to make them for honour and country ; but the only privation her rulers see fit to impose for the present is a lowering in the quality, not the quantity, of her daily bread. As soon as the existing stock of white loaves is exhausted the wholesome, agreeable brown cake univer sally eaten by the peasants, and none other, will be per mitted to be offered for sale. Meat, we are assured, is not wanting either, and will continue to be distributed as heretofore—that is to say, at the liberal rate of one-tenth of a pound per stomach per diem. Bread and meat (" the double base of alimentation," as the Govern ment avers, 0 ye vegetarians !) being thus assured, the situation is satisfactory ; indeed, one might say unexpectedly so after three months of siege. In this wise the placard perorates, " We have all sworn that no effort will be spared on our part to save our country, and we shall succeed by force of calmness, vigilance, and courage." Why does the Government change the bread from white to brown ? Ay, there's the hitch ; and the excuse is not reassuring because "it is in the highest interests of the defence to pro long the resistance of Paris as far as pos. Bible." General Trochu could not afford to give in as long as he had a single division with quarter rations fora week under his orders, even if there were no jabbering Gam betta outside the ring to accuse him of having sold the fight afterwards; but Governor Trochu has other con siderations to regard than military vanity ; he has the lives of over a million and a half of non combatants in his hands, and if he protracts a hopeless defence till starvation overtakes them he incurs an awful respon sibility before God and man. As he is very conscientious, the presumption is he is sure that an army of relief will arrive, or that he will tire out the Prussians. If not, the prolongation of the resistance of Paris is a mere cruel lengthening of a death-agony. The city, granting that 500 horses are slaughtered daily, can hold out for ten weeks yet, if pushed to it, but to what good if the Prussians are to enter in the end ? The money that will be spent in the interval comes out of the eco nomies of the State, and unless the wonderful plan is practicable and realised, Paris will gain nothing by its stubborness but . barren reputation, and a too substantial national debt. But General Trochu does not see it in this light ; his honour as a soldier is engaged ; he is bound to deliver the city or die in the attempt, and as a soldier nobody can refuse to admire him ; but the glory of the general may be the shame of the governor—a pretty fair proof that pluralism is a blunder. carrying a lantern, and nobody is allowed to leave their houses after 9 p.m. At Chalons the German force has also been rein forced in consequence of the threatening positions of the Army of the North. Three of the principal persons in Chalons have been seized as hostages, in consequence of the re fusal of the town to grant the requisitions made by the Prussians. The Albert railway station is being repaired. RETREAT OF THE GERMANS ON ORLEANS. BORREAUX, Dec. 23. The enemy has definitely renounced the continua don of his march beyond Tours, and is falling back on Orleans. The retreat is accelerated in conse quence of the strategical movements of our armies on other points ordered by the War Administration. THE GERMANS AT TOURS. An official despatch from the Royal Headquarters, Versailles, states that the Germans have refrained from occupying Tours, although a Prussian garrison was selected by the Mayor. The shells fired were in return for the attack on the Prussian patrol, and having destroyed the railway station the Germans returned to their cantonments outside the town. BLOCKA.DE OF FRENCH PORTS. HONFLEUR, December 24. Fecamp and Dieppe arc strongly blockaded, but oufleur yet remains open. At Havre matters remain as last reported. THE LUXEMBURG QUESTION. VIENNA, December 25. Count Beust's answer to Countßismarek's note on the ,Luxemburg question sent on the 21st does not deny the pcssibility of the Luxemburg Treaties being annulled, but says that the Great Powers, by speaking in favour of the Prussian claims now, would violate Luxemburg neutrality, as such an annulment would be advanta geous to one belligerent. The answer to Count Bismarck's second note, affirming the friendship of the Germau Empire for Austria, declares that this expression of friendship has been received in the spirit in which it was offered. Count Apponyi has received instructions to state-Ist. That in the opinion of Austria ; the matters belonging to the Danube Commission now come within the competence of the London Con ference, which during the war takes the place of the perpetual Paris Conference ; end. That the Danube Commission question is au integral part of the Black Sea question ; 3rd. That if the neutrality of the Black Sea be annulled, 4 kustria must recive receive fresh guarantees of protection at the mouths of the Danube; 4th, That Austria will only aban don her claims to the exclusive right of guarding the mouths of the Danube, and consent to other alterations of the Paris Treaty, on receiving such guarantees. BRUSSELS, December 24, Evening. In diplomatic circles here it is considered doubtful whether M. Thiers wilt be sent as French Plenipo tentiary to the London Conference on the Black Sea Question, as M. Jules Favre appears to intend to take part in the Conference as the representative of Franca. THE ITALIAN CAPITAL. FLORENCE, December 23 (11.15 p.m.). The transfer of the capital to Rome was voted by a very large majority, au d is to be carried into effect on July 1. The Parliament has adjourned until the 16th of January. THE ECLIPSE. The Astronomer Royal presents his compliments to the editor of The Sun, and transmits a tele gram which was despatched by Lord Lindsay imme diately after the eclipse, but which has been received only this morning, December 24. Lord Lindsay's place of observation was La Maria Luisa, which appears to be near Puerto, the mainland station opposite Cadiz. A few cor reetions were neessary to the telegram, but it is be. lieved that all is certain. " Photographs successful. Two good pictures of corona. Polariscope doubtful. Sketching good. Corona [gives] continuous spectrum, no lines. Broken sky." (CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.) EXPLOSION OF A CHAPEL BOILER The boiler of the heating apparatus of the Congrega tional Chapel, Holly Walk, Leamington, exploded yes terday morning prior to the commencement of Divine service. Several windows were broken, and the back entrance doors were blown out. The chapel attendant, who had just left the boiler, narrowly escaped being killed. FIRE IN A CHURCH. Yesterday forenoon an alarming outbreak of fire oc curred at All . Saints' Church, Oxford-road, Manchester, but, fortunately, the congregation were dismissed without any panic. The fire originated in the overheating of the apparatus for warming the building, and was extinguished after severalpews and a great part of the flooring had been burnt. The communion table was also entirely destroyed. FATAL ICE ACCIDENT TO MR. JOHN WALTER (JUN.), OF BEARWOOD. A most melancholy catastrophe happened in Berkshire on Saturday last. Mr, John Walter, aged 26, the eldest son of John Walter, Esq., M.P., of Bearwood, near Wokingham, Berks, returned home to his father's seat on Thursday evening last, after a tour in the East and other foreign climes, extending over two years. On Saturday Mr. J. Walter, accompanied by his eldest son and other members of the family, and by Captain Edward Walter and his lady and family, went to Bearwood Lake for an afternoon's recreation on the ice. About a quarter past three, while all were enjoying them selves, the ice gave way near the island, and Mr. John Walter, jun., and Master Tom. Walter, Master Francis Walter, Master Henry Walter, and Master Richard, the son of Captain Walter, were all immersed. The lake, which covers a space of about 80 acres, was at this spot 30 feet deep. Immediately Mr. Arthur Walter, James Rackley, the boatkeeper, and others rushed to the rescue, while Mr. John Walter, jun., nobly endeavoured to keep his immersed brothers and cousin from sinking ; but the ice continually broke under their grasp, and the hole in the ice became wider. eventually four of the party were rescued, and there is no doubt that the saving of the lives of three out of the four young gentlemen is due to the heroic exertions of Mr. John Walter, jun., and he was last seen to endeavour to lift and throw the youngest towards the margin of the ice, where assistance was at hand, when he suddenly sank. Every means were used to recover the body, and the lake was dragged, but the body was not recovered until nearly seven o'clock. Mr. Barford, surgeon, NV okingham, was promptly in attendance, but of course the deceased gentleman was beyond all human aid. The deceased had not been home more than forty-eight hours when his body was taken out of the water, and had it not been for this sad accident it was intended to have returned thanks to Almighty God in Bearwood Church yesterday (Christmas Day) for his safe return, and festivities on a large scale had been pre pared for Monday (this day). Great gloom has been cast over the whole neighbourhood, for the so suddenly be reaved parent is respected throughout the whole district. An inquest will be held in due course. CRYSTAL PALACE.—HaIf-a-Crown Day, Satur day, December 24th, 1870.—Admissions by season tickets, 4,370 ; ditto on payment, 1,095 ; total visitors, 5,465. • THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.—A bable visit of the Prince and Princess of Wales to Ireland next year has attracted a good deal of interest in that country. His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, at the Mansion House, Dublin, on Friday evening, ex pressed his hope that the promised visit would take place on the occasion of the annual show of the Royal Agricu tural Society, of which the Prince is president. Lord Spencer added that he would do all in his power to ensure it, and every one feels certain that he will. Their royal highnesses are, it is said, anxious to come again to Ire laud, and, if so, it is hardly conceivable that any difficulty on the subject can arise. THE ARMY OF THE SOUTH. In a letter from Bordeaux, dated December 20, the special correspondent of the Standard remarks :—The Government of the. Defence at Paris have issued a pro clamation, stating that no idea is entertained of rationing the bread, and that there is an abundance both of meat and bread for a considerable time. General Trochu is actively employed in forming and disciplining the armies. It is probable that the next sortie from Paris will be upon a much larger scale than that of the Ist of this month. The Province publishes a statement that the Army of the North now amounts to a force of 147,000 men. I can scarcely credit that it can attain so considerable a strength, but if it be true it will be able" to render efficient aid when the moment for a general advance upon Paris arrives. General Faidberbe is said to be a bold and skilful general, and as he is now cut off from the south of France, he will be able to operate unba mpered by orders from the Government here. The movement of retreat upon the part of the Ger man army upon the left bank of the Loire continues. Salbris, Montrichard, and Amboise are evacuated, and there is a report that Blois is also free from the enemy. The army of Bourbaki is now said to amount to 140,000 nen. A journal announnes, under reserve, that Bourbaki is already in movement, and that he has routed a body of the enemy in his front ; also that he is moving towards the - Loire to effect a junction with Chanzy. Another account states that lie is moving towards Gien. These accounts are altogether contradictory, and I should certainly doubt the intention of effecting a junction between Bourbaki and Chanzy, as, bad such an intention existed, the latter general would have fallen back towards Tours without retiring upon Le Mans, and thereby greatly increasing the distance be tween himself and Bourbaki. His advance when it takes place will, I have no doubt, be towards Gien. There is a rumour, indeed, that his advanced guard l'as • already occupied that town. Bourbaki has with him 1,800 Spahis and 1,200 Arab horse. These 3,000 men will form an admirable body of eclaircurs, and will effectively prevent those surprises which have been hitherto so fatal to the French. A vigorous search is going on throughout France for deserters, and large numbers have been seized in Lyons and other of the large towns. The men belonging to the Mobiliscies, and who have not left with their regiments, were yesterday bought before the tribunal here, and sentenced to ten days' im prisonment before being sent forward to join their regi ments in camp. It would have been better to have sent them forward at once, with a sentence of a month's punish ment drill. It is said that in Bordeaux alone upwards of 2,000 men have at the last moment slunk away from their colours. A rigorous search is going on, and they will all be collected and sent off in a few days. Some of the Mobilisees of Bordeaux have already arrived at Le Mans, but the larger quantity are still in camp at St. Medard, a place some ten miles from here. The wounded who have arrived here are now most excellently housed and cared for. The arrangements the first day or two were defective, but they now leave nothing to be desired. The weather continues warm and damp. THE PRUSSIANS AT HAVRE. Writing from Havre, Dec. 23, the correspondent of the Standard says :—The enemy canfine their occupation to a circle round Rouen, of which the curve passes through Yvetot and Neufchatel, bPt they daily send cavalry patrols a long way beyond their regular lines, probably to keep the Havre people in a fluster. Nevertheless there is a kind of belt between the two belligerents. Within that space a few desultory skirmishes daily take place, but nothing serious seems to be attempted—one party advancing as the other retires. Carried on in this fashion the war might last a century without leading to any decisive results. It is said that the Prussians are bringing up heavy siege guns from La Fbre, but I question whether they can afford time for a regular siege. Havre including its suburbs, Sauvie, St. Adresse,lnganville, and Graville Ste. Honorine, is built on a peninsula, bordered on the south by the Seine and the marshy plains of the Eure, which can be flooded by means of the sluices of the Canal Vauban ; on the west by the sea ; on the north by a line of hills which stretches fsom Sauvie eastward ; and on the east by the Lezarde, a little stream that divides it from Harfleur, and joins the Seine below that ancient town, after watering the pleasant valley of Montvilliers, and separating the hills of Ingan ville and the plateau of Sauvie from the heights of Gon freville and Angerville L'Orcher. Havre was originally fortified - on the supposition that it was likely to be attacked from the seaward ; and the sea and river front covered by a series of bastions connected by very short curtains, and provided with guns, which, if properly served, would blow any craft in the roads between Cape La Heve and the Pointe du Hoc clean out of the water ; in short, a strong fort was built at St. Adresse, to the south-east of La Heve ; and another at Tourneville, to sweep the plain of the Eure, its fire passing straight over Graville Ste. Honorine. Thus the fortifications stood when this war commenced. As mentioned above, these works were meant to defend the port against a naval assailant. The problem to be solved was to make these defences available for the de fence landwards, and to complete them. This has been done most thoroughly. Fort St. Ad resse has been turnedinto a regular polygon, and now sweeps part of the valley of the Lezarde. Powerful redoubts have been constructed at Sauvie so as to cover the Fecamp road, Fort Tournevill e h as b een c ompleted so that it crossesits fire over the valley of the Lezarde, with that of Fort St. Adresse, whilst its river front remains unim paired in strength ; in addition numerous batteries have been constructed at the entrance of Graville, and the Lezarde and flooded plains of the Eure form a huge natural moat, which can be swept by the fire from vessels in the river. Assuming that the French will only stand to their guns, I would give something to see Manteuffel attempt ing to attack • this place by regular approaches—the attempt is likely to end in disastrous failure. The Prus sians cannot break ground at a single spot which would not be subjected to a cross fire that would make it untenable. The only chance fOr them would be to invent some gun capable of throwing a shell into Havre from a distance of twelve m lee ; until they have found means of doing this they cannot hope to silence the fire of Havre. as, within the range of modern artillery, they would have to make their approaches in a valley exposed to the cross fires of three ranges of batteries, two of theM on hills crossing each other at right angles. SERIOU' COLLISION AT Tllti: KING'S CROSS RAILWAY STATION. A collision,, fortunately up to the present time unat tended with loss of life, occurred on Christmas eve at the King's-cross station of the Metropolitan Railway, and from inquiries instituted last evening it would appear that at a quarter-past eight o'clock on Saturday night a Metropolitan train entered the King's-cross station, and was there brought to a standstill. A number of pas sengers there alighted. While they were doing so, the op line, on which tl a train was was " blocked" from Gower-street to King's-cross. Although there was a slight fog existing in the tunnel from Gower.Sticet at the time the red or danger-light was perfectly visible and could be seen for a considerable distance along the line. Just when all the carriage doors of the train standing in the station had been closed, and the railway men had cried out, " All right for Farringdon-street," there was a loud bang heard at the back of the train, and it instantly became apparent that a collision had taken place. Almost at the same mement the train was pushed a few feet forward by the force of the impelling power behind. The utmo't con sternation instantly prevailed, and a number of persons jumped out of the train on to the platform, and rushed to the back of the train, where they perceived that another train, consisting of an t nine and six carriages, had dashed into their train, and several persons had jumped out of the second train into the tunnel, where they had a narrow escape of being knocked down by a departing train on the " down" line, from King's-cross to Gower-street. After the collision, which occurred on the "up " line from Gower-street to King's-cross, the second train rebounded about a foot and a half, and was then brought to a stand still, as the guard of the second train, when he perceived . ._ lat a collision was imminent, resolved upon lessening the force of it as much as possible, and put on his brake with great energy; owing to his doing so may be attri- cited the fact that the engine of his train and the last carriage of the first train were not smashed to pieces ; as it was, both trains received a d.readul shock, and were terribly injured. Ten passengers have been in jured, and one, a man about 40, has received a wound on the right temple, but none of the men's cases are expected to terminate fatally. THE GOVERNMENT We are enabled to state that Mr. Otway has resigned the Under-Secretaryship for Foreign Affairs, and that he will be succeeded by Lord Enfield, M.P. ; Mr. Davison, M.P., Q.C., will, we understand, be the new Judge Advocate-General, in the room of Sir Colman O'Loghlen. CARDINAL ANTONELLPS CIRCULA.R.) The following circular has been addressed by Cardinal Antonelli to the Pontifical Nuncios : " The Vatican, November 25, 1870 "The sequestration of those journals which were the first in Florence, Turin, and Rome to publish the Ency clical of the Holy Father furnishes a further proof of the loyalty with which the Government of Florence intends to maintain the promises made and the assurances given to the Catholic world when that Government deprived the Holy Father of the rest of his dominions, and to show more than ever what kind of independence and liberty is granted to the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his spiritual Power. "This unjustifiable and arbitrary proceeding affords the most convincing proof that the Supreme Head of the Church cannot be subject to any extraneous power, and that the state of things brought about by the usurping Government is intolerable, if itbe really desirable that the voice of the Teacher of Nations should be diffused over the world. And thus it is that the fears entertained when it became necessary to proceed to the publication of this Pon tifical act, and the precauti*ns taken that it should evade the vigilance of the Italian authorities until it should be in the hands of the Episcopate, find a complete justification in the action of the Government. From this also may be judged what fate would be reserved for the Supreme Pontiff if he should, finding himself in opposition to the lay Powers, be compelled to condemn their acts• Signor Visconti-Venosta boasted of having allowed the publication of the Brief suspending the meetings of the Council, a Brief then rendered necessary by the politkal condition of Rome, and the great wisdom of which has since been demonstrated. Let Signor Venosta henceforth keep silence, and spare the Catholics the necessity of reminding him that the permission was given because the Pontifical act was most welcome to his Government, which could ill tolerate the reunion of the Bishops and the benefit that the Church derived from it. " Yesterday was the anniversary of the execution of the infamous Monti and Tognetti, found guilty of having ' mined and blown up ;the oSerristori Barracks, in which twenty-seven persons perished, victims of their ferocity. It was by the special mercy of providence that an entire battalion of Zouaves, who had gone out on duty in the city, were not buried in the ruins. This deed, worthy of a horde of savages, and which, as a homage to civilisa tion, it would be seemly to bury in oblivion, it was desired, instead, to celebrate with public demonstrations. " With this object the Circolo Popolare (People's Club) issued and posted up in the streets a manifesto, in which the people were invited to meet in force, and proceed to the exhumation of the two corpses, and to transport them Solemnly from San Giovanni Decollato to San Lorenzo al Campo Vaccino, and an open subscription was announced to collect the offerings destined to erect a monument in their honour. It is owing only to the urgent remonstrances of the Brethren of the Holy Confraternity of San Gio vanni, and of other respectable citizens, who invoked the intervention of the troops, that a demonstration of this shameful charactei was not made. It is sufficient to men tion these facts to shew the degree of moral civilisation to which it is intended to lead the people. And we must be permitted to ask those who dare to maintain that the personal liberty of the Pontiff is in no way clogged if the Supreme Teacher of the principles of justice, if the Sovereign of this Rome, could with impartiality go about among those who decree honours for and rejoice over and laud to the skies all who have been, and all who still are, his most rabid enemies. " The French Revolution of the last century, its horrors and its orgies, are only to be compared with what goes of in this miserable city since the entrance of the Italiai troops. " With expressions, &c., " G. ANTONELLI." ICE ACCIDENTS IN LANG iSIIIRE. At Chadderton, near Oldham, on Thursday, a number boys ventured on to a sheet of ice. When two of them id reached the middle of the pond the ice broke, and they were both immersed. A Man, named William Wild, a ropemaker, heard their shouts, and he made strenuous efforts to save them. He brought one of the lads to the bank, and he soon recovered ; but the other, when brought to the side, was quite exhausted, and, though medical aid was at once obtained, he died in a few minutes. His name was James Wild, amid he wits 9 years of age. On the same day a boy, named William Bolton, aged 13, son of a labourer, was returning from Messrs. Steiner and Co.'s work, Church, near Accrington, along with two other lads about the same age. On their coming to a deep lodge connected with the works, the iads " dared " each other as to which of them would go the furthest on the thin ice. Bolton stepped forward, and the ice broke, and he was drowned, his body not being recovered until two hours afterwards. THE PROCESSIONS IN ULSTER. A great meeting was held in the Ulster Hall, Belfast, on Friday to express sympathy with the Apprentice Boys of Derry. William Johnstone, Esq., M.P., the Rev. Hugh Hanna, and other leaders of the Orangemen, were speakers. These are the resolutions submitted. "That the city of Derry, from its great services and sacri fices rendered to the 'public good, is entitled to special privileges; and the sentiments of those who represent its gallant defenders ought to be indulgently considered by a patriotic Government. " That animal celebrations of • a great national deliverance obtained at Derry are not only constitutional and legal, but have a bene ficent effect on public spirit and the loyal sentiments of the country ; that the conduct of a certain section of the local magistracy in efforts to suppress the cele brations has been arbitrary and illegal, and ought to be condemned by every friend of constitutional freedom that the Apprentice Boys are entitled to the sympathy and support of all that is truly Protestant and loyal in the empire; and the meeting expresses its indignation at the outrage attempted on the Apprentice Boys• by a section of the local magistracy. "That a memorial embodying theSe sentiments, be forwarded to the govern ment." We understand that Sir James Watts, Knight, of Abney Hall, Cheadle, will be the High Sheriff of Lanca shire for the ensuing year. ALLEGED MANSLAUGHTER.—Five of the six men accused of the wiiful murder of Alexander Macbeth, groom to Mr. Wallis, of Swinton Park, near Manchester, were ot Friday committedby Sir John Iles Mantelll, the stipendiary magistrate of Salford, to take their trial at the assizes on the charge of manslaughter. It will be re ' membered that on Saturday night week, the prisoner . created 'a disturbance at Irlams-o'the-Height, and the deceased was called upon to assist the police. While performing this duty he was so shockingly maltreated that he died shortly afterwards. OUP, CO.LLMPORARIES---This Morning► THE STRUGGLE BEFORE PARIS, The Times, in an article on the present state of the struggle going on before Paris, says : A. rapid change is, we are told, setting in. We must wait and see what time and unwearied fortitude and courage may achieve. Tho Germans, it is urged, " will beat the French people till they beat them into an army, just as mere iron is hammered into steel." The French will gain experience from every defeat. They will turn into a lessen every blow the enemy inflicts. Their very losses, especially in prisoners, will rid their ranks of worthless recruits, and raise the standard of the remainder to such a degree of efficiency as may fit them for the most arduous undertakings. It may be so, but it is not so yet. We hear nothing either of Chanzy's or Bourbaki's advance, and between them Tours has fallen so low as to ask for German protection without being able to obtain that boon. Failherbe is driven back to the north-east of Amiens, in spite of very superior numbers, and Paris, after the abortive endeavours of last Wednesday and Thursday, has again sunk into silence and inaction. The French may yet achieve won ders, and, if they succeed in ridding themselves of the Germans otherwise than by negotiation ; if they win by sheer hard fighting, they will accomplish a great revolution, not only for their own, but for the world's benefit—a revolution proving that where no army exists an army may be itnprovis.el ; that where ready made soldiers fail, mere citizens may succeed ; a revo lution, demolishing the importance of standing armies, and substituting some scheme of militia, conducive, in all probability, to the interests of peace, but, at all events, sure to lighten the burdens of War Budgets, and thus to promote general wealth and prosperity. MR. GLADSTONE AND HIS MINISTRY. The Standard, in discussing the present position of the Ministry, says : That even the Liberal sup porters of the Government are beginning to be impatient with Mr. Gladstone and what has been called his "magnificent strategy," is now a fact to which no man can close his eyes, even though he reads nothing but Liberal newspapers and fre quents only Liberal society. The proofs accumulate day by day that the marvellous show of discipline with which the Liberals commenced their present campaign is being relaxed, and that the force which once would obey Mr. Glyn so tamely is reduced to a motley horde of moblets and francs-tireurs, held together by nothing but a common animosity. The extra-parliamentary utterances of Liberal members are becoming singularly free and rebel lious. A few weeks ago we had a junior member of the Government openly threatening secession if the conduct of his chief was not altered, and since then we have had the Advocate-General giving un equally distinct warning that he will leave unless something decided is done as to the national armaments. The tone of the organs most devoted to Mr. Gladstone's person is becoming ominously gloomy and defiant. Even the Spectator calls out for " dignity," in the Government, and abuses poor Mr. Cardwell roundly for his natural deficiencies. The Times, to which none can refuse a certain rat-like sagacity, has been for some time carefully preparing to abandon the Ministry. The shadow of some impending catastrophe hangs upon the Liberal mind, and tends to much babble of confused ad vice and querulous expostulation. CHRISTMAS WITH THE CAMPAIGNERS. For many a long year to come, says the Daily News, France and Germany will remember the terrible Christ mas of 1870. The latest news that reaches us is still of marching and counter-marching, of the clash of armies, and of thousands of human beings mown down by rifle and greoade, and left to stiffen on the wintry fields of France. The end of the campaign, indeed, is apparently as far away as ever, and the German and French soldia.s now in the field may probably haoe thought that, since they could not enjoy Christmas with their families, they would extract as much merri ment out of it as was possible under the circumstances. If the soldiers who darken the white plains of France at this moment are likely to make the best of their bad fortune, and be glad of such camp celebrations of Christ mas as are possible to them, far otherwise must it be with their families at home. On them falls the true brunt of the war. With what heart can they sit down to any rejoicings—with what thankfulness can they hold that festival which, in Germany especially, has always had a peculiarly sacred and devotional character —when at the very moment their sons and brothers may be lying senseless and dying in some distant wood or valley? They do not know whether the presents they have sent will reach a living men or a corpse. To tneir desolation they add a terribly anxiety. And there are those to whom this anxiety is no longer possible. They have found a certain name in those lists pub lished from time to time in the newspapers; and now, in many and many a home, in France and in Germany, instead of a happy g tthering of friends and relations crowded round a hospitable board, the family sits corn less and alone, and the women are silent and in tears. The soldier's lot is by far the prefer:.ble of the two. Either he is killed and has done with it, or else lie lives to enjoy his double rations, and hopes his letter of kindly wishgs has reached his folks at home. Such is the Christmas of 1870. as it will be long remembered. A gloomier one Europe has seldom seen ; for, indeed, there is no glimmer of hope that this suicidal struggle between the foremost nations of the world will come to a speedy end. If the chances of the campaign were to place the Germans—by the raising of the siege of Paris, and by one or two decisive French victories—in the position which the French hold now, we might see the war indefinitely protracted, with both nations in the death grip. We hope that history might not have to say of yesterday that it was only the first Christmas wnich the German armies of King William spent in France. THE REAL AGGRESSOR IN THE WAR. The Advertiser, in discussing the reply of the Univer sity of Gottingen to the Royal Irish Academy relative to the preservation of the treasures of art during the war, says : It is time to sweep away the mendacious paradox which represents France instead of Prussia as being the real aggressor in the present war. The object of France was not conquest ; it was simply to restore the independence of Europe—defend herself and Europe both from Prussia, as she defended Italy from Austria, as she and we together defended the rights and liberties of Europe against Russia, who never menaced or assailed them more fatally than Prussia has been doing for years past, now threatening to destroy them altogether. What France wanted was to force Prussia back within her former limits, and bind her over to keep the peace, as we bound Russia ; to re store to independence and to their rightful owners those States and parts of States which she had violently seized and annexed, against the will and choice alike of Sovereigns and people, in 1866. That accom plished, France would have had no need for the acquisi tion of territory, for it was only the enormous territoria and military aggrandisement and expansion of Prussia, who had elarged herself into all Germany, her armies amounting to a million and a half, that suggested some equivalent compensation to her neighbours. The equilibrium of Europe once restored by Prussia being reduced to the dimensions within which she yet proved herself strong enough to crush Austria at Koniggratz, France would not have required compen sation, things would have been restored to their former status, and the balance of Europe would have been re dressed and rendered secure. Prussia is not only playing the tyrant of Western and Central Europe, but she has let loose Russia to play the tyrant in the East, to de nounce and tear up the Paris Treaty of 1856, the fruits of the Crimean war ; to attack and absorb Turkey ; to block up our thoroughfare to India, at which she can now strike from her position in Central Asia, and ultimately, as she hopes and intends, to conquer India itself. This is what holy Prussia has done. Is it not time that Europe, with England at its head, should make a supreme effort 'or safety and independence ? The case of Messrs. A. and C. Black, Edinburgh, against Messrs. Alexander Murray and Son, London, for alle o (Yed piracy of copyright of Sir Walter Scott's " Min strelsy of the Scottish - Border," come before the First Division of the Court of Session, at Edinburgh, on Fri day, on a reclaiming note by the defenders against the judgment of Llrd Jerviswood. The Court afhrmed the decision of the Lord Ordinary, finding the complainers entitled to judgment. The Council of Law Reporting in Ireland seems not to have found its undertaking successful. We learn that the staff has been dissolved with the view of reorganising the arrangements. Members of the bar Lave been invited to send m their applications for employ ment as reporters and editor, the present editor, Mr. Woodlock, having resigned. The council purposes dis continuing for the present reports from Landed Estate s , Probate, Bankruptcy , and Admiralty Courts. Th e y announce also that they will not guarantee the pay ment of any of the salaries, should there be a deficiency in funds, in which case all salaries are to abate propor tionately. • INDIAN OUTRAGES IN THE RIVER PLATE.—We have news that the Indians had invaded the settleniont of Bahia Blanca, to the number of 1,400, and car.ied off 4,000 cows, 10,000 sheep, and everything portable in their way. The savages went up to the very walls of the town, and the victims include, I am sorry to say, three Englishmen, who died bravely defending their pro perty. „There are about sixty English settlers at Bahia, and their position must now be exceedingly unsatisfac tory, and even perilous.—Brcenos Ayres Correspondent of the Brazit and River Plate Mail. tee ed khe to vill re his 3U- on, brt list her first r a We Ilg ESW ing ipe the nod full the one d it irst field and L'ng By s of uch )yal this van will first ly a , PPY anas con y4s. the ear. .cell s of rued ;ed a will the • his ti th- Lys : rifle !rom nore y of Laing enty dred ence t)ch- will m in ham the oyal The ially The ) the an the r of ,3rs— eley. [one! Bell Lonel nion