The Sun. — London, England, 1870-11-11 00:00:00

PROMOTION BY MERIT. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN Sir,—The inevitable result of an assemblage of men collected together for the purposes of labour will be to bring to the surface those who are possessed of the greatest degree of courage or ability, and these men bequeath to their descendants, often unworthy, the nearest approxi mate places to those which they have obtained by their audacity or learning. Few will be disposed to question the validitty of the pl2ceman who has gained his post by either of the above qualities, but how many will try to oust his successor unless he is possessed of the same. Granted this, the basis of my argument is established, and I can proceed on a disquisition of the strange ano malies of our service. I take it that the Civil Service was originally esta blished for attending to the work of the King's private affairs, and was was attached to the royal person, taking orders from royalty alone—the members must necessarily have been limited, as the position was honourable, rank ing next to the navy and army, the navy being worked by the different clerks on each ship reporting to the King's deputy the financial state of each. From the small navy staff arose the cumbrous machinery of Whitehall and Somerset House, now happily arranged in a little order. Other official establishments were speedily raised to meet the exigencies of State, and to these were appointed as clerks the protoges of the great. Individual ability was seldom the criterion for advancement, and patronage was the order of the day. Till a very few years ago the same routine was observed in each governmental department. Promotion was made solely by seniority, and ability lay dormant and fretful of its claims. Yet the conservatism of the civil servants was such that they rebelled against change, and preferred their chance of promotion by seniority (which would take them years) to that of promotion by merit, which raised them at once to a superior class. The system so lately introduced has its demerits, like everything else. It gives a marvellous power into the hands of the chief of an office, and a fearful responsibility rests on him as to the right use of it. Too much has lately been said on this matter for me to advance further than facts will enable me. Far be it from me to say that any recent promotion has not been merited by those advanced, or that any gentleman holding so high a position as the chief of a department would use his power for the advancement of a personal friend. Still it would be useless to deny that such imputations have been levelled at the heads of departments where young men have been suddenly elevated over their seniors by ten, fifteen, or twenty years' standing. Let us inquire how far these allegations are true, and the causes of their existence. We, of the Civil Service— in fact, we of the universal service of mankind— are aware of the dignity of labour, of the respect which some labours demand—of the disgust which others engender. We could not compare that of the street sweeper with that of the astronomer, any l more than we could compare that of the stevedore with that of the clerk. There always has been and will be different classes in labour as in society—even from the time of Joseph, Prince of Egypt, who, by the bye, gives the first instance of promotion by merit. Excuse this digression—pardon able when we look at the argument—Promotion by Merit. Merit, as interpreted in Civil Service language, means the advancement of a man who has been told off to a certain duty which had hitherto been performed by a man of a superior grade. If this duty is satisfactorily performed, the man whom the chief delighteth to honour is promoted at the first opportunity. It will hence be seen that pro motion arises from the fact of a man meriting to perform a certain duty—not from any intrinsic merit of the man himself. Then comes the dark shade of the scene, and the question is naturally asked " But why should a man merit to be employed on a duty which leads to promotion ?" That the chief can explain better than anyone else. Still some elucidation of the system is needed, and I think the best plan will be to state the matter thus :—A does a duty which has hitherto been performed by B, who is a first class clerk ; but A has had considerable insight during B's tenure of office into the intricacies of the work. It is done well ; tht. chief considers him a good clerk ; and when a vacancy arises he is promoted. But, presuming that he is on promotion removed from this to another sphere of official duty, which has also been performed by a first class clerk, and presuming that his incapacity is so glaring that a man in an inferior class is obliged to supply his place, should not the man who so supplies his position be promoted ? Yes, if it is so destined. But, again, sup posing that the man so acting has not the favour of the chief, he is actually employed at the same work which his more fortunate brother, has been doing, and at a much less pecuniary recompense. Here, then, lies the fault of the system, here the cry of partiality, and we may admit that there are some grounds for the suspicion; still, we ask, can such immorality (we can call it nothing else) be ? Can the heads of departments so act ? It is at least suspected. A commander, to insure the loyalty of his men, should be above suspicion. In conclusion, my labour has been to throw some light on this subject of promotion by merit. To shew the great power entrusted in the hands of the chief of a department, his power to make a man happy or to mar his existence, to sour his disposition, to make him, in fact, a mere spiritless machine. I speak of the present, as lam of the present, and I look at the future, as I hope to be of the future, it • may be in the same humble position as at present, but if by chance I am raised from this to a higher one, my task would be, to seek by personal inspection the most deserving, and to reward their labour of years by that species of en couragement to which they are most entitled. This would prevent the :petty intrigues and the heartburnings of the present system ; and would restore a healthful vigour to a service which is now only to be compared to a snug business managed by an astute firm of fast friends, only desirous of their own interests, and that of their clients. A CIVIL SERVANT. THE LONDON SCHOOL BOARD.—Mr. MacGregor of the Rob Roy, who has long been connected with indus trial, ragged, and reformatory schools, with the Shoe black Brigade, and the Children's Agency, is a candidate for Greenwich. DEAN MVEILE'S STATUE.—At a meeting of the Liverpool Town Council on Wednesday, a proposal by Mr. E. Whitley, to the effect that a statue of the Dean of Ripon (who was formerly resident in Liverpool), sub scribed for and presented to the Corporation by the Dean's admirers, should be erected in St. George's Hall, gave rise to a very animated discussion. The Roman Catholic members of the Council opposed the motion on the ground that the location in the chief public building of the town of the statue of one who had so bit terly assailed their creed and ridiculed its ministers, would be to them nothing less than a permanent insult. Several Dissenters, as well as members of the Church of England, also spoke in opposition to the proposal, on the ground that the Dean was the representative of too sectional a portion of the Church of England, and enjoyed too local a fame to be entitled to the distinction now sought for him. The motion had the support of certain other Dissenters, and on being put to the vote it was car ried by 36 tol6. THE VOTING IN PARIS. Writing on the 4th instant, the Paris correspondent of the Standard says :—The Government of necessity has received the sanction of legality. At eleven to-day the votes were publicly declared to be (less those of the garrison and a few of the suburban communes), ayes, 321,373; noes, 53,585. Order triumphant by a majority of over 250,000 voices ! The partisans of the Commune confess themselves badly beaten. The Reveit, which is the ablest and the accredited mouth piece of extreme Republicanism, admits that the Govern ment has a crushing majority, and, consistent with its role of opposition (" Whatever is, is wrong," is the apparent motto of this party), predicates an armistice which will be the preface of a treaty of peace shameful and ruinous to France as the consequence. It reproaches the provisional rulers of France with having avenged the disasters of Metz and Sedan on the suffering backs of Belleville. Still the Reds, though admitting a bad b ea ti ng , d o not a ll ow i t to be a fair beating. Two reasons are assigned as excuse for the victory at the voting tables, the one, sound, is, that the armistice was the talisman that multiplied the " Ayes "—the other, wilfully false an d exaggerate d , " more than 20 0 , 000 electors of the army and the Mobile voted with the powers that be, and made up more than half of its supporters." The votes of the garrison were not counted, and, moreover, there are not 200,000 military electors here, but in that point silence is exacted, as it would be helping the enemy to state secrets to define the numbers. But assuming that the statement were true, this query will arise, "Should not the men who watch over Paris, who are ready to shed their blood for it, have a voice determining for whom and wh a t, an d under what flag they battle ?" No fighting. The weather glass and the political barometer seem to be running a race—the one to freezing point, the other to peace. Order reigns in Paris still ; and if the truth must be hinted at, I conjecture very much for the same reason that it reigned formerly in Warsaw. The governor, like a stern constable, has pretty plainly intimated that any more attempts to provoke a breach of the peace will be checked by the truncheon. A rumour goes about in whispers that Flou rens and some other unruly spirits have been put out of harm's way till the storm blows over. The policy may be compared to that of a certain Second of December, but when the ship is c zu i s i ng on a lee shore the man at' the helm should not be meddled with. CACAOINE.—Cacoa nibs on the removal of the oil fall n t o powder, and this powder is cacaoine. Cacioine contains neither sugar nor any other. admixture whatever. Cacloine makes one of the lightest, thinnest of warm d r i n k s, and is the mos t de sirable of all for use in the later hours o f th e day. Cacaon b y reason of the ingenious method by which th e o il is removed, e ' pre serves all the lino natural flavour of cacao nibs.—Preparedonl by James Epps and Co., Homceopathic Chemists, 112., Great Rus sell-street ; 170, Piccadilly ; and 48, Threadneedle -street ; at their Works for Dietetic Preparations, Euston-road.—ADvT. THE CASE OF THE REV. C. VUYSEY. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had before them an appeal by the Rev. Charles Voysey, vicar of Ilealaugh, Yorkshire, aTiinqt a decision ~f the Chancery Court of York, admitting a number of articles alleging heresy against him. The members of the committee present were his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Chelmsford, and Sir R. J. Phillimore. The alleged heresy was contained in a volume of sermons published by the Rev. Charles Voysey, entitled " The Sling and the Stone," in which he is accuscd of having advisedly maintained, and affirmed, and pro mulgated doctrines directly contrary, or repugnant to and inconsistent with divers of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England. The articles set forth that the rev. gentleman had promulgated the doctrine " that ClirlA has not made an antonement or reconciliation for sin, and has not been made a sacrifice to reconcile His Father to us ;" that "there is no need for any atonement or sacrifice, nor any place for such in the purpose of God ;" that "Christ did not bear the punish ment due to our sins, nor suffer in our stead and for us, and that to think that He did, or that it was necessary Ile should so suffer, is infinitely erroneous and dishonouring to God, and is the most revolting of all popular beliefs ;" that " the commonly received doctrines of intercession and mediation by Christ, and atonement or reconciliation to God by the death of Christ, are all opposed to the perfect harmony and simplicity of the love of God and to the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself •" that "mankind are not by nature born in sin and the children of God's wrath, and are not separated from God by sin, and under His wrath or curse ; and that they are not in danger of endless suffering, nor is there any curse to remove by the shedding of the innocent blood of Christ, and that the doctrine of the fall of man is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ ; that mankind need no atone ment or justification; that salvation is not through justification, and that the doctrine of justification by faith is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ." Several other quotations from the volume, forming the subject of like charges, were set forth in the articles. The Rev. Mr. Voysey appeared in person, and con ducted his own case, For the respondent, the Solicitor- General (Sir J. D. Coleridge, Q.C., M.P.), Sir Roundell Palmer Q.C., M.P., and Mr. Archibald appeared. Theßev. Mr. Voysey read a most elaborately prepared document in support of his case, in which he took the whole of the charges seriatim, and argued upon them at great length. He declared generally the utter groundlessness of the charges alleged against him, and said his accusers had laid to him not only that which he had said, but that which lie never had said, and never intended to say. The former he was prepared still to adhere to, and to answer for, and he should, he felt sure, shew to their lordships that it was not contrary to the articles of religion. With regard, however, to what he had not said, he could not be expected to attempt to de fend or justify it. Aud those articles, therefore, should be expunged. Mr. Voysey occupied nearly the whole of the day, and after a few words from the Solicitor-General in opposition to the appellant's case, the committee announced that they had decided to expunge one of the articles complained of, but as to the remainder, they would postpone giving their judgment. LAW AND POLICE. QUIXOTIC ASSAULT.-Mr. John Leslie, of 9, Moore• street,, Chelsea, gentleman, was charged before Mr. Knox, at the Marlborougn Police-court, with assaulting William Vandona, of No. 25, Wellesley-street, Euston-square, a jeweller's assistant. The complainant said he was passing along Regent-street, last night,',with two friends, when the defendant struck him in the face with something like a whip without any provocation, and as he refused to apologise he gave him into custody. The defendant asked the complainant whether he did not call after a gentleman, Lord Ranelagh. The complainant said he did not, but one of his friends said, " There's Lord Rane lagh," but it was not in a jeering way. Wm. Hird, a young man, said ,that he said, " There's Lord Bane lagh," and complainant E; "Is there," and the defendant struck him with a strap or umbrella case in the face. Police-constable Abel Dickins, 17 C R, Said that on taking the defendant, who had been drinking, into custody, he saw a red and swollen mark on his face. The complainant offered to accept an apology, and on his asking the defendant for his card he gave one without any address on it ; and when asked for his address, said, winking at him (the constable), "Moore-street, Chelsea ;" and not being satisfibd he took him to the station. The defendant said he was with a friend, looking at the illumi nations, when he saw some lads following a gentleman, and some one said " Here's Lord Ranelagh," and hearing complainant call out in a jeering way, he gave him a box on the ear, thinking he was annoying his lordship and mobbing him, but he now very much regretted having done so. The defendant called a witness on his behalf. Mr. Knox said that the defendant, having been drinking, took it into his head that the complainant was annoying Lord Ranelagh, or some one who was taken for him, and struck him, and if he had apologized for doing so then there would have been an end of the matter. As he had declined to do so he would have to pay 20s. or 14 days, he (Mr. Knox) taking into consideration that he had now expressed his regret. A WICKED SON. —Charlea Rose, aged 14 years, was charged, at the Thames Police-court, with stealing two sums of 4e. each, and embezzling £2 13s. he had received for, and on account of, his mother and grandmother, of No. 18, Wentworth-road, Stepney. The prisoner lived with his mother and grandmother, poor but industrious and respectable people. They gave him 4s. last Monday three weeks to pay the rent of their humble lodging. He returned without the rent book or receipt, and said the landlady was too busy to make out one. On the following day he again received 4s. to pay another weees rent, and a savings' bank book was given to him with instructions to withdraw £2 13. He did not pay the rent, and the money he received at the Savings' Bank and foolishly and wickedly squandered his parents hard earnings. He returned to his home yesterday penniless, and offered n o excuse in palliation to his mother land grandmother, who eArned the wretched and inefficient wages of 3s. and 4s. per week each, at needlework. The landlady of the house in Wentworth-road said the prisoner did not pay the rent for two weeks in succession. The prisoner, on being asked if he had anything to say in defence, bawled out a loud and stern "No." He was remanded for a week, and will then be sent to a reformatory. RAILWAY COMPANIES AND LANDOWNERS. —A suit was instituted in the court of Vice-Chancellor Malias by Mr. Hood, proprietor of the Pepper Hall Estate, Yorkshire, against the North Eastern Railway Company for damag ing his property through negligence. Mr. Hood pur chased the estate of Lord Alvanley for 2100,000 in 1863, several years prior to which the railway ran through it, They had formerly severed the drainage, and were required by the Act of Parliament to keep it, so far as it concerned their own line, in an efficient state of repair ; but plaintiff alleged that in consequence of their negligence the drainage of 450 acres of his land had accumulated at one spot, and that several fields , were completely inundated, so much so that if an imme diate remedy were not applied the tenants would quit. The railway company raised a preliminary objection, to the effect that the Act of Parliament provided that the justices ought to be appealed to before the Court of Chan cery ; and although counsel for the plaintiff pointed out that the ma g istrates were nJt empowered to enfor ce th e relief whieliMr. Hood had sought to obtain, the Vice- Chancellor held that the plaihtiff must first avail himself of the local tribunal, and if its interference were not effectual the parties would then come within the jurisdic tion of tie higher court. A TELEGRAPHIC MISTAKE.—The Court of Exchequer have been asked 'to decide in the case of Henkel and another v. Pape, whether the sender or receiver of a postal telegraphic mesßage is liable for a mistake under these circumstances. The plaintiffs, who are gun-makers at Bir mingham, had been in negotiation with defendant, a merchant at Newcastle-on-Tyne, about the purchase of 50 Snider rifles, but in consequence of some disagreement as to the price this purchase was not completed. A few days after plaintiffs received a telegraphic message from Pape, asking them to forward the rifles, and believing that this order referred to the - fifty Sniders about which they had previously been in communication, they forwarded that number. Defendant, on their receipt wrote to say he ordered three only, and this was borne out by the evidence of the telegraph clerk. Plaintiffs brought an action for the price of the fifty rifles, but were non. suited. A rule was now moved for a new trial, but the Court refused to grant it, as it was incumbent on the receiver of a telegraphic message to test its accuracy before sending his goods on the order which he re ceived. THE GODRICH DIVORCE CASE.—An application was made to Lord Penzance, in the matter of the petition, by Mrs. Godrich for a judicial separation, which now stands No. 13 in the list of causes to be heard without juries. Mr. P. A. Baytord asked the court to hear both the causes together, that originated by Mrs. Godrich an d a l so that by Mr. Godrich, as the whole of the issues were to be decided, otherwise there would be a second trial on the same facts. Mr. Francis Godrich appeared in person, and ultimately the application was granted conditionally on the part of Mr. Bayford that there should be no delay in Mr. Godrich's case being heard. THE AFFAIRS OF Sin C. O'LoanLEN.—On the 30th of July a petition was presented by Messrs. Valiance and Co. for an adjudication of bankruptcy against Sir Colman Michael O'Loghlen, Bart. At the instance of Messrs. Lawrence, Plews, and Boyer the proceedings were ad journed till now, when Mr. Spring Rice, registrar, after hearing arguments in favour of the petitioning creditor, Mr. Lewis Harris, of Suffolk-st ree t, D u bli n, money lender, and Mr. Ilawrence for the debtor, his honour adjudicated Sir Colman bankrupt. Mr. Registrar Brougham has been appointed trustee of the bankrupt's estate. 'I'ILADES' UmoNs.—The annual report of the Manchester and Salford Trade Council states there are in Manchester 60 trades' unions, with a numerical strength of 25,500 members. THE \V A, TIIE SIEGE OF PAWS. (BY BALLOON MAIL ) NOVEMBER. 7TH. The pldbiscite has been a triumphant success for the Government. The general total s hewed that the Reds h L , I suffered discomfiture ; the details of the voting shew the defeat was complete. In every arrondissement, rave one, the majority answered " Yes " to the ques- Con whether the Government of the National Defence r tallied the confidence of the Parisians. The one excq.tion was Menilmontant, and here the Extreme party overpowered the Moderates by only a narrow inaj.,rity - 9,635 Noes to 8,291 Ayes. This is an unex pected m,elt.. It was generally believed that though the ,4,,vernment might have a very large majority on the 44 hole city, yet in some districts where the Revolutionists are strong an unmistakeable " No " would be returned. . Aieniicnontant is the only quarter where this anticipation has been. realised. It is a " Red " district, undoubtedly, but so are Belleville and La Villette, where the voting turned the side of the Ministry. La Villette, in par ticular, has a ferocious reputation. It voted about four to one in favour of the Government. In one district 264 " noes " represented the forlorn hope of the Ultras against over 10,000 " yeas." It is true that a plebiscite in France always turns in favour of the powers that be, and equally true that a plebiscite is at best but a wretched device ; nevertheless, such a vote, under the critical circumstances, cannot but be deemed satisfactory. The army vote is somewhat puzzling. The Line, Marines, and Mobiles are returned as 236,623 ayes, and 9,053 noes. This is a very large return. If the Line and Mobiles together muster 250,000 men, we must have here, with the National Guards, at least half a million of armed men, good and bad. The streets were crowded during the voting, and the people seemed once more gay and light-hearted. Now that the poll is over, however, the Le Bourget affair has returned to their recollections. This most unfortunate defeat did more to discourage the Parisians than any other incident of the siege, and the explanations given by the generals do not serve to diminish the gloom. General Bellemare who has been replaced by General Berthand denies having done anything to cause him to be censured with respect to the Bourget reverse. In the proclamation to the National Guard General Trochu, when speaking of the Bourget affair, stated that " a detachment of the troops had failed in vigilance and allowed itself to be surprised." An explanation of General Trochu's meaning is demanded by some of the journals, as an eye witness declares that he saw the Prussians advancing at a great distance. There are neither trees nor undulations on the plain in the neigh bourhood of Bourget, and hence surprise is an impossi bility. The following is the formal announcement in the Journal Officiel respecting the armistice .—The four great neutral powers, England, Russia, Austria, and Italy, had taken the initiative of a proposition for an armistice, for the elections of a National Assembly. The Government of the National Defence demanded as conditions the revictualling of Paris, and the vote for the National Assembly by all the French population. Prussia has expressly rejected the condition of revictualling ; she has moreover admitted, only with reservations, the vote of Alsace and Lorraine. The Government of the National Defence had decided unanimously that the armistice under these conditions should be rejected. Three days did not suffice to cleanse the Hotel de Ville of the filth found in the rooms after the disgraceful scenes of Monday last. Felix Pyat has been arrested, but Gustave Flourens has escaped. The Government is in search of Rochefort, who is nowhere to be found. They want to make a Minister of him again, on account of his power over the mob, and his devotion to a war policy. Many English journals reached Paris yesterday. The latest date was the 22nd of October. riiE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1870. IL CRY FOR PEACE. r From the diary of a besieged resident in Paris, pub lished in the Daily News, under date November 5, we extract the following ; That Paris is prudent to sieze upon the first loop-hole to get out of the position into which she has inconsiderately thrust herself is most certain. Never for a moment did I believe that the Parisians, indifferent to all but honour, would perish to the last man rather than give up one inch of territory, one stone of a fortress. Heroic constancy and endurance under misfortune are not impro vised. A population, enervated by twenty years of slavery, corruption, and luxury, is not likely to immolate itself for country, like the Spartans at 'Thermopylae. People who mean to die do not sign a preliminary round robin to do so. Real fighting soldiers do not parade the streets behind half-a-dozen fantastically dressed vivanciiires. When in a town of 2,000,000 inhabitants not above 12,000 can be found ready to submit to military discipline, and to go outside an inner line of fortifications, it is ridiculous to expect a defense like that .of Saragossa. ' We are under the impression to-day that an armistice wia be signed to-morrow. No one affects even to doubt that the word means peace. The bourgeoisie are heartily tired of playing at soldiers, the game has lost its novelty, and the nights are too cold to make an occasional pic-nic to the fortifications agreeable any longer. Besides, business is business, and pleasant as it may be to sit arrayed in uniform behind a counter, in the long run customers are more remunerative, if not so glorious. The cry for peace is universal, the wealthy are lusting after the flesh-pots of Egypt, the hotel keepers are eagerly waiting for the rush of sight-seers, as the shopkeepers are anxious to make up for lost time by plundering friend and foe. The soldiers, although Trochu is popular with them, have neither faith nor confidence in his generalship. The Mobiles and peasants recently from their villages wish to go home, and openly tell the Parisians that they have no intention to remain out in the cold long on salt beef, whilst the heroic citizens are sleeping quietly iu their houses, or in barracks, and gorging themselves with fresh provisions. As for the working men, they are spoiling for a fight in the streets, either with the Prus sians, or, if that cannot be, with anyone else. They are, however, so thoroughly enjoying themselves, doing nothing, and getting paid for doing it, that they are in too good a temper to be mis chievous. The new Prefect of the Police has arrested Felix Pyat and other leaders of the riot of last Monday. Flourens and the venerable Blanqui are only not in prison because they are in hiding. The mayors of the different arrondissements are being elected to day, but no one seems to trouble himself about the election. The vote of Thursday has somewhat surprised the bourgeoisie. The one-seventh of the population should have registered their deliberate opinion that they prefer no Government to that under which they are living is by no means a reassuring fact, more particularly when this seventh consists of " men of action." armed with muskets, and provided with ammuni tion. As long as the Line and the Mobiles remain here, Trochu will be able, if he only acts with firmness, to put down all tendencies to disorder ; but were there to be a fight between the friends of the Government among the Garde Mobile and its opponents, I am not certain that the former would have the upper hand. As it is, the Hotel de Ville and the Louvre are guarded by Breton battalions of the Mobile, and Vinoy has announced that if there is a disturbance, he will at once march to the aid of the Government at the head of his division. Many complaints are made about the mode in which the vote was taken on 'Thursday; some of them appear to me to be just. The fact is, that Frenchmen have not the most elementary notion of fair play in an election. No matter what body of • men are in power, they conceive that they have a perfect right to use that power to obtain a verdict in their favour from their fellow-citizens. Tried by our electioneering code, every French election which I have ever witnessed would be annulled on the ground of " intimidation" and "undue influence." Meat generally is very scarce in Paris. But lamb, strange to say, was offered cheap and in plenty a few days ago. It was noticed that live dogs were becoming scarce just then. The German sentinels round Paris frequently take up their positions at night in singular quarters. In the Park of Malmaison, on the white wall which was so hotly fired at on the 21st, a patrol recently settled himself on a ladder with a white sheet round him, so as hardly to be distin guished from the wall. The two Metz papers have suspended publication. At Versailles the arrival of the Germans caused an immediate atrike amongst the journals, and the Nouvelliste de Versailles was started by the invaders to supply the deficiency. Its circulation has already reached 1,600. The editor will be Dr. Bamberg, lately German consul at Paris. A correspondent of the Cologne Gazette states, on the authority of a parlementaire. who escorted an American out of Paris, that the members of the Government were first informed of the fall of Metz by M. Thiers, and rumours of this having got abroad threatening crowds collected before his houst. He was consequently offered a cavalry escort on his return, but refused it, fearing this 'would only provoke the mob. The Ministry thereupon' deemed themselves bound to accompany him to the out posts, in order to protect him from insult. M. Thiers Made no secret of these circumstances to several persons who visited him at Versailles. Le Bourget, the village near Paris which was recently the scene of the gallant but unfortunate fight on the part of the French Garde Mobile, is a place of some historical celebrity. It was there that Napoleon I. halted after the battle of Waterloo. He arrived in Le Bourget at noon on the 19th of July, 1815, and remained there some hours in order to enter the city at night. The Daily News Paris correspondent says that public opinion in the capital at the time of the armistice nego tiations was disposed to accept a cessation of the siege on almost any terms. " General Trochu, however, and his colleagues had not the civic courage to attach their names to a document which would afterwards have been cast in their teeth. A friend of mine, a military man, saw Trochu late last night. He strongly urged him to accept the armistice, but in vain. ' What do you expect will occur? You must know that the position is hopeless,' said my friend. ' I will not sign a capitulation,' was all he could get from Trochu." The " Besieged Resident " who contributes to the Daily News says ;—" Both among soldiers and officers General Vinoy is far more popular than any other general ; he is a sort of French Lord Clyde. Until now he had a co ordinate command with Ducrot. That he should be called upon to serve under him is regarded as an injustice, more particularly because Ducrot is an intimate personal friend of Trochu. Ducrot and Trochu believe in themselves, and believe in each other, but no one else believes in them.. They certainly have not yet given the slightest evidence of military capacity, except by criticis ing what has been done by others. Now, at last, how ever, Trochu will have an opportunity to carry out his famous plan, by which he asserts that he will raise the blockade in fourteen days, and of which he has given the fullest details in his will. Ridicule kills in France—and since this eminent General, as an evidence that he had a plan, appealed to the will which he had deposited with his lawyer, he lost all influence. 1 need not say that his in fluence has not been restored by the absurd arrest to which he has been subjected by Messrs Flourens and Blanqui." ANARCHY AT MARSEILLES. MARSEILLES, November 6. Full particulars are now given of the arrival of M. Gent in this city, and the incideats which attended it. When the carriage containing the newly-appointed prefect arrived at the door of the Prefecture, the assembled crowd was astonished not to see him enter under, the great por tico leading to the grand staircase. Those who were nearest the carriage observed that the civil guard, who were gathered in great numbers by the door, refused leave to enter, and turned their bayonets against the crowd who applauded the new governor. M. Gent sprung from his carriage and went in with one or two of the colonels who accompanied him. Another was forced to go in at the side door. An hour-later M. Gent received a pistol shot in the side from a revolver, whose muzzle was close to him. The evidence at the examina tian shewed that M. Gent, on his arrival, went to the private "cabinet " of M. Esquiros, the ex-governor, with whom he conversed some little time, while ,the bystanders discussed the state of affairs. All agreed that M. Esquiros ought not to be deposed, but that M. Gent might accept him as a coadjutor, and thus appease the popular excitement. Presently M. Gent came out, and declared with clear ness and decision that he would exercise the civil and military powers which he held from the Tours Govern ment without sharing them with any one. A delegate of the revolutionary committee of the Hotel de Ville stepped forward and asked M. Gent. whether he would recognise the dissolution of the former municipal council and the establishment of the commission appointed by popular acclamation. M. Gent replied, " I do not know what you mean by revolutionary commune; I am just arrived ; I am altogether ignorant of what has occurred until now ; but if you wish to know my opinion, I will tell you very plainly that I do not recognise in any way the revolutionary, municipal commission." Consternation spread through the assembly ' on hearing those words, and they protested the conduct of the Tours Government would produce civil war. M. Dupont, a member of the Departmental Council, tried to induce M. Gent to adopt conciliatory measures, and ex plained to him that the majority favoured M. Esquiros, and that the responsibility of civil war would rest on him if he persisted. M. Gent then spoke of his own Republi can sentiments, declaring he would always be opposed to the state of siege, but said that M. Esquires having three times sent in his resignation, he had not thought it right to refuse a third time the trust offered to him by the Tours government. He had refused it twice previously on account of his friendship for Esquiros. Having ac cepted the office of governor of the department des Bouches du Rhone, with full civil and military power, , he could not share his authority with any person what ever. The people broke up into groups again, all discus sing the dreaded civil war. Some advised the arrest of M. Gent, to prevent his taking any action. A cry of " Aux armes 1" was raised, and several citizens, hurry ing into the salle, found M. Gent and a crowd of persons. There were loud protests raised against the presence of any person with arms, and some degree of tumult arose. The leading citizens went from one to another endeavour ing to restore calmness, and had partially succeeded,when a loud report was heard, and M. Gent was found to be wounded. The consternation was general, and amounted to stupor. However, the matter proved to be less serious than was at first thought, and M. Gent was able to receive his relations and friends in the evening.. His assailant escaped undetected. Towards ten o'clock shots were heardin. the streets, and a fusillade, resulting in the injury, if not death, of several persons took place. It origi nated in a dispute between the civil and the National Guard. On the day after great anxiety and un easiness prevailed in the town. It was feared a collision was inevitable, and the absence of the General of the National Guard, who was illegally detained by the Revo lutionary party, left the force without orders ; while M. Gent himself was kept virtually a prisoner in the Hotel of the Prefecture. The Civil Guard during the night had seized the armourers stores to obtain powder and projectiles, but, happily, cartridges were wanting. General Cluseret had removed the stock of munitions provided for the National Guard, but soon fresh supplies were brought to them and a vigorous effort was resolved upon. The people learning the state of affairs, assembled in the streets in throngs, calling on the National Guard to repress disorder, and promising to support them. At two o'clock the bat talion commanded by Colonel Nicolas went to the prison, and succeeded in releasing its chief without employing force, and the citizens lending their assistance in other quarters, a reconciliation was effected between the two rival forces, the dissolution of the Civil Guard and its enrolment in the National Guard agreed upon, and M. Gent was able to telegraph to Tours that he was " master of the situation." LETTER FROM GENERAL COFFINIERES. General Coffinieres has written to the Independance Beige, from Hamburg, as follows :—" I have been pain fully surprised on arriving here to read, in the Ind4endance, the serious accusations which have been made against me. Whenever I was called upon to give my opinion I always said that the place of Metz had distinct interests from those of the Army of the Rhine, and that all > political preoccupotion should be put aside, in order to provide means for the defence. I only yielded at last to the opinion which prevailed in the Council of War before' the complete exhaustion of our food supplies, and before the general order of the General-in Chief but I 'did not do so until some ani mated discussions had taken place, in which I stood alone in my opinion. With regard to the provisions, it will suffice to prove that they were sufficient, to say that the place of Metz, which was originally intended to hold from 90,000 to 100,000 men, garrison included, was able to feed nearly 240,000 men during two months anda-half. I feel sure that I shall be able to prove hereafter in the most satis factory manner that X have loyally fulfilled my duty as a soldier and a citizen, and in awaiting this I beg you will abstain from any injurious comments." FAILURE OF NEGOTIATION. The Constitutionnel says that when the news arrived of the failure of the negotiations relative to the armistice, it was painfully surprised. The feeling of France on the point cannot be doubted, for the people are only too anxious to decide the double question of the war and the Government. Better hopes had been entertained of the suc cess of the armistice, in consequence of the intervention of the neutral Powers. The Constitutionnd considers that the English Ministry used noble language in putting the case before the Prussian Government. France nas more cause to regret the delay which has been interposed in the matter of her internal organisation than to deplore the continuation of the war. The nation, is prepared to continue the contest, but it cannot feel resigned to taking no part in the great questions which affect its honour and existence. It seems as if some fatality prevented a national representation from taking place just when it is most necessary. ADVENTURE OF A. QUEEN'S MESSENGER. Captain Robbins, Queen's messenger, nearly lost his life whilst returning from Versailles. The Freeshooters captured him, and doomed him to death. No argument could convince them that they were in error in regarding him as a spy. His passport and official papers were produced in uain ; the enamelled Queen's arms and running greyhound which Queen's Messengers wear were produced in vain. He must die. However, an innkeeper pleaded for him, and on his entreaty a reprieve was granted until the morning, in order that the " spy " might have a chance to say his prayers, write to his wife, and go out of the world like a christian. They, therefore, departed, warning the landlord that it would go hard with him if the bird had flown when they returned. "At 3 a.m.," says the correspondent, "some of them came back ; they thought they had waited long enough, and they thirsted for the messenger's blood. The house was so full, the landlord said, that there were two or three persons in every room, and they might make a mistake and shoot the wrong man, and so he again put them off till daylight arrived. Before it, Captain Robbins, whose horses by this time had rested, was out of the window and into his carriage; he was lucky enough not to meet the freeshooters on the road and reached a place of safety, . whence this brief narrative of his adventures and perils was brought to me by a sympathising colleague. Speaking in all seriousness, Queen's Messengers, who at this time are sent through the French lines, whether going to or coming from the Prussians, perform their duty at the risk of their lives. Captain Robbins certainly had a narrow escape, and he seems to have shewn great judgment and cool ness under remarkably trying and dangerous circum stances." M. FAVItE ON THE ARMISTICE NEGOTIATIONS. M. Jules Favre has addressed a circular to the French Ministers abroad. He declares that Prussia, by causing the rejection of the armistice, has once more proved that she seeks only aggrandisement in the present war, regard less of the interests of humanity. M. Favre affirms that Paris has shewn no sign of weakness during the siege, attempts at sedition have ended only in strengtheu ing the position of the Government, by the imposing vote of the plebiscite. M. Jules Favre demonstrates that the re-victualling of the capital was a necessary coo sequence of the suspension of hostilities; an armistice without that provision would have been a capitulation at a given moment without honour, without hope, and adds : By refusing our demand to provision Paris, Prussia rejected the armistice. It is not only the Fra uch army, but the French nation, that she seeks to annihilate when she proposes to reduce Paris to the horrors of a famine. Europe de manded that France should assemble deputies to deliberate upon the question. Prussia refused this assembly by subjecting it to an iniquitous condition contrary to every right. With regard to the Prussian accusation that the French Government obliges Prussia to starve Paris, Europe will judge of the value of such imputations. They are the last feature of a policy which commences by pledging the word of the Sovereign in favour of the French nation, and terminates by a diplomatic rejection of every combination which would allow France to express.her wishes. Prussia, which perceives the odious character of her re• fusal, seeks to dissimulate it under a disguise which can deceive'no one. To ask us for a month's of our provisions is to ask of us our arms—arms which we resolutely hold in our hands, and will not lay down without fighting. We have done everything that men of honour could do to stop this conflict, but the issue from it has been closed against us, and we can henceforth take counsel only of our courage, throwing back the responsibility upon those who systematically refuse all compromise. Let it be well understood that up to the last moment the Government of National Defence, absorbed by the immense interests confided to it, will do everything in its power to render an honourable peace possible. The means of consulting France were refused to it, and it thereupon interrogate.l Paris. All Paris, in reply, rises to arms to spew the country and the world what a great people can do when it defends its honour, its homes, and the indepen dence of its country. The King of Prussia has appointed Lieutenant-Genera von Lowenfeldt Governor of Metz. A very odd paragraph appears in the Berlin letter of a G erman paper. Count von Moltke, says the writer, has sent directions 'for his house to be put in readiness, as he expects to be at home in four weeks at the latest. The official who sent the brusque telegram signed "Bis marck," declaring Dr. Russell's report of the conver - sation between King William and Napoleon 111. at Sedan to be an entire fabrication, has fallen into disgrace. A charming villa at Flossbeck, near Altona, the pro perty of a widow of French birth, and a relative of the late Marshal Niel, has been offered to and accepted by Marshal Bazaine, who was expected to arrive shortly with his staff of five generals and 106 officers. All the original posts and milestones on the line of rai from Forbach to Metz have had the French colours painted over with black and white paint, The trial trip which took place on the 30th ult. on this line bore with it enormous quantities of black and white paint for this purpose. It is asserted that in the council of generals held at Metz before the capitulation, fourteen generals were in accord with Bazaine, being of opinion that the capitula tion must take place. Seven were of a contrary opinion, among whom were Marshal Canrobert, with Generals Deliginy, Cissey, and Ladmirault. The Government Delegation at Tours has decreed that all bodies of Freeshooters shall henceforth be specially attached co a corps of the army in campaign, or at least to a military division, where they can act in conformity with the directions of the commanders. The Minister of War will decide to which division the Freeshooters will belong. Professor R. G. Wells announces that he is construct ing at Bordeaux a large aerial machine for the French Government, 175 feet in length and 50 feet in diameter, but can find no one in that city capable of making a steam engine suitable for such a machine. He therefore asks if anybody in England can solve the problem. The German waggoners attached to the army have ad dressed a petition to the King of Prussia, praying for dis missaL They urge that they have been employed ten weeks with their vehicles 600 miles from home, that both themselves and their horses are exhausted, and that their agricultural duties are very urgent. Having failed in their representations to the military authorities, they havo ventured to appeal to the King personally. General von Goeben, who commands the Bth Prussian Corps, is the youngest leader of the rank in the service, and has seen most fighting, So gluttonous is he for fight ing, that when there was peace within the borders of the Fatherland, this modern Bayard was fighting in South America, and again in the fierce internal strifes of Spain. In this war he has borne the brunt of the hardest fighting. At Spicheren and Courcelles his army corps was first among the foremost. The railway from Metz to Saarbruck is now closed to civilian passengers, it being required for military convoys. The French colours on the signal posts and other spots have been effaced. - The railway from Remilly to Pont-a- Mousson, constructed by the Germans in order'to enable the traffic to be carried on without hindrance from the garrison of Metz, is to be executed in a more substantial and permanent manner, for, though now less necessary than previously, it gives a shorter route between Saar bruck and Nancy. The Echo du Luxemburg has received from persons lately in Metz the most deplorable accounts of the place and its environs. The department of the Moselle is ruined for twenty years, the vines are for the most part destroyed, and will produce nothing for six years. Wherever the Prussians have passed they have taken all that was transportable. The immediate neigh bourhood of Metz presents a deplorable spectacle ; the villas are pulled down, and the gardens and plantations laid waste. The journals of Metz have not appeared since the capitulation. The Bavarian mitrailleuses turn out a more effective arm than their French rivals. The pieces were first brought into action in the engagements of the 10th and 11th October, under command of Captain Count Thurk heim. Employed against infantry and cavalry, they at once proved their deadly power, but their utility was best established by the way in which they disposed of a French mitrailleuse battery, which they silenced after a very few shots. An additional advantage of the Bavarian mitrail leuses (constructed by Felbe) is their greater portability, which makes their erection practicable almost on any ground.—Continental Correspondence. Hippophagists will rejoice to hear that in the course of the last three weeks no less than 7,000 horses have been converted into human food at Metz. On the 29th of last month, just after the arrival of the German troops, the bill of fare at the Hotel de l'Europe was as follows Soup made of horseflesh ; boiled horse, with peas and cucumbers; stewed (tame) rabbits ; fried horsesteak; and for dessert; a bunch of grapes with a bit of seedcake. However, hunger being the best sauce, and the burgundy and nevet being genuine, the company is said to have enjoyed this equine dinner most heartily.—Continental Correspondence. It appears that as late as the 3rd of September hopes were entertained at Metz of an invasion of Germany. At any rate a" Guide du soldat Francais en fAllemagne was published there, copies of which were observed in the booksellers' windows after the capitulation. It is a col lection of " travel talk " in French and German, suited to the requirements .of an invading army. The French soldiers, it seems, were expected to emyloy such pilrag . ,l s as " Clear out your furniture," " None of you in tul room," "We shall kill those hens, ducks, pigeons' "Bring us immediately so-and-so," &c. A German cor respondent remarks that the guide is equally adapted to his own countrymen, as they have only to use the opP° site pages. A part of the Remington guns ordered by the CRY of Lyons, for the equipment of the National Guard, W e arrived. They cost 200 francs each, but they are prepared with great skill. - They can render excellent service, as they are light and easy to load, and have a capita l range. The Salut Public of Lyons says that the grain market has been very animated. The other markets are crowded with carts, but the peasants Jo not readily respond to the request s of the Lyonese municipality to furnish them with provi' sions. They prefer to keep something in hand, in order , that they may, as they say, propitiote the Prussians on their arrival. The municipality has given considerabl e orders, to prepare the town in the event of a siege. DESTRUCTION OF THE FRENCH ARMY.—More eloquently than any elaborate description does the eat° trophe that has befallen France appear from the following table, shewing the positions of her regular infantry before the war and now : Taken Consequent prisoners remain to up to Oct. 29. France. The French Infantry before the War consisted of— A. Guards— Infantry Regiments ... Rifle Battalion B. Line— Infantry Regiments ... 100 ... 94 ... 6* Zouave Regiments ... 3 ... 3 ... Rifle Battalions... 20 ... 20 ... Light Infantry Battalions 3 ... 3t Foreign Legion... ... 1 Turco Regiments ... 3 ... 3 ... * Escaped because four in Algiers and two at Rome. Thos e from Algiers are now with the Loire Army, the two others are at Paris. t Escaped because at Algiers. In addition to the few Regulars left, the depot troops, reinforced by numerous recruits and anciens militaimst now form the nucleus of the French' forces.—Times. ATTACK UPON" A CAPTAIN AT ROCHEFORT.—TiI e ship Flora, from Rochefort, has reached Dantzic ill safety. This is the vessel whose captain (Zielke) was shot by the rabble before leaving the French port. The following particulars of the murder have been given by the mate of the ship, Mierau. Captain Zielke was writing in his cabin, about half-past eleven at night, and partially undressed, when he heard a tumult on the deck. On going up quickly, he perceived an armed crowd attempting to enter the ship, and the mate trying to prevent them. A lively altercation took place between the crew and the mob, which was composed of. National Guards and men in blouses, all with weapons. Scarcely had the captain appeared when a shot was fired at him from the crowd, and he immediately fell. The mate hoisted the, pilot-flag, and a pilot cam e o n b o a r d, w h o wen* for a doctor, and reported the event to the North' American Consul. The surgeon, on arriving, f oun d the captain still breathing, but h e di e d ver y soon after. The Consul drew up a formal report, and advised the mate to leave the harbour immediately with the ship; A marina officer .came on board, and repeated the recommendation of the Consul, adding that the mate would get no pilot W go with him. He also asked to see the free pass which the vessel had received from the French Government, because it had brought a cargo of wood from the North Cape for the French navy. No sooner was he gone, than the mate gave orders to make all ready for sailing forthwith. The ship has safely navigated these unknown waters, and reached the port of Dantzic. The mate relates that while he was in France—this was just after the catastrophe of Sedan—even a Dane or Norwegian durst not appear in the streets, as they would have been maltreated, on the suspicion of being Germans.—North German Correspondent. MOVEMENTS ' OF THE GERMAN ARMIES. Writing from the headquarters at Versailles on the 3rd instant, the correspondent of the Telegraph says : —The council of war, to which additional moment was lent by the presence of Count Bismarck, was convened for the purpose, in view of the intractability manifested by the "gentlemen of the pavement," of concerting measures for the active prosecution of the war. The delibera tions, I believe, resulted in the definitive disposition of the forces rendered available for offensive operations bY the surrender 'of Metz, in the following manner : The other division of the 2ndi (Pomeranian) Army Corps will join the Paris army for good—one division is already here. The Ist (East Prussian) and Bth (Rhenish) Army Corps under Manteuffel, to march north wards, establishing its head-quarters at Soissons to cover the rear of the Northern Paris investing army, and, in time, to capture Rouen, Havre, &c. The 3rd, 9th, and 10th Army Corps, under Prince Frederick Charles—who will also have under his com mand the 14th Army Corps (Werder), Generals von der Tann and Wittich's Divisions, Prince Albrecht's Cavalry Division, &c. —to proceed straight on Troyes, and thence on Bourges; in fact, to occupy and hold the line of the Loire, beyond which it is not intended at present that he should proceed very far. The 7th Army Corps to garrison Metz, and reinforce the attacks upon Verdun, Thionville, Mezibres, &c. ; in short, to make tself " generally useful." This programme, if carried, out, will render the isolation of Paris more complete and hopeless, if possible, than it is even now ; and will, more over, furnish ample occupation for the Armies of the Loire, the East, and the North. One of these three hosts, by the way, is again left without a head through the resignation of General Bourbaki, who, after inspecting the materials of which it was composed, absolutely declines to have anything to do with it—a proceeding that has earned him the esteem of the Germans, who profoundly despise the undisciplined hordes of Francs-tireurs, rallying to the Death's Head and Cross - bones, and deeming themselves to be foes worthy of the German steel The decision that these guerillas are to be treated as prisoners of war, if captured, has not improved the temper of the German troops d leur intention; and I fear that but little quarter will be given them in action—that few prisoners will be made among the irregulars, from the moment they are classed as regulars, by Prussian, still less by Bavarian, soldiers. THE TOURS GOVERNMENT AND THE ARMISTICE. —The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Tours, on the 7th inst., says :—The news of the rupture of the negotiations for the armistice, however it may have been unexpected in other quarters, has not taken the Tours Government by surprise. M. Gambetta, in whose person all the activity of that Government is represented, has never ceased to act upon the assumption that the war would go on. He did not so far put himself in opposition with General Trochu and his colleagues as to listen to the friendly representations of the. neutral Powers, and to proclaim his dissent to an armistice, which would really have assurred France the benefit of the status qno. But it is within my knowledge that a pigeon despatch sent by him to Paris tendered his resignation, unless substantial guarantees (and among others those suggested by M. Dorian) were given that the armistice would not be a snare. His pigeon was crossed by another bringing the news that the Prussian terms were alto gether illusory, and had been rejected at Paris. One of the published despatches says they were unanimously re jected, but I understand that Al. Gamier Pages and M. Pelletan were against breaking off the negotiations- However, the simultaneous resolution of the Govern ments of Paris and Tours is to carry on the war to the last extremity. Count Bismarck, it appears, who is now in possesion of all the railways which con verge upon Paris, refused to allow any of them to be used for the purpose of revictualling the city. "We want provision," he said, "as well as you. You may use the ordinary roads, and welcome." Now, seeing that the ordinary roads are very much cut up ; that there are no bridges over the river ; that for many miles all around - Paris there are no provisions at all ; that draught horses are scarcely to be had in all France, and that what cattle are left have been driven hundreds of miles away for safety, the conclusion of the Government was that it would not be possible in twenty-five days to bring to Paris anything more than an illusory amount of food. Hence the resolution taken. (ADVERTISE3IENT.I—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills. Chest Preservatives.—At all seasons of the year the rate of mortality from diseases of the lungs is very great ; Holloway's Ointment well rubbed upon the chest, aided by his Pills, arrests all mischief. These cleansing medica ments exercise a most salutary and restorative influence over the entire contents of the pectoral cavity. Air tubes, nerves, blood-vessels, and all other tissues feel their wholesomely potent power ; more particularly in their thoroughly purifying both venous and arterial blood by promoting the free circulation of air. Neither Ointment nor Pills contain any noxious ingredient whatever, but their balsamic nature nourishes rather than irritates the system, and kindly subdues all untoward symptoms, till all is well once more. 8 ... 8 ... - 1 ... 1 .. BIRTHS. On the Bth inst., at Woodfield, Leamington, the wife of Captain Kennedy, sth Dragoon Guards, of a daughter. On the Bth inst., at 36, Grosvenor-square, the wife of J. __,Woodford, Esq., of a son. MARRIAGES.' On the Bth inst., at Hawstead Church, Edward Greene, Esq., M.P., of Ixworth Abbey, Suffolk, to Caroline Dorothea, widow of the late Rear-Admiral Sir William Hoste, Bart. On the Bth inst., at St. Stephen's, Norwood, Mr. William Francis Shaw, of the Inner Temple, to Caroline Minnie, the second daughter of the late Mr. John Whitwell, of Wisbeach. DEATHS. On the Bth inst., at Five Oaks, Sheffield, Win. Buteher, Esq., Town Regent, aged 79. On the 7th inst., at The Fence, Macclesfield, Thomas Brocklehurst, Esq., aged 80. LondOn : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by him at TIM SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savpy, in the County of Middlesex. Friday, November 11, 1870, .5....... ••••,...... Adrr 4 )4 i s Stan, t telegi Cot Opa Lola st ies t rade ill sh 4 bo T Vii° lj t! c ►en. oth, -,_.