The Sun. — London, England, 1870-09-20 00:00:00

THE WAR. PARIS INVESTED. PARIS, SUNDAY. The enemy is surely, and not very slowly, coming up and surrounding us, and the outer world is vanishing from the sight like the landscape from the mountain tops, when the mist drives forward. One village after another falls into the hands of the Ger mans ; from line after line of railway comes the message " n'expediezaucun train ; la voie a dt6 coupde."— "do not send off any train ; the road has been cut." So complete is the surround already that only one line of railway remains open—that of the west, by which many of your readers may have experienced the miseries of a transit which includes a six or seven hours' journey by All messages are sent by this route. It is more than doubtful, however, whether they will pass free beyond another day or two at most, for of course t'he Germans will do their. best to cut off this last bridge, which connects the be leagured island with the civilised regions beyond. So long as one road remains open, Parts is tolerably comfortable. When that is closed we shall begin to experience a siege in its reality. You will have heard ere this that the Government has advanced the day fixed for the election of the Constituent Assembly. It will now take place on Sunday week next, instead of Sunday three weeks. This change will be attended with two advantages : the Government will all the sooner be fible to submit their doings to a Legislature which will really represent the country, and their party will have in its favour the present fury of indignation against the Imperial regime, fury which in a little while might sensibly cool. It is remarkable that an event so important as this election should excite so little attention. The constitution, the future of France, depend upon it. But at present nobody has any time to think of this species of fighting, though when the day draws near doubtless greater interest will be shewn, It would be premature to speculate upon the result of the national choice, made, as it will be, under such remarkable circumstances. The prospect of many Imperialists finding a seat in the new chamber would seem small, but it is impossible to tell how the provinces will contemplate the doings of their former master. One or two points con nected with the coming election deserve notic.3. The new House will be much stronger in numbers than the one which was so summarily dismissed. Under the Empire the nation was the most weakly represented in iurope, possessing only one deputy to every 130,000 inhabi tants ; the Constituent Assembly will have a mem ber for every 50,000, and will muster altogether 753 members, with eleven more for Algeria and the other colonies. Thus if every Imperialist of the old Chamber, which had 292 members in all, be again returned (a very unlikely thing), that success will not give the Empire a majority, unless it can start new candidates, and bring them in first (a still more unlikely thing). It is further noticeable that only one day, instead of two, is to be allowed for the polling. This will at least relieve the Republic from a discredit which often, justly or not, fell upon the Empire, to wit, that between the night of Sunday and tae morning of Monday the urns, as the ballot-boxes are called, were frequently tampered with, and inundated with a beneficent rain of votes for the Imperial candidates. Another gr--t change will be made in the shape of vastly cheapening the elections. Under the late Government, the Imperialist candidates had their campaign con ducted for them free of cost, whilst the Opposition candidate was mulcted in a bill of from £6OO to £2,000, according to circumstances. Here was obviously a great disadvantage to the Liberals. There will be none of this on Sunday week. The poorest candi date will be able to start, and in some cases there can b e little question that the poorest will be chosen. As the strength of the Chamber is to be so much greater, and the proportion of one in 50,000 will be strictly carried out, the Department of the Seine, in which Paris is situated, will have forty-three representatives. ' Couple this fact with the cheap system, and it is not difficult to form an idea of the stuff of which some of the newlegislatordwill be made. There is no reason to think that the Government will in any way interfere with the free choice of the deputies, or will practice any of the arts resorted to under the hateful system that is gone. • M. Chevandier de Valdrome, late Minister of the In terior, tells a shameful story of the violence he met with whilst on his way home after the late change of Ministry. He received a safe-conduct for himself and family from M. Gambetta, the new Minister. He. left Paris on the • 6th, and on the Bth arrived at Rambervillers. Here his carriage was assailed by a furious mob of men, women, and young fellows, armed with staves. He was insulted, threatened, struck. The produc tion of the safe-conduct was of no avail, and serious " services " would have been rendered to the ex-Minister, had not some municipal functionaries interfered, and got M. de Valdrotne out of the difficulty. On the next day a similar scene was enacted at Rayon l'Etape, where M. de Valdrome's baggage passed through. The coachman was assailed, and a regular pillage commenced, when the ex-Minister's secretary came up. He was attacked, and had the utmost difficulty in escaping. In this case, too, the municipality interfered, and contrived to rescue secre tary, baggage, and the rest. But this, it seems, was not done until some of the firemen of Raven were armed and brought up to the as-istance of the municipality. On the 10th the depart could be effected only by the aid of an escort of twenty firemen, commanded by two officers. Even with this protection an attack was made by the mob. M. de Valdrome justly invokes the intervention of justice to punish these assaults. His offence consisted in being a member of the 011ivier Ministry. Preparations still go on, just as if nothing had yet been got ready. The Government, amongst other things, is doing its utmost to increase and improve the supply of arms. Unlike the preceding Government, the present Ministers are getting all the assistance they can from private houses. It was found that none but Government manufactories could turn out mitrailleuses, which require a special plant, &c., but in respect of other weapons much is being done by private assistance. Five hundred American volunteers have landed at Havre. More spies, or people who are taken for such, continue to be arrested. Amongst the last batch were two in the uniform of the Garde Mobile. Of peace there is very Tittle still said, though everybody longs for it most earnestly as a means of averting dire calamities from this city. But the journals here think it unpatriotic to write much about the subject which is on everybody's lips and at everybody's heart, and accordingly the matter is little discussed. It is impossible to form a judgment as to what terms the French would really be prepared to accept, if they were offered. Defence, de fence, is the only outward consideration. And, though there can be no doubt that a peace would be concluded with joy, it is equally sure that the fight will be desperate. In fact it is asserted on what appears to be official authority that everything is prepared to blow up the Prefecture of Police, the Motel de Ville, and other public buildings in case the enemy should enter Paris. The Figaro, once so Imperialist and now so Republican, appears with a vehement article in favour of continuing the war. The city has been a state of great excitement all day— more so than for some little time past. This effervescence has been caused partly by some rumours that promising - - - peace negotiations were going on, and partly by the sight of the clouds of smoke ascending from the neighbourhood of the fine woods and forests in the vicinity of the capital. The latter is a most melancholy spectacle. Few of the beauties of Paris contributed more to its embel- lishment than the splendid collections of trees which environed it on every side. The burning of these seems but a preliminary to the immolation of those treasures of art and literature which have long formed the glory of the world. The sight is profoundly depressing. Public meetings are now held ad libitum, under the present Ministry. Some of them are giving trouble to the Government by the extreme de- mands they make. Under a Republican rule the aid of Republicans cannot well be discarded, and yet these orators of Belleville and kindred districts are doing the Government no service by clamouring for measures which would savour more of the reign of terror than of the principles professed by the third Republic. LOUIS BLAND FOR LONDON. The Li&rtZ is highly indignant that no mission has yet been offered to Louis Blanc. German Jews have, it says, immense influence on the English press, and venal men are sowing gold in order to corrupt public opinion ; They are working on behalf of the King of Prussia as well as the . Court party. Kings can always understand one another and act in concert. The English people, generous and sympathetic towards France, will end by being deceived, if we persist in delaying to enlighten sea. RE Su.N, LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1876 polite and well-disposed towards us, the committee was simply composed of men who seemed incapable of anything beyond the most absurd-wickedness. We had to endure for a full hour all their insults to ourselves, to the Holy Church, and even to the Holy Virgin, which caused us to shudder. The most violent—two old white be . arded men —declared that we ought to be locked up, but happily their advice was not adopted, and we were allowed to leave at half-past 7. I besought one of the three well-disposed members to grant us a safe conduct, but he could only do so upon the condition of our returning to Montelimart, instead of pursuing our intended journey. This time we were allowed to leave unattended, but the apprehension of having a second time to experience the "people's joy," caused us to address a prayer to God which was speedily answered, for a tremendous fall of rain had cleared the streets, and we were enabled once more to reach the station. But our troubles were not yet over. Scarcely had we entered the waiting-room when a detachment of National Guards entered, and once more arrested us. I was worn out with fatigue, and I said to the officer, who ordered me to follow him, 'No, sir, I will not go. I have been arrested already twice to-day and that is enough.' Follow me.' But I have a safe conduct.' ' What of that ?' exclaimed all the men together. ' You must come.' I declared I would not go and then, leaving two men to guard us, the others went off with the safe conduct to seek their captain. After some time the captain appeared and told me that I might proceed, and I returned to Monte limart at one o'clock in the morning." The Journal de Maine et Loire says, " Lyons is a prey to the most deplorable system of revolutionary tyranny and disorder." The Salut Public of Lyons publishes a communal order to the following effect :—"The Committee of Public Safety, having consulted the Finance Committee, decrees ' that all articles of bedding, wearing apparel, and trade tools pledged at the Mont de Pi6te for slims not exceeding twenty francs shall be restored gratuitously to their owners.' " VICTOR HUGO'S APPEAL TO THE FRENCH PEOPLE. We have given the Germans a fraternal warning; but Germany has continued its march upon Paris. The Em pire attacked Germany, and she is revenging her wrongs upon the Republic. History will pass its judgment on the matter. France has the privilege which Rome and Greece formerly enjoyed, that her peril is to share the low-water mark of civilisation. France, however, will not fail, because she will do her duty. She must save Paris, not only for France, but for the world. War or disgrace is put before us. What is desired can be accomplished. A bad yew is excellent when the heart is good. An old sabre is invincible when the arm which yields it is valiant. Oh ! citizens let each one arm himself with whatever may come to hand, and let France become an abyss under the feet of the Prussians. Oh, people ofeFrance, develope unexpected strength, and astonish the world with the marvel of your waking. Let the lion of 1792 arouse himself, Make war by night and by day, on the mountains, in the plains, through the woods. Let there be no truce, no repose no, sleep. Despotism attacks liberty; Germany assaults France. Let us organise the terrific battle of the country. As for Europe, what has she to do do with us ? We do not seek for an auxiliary, and she may come to us if she is anxious to do so ; if she is afraid then she must fear. For the formidable denouement that France has accepted if Germany presses it upon her, France and Paris can suffice for each others So great a supplicant as Paris would astonish history, and she leaves Europe the desire of acting with greatness or littleness. As for the Germans, let them burn Paris as they have bvrned Strasbourg ; they will kindle more anger than they will light up leaves. Tranquil and terrible Paris awaits invasion, and has no more need of succour than has a volcano. Frenchmen ! You will fight ; you will devote yourselves to the universal cause, because so much blood must not be shed in vain. The illustrious shades of Brutus, Leonidas, Riego, and Maim, are looking down at you. You will not fail ; you will keep on to the end, and the world shall learn through you that if diplo macy is weak the citizen is brave ; that if there are kings, there are also peoples ; that if the monarchy is eclipsed, the Republic shines forth ; and that if for the moment there is no longer any Europe, there is always a France. DESTRUCTION OF THE FORESTS NEAR PARIS. The following description of the firing of the forests about Paris is by a correspondent of the Dail) News : " I have just witnessed a sight which vividly brings home ous the horrors of war. From the roof of the house in which I live I have seen the forests of Maisons, Mont morency, St. Prix, and the woods of St. Gratian all in flames. Human ingenuity must have a hard struggle with the rain, in trying to set the trees a-blaze. But as science in our time is pretty nearly sold to the Devil, the tears which Heaven wept are of no avail in saving the sylvan beauties of the environs of Paris. Though the winds blow from the west, we, who are miles to the east of the blazing forests, can smell the burnt wood. As the smoke is driven in the direction oppo site to us, by the aid of field-glasses we can witness the frightful end of many a pretty chalet or elegant villa to which the flames are being communicated. The estimable M. de Villemessant, who for his health's sake now finds it expedient to remain aux eaux, and M. Emile de Girardin, who was thought to be at Florence with his friends, 011ivier and Prince Napoleon, but who is in the flesh at Limoges, must in evitably suffer from the vast conflagration to the north of Paris. But who can pity them if their sumptuous country-houses are licked up by the flames this moment raging round these abodes of luxury ? They were the foremost men in supporting the bands organised by M. Pietri to cry a Berlin last July. The chateau of the Princess Mathilde also seems destined to be thrown into the crucible. The woods and copses of St. -Prix, St. Gratian, and Montmorency have been fired by means of petroleum and gas tar, which it would hive been dangerous to leave in a city that in a few days may be exposed to the feu d'enfer of a bombardment. Dealers in these combustibles received notice a few clays back that they must surrender to the Committee of National Defence what they could not take to a seaport out of the reach of the enemy. The firing of that part of Bondy visible from Montmartre at eleven o'clock on Wed nesday night, was a still more awful spectacle than what I have just witnessed from the leads overhead. The trees were perfectly dry, so that the oil and petroleum which were spilt about in the brushwood, had no obstacle to contend with. Isolated columns of flame and clouds of smoke suddenly rose, and, before half an hour, were lost in one general blaze, which stood out life a fiery wall against the sky. In the light of this vast furnace hideous objects were rendered visible on the Martyr's-hill--yawning graves, dug to hold three or four hundred persons, reminded the lookers-on of the impending destruction of human life. Those common ditches, into which men, women, and children slain by Prussian balls are to be thrown, in trude themselves into the reserved burying places, purchased a perpetuite by families rich enough to indulge in grief for dead relations. War is no respecter of property or of persons, of sacred spots or of holy places. It slays the young, it pulls down the roof-tree which shelters age and infancy; destroys the woods in which poets and painters seek to commune with what is best in nature, and tears off the veil of earth with which we try to hide the pestilent horrors of mortality from our sight. From the mounds of clay surrounding those hideous trenches which now intersect the Martyrs'-hill, skulls grin out, remains of smashed coffins obtrude themselves, or rags of black cloth, once the undertaker's pride, declare the vanity of all human re spectability which has not an upright conscience• for its substratum. It seems to me that I have lived more in the last forty-eight hours, and gained a deeper insight into life and its objects than in all the years I have hitherto lived, and all the books I have hitherto read. Those shin bones, thigh bones, arm bones, and vertebra✓, that were buried a perpetuite, but which are now mixed up with mounds of loose earth ; those frag ments of monuments which were unscrupulously knocked down to make way for steel cannon, fabricated for ' the Imperial Navy,' and that blaze which for miles screens the country in front of us, are the most striking sermons that I know of. it and abstain from sending to Engi men who love her. It is with real regret we find ourselves again obliged to demand a a mission for Louis Blanc. Who better than the klmirable orator could speak to the English people in language worthy of the French Repub lic? Holyoake, Odgers, Cramer, all those whose hands we have pressed in the great popular 'demon strations, await the arrival of the great tribune. Louis Blanc is the friend of the German Republican refugees who have partaken with us the sorrows of prison and exile. None better than he can draw together the Republicans of the two nations, can bring about the pro clamation of a German Republic. In the name of the country, in the name of reason, in the name of the Uni versal Republic, it is necessary to send Louis Blanc, without delay, to Lor don. Fresh hesitations would be culpable, and would induce us to ask who can object to so indispensable a measure. A VISIT TO THE SUBURBS. An editor of the Franfaishaving visited the suburb's of Paris, gives the following account of his excursion --" I took the train to Enghien at the Northern station. There were few persons in the carriages. After leaving Paris the speed of the train was relaxed, and we passed over the fosse of the fortifications on a stockade which crossed the rails. The plain of St. Denis, which the train passes through, is lighted up by the flames of the burning places. The bridge of Asnibres is broken. The Seine flows on' without a single bark floating on it. Near Asnibres new fires are discerned. At Enghien Talight there is no one at the station. The streets are filled with the iebris of the burning mass. The houses are shut up, and the elegant villas deserted, the little boats have been sunk to the bottom of the lake, and the swans 'glide by in silence. The hot bath establishment is closed, and one can see into the deserted building of the Casina. I perceived the flames of another fire, and hastened to the spot ;it was in the direction of Margency. An immense stock of wood had been destroyed. Some men offered to accompany me to the spot where the smoking ruins were visible. They complained of the summary manner in which the authorities had destroyed the provisions,which might not be left for the enemy. One exclaimed while pointing to the burning wood, "There were 40,000 francs worth there." One of the men confessed to me that at first he had supposed I was a spy, and if I had turned out to be one, he shewed me the fate that was in store for me, by drawing a revolver from beneath his blouse. I returned by the eleven o'clock train to Paris. Between Epernay and Saint Denis a large manufactory was given up to the flames, some blackened walls remained, the others had fallen in. Clouds of smoke floated above the remains. The workmen stood round, looking at the place where they had worked for so many years. The moon, which lighted up these strange proceedings, imparted a fantastic force to the scene. Further on, in a field, a crowd worked in silence ; they were some poor people who had obtained permission to keep what potatoes they dug up. An immense fire appears behind Gennevilliers, it proceeds from a wood or from some industrial establishment. The train having reached Paris, stops, as if to give a pass-word, the sentinels are on the ramparts, and in the distance guns are firing. THE PRUSSIAN INTENTIONS. The Paris correspondent of the Indepenclance Belge says: —" According to a letter received from the Prussian headquarters the enemy's army will not be able to begin the regular siege before the first days of October, in con sequence of the difficulty of advancing to Paris and of bringing up their artillery, all the bridges being blown up and the roads blocked. The recent successes have so ex cited the Prussian army, from the Royal Generals down to the lowest foot soldiers, that they have sworn to enter Paris, no matter_ by what means, or through what sacrifices. If they obtain this result or if the conclusion of the campaign should prove as advantageous to Prussia as it has hitherto been, there will be a triumphalre-entry of the Prussian army into Berlin, and it is even said that Napoleon 111. will figure in it, which doos not agree with the character of legiti macy which the King of Prussia is believed to attach to the regime, so ignominiously terminated at Sedan. For the rest, Napoleon 111. has, it must be allowed, more chance of entering Berlin than Paris. Every night reports resound here. They are blowing up all the bridges round Paris. Fight ing has been going on at Montereau and at Nehu. A regiment of free lances was decimated. All these attempts only delay without arresting the march of the Prussians, but from what I hear on all sides General Trochu is quite satisfied since the review. He was for merly grave and anxious, but has now told the Govern ment committee that he can answer for the defence of Paris. The energetic resistance of Paris has roused the morale of the departments and Bordeaux has voted the purchase of 12,000 rifles. News from Algeria is unsatis factory, and there is much disturbance among the southern tribes. At Lyons matters are mending, though the red flag still floats over the town. It will be the first duty of the newly-elected municipal council to substitute the tricolour. GFNERAL SHERIDAN'S OPINION OF THE FRENCH ARMY. The Daily News publishes the following letter from General Sheridan : " Head-quarters, at Rheims, France, September 8, 1870. " I have not time now to give you a detailed account of army affairs since I joined it. Suffice it to say that the French have been beaten in every engagement from Weissenburg up to the surrender of the Emperor Napoleon at Sedan, and there seems to be little left except it be the siege of Paris, and that will not save France. It is possible that the French troops have not done so well as I think they might have done on one or two occasions which I witnessed, from the fact that the poor fellows found themselves so badly handled by their commanders that they could see no equivalent to be obtained by the sacrifice of their lives. All men like to have an equiva lent for their labour, and especially is it so with the soldier, who wants success where many lives have to be sacrificed. The French generalship put this out of question in every battle which I have witnessed. Everybody here has been very kind to me." THE REPUBLIC AT LYONS. The Univers publishes a letter from the Abbe Marie Gabriel, of the Trappist Monastery of Aiguebelle, dated September 10, which give some account of the state of the city of Lyons at that date. The Abbe says :--" I left Aiguebelle on Monday, the sth of this month, with a newly converted brother. I Was not aware that the Republic had been proclaimed at Lyons, where we arrived about 10 o'clock at night. The next day I intended to continue my journey with the Abbe of the Monastery of Vaise to attend the general chapter of Montagne. When I sought to leave the Monastery at Vaise two men, of repulsive appearance, armed with muskets, stopped me, exclaiming 'We shall not allow you to remove.' I spoke to one who was blackened with coal dust, and asked whether he intended to prevent us from proceeding. His reply was, `Go on, then; but you must go by the Rue St. Pierre.' I did not comprehend the meaning of that direction, and allowed • myself to be taken where they pleased. The carriage then set off, . escorted by these two men, who, with violent threats, insisted upon our proceeding only at a walking pace, while a yelling crowd surrounded us. In the Rue St. Pierre we found a post of the National Guard. The carriage was surrounded, and I was submitted to a ridicu lous examination. It was insisted that we were bearing arms, and having compelled us to alight we were locked up in the guard-house and our luggage closely examined. At last we were permitted to leave, but the train by which we had intended to proceed had gone, and therefore we had to wait for the next train. About 5 o'clock we returned to the Croix Rousse, but scarcely had we reached the station when four men armed with muskets, and two members of the committee which has assumed the government of the department of the Rhone, surrounded us, and required tie to accompany them to the Hotel de Ville. All objections were useless, and the only answer vouchsafed to my . declaration that we had already been examined was a repetition of the command, " Follow us." We then had to walk from the railway station to the Hotel de Ville like malefactors in custody in the midst of an enormous crowd, which applauded our capture and 'hurled incessant insults at us. When we reached the Place des Terreaux the up roar was d ea f en i ng . O ne o f th e com missaries endeavoured to obtain silence, blit a voice from the crowd exclaimed, `Let the people express their joy.' We entered the Hotel de Vile amid the vilest insults, and were kept for an hour in a corridor, still guarded by the four armed men. At last the committee thought fit to grant us a hearing, but we found in the President's lan guage cause for regretting even the outcries of the mob. When a preliminary stage of oaths and imprecations had passed, which was not very speedily, our affair was seriously considered. I could wish that all France had been there to witness the conduct of these dictators of a great French and Christian city. With the exception of three; who were THE TERMS OF PEACE. Mr. Mallet returned on Friday evening at a late hour from his prolonged visit to the Prussian head quarters, whither he had gone, as is believed, with certain questions and propositions of the English Government, which amounted to the inquiry whether Germany would consent to make peace on lower terms than the cession of Alsace and Lorraine, and if so, whether it would consent to negotiate with the existing Government of France. I think I may venture to say_ that an unconditional ne gative was the reply- Without free possession of Metz and Strasbourg, said M. de Bismarck, G-er many can never consent to peace. It is whispered, also, that the great Prussian statesman showed himself by no means contemptuous of th e garrison now in Paris ; that he frankly admitted a general assault would be mere madness, and let it be known that the officers in command had no such design. Everything reliable that has yet trar.- spired of the Prussian councils goes to prove that Von Moltke intends to attack and obtain possession of two or three forts, from whence Paris may be bombarded, and that the enormous mass of cavalry accompanying the forces will be relied upon to keep a clear ground for the operations designed.—Paris Correspondent of the Tele graph. THE FRENCH MILITARY SYSTEM. The rottenness of the military system of France under the Empire becomes daily more apparent. The Emperor himself—so we hear—asserts that his generals were very worthless ; but whit could be expected under a regime of corrupti such as has prevailed for the last sixteen years ? Several French generals have long been known not to be commonly honest la financial matters, but when those at tE e head of affairs diverted the public money into illegitimate channels a little mild embezzlement on the part of subordinates is not to be wondered at. It is said that—as was the case in our own army 160 years ago--the real strength of the army was much less than that which was set down in the accounts. It is reported that most of the money paid for substitutes by those who purchased exemption from the conscription was quietly transferred to the account of the civil list, the accounts being so cooked that a detection of the fraud was almost impossible. What the chief of the state is said to have done on a large scale was naturally also done by those of lesser rank. This statement may or may not be correct, but it is certain that there has been a great deal of money where it should not be, and a great many soldiers have not been present where they should be. — Standard. THE FRENCH FLEET IN THE BALTIC A maritime correspondent of the Temps, writing from Copenhagen, says that although the French fleet in the Baltic is rarely out of sight of land, it holds so little communication with the shore that it is even now partially ignorant of the serious events which are passing in France. Only the Admiral and the crew of the frigate Surveillante are fully informed of the state of affairs. Wishing to know the result of the battle of Sedan, Admiral Bonet anchored in the bay of Bioge, where he learned the sad details. The French fleet has never been in favour of the Bonaparte family, and has always treated the Chief of the State with the same indifference which he displayed towards itself. The officers of the fleet seemed to recognize the importance of this one thing, which was to make a vigorous resistance to the end. They seemed indifferent ac, to what 2.gime might be adopted so that energetic measures were taken to save the country. The sailors are eager to attack the Prus sians. The Marine is in better order than the Army. It cannot exhibit greater courage, but it has more con fidence in its commanders. •It does not reason, but it obeys. The appointment of Vice-Admiral Fourchon to the Ministry of Marine has been well received. This officer will be well calculated to develope the resources of the French Marine. He can render valuable assistance to the fleet in the north, and enable them to act with greater vigour than they have done during the last six weeks. On this point all has to be done over again, whether the task is to consist in simply making a blockade, or whether it is resolved to attempt some deci sive operation on the Prussian side. The worst of it is that it has taken three days to summon the Ad miral, and it will take three days more to en able him to get to Paris. The question is if there is still time to act. Let us hope that there is. In awaiting fresh orders, Admiral Bouet, whose campaign in the battle will be a credit to him, has collected his fleet at Langeland, in the Great Belt. From thence he can immediately proceed to return to France or begin a new campaign on better conditions. Already the Rochambeau has joined him. But it will not suffice, and this formidable engine of destruction, in spite of its incontestable superiority, will be condemned to a relative inaction, as will also the great iron-clad fleets if the operations are not supported by light vessels which draw little water. However, the new Minister of Marine knows better than any one what can make the Northern Fleet a formidable one. It is hoped now that he will make Paris understand that ten men on shore under the protection of the artillery on board are worth a hundred enemies, and that there is still an opportunity for making a diversion in Schleswig and Hanover, which will contribute greatly to the safety of Paris and of France. P.S.—The advice-boat Limier only escaped from the Prussian monitor Arminius; thanks to its quickness. It was at the entrance of the Skagerat that the meeting took place, and it seems certain that the Arminius, which left Kiel with the Elisabeth, has suc ceeded in forcing the blockade by gliding along the sides, which her light draught of water permitted her to do. PRUSSIAN INHUMANITY. We have repeatedly called the attention of the public to the outrages of the pious and civilising soldiers of Prus sia, who may rob French peasants, and do, unless the Duc de Fitz-James lies, roast unoffending women and children, but who invariably say their prayers, and love a good deal of geist. A letter from Azamut Batuk, the correspondent of the Pall Mall Ga zette, sets forth the Teutonic proceedings in colours which are vivid, but are not, we believe, more vivid than facts justify. Ladies insulted, wounded prisoners beaten, peasants robbed, women and children roasted, such are the deeds of the intelligent and pious Prussians. The Duke of Wellington would have hung a thousand men for half the outrages on cabbages that have in this campaign been inflicted on men, women, and chil dren. If the Prussian soldiers arc intelligent, we sincerely trust British soldiers are not. It is certain that even in India the latter, though they did not say their parade prayers so regularly, never inflicted on the wives and children of black rebels and mutineers any one of the outrages which the missionaries of civilisation inflicted on the helpless women and children in the neighbourhood of Sedan. —Standard. RUSSIA AND THE WAR. A correspondent of the Independance Beige, writing from St. Petersburg, gives the following explanation of the attitude assumed by the Russian Cabinet in the Franco-Germanic war, which, he says, is drawn from an authentic source. " I must begin by stating that the proclamation of the Republic in France produced a good effect here, not only on general public opinion, but in Government circles. The last days of Imperalism had created a strong feeling of repulsion for the unjustifiable means which it employed for deceiving the French nation, and the mendacious effrontery of the Ministers was so contemptibly burlesque that the partisans of France lost all hope of interesting the Emperor Alexander in her fate. The memorable 4th of September disposed of this grave obstacle. As soon as serious and honourable men assumed the direction of affairs it was again possible to speak in favour of France, and the diplomatic negotiations which Russia at least had suspended were resumed. You already know that they are likely to result in a serious attempt at mediation—but I can give you some idea of the grounds on which Russia intends to pro pose a settlement. The Emperor Alexander is strongly inclined to plead before triumphant Prussia the cause of the territorial integrity of France. The Russian sovereign has a great repugnance to seeing that country deprived of the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.' He holds that it will be quite sufficient guarantee for the integrity of Germany if the fortresses which make a strategic base for a probable invasion of the Rhenish Provinces and the Palatinate are demolished. According to this programme Prussia should cpntent herself with a heavy indemnity for the expenses of the war, and the destruction of all the fortresses of Alsace and Lorraine. In the Russian Foreign Office it is not thought possible to obtain such concessions from the con queror. In case of a'refusal it is intended to propose the line of the Vosges as "a new frontier, preserving to France the strongholds of French Lorraine. Active negotiations to this effect are going on at the headquarters of the Prussian King, as at 'Paris. At the same time the Russian diplomatists are making every exertion to induce the other neutral Powers to accept their suggestions. THE KING AND THE REPUBLIC. The Siede observes that King William now employs the French journals to make his opinions known. He ad dresses a notice to the journals of Rheims, and con descends to inform us officially by their means that the only Government which he recognises in France is the oue which fell on the 4th of September beneath the stroke of public indignation and contempt. This declaration does not surprise us. The King of Prussia does not recognise the French Republic as a regularly constituted G,.vem ment, and he thus obeys an irresistible instinct of self-preservation, for he knows well, and all the kings Df Europe know, that the Republi can principle is destructive of the monarchical principle. But he knows, too, or, at all events, he hopes that, in supporting the fallen regime, he will encourage among us the growth of divisions and differences. These alone can secure him the victory. It is our part to secure his defeat by our union, our devotion, and our sacrifices for our country. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. OF METZ. The accounts of German correspondents from before Metz incline one to believe that the sufferings of the in vestors are hardly less than those of the invested. In some respects the latter are better off, being at least fairly housed, while the tents which the besiegers had con structed are almost washed away by the heavy rains, which have made the bivouacs a sea of mud. In spite of comforts sent up in large quantities from Germany and kind-hearted patriots, the troops of Prince Frederick Charles and Steinmetz had a good deal of sickness to com plain of. The villages near Metz are abandoned, and the feeling of the country people makes it dangerous to go far. Two aides-de-camp carrying rnessages had lately been shot in one village, and the murderers could not be traced. In consequence of this and other affairs of the same sort, a notice had been posted throuihout the district that any Frenchman, not of the regular service, found with arms in his possession, would be forthwith hanged. Large convoys of the Sedan prisoners were passing by the army, some in a wretched plight, begging each person they saw for bread. 153 of these were picked out, and sent to Bazaine, nominally to make up the balance due to him on a previous exchange, but in reality to let the garrison know the whole truth of the Sedan affair. Bazaine has left no means untried of supplying that want of carrier-pigeons or other sure messengers which has been so severely felt in his army. For some time it is well known he re ceived and sent messages by the simple means of bottles floated down the Moselle. This device was found out and counteracted by nets. Another means has since been tried, but apparently without the success which the ingenuity of the besieged deserved; for a small air balloon apparatus, carrying despatches from Metz, has descended at Oberwittstadt, a village in the north of Wurtemburg. The contents of the letters thus conveyed have not been made known, as they were at once trans mitted to Stuttgard and thence to the Prussian staff. Among the mat6riel taken at Sedan were 130,000 Chassepots and 80,000 cwt. of powder. It is rumoured that 83,000 chassepots have been found fn the cellar of the Tuileries, which have been distributed among the members of the Garde Mobile and Garde Nationale. So great have been the losses in the war that Berlin. can no longer suffice to supply the bereaved families of the Prussian capital with mourning, and orders are daily sent to Vienna for the necessary articles. The Prussians intend to make every exertion to take Schlestadt, a fortress which is situated on the railway between Besancon and Strasburg. This capture would isolate Alsace from the centre of France, and secure the line of communication between Paris and Wurtemberg. A strange plot bas been discovered at Namur, for the purpose of seizing the cannon, &c., captured at Sedan,. and not yet forwarded to Prussia, and of sending this material on to Paris. Two thousand stand of arms were found in Namur, and the plot seems to have had numerous ramifications. It is asserted that Marshal Bazaine was not on the best of terms with the Emperor before his fall, that his sym pathies are far from Imperialist, and that if he could get out of Metz he might not improbably declare for the Republic—if, indeed, he did not start "on his own hook" An instance of Republican economy is to be noticed in Paris just now. On the front of the new Opera House may be read the words " Academie . . . ale de Musique." M. G-arnier has ingeniously preserved the letters of the word " impdriale," which will do duty for the new adjective " nationale." Rather than surrender to the Prussians, many French soldiers who were near the Meuse swam over it in the midst of the fire of the mitrailleuses which followed them. One of the survivors, a well-known captain, arrived in Paris at his aged father's house. Before embracing him his father asked, "Have you signed the capitulation ?'' " No, mon pere." " Then, my son, come and embrace me, and go and fight !" The Paris correspondent of the Daily News has the fol lowing paragraph :—Count Palikao, it will be remembered, in reply to a question from the Left, asserted that Mar shal Bazaine commanded all the French armies. When he gave this reply, all communications had been cut off with the Marshal for several days. It is now discovered that MacMahot received his orders from Count Palikao himself, who in his turn carried out instructions which were daily telegraphed to him from the Emperor. "An Old Soldier" complains in a French paper th,t the enemy should have been allowed to take possession of the strong military positions round Paris undisturbed. Why not, he asks, have sent out some light bodies of troops to fall upon the enemy's detachments as they came up? There has always been the same mistake all through the war. The enemy was allowed to concentrate at Saar bruck. The Crown Prince was allowed to defile upon Chalon. MacMahon could not join Bazaine. Always delay. A lady has written to the Figaro to suggest that the women of France should lay aside all superfluous orna ments and dress in simple attire, in order that money may be saved for the exigencies of the war. Let there be an end of laces, jewels, and colf6chets. " A dress without any ornaments, a simple bonnet, a long veil, will, " she writes," make us bear less resemblance to the shepherdesses of Watteau, or the marionettes of the salon, but we shall be more worthy of those who die for us." The Opinion Nationale states that troops of soi-disant fugitives from Sedan, in tattered military garments, con tinue to arrive in Paris, and that not only is the compas sion of the public appealed to by vagabonds who have no claim to it, but that Prussian spies are entering Paris under this disguise. It calls on the authorities to examine these tatterdemalions, and while sending back the real soldiers to their regiments, to commit the rest to prison. Extraordinary desolation reigns in the environs of Paris, Assibres, the ordinary population of which is 6,000, has now only 14 inhabitants. All the farmers and villagers of the Seine-et Oise, of the immense plains of Beauce, and those of Loviet are conveying their corn to Paris, Nantes, and Bordeaux. In a word, says the Patrie, there is a complete and decided void within a large radius of the capital. A great part of the inhabitants of Sc&aux have left, carrying with them their valuables. Those who remain are ready to take refuge in Paris on the first alarm. A great many of the Paris Mobiles have told their officers that they will not fire a shot to the cry of "Vive la France !" They openly declare that they will not fight for a geographical expression, although they are prepared to lay down their lives for a principle. If they must be slaves, it is quite indifferent to them whether they have for a master William I. or Napoleon 111. General Trochu is so well aware of the prevalence of this sentiment that he has urgently exhorted all the Mobile officers with whom he has come in contact to encourage the cry of " Vive la Rdpublique !" The Protestant pastors of Paris have sent an address to the Protestants of Germany, in which they express their desire to make known the feelings of their French brethren, with respect to the war. They appeal to Evan gelical Germany to hasten the desired peace. The war, which is on the point of being renewed, will assume an entirely different character from that which it pos sessed at the commencement, and for Germany to persist in continuing the strife would be a signal disgrace to her. The letter goes on to say that the glory of the evangelical faith in .Germany will be tarnished if its representatives do not raise their voices against a war a routrance between France and Germany. The Prussians do not intend to. deprive the conquered provinces of France of the benefits of journalism during the interregnum. The Official News was published in Alsace some time since, and we now learn that an Official Monitor of the general government of Lorraine has ap peared at Nancy. The Mayors and Prefets will publish official acts in it, and the inhabitants are invited to subscribe and to advertise ; but all political articles are prohibited unless specially permitted. The Governor General of Lorraine, General Von Bonin, signs this notice, which is followed by a proclamation from the Civil Governor of Lorraine, the Marquis de Villers, who assures the people that he will endeavour, as far as possible, to remedy the evils which they stiffer from the war. Their laws will remain in force, and the authorities who do not shew hostility will be maintained in their offices. The French correspondent of the Times makes the fol lowing pertinent observations : The most curious cir cumstance to my mind connected with the siege of Paris is, that scarcely anyone seems to take thought of what is to become of the rest of France, while all our remaining forces—physical and moral—are shut up in the gigantic mouse-trap which the wise and provident patriotism of M. Thiers constructed for us 30 years ago. It is true that M. Cr4mieux, as delegate of the Government, extra nsuros, is established at Tours with full powers. He represents, in fact, the whole Executive, and the Executive just now with us is also the Legislative. M. Crdmieux might do every thing—if he could do anything. He has, moreover, a right to remove the seat of Government as he may find it necessary. He will be theoretically, as soon as Paris is beleaguered, an itinerant Dictator. But who believes that M. Cr&nieux can do anything at Tours or anywhere else ? Who fancies that he can raise armies to march to the relief of Paris ?—and that is the one thingt needful when once we are besieged. What is to pre ves , a German corps from dodging him about from Tom!er. An,gouleme, from Angouleme to, Bordeaux , from J) deaux to Bayonne ? in Binds of robbers are making their apPear alles different parts of France. In the commune of Toulouse, excited, it is supposed, by Socialist speeches, as we ll as , l :i their natural instincts, a considerable band have vlt a Cugnaux, St. Simon, and Lardenne, and on being refused employment at exorbitant wages, they began devastatini: the country. Three detachments of the National G: ll bt e from Toulouse attacked and repulsed then , capturiDa %t greater number, who will be rigorously punished. Bagnolet some plunderers have been break in g into Wises and ransacking them. About a dozen young M e ng ere engaged in one of these expeditions, and wer e caroug the cellar when the gendarmes arrived and captured five of them. The ringleader has been sentenc ed to six, 311 the rest to three months' imprisonment. A BONAPARTIST RESTORATION IMPOSSIBLE. • n o The LibertO has an indignant article on the cooly iy to the Rheims journals, in which King William undertakes to treat with Napoleon. The emPife' tog the Liberte, is fallen and no power in the world is 180 enough to restore it. The restorations of 1814 anu,, bat had a raison clYtre. The Bourbons were n ot a Pvitian• a principle. A principle may be restored but not 3 w e nt The empire was not a principle but an ac e „ a nd which was glorious or'shameful, according to the in e " t hat the battles—Austerlitz or Sedan. Bismarck belie ve % the France is exhausted, and that the timorous art,llave majority, but he does not know France. Hisht re' told him the talk of the clubs and the salons, an d bar vealed to him, alas ! the resources of our arsenals an, ea ch racks, but no spy could und e rstand the spirit of the here is .- t o the nation. We do not wish to judge others. The tirae r dark and too trying for that, but all the powers of os oa cannot remove the conviction of cowardice and tr io o f from the minds of Frenchmen, or prevent the ns h i n gs. Napoleon 111. from being associ a ted with these, ' t , th e Bismarck was mistaken in reckoning on an erae n ' e streets of Paris. He is now again mistaken in sP ecil , - bet'. on the egotism and timidity of the greatest liturreach If he counts up the French dead, the t r` a ro t - wounded, the French prisoners, the Freneo S o pS Ton I vinces, towns, and villages ruined, he atio.ll daily exposed to death at Strasbourg, Metz, other places, he will understand how Frenchmen' t heir anger on their lips and French mothers with tears ° c oos eyes demand an account from the improvident, reelote madman who has taken their sons from them f ornin asty enterprise. We can understand how the partisan s eL tutional government thought they could make this pv —e the basis of our institutions and later on, whentbe t mories of glory had cicatrised the wounds of the Pas/that name of a great warrior sufficed to carry the inheritor° name to power. The first time ten centuries of m° l3 , 9x - c ol reascended the throne, the second time eighteen 3:e," t i: to victory. But to-day ! Bismarck must indeed lifi h u t oaa be abased and lost to all national dignity an d d wer e honour if he can dream, con ueror though he be , 311 ar ias' there behind Ms 500,000 soldiers a million of men in of restoring that. pfe' IRISH OPINION CONCERNING THE - n ot There is a large party in Ireland, a Carl o - 1) e t° writes, who would not be averse to inviting the _ ri t of seek a refuge in the " Island of Saints " the °e wer his longer residence in the Eternal City becomingulated litic or impossible. Some have even s P ec of on Dublin being selected as the Pla vas e ce journ of the Pontiff, and have indicated the boas of a nobleman which is about to be sold a s , ;; T eve, e j bable fitting home for his Holiness. Others , argue that the retirement of the Pontiff to Irel 3rl be 0 1 ' amount to at least a temporary abandonment oft. tion of the Catholic Church in Europe, and b ° , ll ,, s e pina l ; the other hand, that France will be the Pontificald the The Republic is not expected to last, and it is ho e,_ tie it may be succeeded by a Government as friendlY rs",oo' Church as Napoleon the Third was. Some °,, th „ e ted b e ; eider that a reconciliction will ultimately be el- I % e dil f tween the Pope and the King of Italy, despite: /Ow' culties placed in the way by the doctrine bility.—Pall Mall Gazette. B. Lord Bateman ßlTlSH has addressed HOSPITALITY the following letter t 0 tbe ---- - editor of the ne "Sir,—ln Great Britain the hospitality of ou r men have is princely a n d p rover bi a l. At thi s moment. 005 thrown upon our s h ores —i n di s t ress , in exile, !l i nts 0 ,0 rative poverty—a lady who, from all her anteeecie our ' free who, if there be a spark of good feeling in or 1 0 ; English hearts, has the strongest claims on sa ,, th tection and on our heartiest sympathy. gerie otbdt' hope of her I m p er i a l H ouse , i s l earn i n g, with h to lie" the bitter lesson w hi c h F rance i n revolution kn c) .; tll d to teach. Yet what do we see ? W° s lips 3u f the prey of vulgar curiosity ; expo s ed to the bard erd o discomfort of their change of position ; at the ci wear)„: hotel and lodging house keepers ; poor, faint, a ; n „,ita-e"fi 'without a fitting asylum, without even ordinarY°l offered to them in thbir dire extremity. S ir 'd j1) 111 remember the reception given to Garibaldi, an, co poP et when I think of this lack of hospitality Wide' t . t charity, if nothing more, would seem to dicta e d to, the Empress of the French and her son be a ssurl Si'' l these feelings are freely and heartily expresge„ervall'' are not only those of your obedient humble BATEMAN. THE TRAGEDY IN CHINA— 0- co The Anglo-Chinese papers brought by the 1 - 11 ,, n ts tain little matter of interest excepting the conole eye the Tientsin massacre. The despatches from 1 " 31. m rosi' anxiously looked for, as it was believed the sob' contain the Emperor's instructions on t., 8 tp i e ject. Great indignation is expressed PJ other places a c r e e a s residents in what itnheyliong consider lC o t n h g e , s uSphiannegli3e' f th e tier, ° gr. English and American authorities in the ma_ost Lay, the Acting Consul, at Tientsin, has at the ir ers o b of the Britannic Chargé d'Affaires, asked the mem spit the English Mission Society t o furnish hill s ors' an estimate of their pecuniary losses by the The heads of the Mission, in reply, expressed thfinf the prise and regret that the mere pecuniary aspe c ", - question should have been so soon entered tin core their desire not to be separated from their Fran c es° sidents in any settlement, as they believe the ill at ter. of all foreigners to be identical in the Di They do not desire war and vengeance, but thativ cl ell justice, and they believe that individually and wile% tbe the English should stand by their fellow-sufferers l e col.' hour of trial. Mr. Lay, the Consul, is said to ha v e tiog lected an immense mass of evidence criai n it to the h h n e e x oCuhs massacrei t n o e Chinese receivewa a u s th ai o ns ri aa ties, and to have forwards T ed the British Lation, but Mr. Wade is 110 t ttb° money b 9 e are in hopes pa payment m that en t a a n c compromise pd e has reonmt ai sldee street cmidaeyd riot. r e o m arrived e n t s ea tf e b actual insdgators of the crime. An - 13g*I i51 , gent Chinese convert, who has received an punishment of some of education, states that, although suspns r e ?,,, the fate of children purchased for the missionarld by long been smouldering, the final spark was aPP li t o post-mortem examination held. upon a child sv tbs, befe l. e oe o succumbed to an obscure ' disease the day massacre. The fact of the corpse having, beein_%.o or became known, the body was exhumed and found less mutilated and doubt grew into certainty. 'ru e el tive feeling still lingers, and friendly natives colitis foreigners to be watchful, as mischief is brewing. t op Sir Titus Salt, of Saltaire, was Pres ell- f e platl Saturday with a testimonial, co n sisting of pieces 0 rtoo te subscribed for by the children of the village 3 th e °n de with his great factory. The Rev. W. Cowan 01 presentation, and Sir Titus accepted it in peroo' fou nar OWEN'S COLLEGE, MANCHESTER .- 1 he ^ i f °f tion stone of the new building about to be erec 1.05 eu this college in Oxford-road is to be laid next Fricl o gi G-race the Duke of Devonshire, K.G , F.R.S. r te s r, a n d of the Extension College, the Bishop' of Manchester' f the the President and other distinguished m British Association are expected to be present and part in the proceedings. • D oev h ' [ADVERTISEMENT.} — Holloway ' s Pills.- - T he w of t-e caus oti„ct Bulwark.—Any one who reflects on the of n r enormous amount of suffering he sees or hears oft him will be forced to confess that nine-tentbs_A stay!, maladies afflicting adults depend upon a disordelTe' fit? . of the stomach. Holloway's Pills correct ,_t i : e o . o trl o ,' ) symptoms of indigestion by acting healthily on t'-i o ltit t o juice (the food's natural solvent) and wholesonielY.'`otione the liver. They dispel flatulency, incipient in , ci l p r o , pl oq and overcome heat, distension and pain, attoo an" advanced or neglected cases. These Pills inv i g or depre s• restore the dyspeptic from the great and suddell. 00 , diso sion of strength always accompanying stomachembers 0 1 toy , or biliary derangements. —•••• . . On the 18th inst. at the Ba k Malton, the " Edward Morton, .S.A., of a son wife of 'F a te W ., On the 16th inst., at Forrest House, Kensington -0 1. Li +er• the wife of W. L. Salusbury Trela y, of a dangv- MARRIAGES. o ,re M A j t. On the 15th inst., at St. Mary's, Bryanston-Ou ieog. -- ; Trevor John Chichele Plowden, jun , of the Civil Service, to Millicent Frances, eldest , tig hter 19. 1 , .. Colonel Cbarles Foster, late 16th Lancers. TI ostead, On the 15th inst. at the parish church, ,L.3lll69,atert Alfred Byerley, eldest son of J. Smith, IJSCi" og le bury House, West Hampstead, to Louisa, Y.,, sq , of daughter of the late Henry James Newman , I' Cottenham. DEATHS. On the 16th inst , at Argyll House, Chu rch Road, UPPet Norwood, James' Thompson, Esq. in his 49th Yeltsjoi On the 17th inst , at Bournemouth, John Bill' Wanklyn, Esq . ; 70. es London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BO Y u.„ 133 No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by he THE SUN Office, No. 112 Strand, in the PrCeinCt Savoy, n the County of Middlesex. Tuesday, September 20, 1870. ....... "--...... ~T th, th e c Pate Music hav e ' ), ost 'eleb ch ef, Doeiti 4eßi, ? . 1 111.crn L C' ;--- 1 la, -( tve. 1 C 4 4, 1 Dri e 13, ...... T Pass : Ogg, ~n 2 iF A l a th th