The Sun. — London, England, 1870-09-10 00:00:00

THE WAR. PARIS PREPARING FOR A SIEGE. PARIS, THURSDAY. It is certain that Paris will defend herself, and it is significant that the Republican Government finds in the more democratic quarters of Paris a hearty support in the defence of the city, which was altogether wanting to the empire. The ouvriers of St. Antoine were less docile than the January Cabinet. The story is told that when the fatal declaration of war against Prussia was put to the vote the voices were equally divided. They were four to four, the Minister of Foreign Affairs himself being in favour of peace. The difficulty was solved by Emile 011ivier, who after having always advocated peace voted for war, in obedience to a signal from the Emperor. This was consistent in the gentleman who at first opposed the plebiscite but afterwards supported it, though neither he nor his master are much the better for his docility at pre sent. The situation b serious enough. The Prussian troops are crossing the frontier in large numbers. There will be at least 600,000 men on French territory before the end of the week. Those now en route are the Landwehr, soldiers who have already served, and the French levies now called for will scarcely be able to con tend with them. The Prussians opened the campaign with • troops from Bavaria, Baden, and Wurtemburg, and yet the flower of the French army was beaten. This cannot be taken altogether as a test of the respective military capacities of the two nations, for the only wonder is the French could fight at all under such generalship, or lack of generalship, as they suffered from. At Sedan, it is said, the want of ammunition was such that it was neces sary to menage the firing, while the iron rain of the Prussia:as poured into the French ranks with out ceasing. It was the Prussian artillery that carried the day. General Cluseret has, it is said, informed the Provisional Government that, should the war be prolonged, America can supply France with a large quantity of excellent arms. The General has addressed an animated letter to the Marseillaise, urging the people to resistance and blaming the government for de liberating instead of acting. He offers them himself now one thousand cannons and one hundred thousand guns, and three times as many if they will appeal to America, and charges them not to continue under the Republic the fatal system of disarmament. The Soir, in quoting this letter, asks the General to be a little more specific as to the whereabouts of these arms. The sympathy of the Americans is confidently reckoned upon by the French, who hope for a joint intervention on their behalf by Russia and the United States. The Journal de St. Petersburg states that the Imperial Cabinet has officially declared that it will make every effort to localise the war, and bring about a durable peace, but the Russian Government will not allow any interference with its liberty of action. The Soir says that it has suggested some precautions to the Government for the National Defence with respect to the waterworks of Paris, and that it would pow call attention to the woods—Chantilly, St. Germain, Razain vine, &c.—which, unless speedily destroyed, offer excellent retreats for the Uhlans, those furious devastators, who will try to cut the telegra phic lines and the provincial communications long before the greater part of the Prussian army can arrive at the ramparts. Of what avail will be the cannons of the forts of Aubervilliers and the Couronne de l'Est before the woods of Clancart and Bondy. If these necessary precautions are not adopted, the authorities will be trifling with the affair, and rendering useless the heroic dispositions of the Parisian population. L'Avenir National has published an animated address to the Re public, by George Sand. In this she declares that the Republic has risen again from its ashes, and come to life for the fourth time, This proves that Repuhlicanism -is the normal state, and the state desired by the human mind, It• is the inevitable goal of the prodigious work of humanity. Rochefort has written to the Con-stitutipund to say that at the very time when all contrary opinions should agree, and' all the citizens be united against the enemy, an. odious article has appeared in the 43/m.Bd/fa/se, meaning General Cluseret's letter entitled " The Reaction." It is a f veritable call to civil war, and he wishes to remind the public that he has nothing whatever to do with the paper. The Constit-ationnel says that the fall of the Imperial Government has completely changed the rela tions of France and Prussia. The Tower which was denounced by the King of Prussia has fallen, and if he will renounce the idea of conquest it will be easy to conclude a permanent peace. There is no lasting cause of enmity between the two nations, and Germany can pursue her , own course in peace, while France, in the development Qf liberty and the progress of civilisation, may find works of more consequence than those of military triumpher The Liberte calls attention to the fact that during the pad century, from the death of Louis the Fifteenth, six sovereigns, four kings and two emperors, have ruled France, without mentioning Louis the Seventeenth and Napoleon the Second, who merely ruled nominally. Only one of these princes, Louis the Eighteenth, died on the throne. It may be observed that the sway of Louis Philippe and that of Napoleon the Third was of nearly the same duration, Louis Philippe having reigned from 1830 to 1848, and the Emperor Napoleon from 1852 to 1870, the Emperor, however, having been head of the State previously from 1848 to 1852 as Presi dent. The audacity of the Prussians in Paris is said to be great, and mention has been made of the conduct of a concierge, who on the receipt of the intelligence of MacMahon's defeat which was so distressing to the Parisians, had the bad taste to illuminate two windows of the first floor which belonged to the apartments then unoccupied. THE NORTH GERMAN PRESS ON THE WAR. The National Gazette maintains that the proclamation of the Republic in France must not arrest the course of the Prussian army. The North German Gazette, a semi-official organ, states that the French Republic is due to the errors of the late administration, which concealed the truth from the people and buoyed it up with false hopes. The Gazette de to Croix, a feudal organ, declares that the French nation shares tho responsibility of the war, and that it was entered upon not only by the wish of Napoleon, but with the concurrence of the Parliamentary Ministers and the Parliamentary Chambers. The Dresden News, writing before the surrender of Napoleon, says that he wishes to re-enter Paris with the German bayonets, and that the Germans for their part can gain better terms from him than 'from the Provisional Government. The Arenir of Berlin, a democratic organ, says that the capture of Napoleon is the first contretemps that the Pruis sian army has met with in its triumphant course. Could they not have contrived an incognito for him, and have sent him to the nearest French outport ? The last news is that Russia will propose a European Congress, and, with all respect to their rulers, they do not expect that they will conclude a peace with France without the co-operation of the European Powers. CAPTAIN JEANNEROD AT SEDAN. In a letter, dated Brussels, Tuesday, 6th, Captain Jean nerod continues his graphic account of the disaster :-- I will not attempt (he says) to, give you a stra tegic account of the battle. That can be done later, when the documents are collected, but could not be done with accuracy at present. I have seen several accounts in the French and Belgian papers which appeal plausible enough, but are, in many things, altogether 'erroneous ; as, for instance, in the retreat of the Emperor and the army on Mdeibre& It was impossible to se dearly one so extended a battlefield. Our troops were ranged around Sedan, and held excellent positions. The Prussian army ranged concentrically all round, held us within an im mense circle, thanks to its enormous numerical superiority, and during the first part of the day they acted in such a fashion as to - lead us to hope confidently for victory. There were three fatalities in this day. The wound of MacMahon, which from six i n the morning left the army without a chief ; the arrival of the reinforcements of the Prince of Saxony and the Crown Prince, which arrived towards midday, and crushed our already exhausted troops ; thirdly, that monstrous treason which has weighed us down during the whole campaign, the want of ammunition in presence of an inexhaustible artillery. You must have read it, and it will be often repeated, for it is true. The battle of Sedan was on the part of the Prussians nothing but a battle of artillery. We had before us the contingents of the South, and Our soldiers rushed upon them with an elan they were little prepared for. " At last we shall see them ! " cried our ranks, as they climbed the hillsides covered with fire. But they did not see them. On the be:ghts, carried with so much difficulty, there was nothing. Infantry and cavalry, casquette s and helmets had disappeared in the earth, or in the woods, and fresh batteries from the other side began scattering death and destruction. Our men meanwhile fired with a slowness which was soon explained to the general con- sternation. When I went the town was quiet, but was speedily agitated by the news of MacMahon's wound. MacMahon has, perhaps, committed some mistakes in his tactics, but they are nothing in comparison with the faults of negli gence and stupidityof those who were second to him. We had heard the exclamation of sorrow and of anger with which he approached the Emperor to tell him of the fresh instance of incapacity which had lost Failly's corps and given the first blow to the army. It was known, too, that he had done all that he personally could, and was indefatigable In his devotion to his duty. He often slept on straw, and never, like some other generals, carried in his suite cases of fine wine. Then he was wounded, and his daring traditional in Africa, Crimea, and Italy, had not had its usual good fortune. The wound was variously described, but it is said to be slight, though caused by a bursting shell, and, I think, iu spite of the unfavourable reports we may still hope. I met one of those who took charge of the Marshal and gave him over to the Belgian general who was to escort him to Sedan. The Duchess of Magenta had arrived calm and somewhat reassured. This same fatal shell, however, left the army from the very beginning of the day without chief, without guidance. The corps fought in individual detachments. General Wimpffen, who only arrived the evening before, and was invested with the command was not au coumns with any thing, and to this want of information must be attributed, next to the lack of provisions and of ammunitiqn, -a capitulation unexampled in the history of war. It was eight o'clock. I had ascended to the clock again, but could see nothing but a circle of fire. The cannon of the citadel began to sound over the city. I descended and ran with other perwas into the streets for a little bread. At this sad time it seemsidle to speak of privations which nevertheless give the key to the situation. For twenty-four hours the stores ha,dhad no resources, and you must obtain something by force or address if you would not drop from inanition. As we were waiting round a baker's door to catch the loaves as they came from the oven, a shock stronger than usual told us that a Prussian shell had burst on the ramparts. We were eating our hardly earned bread with our eyes fixed on the bridges by which the artillery trains kept steadily defiling when we saw an extraordinary movement among men and horses. A terrible whistle was heard over our heads. A shock more terrible still shook the place, and some 20 metres from where we sat a column of smoke and loud shrieks told us that the first projectile had exploded in Sedan at the foot of Turenne's statue. We rose calmly though deeply moved. I have • seen bombs and bullets on the battle - field, but in a town in the midst of houses the sinister sound is something different. A calm succeeded this tumult, and we entered a café where the owner took us for safety into a little kitchen overlooking the Meuse. We had scarcely left the billiard saloon, which we entered first, when a fresh whistle made us start. A shell had carried off the window at which we stood five minutes before, and wounded a boy. Enough, however, of this, which lasted. from nine in the morning till half-past three in the afternoon, time which seemed long'enough to us, I assure you. The shelter of the kitchen was useless. We opened a door which led to a little cellar, below the level of the Meuse, and every one went down. The worst of such scenes are one's surroundings. Nervous women cried after each fire, " A doctor !" " The wounded !" The humor ous element was not wanting. A gendarme all tbrough the day wearied us by repeating at five ininute intervals, ,` We shall win, gentlemen ; remember that it is a gen darme, an old artilleryman, who tells you so. Listen to the explosions. My experience tells me that they have gone back twelve kilometres." And then, as confirmation of his words, an explosion would take place close by us. " That," he would say, "is the cannon of the citadel ! " But in fact, up to midday, in spite of the wonderful artillery of the enemy, the advantage was on our side. What, however, could be done against oeaseless rein forcements, without generalship? After the wound of Macmahon the army was left to itself. The Emperor, it is said, in melancholy imitation of Montereau, himself directed the cannons of the citadel. Then he came down and went towards the bridges. Where he went I know not. In passing our cafe a shell burst at two paces from his horse, but not a muscle of his face moved, and some cheers, repressed by a movement of his hand, greeted him. Evidently this man, overcome by his great fall., was resigned to everything, but this resignation cured nothing; and the command was always in fault. The wounded officers and soldiers who arrived in our midst were full of indignation, and told us unparalleled things. Ne one, whether actor or spectator, can forget those hours. The cavalry which MacMahon knew so well how to send forward at the right moment, had been massed under fire, and .perished without• even the rowel , to avenge itself. "Where are the generals?" they cried on all sides% "We could see no one," and those who were mentioned, such as Marguerite and Cambriels, were only the exceptions that confirmed the rule. One division was fop a time commanded by a lieutenant-colonel of the staff. When it came to the formalities respecting the departure of the soldiers who had signed the declaration the presence of some generals were necessary, and the generals were • not to be found. "Gentlemen," said the Prussian Commander of the place, " I cannot do every thing. Your generals know the duties which circumstances impose on them, but they are always asleep. It seems to me that in such a case one might rise at six in the morning." Later in the afternoon nearly the same words were repeated by the same speaker in the open street a few paces distant from where I was. The Prussian commandant was a colonel of the Brandenburg HuFsars, , of the Slave type, with a loud voice and an indescribable air of conqueror. Such men know nothing of our army, which is often without commanders, and is therefore not scrupulous about obeying. At one moment difficulties threatened to arise. Some thousands of stragglers were in the streets when the Prussians were coming in. What conflicts might not arise between the arrogant conquerors and the conquered, some of them overcome by shameful intoxication, others by rage and sorrow ! " Take care, gentlemen," cried the ferocious colonel, in my hearing, " make them evacuate, or I will not answer for anything." " But our soldiers no longer obey us.„ " That concerns you. As for me, I must have ord er , an d _ _ _ _ I will have it. I should regret to charge upon unailne, men, but I may be obliged to do so, and against those who no not know how to obey, I only use the bayonet." I saw some painful instances of want of dignity, A French colonel chatted gaily with a Prussian general discussing the chance of such and such places to the dis gust of the bystanders. You know how the cruel day of the Ist ended. Toward evening the army driven back into Sedan found itself, as General Wimpffen said, without ammunition or food. It was necessary to send a flag of truce,and the Municipal Coun cil accompanied it. Sedan was already burning in several places, what would it be if bombarded in earnest? We did not then know the spectacle which should await us on the morrow, or the grief with which we should see our shattered army fill the bed of the Meuse with its broken weapons and defile before the enemy's legions. Still less did we know that our disaster, thoughgreat, was not altogether inevitable—that there was a means of es- cape at one point, though at the price of great loss of cutting through the fiery circle and rallying the remnants of our army, which could not be done in the town, but as I have said before,al generalship was wanting. A fear- ful scene of misery filled the streets, which I shall re member all my life. At every step I met old friends who hurried up and greeted me affectionately, saying, "Now, at last, you will speak out." To-morrow you will receive my last letter, for I shall return immediately. GEORGE% JEANNEROD. HOW THE EMPRESS ESCAPED-. A correspondent of the Daily Telegraph gives some in teresting details of the departure of the Empress from Paris : "So far as I have been able to see, the accounts of the Empress's escape from the revolutionised capital on Sun day, which have been published in this country, are im perfect and inaccurate. I have just returned from Paris, where I had special opportunities for observing the stirring events of Sunday ; and I give you what I know to be the true story of her Majesty's escape. The deposition of the Wpoleon dynasty was voted in the Corps Ljgislatif about one o'clock on Sunday afternoon. At two o'clock M. Pietri—then Prefect of Police —rushed breathlessly into the Empress's apartments at the Tuileries with the startling announce ment and warning : ' The Wcheancl has been declared. I have not a moment to lose. Save your life, Madame, as I am now hastening tosave myown !' Then he disappeared —and with good reason too, for the Revolutionary Go vernment would give something to be able to lay hands upon him now. The Empress found herself alone with her old and trusty secretary and friend, Madame le Bre ton, and with M. Ferdinand de Lesseps; who both earnestly urged her to fly at once. .But her high spirit SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1870. made this a most unpalatable counsel. It was a cowardice —une lachete—to desert the Palace. She would rather be treated as was Marie Antoinette by the mob than seek safety in an unworthy flight. For a time all persuasion was useless ; but at length her 'Majesty's mood calmed somewhat,and she saw the utter uselessness of remaining. Attended only by the two companions • we have named, the Empress fled through the long gallery of the Louvre ; but suddenly her course was stop ped short by a locked door. The little party could distinctly hear the shouts of the crowds who were invading the private gardens of the Tuileries. M. de Lesseps, to gain time, proposed that he should go out on the terrace and get the soldiers on guard to hold back the people for a few minutes, while in addition he would delay the crowds by addressing them. The resort to this expedient was not necessary. Madame le Breton found the key, opened the • door that had obstructed their pro gress, and gave egress to her Majesty—who, accompanied only by her tried friend, issued into the street at the bot tom of the Louvre. There they hurriedly entered a common Awe, not without a risk of detection on the spot ; for a diminutive gamin de Paris, not more than twelve years old, shouted, l'lmperatrice !' Luckily, no one about heard or heeded him ; and the cab got safely away with the two ladies. They drove to M. de Lesseps's house in the Boulevard de Malesherbes, where the Em press sat until she was joined by M. de Metternich, who did what he could to facilitate her depari. ire to a place of safety. Later in the evening, the Empress, still accom panied by Madame le Breton, drove to the Gare du Nord, escaped all detection.—thanks to the thick veil which she wore—and at seven o'clock rolled safe and unsuspected away towards the Belgian frontier." A PRUSSIAN GENERAL ON THE SIEGE OF PARIS... A French journal publishes the opinion of one of the ' most experienced of the Prussian Generals on the diffi culties of the siege of Paris. He says, " Admitting that the invading armies could advance on Paris could they overcome the resistance . that will be opposed to them in the immense intrenched camp of which the siege will be at least as difficult as that of Sebastopol ? Supplies of all kinds can be sent from the interior to the capital, and without an overwhelming superiority in numbers it must be almost impossible to take possession of Paris by force of arms, and thus to become masters of the whole of France. Paris will never be in our power, unless political circumstances or interested motives shall induce its defen ders to throw open its gates to us." WOE TO THE CONQUERORS. Under this title the Avenir of Berlin has published an interesting article from the pen of M. Jacob Venedy, an old Baden representative. He writes as follows :—` Woe to the conquered' is the dictum that is universally recog nised; but we say, Woe to the conquerors,' and this version will be found mu.ch oftener verified in the world's history. The Roman victories lost everything to Rome, its liberty, its valour, its morals, its virtue, and finally its dominion. The victories of the French Republic l i ed to the Caesarism of the First Napoleon, the victories of Napoleon led to the subjugation of France, and rendered the existence of the Second Empire possible, and the victories of the Second Empire in the Crimea and Italy have brought about the Mame lukism which has to-day sent France into the abyss. We fear that our victories may produce similar consequences, and it is our duty to express that fear. The great successes which the Germans have met with are likely to make them arrogant, and disdainful and oppressive to other people. The tone which the German press has asanmed of late justifies this warning, and its overweening presumption is offensive to the Germans, and they should uproot the tare before it has taken root. Towards France this overweening language is most unsuitable. The combatant gives respect to the enemy he fights with. We trust that victori ous Germany will impose no terms on France which may dishonour her and render her the mortal enemy of their land, and the natural ally of all their enemies. The French nation has merited a chastisement in conse quence of her unjust conduct towards Germany ; but Germany, on hem part, will also deserve punishment if, when victorious, she gives way to the idea of an Imperial domirration represented by the throne of a German Sove •reign. The Germano-Roman Empire has provoked in Germany during four centuries the most incalculable evils. The idea of a French Empire, which goes back to the days of Louis XIV., after having surfeited France with glory, has led to her disorganisation and her present mis fortunes. May the German spirit avert from the German people the errors of an Imperial sovereignty. To- day Germany has revenged on Imperial France her dominant and conquering tendencies, but woe to Germany if, being victomious, she substitutes her own conquering notions for those of the conqueresd. THE FRENCH ON THE SEA. The correspondent of • the Daily News at Copenhagen gives some interesting facts concerning the opera tions of the French fleet. He writes :—" The first thing to be done, it is quite evident, was to become masters of one of the small islands upon the coasts of Holstein or Schleswig, or one of many which have secure anchorage, and which are not defended. It would have been -a basis of operations, a point to retire to, a point for re-victualling, matters indispensable for a squadron, especially when, as in the ease of Admiral Bonet, a fleet cannot cast anchor in safety except by retiring into territorial waters of a neighbouring neutral Power. In fact, the French squadron never anchors. It is subject to continual surprises in the night from the light Prussian avisos which, coming out of the darkness from small harbours known only to themselves, dare to come in the middle of the French vessels, there to reconnioter or to blow them up by torpedoes, as was near occurring in the roadstead of Dantzig, where with French daring Admiral Bonet ventured to anchor under the very cannon of the forts. Perhaps they hoped that they would fire upon him, and that they would thus give him the opportunity of replying vigorously. These Prussian vessels risk but little themselves. They are of rapid movement, and have but a small crew, and the taking of one of them would be an insignificant loss ; whereas if one of their attempts was crowned with success, it would be an irreparable lose to the French fleet. It is, therefore, evident that the occupation of of one of the isles on the coast would have been of the greatest maritime importance for France in the Baltic. In neglecting it the French vessels have been forced to take in coal on the open sea from vessels which bring it from France, and only when the weather permits. Another Inconvenience is the necessity which the French fleet is under of approaching from time to time the Danish coast, thus perhaps compromising that nation, whose devotion to France has been suspected, and for which Prussia will certainty make it pay sooner or later, probably as soon as it can. Another fault in respect to the French expedition is the manner which they have composed the Squadrons of the North Sea and the Baltic. The Prussian fleet being shut up at Jande, it was certainly necessary, on a coast-like this, to send some iron-plated vessel to oppose a sortie of the enemy, but it was especially necessary, in order to be able to effect the blockade in a way less costly and more active, to have kept also light despatch-boats and gun boats of small draught, in order to be able to pursue into the shallowest waters the small Prussian boats, which find therein a certain refuge, and who comp out from them with impunity to harass the French fleet." THE POLICY OF .THE NEW GOVERNMENT OF FRANCE. A Paris correspondent of the Daily News, commenting upon the policy of the new French Government, says : AI. Jules Favre's diplomatic circular is very much admired, and as a literary composition I think it his best title to the distinction of an Academician, which he enjoys. From what I know, and lament to know, of the feeling of the French people he could not have spoken otherwise in substance. When he says that France will not yield an inch of territory or a stone of any fortress he only e4hoes what every Frenchman says, no matter what he may think, and what, until more overwhelming calami ties than have yet befallen France shaH occur, every Minister must continue to say. But, unfortunately, the Circular holds out no reasonable hope of that peace which M. Jules Favre, I am quite sure, most truly says is the ardent desiie of the Government in whose name he speaks. It is not reasonable to expect that because on one fine Sunday the people of Paris were enabled to declare, without opposition, that the Emperor Napoleon 111., then a prisoner of war in the hands of the King of Prussia, had ceased to reign in France, Prussia should at once declare herself satisfied, renounce all the fruits of her victories, and retire to her own territory, after having ~ s acri tied 200,000 men, drawn the bulk of her agricultural and industrial population from their peaceful pursuits to their enormous detriment and against all her frugal principles and practices, and saddled her subjects with a heavy debt, without obtaining some very substantial guarantee ' against aggression from France in the future. It is im possible for Prussia to forget, and it behoves the Govern ment of the National Defence to remember, that only six weeks ago the Boulevards rung with ferocious cries of " Vive la Guerre !" and " Let us go to Berlin !" I knew, as I said at - lhe time, that these cries were to a great extent factitious. The fuglemen who provoked and even for the most part uttered them, were the paid police agents of the abominable Government which has fallen. But, and sad it is to say, the people who had not the courage to shake off this Government till it led the French armies to defeat, heedlessly and recklessly took a large part in crying " Vive la Guerre !" not that they knew or cared, anything about the merits of the diplomatic dispute between the Duke de Gramont and M. Benedetti, but because they had an unhealthy appetite for what is called " glory," which they fancied might be satisfied at a cheap rate. M. Jules Favre's Circular implicitly admits that France, so long as it was represented by the Emperor, was wrong in the war. But it ignores the terrible responsibility which the French nation cannot now evade of having tolerated the Emperor's wrong-doing. M. Jules Favre gives no hint that France would even be willing to pay a war indemnity. That, however, I know the Government and the nation would be only too happy to submit to in princi ple. But, then, what a terrible question is inuolved in the settlement of the figure ! If Prussia yielding to represen tations which doubtless will be made by neutral Powers, should be brought to see that if she seeks to dismember France, she will sow the seeds of future wars, and excite distrust in Europe, should be induced to give up her con quests, and be content with sending in her bill ; that bill, owever honestly made out, would be so frightful that the sacrifice of Alsace would be light in comparison. France would have not only to pay the immense expenses of the invading army, but also to take up all the bills which the conquering Prussians gave to the towns and communes in Alsace, Lorraine, and Champagne, upon which they levied war supplies, AN UNPLEASANT APPARITION. The Paris correspondent of the Telegraph, writing from Paris on Wednesday, says :—" We have just had a ' demonstration after the old sort. Some hundreds of men and fearful women, in rags and tricolour ribbons, came clown the Boulevard at an early hour, singing and shouting. They then disappeared from sight awhile, to return about three o'clock in greater force, more ragged, and,, naturally, more hoarse than on the first visit. They raved and sang around for some time ; and at length, towards five o'clock, marched across the Place de la Concorde and explored the barren halls of the Corps Le<gislatif. From thence they wandered into the Faubourg St. Germain, and fri,i, ten LA all the old dowagers remaining there with dreadful reminiscences of their youth. And then they melted into space, without doing any harm that I am aware of. But such idle demonstrations are a warning. I saw the crowd at the corner of the Rue Royale, and it was not a pleasant one. The great number of faces were quiet, and commonplace enough, but there were those dreadful hangers-on. And when women begin to mob, taking part in the uproar and menace, they always bring mischief. It is true that these poor people do not seem to have had any object, in particular. They represented themselves to be arti sans turned out of the closed manufactories. They did not ask alms, and they did not do any mischief. If they had, it would have been an unpleasant sort of reason for their behaviour. As it was, they made simply an incomprehensible and unpleasant appa rition.' 1111: VLOTORY AT SEDAN. KING WILLIAM'S DESPATCH TO QUEEN AUGUSTA. FROM WsB CORRESPONDENT OF THE "MANCHESTER " GUARDIAN.") BERLIN, .THURSDAY. The following despatch has been received by Queen Augusta:— " To Queen . Augusta, in Berlin. VENDRESSE, SOUTH OF SEDAN, Sept. 3. "You will have learnt through my three telegrams the whole extent of the great historical event which has just taken place. It is like a dream, even when . one has seen it unroll itself hour by hour ; but when I consider that after one great successful war I could not expect anything more glorious during my reign, and that I now see this act follow, destined to be famous in the history of the world, I bow before God, Who alone has chosen my army and allies to carry it into execution, and has chosen us as the instruments of His will. It is only in this sense that I can conceive this work, and in all humility praise God's guidance and grace. I will now give you a picture of the battle and its results in a compressed form. On the evening of the 31st and the morning of the Ist the army had reached its appointed positions round Sedan. The Bavarians held the left wing, near Bazeilles, on the Meuse; next them the Saxons, towards Moncelle and Daigny ; the Guards still marching towards Gironne, the fifth and eleventh corps towards St. Menges and Fleigneux. As the Meuse here makes a sharp bend, no corps had been posted from St. Menges to Donchery, but at the latter place there were Wurtemburgers who covered the rear against sallies from Mdzieres. Count Stolberg's cavalry division was in the plain of Donchery as right wing ; the rest of the Bava rians were in the front towards Sedan. Notwithstanding a thick fog, the battle, began at Bazeilles early in the morning, and a sharp action developed itself by degrees, in which it was necessary to take house by house. It lasted nearly all day, and Scholer's Erfurt division (re serve fourth corps) was obliged to assist. It was at eight o'clock, when I reached the front before Sedan, that the great battle commenced. A hot artillery action now began at all points. It lasted for hours, and during it we gradually gained ground. . As the above-named villages were taken, very deep and wooded ravines made the advance of the infantry more difficult, and favoured the defence. The villages of Selg and Floing were taken, and the fiery circle drew gradually closer round Sedan. It was a grand sight from our position on a commanding height behind the above-mentioned battery, when we looked to the front beyond St. Torcy. The violent resistance of the enemy begsa to slacken by degrees, which we could see by the broken battalions that were hurriedly retreating from the woods and villages. The cavalry endeavoured to attack several, battalions of our fifth corps, and the latter behaved admirably. Tho cavalry galloped through the interval between the battalions, and then re turned the same way. This was repeated three times, so thab the ground was covered with corpses and horses, all of,which we could see very well from our posi tion. I have not been able . , to learn the number of this brave regiment, as the retreat of the enemy was in many places a fliqht. The infantry, cavalry, and artillery, rushed in a crowd into the town and its Immediate environs, but no sign was given that the enemy contem plated extricating himself from his desperate situation by capitulation. No other course was left than to bombard tho town with the heavy battery. In twenty minutes the town was burning in several places, which, with the numerous burning villages over the whole field, produced a terrible impression. I accordingly ordered the firing to cease, and sent Lieutenant-Colonel Von Broussart, of the General Staff, with a flag of truce, to demand the capitulation of the army and the fortress. He was met by a Bavarian officer, who reported to me that a. French parlementaire had announced himself at the gate. Colonel Von Broussart was admitted, and on - his asking for the 'Commander-in-Chief; he was unexpectedly introduced into the presence of the Emperor, who wished to give him a letter for myself. When the Emperor asked what his message was, and received the answer ' to demand the surrender of the army and fortress,' he replied that on this subject he must apply, to General De Wimpffen, who had undertaken the command, in the place of the wounded General MaeMahon, and that he would now send his adjutant-general, Reille, with the letter to myself. It was seven o'clock ,when Reille and Broussart came to me, the latter a little in advance ; and it was first through him that I learned with certainty the pre sence of the Emperor. You may imagine the impression which this made upon all of us, but particularly on myself. Reille sprang from his horse and gave me the letter of the Emperor, adding that he had no other orders.. Before I opened the letter I said to him, But I demand, as the first condition, that the army lay down its arms.' The letter begins thus :—'N'ayant pas pu mourir a la tilte de mcs troupes, je depose mon epee aux p ieds de votre MajestO,' leaving all the rest to me. My answer was that I deplored the manner of our meeting, and begged that a plenipotentiary might be sent with whom we might conclude the capitulation. After I had given the letter to General Reille, I spoke a few words with him as an old acquaintance, and so this act ended. I gave Moltke powers to negotiate, and directed Bismarck to remain behind in case political questions should arise. I then rode to my carriage and drove here, greeted everywhere along the road with the loud hurrahs of the trains that were marching up and singing the National Hymn. It was deeply touching. Candles were lighted everywhere, so that we were driven through an improvised illumination. I arrived here at eleven o'clock, and drank with those about me to the pro ' sperity of an army which had accomplished such feats. As on the morning of the 2nd I had received no news from Moltke respecting negotiations for the capitulation which were to take place in Donchery, I drove to the battle-field, according to agreement, at eight o'clock, and met Moltke, who was coming to obtain my consent to the proposed capitulation. He told me at the same time that the Emperor had left Sedan at five o'clock in the morning, and had come to Donchery, as he wished to speak with me. There was a chateau and park in the neighbour hood, and I chose that place for our meeting. Atlo o'clock I reached the height before Sedan, Moltke and Bismarck appeared at twelve o'clock, with the capitulation duly signed. At one o'clock I started again with Fritz, the Crown Prince, and, escorted by the cavalry and the staff, I alighted before the chateau, where the Emperor came to meet me. The visit lasted a quarter of an hour. We were both much moved at seeing each other again under such circumstances. What my feelings were—l had seen Napoleon only three. years before at the summit of his power—is more than I can describe. After this meeting, from half-past two to half-past seven o'clock, I rode past the whole army before Sedan. The reception given me by the troops, the meeting with the Guards, now decimated—all these are things which I can not describe to-day. I was much touched by so many proofs of love and devotion. Now, farewell.—A heart deeply moved at the conclusion of such a letter, " WILIIELM. According to a private telegram received at Berlin from Florence, the Italian Government has recognised the French Republic. In the provinces of Alsace, Bas-Rhin, and parts of the Vosges, the destitution is frightful. Horses, cattle, carts, and provisions of all sorts have been taken by the Prussians. In some villages there is not a grain of salt. There is not food for one month in the country occupied by the Prussians. General Trochu is about to pass a review of all the troops and all the citizen soldiers in Paris. Their united numbers are said to amount to four hundred thousand men, The Soir remarks that it was a General Wimpffen who delivered up the town-of Verdun to the Prussians in 1792, and now another General Wimpffen has capitulated at Sedan in 1870. M. Erdan, the correspondent of the Temps at Florence, mentions a report that the Italian Government has sent an ultimatum to the Pope demanding the immediate dis bandment of the foreign troops in his army. No answer being returned, the Italian army will cross the Roman frontier. Generals Wimpffen and Besson passed Verviers on Thursday on their way to Stuttgart to surrender them selves, that being the place of imprisonment of superior officers. The Empress is said to have gone to England. The Gaulois has a vehement article declaring that they must burn Paris without delay. The world must see that the capital of pleasure can become the bier of heroism. The Paris correspondent of the Independance Beige says that Lord Lyons has assured Jules Favre, that if Prussia should insist upon too onerous terms, a serious coolness would arise between the Courts of London and Berlin. It is stated in Paris that the diplomatic establishments are preparing for sudden flight, and that the domestic paraphanalia of the English Embassy has already left. Prince Napoleon is gone to his Swiss chateau at Prangins, and has adopted the name of Count of Mon caliere. The Tagblatt of Vienna has received the following despatch from Stuttgai dt, dated the 7th :—" The German States have already agreed about their deinands when peace shall be negotiated. Bavaria, Wurtemburg, and Baden renounce any accession of territory, grounding ' their abstention on the fact that no one of them would feel itself strong enough to defend tha acquired district against a foreign aggression; but Alsace and Lorraine ought to be placed, as territory of the German Empire, under the protection of Germany. There is said to be quite a famine at Boulogne among the English residents, who are leaving in great numbers. Three hundred passengers came over in one trip by one of the Folkestone steamers. The Brussels, correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette sends, without guaranteeing it, the following piece of news ; —lt is said that the retiring army of General de Vinoy received the news of the proclamation of the Republic very badly. All discipline was at once at an end, and the soldiers took the roads to their homes, refusing any further obedience to their officers. The correspondent of the Telegraph, just arrived at Carlsruhe from Strasburg, says the reduction of the fort ress is now a mere question of time. General Ulrich, the commandant, has already proposed terms of peace, which have been rejected, and negotiations have been thrice opened and broken off. The Times despatch says Stras burg is now invested, by 60,000 men. Only women and children will be allowed by the Germans to leave the town in future. The Botanical Gardens are converted into a cemetery. GARIBALDI AND THE FRENCH GO VENMENT. The Government of the National Defence has received the following telegram from Garibaldi :—" That what re mains of me is at your service. Make use of it." MARSHAL C ANROBERT. The Brussels correspondent of the Siecle says ;—" I have just heard good news, but I cannot guarantee its accuracy. Marshal Canrobert has saved his division. He was in reserve ; and by a happy movement of retreat he was not surrounded, and was therefore not compelled to capitulate. May he arrive in Paris in good time. I care not by what route !" ADDRESS BY THE MAYOR OF PARIS. M. Emmanuel Arago, Mayor of Paris, has issued an address to the Parisians. He tells them the Garde Mobile of the departments is hastening to the defence of the capi tal, and he calls upon the citizens to open their doors to them. This will be required only for a time, as barracks are being rapidly constructed for them. 'Only those who can afford it will have Gardes billeted upon them. The persons who have left Paris will not be exempt. Their houses will be opened, and made available as lodgings for these troops. 337,000 AGAINST 1,250,000. The Opinion Nationale says that it appears from official documents found at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that when M. Gramont declared to the Corps Legislatif that war was pronounced he had received from the diplomatic agents of Germany a detailed account of the forces which Prussia could send against France—forces admirably equipped, organised and prepared a long time ago, and all ready to start. These forces presented a total of 1,124,000 infantry, and 130,000 cavalry, altogether making more than 1,200,Q00 soldiers, with a formidable artillery. At the same time the accounts given of the French army only gave the figure of 337,000 men, including the troops which were in Algeria. It was, then, with the knowledge that they had only 33Z,000 armed men to oppose to 1,200,000 Germans that the Ministers of the Empire and Napoleon 111. declared war, and exposed France to the disasters into which she has now fallen. ➢IR. GOLDWIN SMITH ON THE WAR. Mr. Goldwin Smith has written from Ithaca, New York, to a friend in this country, declaring that the only two good reasons for going to war are self-defence and the defence of public right. If England had recognised this as a case of the second kind, and taken sides openly with Prussia there would have been no war. But our Government is still a class government, while it has lost the power of a dominant aristocracy. We need not be false to public morality, however, and pretend both sides are wrong when there is no quarrel at all, but "an out rage committed by an Imperial brigand." In America public opinion grows more and more German. There can be no doubt as to the tendency of everything genuinely American. THE UNITY OF CHRISTENDOM.—The second and concluding services in connection with the anniversary of the Association for the Promotion of the Unity of Christendom took place on Thursday night at All Saints' Church, Lambeth. The congregation was not so large ,As on the previ ous n i g ht as , a lth oug h th e body of the sacred edifice was well filled, there were but a few people in the galleries. The service. which was fully choral, was conducted in very much the same manner as on Wednesday. The sermon was preached by the Rev. George Nug4e, rector of Wymering, who selected for his text the 15th verse of the 11th chapter of the Revelation : "And the seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying, " The kingdoms of this world axe become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Chrict." The rev. gentleman was listened to with great attention, and there were none of the marks of disapproval which characterised the service of the previous evening. THE EMPRESS AND THE POPE. One of the last acts of the Empress before leaving Paris was to telegraph to Cardinal Bonaparte that he should beg the Pope's blessing upon France and the Im perial family in the critical position to which they had been reduced: The Cardinal waited upon the Pope in tears, and told him that,the Emperor had been taken, the Empress was a fugitive, and the Republic had been proclaimed. The Pope gave the asked for blessing, and endeavouied to comfort the Cardinal by telling him to wait for further news, " Write to Paris," his Holiness added, " and say that Rome remembers only the great service which France and the Imperial dynasty have ren dered it. I pray unceasingly for them." ITALY AND THE POPE. M. Erdau, the correspondent of the Temps, sends the following letter from Florence on September 6th :—" The Ministry is unanimous in favour of ordering the entry of Italian troops on the Roman territory. I have formerly told you their point of view. Without wishing to engage the French provisional government in diplomatic com munications respecting Rome, they consider they maY occupy Civita-Vecchia, Viterbo, probably Rome itself, in the character of a neutral country, in pros pect of a possible evacuation demanded by the Pope from Bavaria. It •is said that M. Nigra has officially given notice to the French Government of the state of affairs, and of this resolve on the part of the Italian Government. It is not known whether the Pro visional Government desired Italy to abandon her neu trality. At the moment .I write the most authentic ac counts state that the Italian troops have not yet crossed the frontier, and Vice-Admiral Isola is simply cruising in the waters of Civita with his ironclad fleet. But the be lief is that events 'will hasten on. General Car dona, the Commander-in-Chief of the troops, came to Florence to confer with the Minister of War, and has left to-day by special train. General Bixio has arrived here from Bologna, where he had taken a command, and he leaves to-night for the Papal frontier. It is he who, in case Rome should not defend herself, will make the entry. Will the Pope defend himself ? It has been expected, t has been said positively. Engineers have been sent to cut the railway lines, to blow up the bridges, and take other measures ; but there are still hopes of avoiding collision. Two or three personages have been sent to the Pope to offer him guarantees, such as the right bank the Tiber, &c. He has been assured that should Italy be forced to enter, she will proceed to the end, and if he was anxious to avoid the effusion of blood he would yield to the force of circumstances and take any guarantees he liked. I believe his reply to this kind of ultimatum is expected. Ido not know what persons have been selected to endeavour to effect this compromis.e in, extruai;. Ta ; ent is partly confirmed by a paragraph in the Italia, Cance, which says that an eminent man it Rome to offer the Holy Father all the gua: s he may desire for his safety and for the frees exero ,i his functions. a t bat Sir Roderick Murchison has resolved to g. 6 , u 0 to yards the endowment of a chair of geology and it, ei..,10 8 y in Edinburgh University, if the Govern ment .-, Lqual liberality in the matter. 'l`. 'Mtn of Wells has resigned the living of St. Cuthbert, in that city, inasmuch as it has been proved that it is illegal to hold it with the deanery. The dean has held both since 1854. The living is worth £BOO a year. A question arose, and was submitted to the la" officers of the Crown, whether the dean had not forfeited his deanery. A great decrease in the emigration to Australia from Liverpool is attributable to the giving up by the Government of the emigration depot at Birkenhead. The chairman of the Mersey Dock Board has been requested to communicate with the Government. It was stated that the depot at Birkenhead, which had originally cost the Government £l,OOO, had been bought by the Dock Board for £99. The preparations for the Argentine National El hibition at the city of Cordova are in active progress. The building is approaching completion, and the trauwaY to connect it with the railway station has been cow: menced. The tramways in the city have experience" great success, and caused an amount of building specula tion in the suburbs beyond the available supply of labour. Several important railway proposals, involving prospective loans of magnitude, are under discussion in Congress.—Nature. It will interest the friends of Keshub Chunder Sen., the Indian Reformer, to know that just before her Majesty left Osborne she commanded him to attend her there, and conversed with him for a considerable time on Indian affairs. After the interview, the Queen was pleased to present her books to Mr. Sen, and to order him to send her his photograph, with some of his publi cations. A farewell meeting will be held at Hanover square Rooms on Monday evenin g , preparatory to Keshub Chunder Sen's return to Bengal. If all Hindoos were inspired with such feelings as those of this gentleman towards England and the English nation, we need have little fear of mutinies at Allahabad, or anywhere else ill the Peninsula. Intelligence reached Liverpool on Thursday by telegraph, from Galle, in advance of the incoming Australian mail, of the loss of the new Liverpool iron ship Harlech Castle, which after discharging her cargo from Liverpool at Melbourne, had gone round to New castle, N.S.W., and loaded coals for Calcutta. The tele gram merely states that she had been lost on the Australian coast. She was built by Evans and Co., at Liverpool this year, and was 1,112 tons, and the propertY of Messrs. Cole and Co. Early on Wednesday morning the house of Mrs. Martha Wormington, lady of the manor of Sandleworth Heath, near Fordingbridge, Hants, was broken into by three men, who seized Mrs. Wormington, tied her hands behind her, and beat' her severely about the head. TheY then ransaeked the house, and took away about £6 in cash. Mrs. Wormington remained in the condition in which the burglars left her the whole of the night, and Was released soon after daybreak by a passer-by, who heard her cries for help. It appears to have been her invariable custom to remain alone in the house, and the burglars ' were no doubt aware of this fact, and were well acquainted with the premises. THE POPE AND 1115 SUPPORTERS.—A writer in the Tablet, who dates his letter from Rome, Sept. 2nd, says the Pope has driven out frequently this week, and is perfectly well and cheerful. The internal state of the city, happily, continues tranquil, as is that of the frontier, but every precaution is being taken against emergencies. The same paper understands that Keyes O'Clery, Esq.: of the Middle Temple, who served in the Zouaves vi 1867, is on his way to Rome to rejoin his gallant corps in the impending crisis. General Trochu is a Breton, and, like a true son of Catholic Brittany, lie is said to be simple in his tastes, brave and honest, frank and resolute. When military arrogance prevailed in the army—when luxury and sensual extravagance were rampant in the capital, he dared to rebuke the one and to despise the other— To scorn delights and live laborious days. An anecdote of Trochu's private life, which has created some interest as indicating the character of the man to whom Paris in her dismay confides her destinies, may be unknown to many of our readers, and is not without its significance. On the death of his father, some years ago, he became entitled to the moiety of the small patrimonial estate in Brittany, which was to be divided between himself and his brother. His brother had eleven children. The General has none. He simply remarked that his brother needed the property more than he did, and relinquished his share of it. Not long afterwards his brother also died. Upon this oc currence the General observed that, having no family of his own, he was the better able to provide for that which Pro vidence had bestowed upon him. He adopted his eleven nephews and nieces, laid down his carriage, reduced his domestic expenditure, and assumed with cheerfulness the duty of providing for the whole of his late brother's family and household.—Tablet. [ADVERTISEMENT.] — Holloway's Ointment and Pills.- - Flatulency, Nausea, Indigestion.—Nothing depresses the mind more rapidly, or wears out the body much faster, than a stomach incapable of fully digesting its food. Indigestion renders life so miserable that from it spring, most of the suicides which daily sho c k our nerve s. Holloway's Pills be taken regularly for a time, and his Ointment be twice daily rubbed over the digestive organs, all melancholy causations will soon cease, and pleasurable thoughts succeed to the dismal forebodings engendered by dyspepsia, and which drive the sufferer to misery, and despair. Holloway's priceless preparations, by brisklY acting on the liver, and other internal organs, have long stood prominently forward for the wondrful cures they have effected. BIRTHS. On the 6th inst., at Staple-hill, the wife of John Mordeunt, Esq., of a son. On the Bth inst., at Portsdown-road, W., the wife of C• Lindsay Nicholson, Esq., of a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the Bth inst., at Tottenham, Middlesex, Edward, the eldest son of E. S. Pryce, Esq., of Upper Tulse-hill, Surrey, to Sarah, the youngest daughter of the late W. Ayres, Esq., of Shingay, Cambs. . , - On the 7th inst., at St. Mary's, Stratford-le-Bow William Henry, eldest son of the late Hammond Chalk, Esq. , M.R.C. S., to Agnes, fourth daughter of Thomas G aster, Esq. DEATHe. en the Bth inst., Mr. George Hooper, of 47, Wood-street , and St. Mary's-road, Canonbury. On the Bth inst., at Twickenham, Matthew Ewing, Esq., aged 85. • London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by hires at THE Surf Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct a he Savoy, n the County of Middlesex. Saturday, September 10, 1870 • C, edi t Orch Tem 1 1 Ito A3 ---___ lleed lad y arid ( a 1 1 — (1 1 I na "enti ofiT e: J~