The Sun. — London, England, 1870-12-31 00:00:00

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SEVENTY.' MIDNIGHT Of December 31, 1870, closes another year and another decade. The year has been ev, n'- ful almost beyond precedent, and it has consummated. a most eventful decade. - .In _these ten years Europe has seen three wnrq, three revolutions, eight Sove reigns driven fr'on; theirjhrones, an empire shaken to its foundations, and an Empire wholly over thrown. New Year's Day 1871 will dawn upon a very different Europe from that which saw the light of New Year's Day 1861. That day saw the EMPEROR of the FRENCH firmly esta blished on his throne ; to-day he is a prisoner in an enemy's land. That day saw the CROWN PRINCE become King of PRUSSIA, through the death of hisl brother ; to-day he is Emperor of GERMANY. That• day saw the King _of SARDINIA still battering the walls of Ga4ta, ; to 7 day he is King of a 'United Italy. Since the seventh &Cade of the century opened the . King of NAPLES, the: king of GREECE, the Queen of, SPAIN, the 'King of ttiNovEn, the Duke of NASSAU, the Elector of . CasSEL, the Emperor of FRANCE, and dast, and mosa astounding of- all, the Pope of ROME ) , have been discrowned..t. Nor is this havoc among Kings a full pleasure (:)fi ttie change which has come over Europe. The `new North German Confedera-. • tion has gone the of the old Germanic Confederation, and has given place to the still older German Empire. Austria , has been driven'out of Germany and out of Italy, The Spanish Monarchy, has given place to aßepublic, and that to a Monarchy. The French Empire has given place to a Govern ment, which also calls itseS,a Republic, but is a Dictatorship: , Dennitrl6 7- lias been 'robbed of well nigh half its provinces. The Danubian Principalities have become ill united and 'An almost independent State. Serfdom has been aholislaed in Russia, and the proudest nobles in the world have just yielded up with enthusiasm the last of their privileges, and.,, rendered themselves liable to serve with, and even. under the men whom they used to knout. In England, happily, there have been no great catastrophes, no great world spectacles. We have had our revolu tions—revolutions in ChurCh and State, but they have been peaceful, they have not cost a drop of blood. We have disestablished a Church ;we have enlarged the pale of the constitution ; but neither change has destroyed a single life. Far otherwise has it been in another continent. In South America there have been alniost perpetual wars; in North America there has been one of the most gigantic struggles that the world has ever seen. It seems quite an old event now; yet, ten years ago, Fort Sumter had not fired the first gun whime echo was to resound from the Gulf of Mexico to the river St. Lawrence. Of all the ten years since the last day of 1860, the year now closing has been the most eventful for Europe. Eighteen hundred and seventy opened with the fairest promise. NAPOLEON, convinced at last that the old system of personal government was un tenable, had summoned to his aid some of the ablest members of the Liberal party, and intrusted them with the duty of framing the Ministry. On January Ist the EMPEROR, receiving the Corps Legislatif, said he was like a traveller who relieved himself of a portion of his burden in order to arrive more quickly at his destination. That was prosperity securely guaranteed and liberty definitely established. On the 3rd the names of the new Ministera were announced. On the 10th the -Ministry met the Chambers, and OLLIVIER, in the Corps Legislatif, asked, amid great cheering, for the confidence of that body in his endea vours to secure the realization of progress without violence and liberty without revolution. It was just a t this moment, when the EMPEROR hoped he had reconciled the Parisians to himself, 'Alit a lament able disa,so; oc . . ctir:eu: - A young journalist, SALMON by name, bUi'styling himself VICTOR NOIR, called upon Prince PIERRE BONAPARTE, the EMPEROR'S cousin, in order to reply to a challenge which the Prince had sent to RocHEFonT for having attacked the BONAPARTES in his paper the Mar seillaise. High words ensued; the Prince shot SALMON dead, and fired at his companion, DE FONVIELLE. When the EMPEROR heard the news he turned deadly pale. It was a terrible misfortune for him. The utmost agitation prevailed. The funeral of the murdered man was attended by over 100,000 persons, who took this way of ex pressing their antagonism to the Imperial family. Prince PIERRE was tried, but escaped serious punish ment. Paris during February was in a most dis turbed state. On the 7th barricadas_were thrown up, and a conflict ensued, which was attended by some loss of life. The rioting was renewed in the following month, and the Ministry, in consequence of its refusal to dissolve the Chambers, was rapidly becoming as unpopular as the EMPEROR when on the 22nd of that month NAPOLEON addressed a letter to OLLIVIER declaring his wish to divide the legislative power between the two Chambers, and to restore to the nation that portion of constituent power it bad delegated to him. In order to'carry out the necessary constitutional changes (which the Senate alone had power to make) the Premier was directed to prepare a senates consultunz. This an nouncement was received with the most lively satis faction, and the EMPEROR might then have used with far better reason the memorable words he uttered on a subsequent and disastrous occasion, tout peut se retablir. The decree summoning the nation to the Plebiscite was issued on April 23rd, and the day of voting was fixed for May Bth. In the interval the police discovered a plot to assassinate the EMPEROR. A sensational account of the whole conspiracy was drawn up and posted throughout the rural districts. The result of the plebiscite was that a very large majority voted Oui, about 7,250,000, against 1,500,000 Nons. ,But Paris,. Lyons, Marseilles, de clared fiercely and overwhelmingly against the Empire. The majority, hoWever, obtained was so large that the Liberal Opposition was greatly discon certed. The more. moderate men, like PICARD, and even GAMBETTA, then pointed out the necessity of separating themselves from the Reds.. It was while they were discussing the best means of forming a Constitutional Opposition that the storm suddenly burst upon them which has been raging through France ever since, and has reduced that country to ruin. On Monday June 27,. Lord CLAnENDoN died un- I expectedly, after a very short illness. On Monday July 4, it was announced that he would be succeeded by Earl GRANVILLE. The next day the new Minis ter for Foreign Affairs was assured by the permanent under secretary, one of the most experienced diplo matistsin Europe, that in all his remembrance he had never known so great a lull in Foreign politics. That same afternoon as Lord GRANVILLE was sitting in the House of Lords, he received a tele gram from Mr. LAYARD, our Minister at Madrid, announcing that the Spanish Provisional Govern ment had determined to offer the Crown of Spain to Prince LEOPOLD OF HOHENZOLLERN. The decision had been arrived at on the previous Sunday, and on the same day it was made known to the French Minister of Foreign 4flitir3, the Duke de GRAMONT. The next morning M. OLLIVIER and the Duke had a long interview with the EMPEROR, and it was re solved to send for the Prussian Ambassador. Ile was told that if this offer to Prince LEOPOLD were accepted, there would he a " catastrophe ;" and when Baron WERTHER, nervous and excited, asked" that the word might be defin,d, OmaviEtt r, hli d : "In the name of .tiie • tit . `ll-1E SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER , 31, 187 C. Emperor and of his Government, I reply it is a menace.of war." The next nay, the day that -Alr. HAMMOND bad spoken of the clearness of the polit cal horizon, Lord GRANVILLE received a telegram from Lord LvoNs shortly after the arrival of Mr. LivAnri's tiescribin.i the excitement which the Spanish proposal had' aroused in Paris, and the danger to which it might give rise: The day after July oth, the Paris journals were full of the incident, and discussed it in violent language. The agita tion extended to the Cliambbra, where the Duke of GnAmoNT made a threatening speech. Thursday saw a panic on every stock exchange in Enropl," the worst since Black Monday, though hut. a slight shiver compared with the strong convulsion that shook the London • Stock Exchange on July 18th, when an alliance between Prussia and Russia w-ts rumoured. Before that day Europe had passed into a state of war. On July 15, amid a scene of almost unparalleled excitement, the Duke of GRAMONT in the Senate, and OLLIVIER in the Legis lative Chamber announced that the EMPEROR had determined to declare war against Prussia. The PRIME MINISTER declared that he entered upon the war " with - a - .light heart," but the EMPEROR cannot be accused of doing that. He .knew that the 'victors of Sadowa would prove formidable foes, and when after nearly a fortnight's delay he joinedthe army at Metz heissue :an address -which, thofigh it promised victory in the end, intimated that it - would it be an arduous task to win it. This address was issued on July 29th. The fortnight's delay since the official announcement of war was due to the utter want of preparation for that war for which M. ROUHER declared that the•EmpEnon had been preparing during the past Tour years. The miserable - collapse of the military system of the first military nation in the world must • have been foreshadowed even then.,. It was soon to beetle Ithown in all its dreadful reality. Paris became inipatioint at inaction, and the army of the Emperor th4refore left Metz after breakfast on Auguit 2nd, and, taking : his son . with bim, NAPOLEON went by. train to Saarbriick. Two days later, August 4, - NAPOLEON was presiding at Metz over a council of war, at which gAcMAHoN and BAZAINE were present. While they were discussing plans that ought to have been carried out a week- before, the CROWN PRINCE of PRUSSIA fell upon a portion of MAcMAHoN's corps at the little frontier town of Weissenburg. The French were snrprised.and Outnumbered, and though they fought with great bravery they were completely defeated. MOLTKE again put in force the rapid tactics which had won this campaign of four years before. On August 0 the CROWN PRINCE again attacked MAcMATloNatWorth, and simultaneously FROSSARD was attacked on the heights above Saarbruck. Both Generals were utterly beaten, the French army severed, never more to be united,*and hurled back in disorder towards Metz. In Paris there had been tidings of a great victory, begotten in that nest of lies the Bourse. The flags which were -hoisted in honour of Lours' bap tism were still waving, when on Sunday the disastrous truth became known. We have sustained a reverse, telegraphed the EMPEROR to the EMPRESS REGENT, but all may be regained. It was only by degrees that the fall nature of the calamity became known. On August 9 communications were made to the Chambers by the Ministry respecting the military position. The Corps Legislatif was fiercely indig nant. JULES FAVRE demanded the recall of the EMPEROR; DE KERATRY demanded his abdica tion ; DUVERNOIS attempted to divert the storm from the EMPEROR by directing it against tha ministry. This manoeuvre succeeded. OLLIVIER had to announce his resignation, and a new Ministry was formed, with the Count of PALYKAO at its head. This Government has been well called the lying Ministry. During its brief existence of twenty-six days it systematically withheld the truth, or falsified it when it could not be withheld. If falsehood were ever a venial offence it was so at this time. The truth was terrible. One disaster accumulated on another. BAz AIN E, endeavouring to escape from Metz and rejoin MACMAHON, had to sustain three of the bloodiest battles ever fought even on the soil of France. On Sunday, August 14, and on the following Tuesday and Thursday Prince FREDERICK CHARLES and General STEINMETZ were engaged in a series of most obstinate conflicts known as the battles of Courcelles, Mars-la-Tour (or Vionville), and Gravelotte (or Rezonville). The result was that BAZAINE was driven into Metz, and. remained shut up there though not without an occasional sortie, until October 28, when he surrendered with the largest army and war materiel that ever fell into the hands of a conqueror. Meanwhile MACMAIION had to continue his retreat. One after another the great rivers of France weze crossed, and none of them seemed to afford a,.basis of operations. Even the camp at Chalons, established expressly for the defence of Paris, was evacuated, and its city of huts burnt. The army by this time had be come dangerously demoralised, and for a time shewed itself openly mutinous. The Ear- FEiton, and his son narrowly escaped being made prisoners, and were glad enough to make their jour ney in a third-class carriage, and to drink sour wine out of an old cup. MACMAHON told his master plainly that there was no hope of retrieving the posi tion excopt by falling back under the walls of Paris, . and there gaining time to reorganise hi 3 army. But the EMPRESS interposed, and told the EMPEROR that if BAZAINE were abandoned there would be a revolution. Against his better judgment, 'MAcMAIIoN attempted to perform the impossible. He endeavoured to march along the northern fron tier and regain Metz. Then -came the last days of August—the last days of the French army, the last days of the French Empire. On the 20th BAZAINE attempted to break out of Metz, and was defeated. On the 28th DE FAILLY was defeated at Montmedy, On the 30th MAcMA.HoN was defeated at Beaumont with a loss of io,oop in prisoners alone. Fresh defeats occurred at Douzy and Bazeilles on the 31st, and on September Ist Arma geddon reached its climax. MacMAsoN was utterly overwhelmed at Sedan, and painfully wounded. On the following day the EMPEROR sent his sword to the KING OF P-WSSIA, saying that not being able to die at the head of his army, he laid his sword at the feet of his Majesty. Then followed the famous interview between KING . and EMPEROR, who, only three years be fore, had occupied such far different posi tions, when the lord of the Tuileries displayed all the riches of the wcrld to his guest. The result of the interview was that MACMAHON surrendered with more than 100,000 men, and the EMPEROR was sent a prisoner through Belgium to the castle of Wilhelmshae, an old pleasure retreat of his uncle, King JEROME. News so decisive could not be kept long from the Parisians. On Friday September 2nd they were told that MACMAIION had surrendered on the 31st the ground he had lost on the previous day. But on Saturday the 3rd Count PALIKAO'S downcast coun tenance told that fresh evil tidings was in store. He told a portion of it, and said there were rumours of other disasters, but he did not credit them. JULES FAVRE mounted the tribune, and declared the country could no longer concern itself about the past. - It had been linable to save the country. The words produced the mail steamer Normandy, was sunk in a collision with a loss of 32 lives. On April . 11 there was a fearful earthquake in Thibet, resulting in a loss of : some 6,000 lives. On April 21, three of our countrymen, including the Secretary• of the British Legation at kthens, were murdered near Marathon by brigands. On April 27, the floor of a public building in Richmond, Virginia, gave way, and 50 persons killed and 150 were more or less seriously injured. ,On May 10 HA.. gunboat Slanev was wrecked in the Indian Ocean, with the loss of all her crew except nine. On May 24 0,000 persons were rendered houseless by a great fire at Quebec, and on June 5, 20,000 houses and 1,000 persons were burnt at Pera, a suburb of Constan i nople. Sixteen days later saw a fearful massacre of , Christians at Tien-tsin by a Chinese mob, which, it is feared, will before long lead to very serious compli cations between the British and " Celestial" G overn meas. July 19 was rendered • memorable and melancholy by the suicide of the accomplished PREVOST PARADOL, who had been recently appointed French Minister at Washington. On September 7 occurred the calamity which, almost more than any other, has caused lamen tation in this country. On that night the " most' powerful war vessel in the world," H.M.S. Captain, went doWR in'the Bay of Biscay with 500 persofi9, including Captain BURGOYNE, Captai. - 4. COWPER COLES, and many persons connected with the aris-• tocraCy: This calamity directed attention to the condition of our navy, which is found to be far from satisfactory, and at this tim4 committee has just been appointed to inquire lig . the whole 'question of the construction of our ironclads. It tbo long to tell—of—all the railway accidents and gunpowder ex plosions which have happened during the closing weeks of the year. If our railway managers and powder-manufacturers cannot say with the French and German Generals that they have slain their thousands, they may at least lay claim to having slain their hundreds. Death, too, has been busy not only in these violent ways,. but in its more ordinary mode of opera tion. Two deaths especially we must men tion that of CHAD LES DICKENS, one of the foremost names in English literature, and that of the Earl of CLARENDON, one of the most experienced of European diplomatists. The latter event, and the retirement of Mr. BRIGHT, have caused important changes in the Cabinet, which have materially weakened it. We have yet to see if the re-con structed Ministry will be• able to. hold its ground. That depends probably more upon measures than upon men. %Vero THE REPRESENTATION OF NEWRY. A deputation from Drogheda proceeded to Newry on Tuesday to further the interests of Mr. Benjamin Whit werth, ex-M.P. • Having waited on and communicated with the Catholic clergy and some of the Liberal electors, with a view of getting up a requisition, they communi cated with Mr. Whtworth the results, which are said to be favourable. The Newry Telegraph contains the following paragraph, headed " Election Facts and Rumours " :—" As we have stated in a separate article, Viscount Newry is to offer himself as a candidate for the vacant representation of this borough upon the independent and town improvement interest. The Liberals, we undertsand—that is, a section of them that prefer war to peace--have decided v.pon Mr. Whitworth, who was returned for Drogheda, but unseated on petition. The Nationalists, too, have met, and, we hear, fixed upon Mr. Campbell, solicitor, a Repealer of an extreme type, as their man. Other Liberal candidates talked of are—Mr. Patrick George Carvill, one of our local merchants ; Mr. John Kirk, Belfast, eldest son of the late member; Serjeant Barry, Mr. Hugh Law, Q.C., and Mr. John O'Hagan, Q.C., a native of Newry. We may add that lawyers are as plenty in toWn at pre sent as woodcocks at this season." EXPLOSION OF A LOCOMOTIVE. A locomotive, standing at NOrth Allerton station on the North Eastern Railway, exploded on Wednesday. The boiler was blown to fragments. Some pieces of great weight were carried above a quarter of a mile. The station roof was brokeri, the windows blown out, and a gmworki and the engine shed were damaged. One of the large driving wheels was blown through a roof twenty yards off. The driver and the firemen who were standing on the front of the engine at the time, escaped without serious injury. A youth, named Broadbent, a telegraph clerk, had his right leg broken. An express train coming up was barely stopped in time to avoid the wreck, and the line was blocked some hours. The People's Magazine will, with the new year, be reproduced under the superintendence of a new, editor. So far as the whole evidence before us goes, from 75 to 100 British subjects in India die every 24 hours from snake bite.—Pioneer. - - . The Duke of Cambridge, we are sorry to hear, is still unable to attend at the Horse Guards through an attack of gout. It is now believed that the " Stourbridge railway frauds," as they are familiarly called, will, if possible, he dealt with by an amicable arrangement. Mr. Adcock, the ex-secretary, has been declared a bankrupt. The Rev. Charles Waldegrave Sandford, M.A., student of Christ Church and commissary and chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been appointed by his Grace rector of Bishopsbourne, near Canterbury. Mr. Sandford will still act as the Archbishop's commissary. The living is of the value of £7OO per annum. RAILWAY CARRIAGES. —Referring to the recent fatal accident through the fracture of the tyre of a wheel on the Great Northern line, a writer in the Tines says :-- " Will you allow me to ask the Great Northern Railway officials if the carriage which caused the accident had six wheels or four, and whether, if it had only four wheels, the accident would hare been averted by the use of a six wheeled carriage ? I ask this question because of late years I habe noticed that railway carriages are now con structed with only four wheels, and it is worth knowing whether it is possible for a similar accident to occur to a carriage of six wheels when either axle, tyre, or one wheel is broken, when there would be four wheels left for the carriage to run upon." FROZEN TO DEATH.—A. youth about 17 Or 18 years of age, named Isaac Mowbray, who was employed at Consett Ironworks, and who resided with his parents at Consett, was. found lying upon the snow, frozen to death, in a field near Tod Hills Farm, about two miles from Con sett, on Wednesday. Deceased had been missing since Saturday night, and a diligent search . had been kept up since Sunday, The unfortunate young man had gone with a band of Christmas dancers to Greenhead, a village over four miles from his house on Saturday night, where he got drunk. A farm servant, who had also been there,- brought him as far as Consett Park, and desired hini to stay over the night, but he refused, and had afterwards missed his way, strayed into the fieldg, fallen asleep on the snow, and perished with the cold. When found„ his face was much scratched, his hands swollen, and his finger-nails very much worn. A medical man was called in, who stated that in his opinion the young man had been dead since Sunday. AN EFFECTIVE SHELL.—I now came to a little clearing in the wood. Just as I stepped into the open a gust of wind blew out my lantern. I had no matches. I crept cautiously along, but it was pitch dark, and I could not see an inch before me. I had not gone many yards when I stumbled over a body ; I spoke, there was no answer ; I put my hand over the face, it was cold ; I got up, and again I stumbled over a second body. I felt for matches in a dead man's pocket ; to my delight I found a pipe, and of course matches. I lighted my candle in the lantern, and then holding it above my head I surveyed the scene before me. To my dying day I shall never f o rget it ; stretched out like a fan, with their feet towards a common centre, lay eight men near the middle of the clearing ; between them and the side of the wood I had just emerged from were the two corpses I had stumbled over, an* in this little space five others lay dead also. I was horrified ; 15 dead men, and I the only living person near them. Oh ! how dreadful was that silence ! I shivered from head to foot. Just as I was lowerino• my lantern, after viewing this ghastly spectacle, one of the supposed dead in the centre moved ' • it brought my scat tered senses back again. I went to the wounded man ; he. had received a frightful scalp wound, and looked from his face being covered with blood, almost unearthly ; his eyes rolled in their sockets. I felt for a fracture, but could find none. I spoke to him; he answered. I asked him why he did not go away ;he pointed to his knee. I ripped the trouser open ; his knee-cap had been completely blown away. I dressed his wounds, took the greatcoat from the knapsack of a dead man lying near, and wrapped him in it, for he was shivering with the cold. As I was leaving he said, " Ah, that was a fearful bad shell ; we are only half of what it hurt ; the rest have' crawled away." Of the seven others six were stone dead. The Mont Valerien shell had indeed done its work ; the other still lived, but how? I will not harrow your feelings by answering the question. •His lips were blue. He mur mured "Nasser, wasser." I handed him my flask. I knew nothing could be done for him.—DiCkens's "All the Year Round." strongest excitement. , Outside the Chamber the agitation was tremendous, and the mob shouted "La d6ch4ancer It seemed at the time only too likely there would be a repetition of the scenes of 1848, but 'happily, and chiefly through the advice of GAMBETTA, the crowd dispersed without blood shed. That Fame night the Corps L6gislatif met again. PALIKAd \ made an official statement, lof the events at Sedan, JULES FAVILE proposed three resolutions, sinned by himself and twenty-.ix other deputies, which declared the deposition : of NAPOLEON, the appointment of an Executive Com mission charged t) drive the enemy from Trance, and the maintenance of Geeeral Tnocnu as Goveri:or of Paris. The fint thing which the Parisians saw on entering the streets on that Sunday mor ning • was an official Ministerial notice, an nouncing the capitulation of, NAPOLEON and his army. The people by one consent marched towards the Palais Bourbon,: shouting '6 La dilch6ance!" and, " Vive la Republique!" The National Guard were there before them, but they soon let it be seen that they were not going to fight for the Emperor. In the Chamber there was dire confusion, so much so that it is not known to this day if the dethronement was formally put to the vote. It was no time for forms. A list of names was selected for a Provisional Govern ment. In the course of the evening a placard announced to the Parisians that the Republic had been "pro= claimed," and the Government " acclaimed," and that the latter consisted' of JULES FAVRE, JULES FERRY, JULES SIMON, ARAGO, CREME U.X,GAMBETT A, GARNIER 7 PAGES, GLAIS-BIZOIN, rELLETAN, PICARD, and ROCHEFORT. The last was a prisoner in :the political prison of St. Pelagie, but he was speedily liberated. Thus fell the Second Empire. The EMPRESS took to flight, and escaped to England eleven days before the enemy appeared before the walls of Paris. On the 18th Versailles was occupied by the German head quarters, and has ever since then been tenanted by the King of PRUSSIA. On the 20th the city was completely invested, and a delegation of the Govern ment was established at Tours. The victors had confidently hoped that after the victory of Sedan and the investment of Paris they would be able to enjoy the fruits of their successes, make peace, and return to their own country. Negotiations were opene I with the Empress, and the conditions were that her son should be declared EMPEROR under hei regency, and that Strasburg and a portion of Alsace should be ceded, and Metz dismantled. It is understood that NAPOLEON would have accepted these terms; but the EMPRESS indig nantly refused them, declaring that she would never regain the throne by sacrificing a portion of France. If she had been more yielding, it is not probable that peace would have been restored. The new Republican Government was resolutely deter mined to make no such concessions as that upon which the victors most strongly insisted. This was clearly seen a little while later, when negotiations were opened between the Government of the National Defence, in the person of M. Jurats FAVRE, and Germany in the person of 'COUNT BISMARCK. By that time the German terms had risen. The victors demanded not only Strasburg, but the surrender of Verdun and Toul, and • the• cession of Alsace. To this the French foreign Minister made the now historic reply, " Not an inch of our territories, 'nor a stone of our fortresses." This interview took place on Septeinber 22. In less than a week two of the fortresses demanded had yielded in the ordinary coursd of war. At this time the fortunes of the Republic seemed to be at the lowest ebb. With half 'the Government in Paris and half in Tours, with the cekßvocation of a Constituent Assembly impossible et ept upon terms which the French would not accep the prospect appeared hopeless. On October 7, EON GAMBETTA escap.‘cl, from Paris in a balloon, an descended at Tours. He soon made his presence fe by the new energy which he inspired into the deynce. For some time, indeed, the course of the war was as uninterruptedly disas trous as before. The greatest disaster of all was the surrender of Metz, whereby Prince FREDERICK CHARLES and his large army were set free to advance against the new levies which the Marseilles Deputy was organising. But for this most - untoward incident there is little doubt that the siege of Paris would have been raised. The first gleam of success was the reoccupation, on November 9, of Orleans, which bad been taken by the Bavarians on October 11. This victory greatly encouraged the Pari sians. They sorely needed encouragement. A new negotiation had been undertaken by TRIERS, but with no better success than that which was carried on by JULES FAVRE. While it was proceeding, an insurrection of the Reds took place in the capital, and for a time the members of the Government were prisoners in the hands of the mob. One of them effected his escape, and succeeded in obtaining I sufficient military support to put down the insur gents and restore order. Immediately afterwards, on November 3, the Parisians were asked to declare by a plebiscite their approval of the proceed ings of the Government, and this approval was given by 557,976 ayes against 62,638 noes., On the last day of the month a desperate sortie was made in force under Generals TRocnu and DUCROT, but the main object was not obtained. The Parisian host did not break through to join the Army of the Loire, which was itself defeated at the same time, but the Paris army obtained additional ground, which it continued to held at the end of the fight, and which it subse— quently fortified, thereby rendering , more difficult than ever the attempt to bombard the city or to take it by assault. At the present time it is thought that Paris will yield only through starvation, and that this will not happen under two months at , the earliest, four months at the latest. In the meanwhile it -is possible that the French armieS, outside the capital may obtain such advantages that the besiegers will be obliged to abandon the task they haVe taken in hand. . • The war in France has produced the most sign it changes in two other countries. It has led to the establishment of the Empire of Germany, and to the downfall of the Papal Sovereignty. When NAPOLEON rushed into the war six month; ago he announced among its other objects the de liverance of Southern Germany from Prussian aggres sion. Seeing what followed it is difficult to beFeye that he really credited his own statement. At once, on the announcement of hostilities, and without a day's hesitation, the whole of the South German States ranged. themselves on the side of Prussia, and followed her lead with alacrity. Through-' out the war the Southern Germans, especially the Bavarians, have been foremost in the attack. The corps led by VON PER TANN has been re duced from 30,000 to an effective of only 5,000. The French Emperor having thus succeeded in shattw ing the French Empire, and welding together the German Enipire by the same blow, it only re mained for the event to be consummated by one of the most marvellous incidents that history has ever recorded. While NAPOLEON was still a prisoner in Germany, WILLIAM, lord of the palace of Versailles, received in the "Hall of the Glories of France" the deputation which came to offer him the Lnperial crown of Germany. Tile pictures on the walls of the palace told how the French Empire had overthrown the German, and now the day of vengeance was come—vengeance the most wonderfully dramatic that the world has ever The event was all the more striking because another and even more formidable foe of the old Ger man Empireisad just been laid prostrate by a marvol lons conjuncture Of circumstances, stich as in any other year than this would have riveted the attention of the world. This time last year the i'oi'i had just opened with magnificent pomp, such es only the Roman Catholic Church can di:•ptry, the CEcumenical Council. On the declaration of war by France against. Prussia, it became evident that France would want all her troops to defetul herself. The French troops were recalled from Rome, On September 20, after a - feeble resistance from the Pontifical Zouaves, General CADORNA entered Rome at the head of the Italian army, and the Pors's temporal power was at an end. Pius IX. is still at the Vatican, and VICTOR EMMANUEL 'is not yet in the Capitol. It is understood that the King of ITALY is haunted by superstitious fears. It is, there fore, conceivable that even now the Pope-King will regainhis throne. Meanwhile the House of Savoy has supplanted another reigning family, the Bourbons, and the second son of VICTOR EMMANUEL iS illSt on the point r f mounting the throne of Spain. We have mentioned the most astounding events of this remarkable year, but there are others beyond the limits of our own country which concern us more closely than.the fall of Pope or Emperor. Olt July' 25, England was astonished - and alarmed by the publication of an allegerd " project of treaty " between France and Prussia, whereby France was to have . Belgium in consideration of her acknowledgement of the unification` of Germany. The revelation fell like a thunderbolt upon the En_ 1 . sh people. • They saw at once the danger which such a conspiracy as this' involved, inasmuch as there is no one .foreign obligstion which lies so strongly upon us as this of preserving the neutrality of the little state for whose indepen hence we became responsible nearly forty years ago. The English Government, which had tor the pre. vious 18 months been . engaged in reducing arma ments, and:curtailing military expenditure, suddenly found itself called upon to reverse its pacific policy. Lord GRANVILLE drew up a treaty,whereby France and Prussia agreed to respect the neutrality of Belgium with the understanding that the first of them who violated that neutrality should have England for a foe. At the same time the Government obtained an additional vote of £2,000,000 in order to raise time strength of the army by 20,000 men. The first measure was more effectual than the second. Hitherto Belgium has kept free from all embroilment with either of the belligerents, but not one-third of the new soldiers have been raised. On November 10:h there was another diplomatic surprise. It was announced that our Government had received from St. 'Petersburg a communication to the effect that Russia would no longer be bound by the Treaty of Paris, which guaranteed the neutrality of the Black Sea and the independence of Turkey. This event caused very great excitement, and it was, and still is, generally believed that the step taken by Prince GORTCHAKOFF was part of a preconcerted arrangement with Count BISMARCK, under which Russia was to be allowed to aggrandise herself in the East as a reware, for her neutrality in the,Fzanco- German war. About the same time 'the United States Government siiewe I itself exceedingly un friendly towards England, and it was alleged that General GRANT had gone so far as to 'der the fleet of that Power to Russia in the event of hos tilities with England. The statement has not been denied, and the author of it has been banished from St. Petersburg for .revealing what was intended to have been a secret. The annual Message delivered by the President at the early part of the month gave additional credence to the rumour. So far, how ever, his unfriendly policy has not been endorsed by the Union generally. On the contrary, the chief promoter of it, General BUTLER, has been discredited by all respectable politicians except the President, and the only quarter in which it finds favour is among the Fenians. These persons are no longer formidable. Their last undertaking was, such a 'ludicrous failure, that they covered themselves with ridicule. On May 25 two thcusand of them under "General" O'NEILL invaded Canada. The invasion lasted just ninety minutes, and terminated in the arrest of the General by the United States marshsl. But though Fenianism seemed to have become extinct, a combination between Russia, Prussia, and the United States, or betweenthe two first only,was sufficiently formidable to cause excitement in diplomatic circles. Lord GRANVILLE again displayed mingled firmness and dignity, and wrote a despatch on November 10, in which he declared that it, was impossible for the British Government to recognise the right of any Power which signed the Treaty of 1856 to repudiate it, or any portion of it, at pleasure. At the same time he intimated that if Russia had any just cause of complaint, England would be willing to consider it. The unexpected prolongation of the war in France having deprived Russia. of the German military support, upcn which she countel, she deemed it expedient to moderate the arrogance with which she had put forward her demands, and the result is that by mutual consent a conference of the Powers which signed the Paris treaty will assemble in London on Tuesday to revise it. The general belief is that Russia will obtain her wish, and that the Black Sea will be thrown open to the navies of all the world, thus giving another excuse for the still further development of those " bloated armaments" under which Europe has so long been groaning. But this will not l e the only matter which the Conference will have to discuss. A third diplomatic problem has been raised within the present month by Prussia. The neutrality of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg was guaranteed by the Great Powers so lately as May, 1867. Nevertheless 'BISMARCK has declared that he cannot any longer be bound by it„ alleging that the Duchy has itself violated the neutrality which it was bound to observe. Lord GRANVILLE had made a similar reply in thi case to that which he made to Prince GORTCHAKOFF. He has said that no Power could withdraw from a treaty to which it had been a party, without referring the matter to the other Powers. Therefore by mutual consent the matter will be re ferred to the Conference about to assemble. It is possible, though at the present time it does not seem probable, that the diplomatists met to discuss these two questions of the Black Sea and the Ditch) ,of Luxeinburg may be able to devise some menis for terminating the war which is now devas tatiog France and. outraging the moral sense of Europe. Foreign politics have so greatly engrossed the at tention of the most insular among us that our own affairs have excited comparatively little notice. The two great political achievements of the year are the Irish Land and the Education Acts. The first appears to have in great measure conciliated the country for whose benefit it was passed; the second has only just began to be put in operation by the election of the School Boards which are to supply the e. ucational deficiencies of the district which they represent. The year has been marked by an excep tional number of calamities. In January there was a panic in a Roman Catholic Church at Liverpool, by which 16 persons lost their lives. On the 28th the City of Boston sailed from Halifax, Nova. Scotia, for Liverpool, and from that day to thi, has never been heard of. On March 17, the channel seen. THE WA IZ. THE CAMPAIGN IN THE NORTH• LILLE, December 28, Affairs are becoming more complicated, and it is pro bable there will soon be important events. The Army of the North is massed between Arras and Cambrai, abandoning the district between Arras and Amiens, which as a matter of course has been invaded -by the Uhlans. The railway station at Achiet was seized and the company lost some of its rolling stock, which it was forced to leave .there. The last locomotive which started was followed by Prussian balls, and had to put steam on to effect its escape. At Boileaux, another railway station not far . from Arras, the Prus sian horsemen succeeded in destroying telegraph posts, though the company's officials were still at the station and the French lines were full in view. These constant attacks .by the Prussian cavalry form the weak poinkof 4eneral Faidherbe's tactics, but it would not have ,been-possible' for him. to adopt any other course from the state of his army, and the condition of the weather. The first necessity of the situation is to relieve Paris and the army of the North will . have done good service if it compels Manteuffel to pursue it to Lille. A protest against the telegrams sent from headquarters at Versailles has just been published by General Faidherbe which runs DA follows : " The German despatches respecting the battle of Pont-Noyelles, setting aside those differences which which may naturally occur on either side, includes mate rial inaccuracies which render the whole untrustworthy. It -is said that the Army of the North reckoned 60,000 men, whereas there were at most 35,000 of the Army of the North in line, and all did not take part in the fight. It is said that a thousand unwoundel prisoners were taken from us. The truth is that at night, after the battle, .;some sailors allowed themselves to be surprised in the vilkge of Daours, and this was done without a struggle, and with so little noise, thatthe_general-in - chief was ignorant of the fabt when he reported the affair at Lille. As for our positions the enemy did not even dare to attempt to take them, and, as,. is known the army of the North, until the fifteril i pen of the next dly, waited vainly for• him tujetS: positions." , Faidherbe is retreating northwards; •WhaS,eviiiniated Arras, which can defend itself, having ""had its garrison reinforced. Arras is well fortifiedvald its' cellars, which are famous of old, enable its Inhabitants to defy shells. Faidherbe's headquarters , gre rtiVitry, the second station on the Paris line to the sout'f of Douay. The Army of the North now occupies a very strong position in the marshy country between Artois and Flanders. The Prussians have been reinforced, .the Crown Prince, mho was' hurriedly summoned' by Manteuffel after Pont IToyelles, having arrived at Amiens with part of his corps d'armee. Opinions are divided as to Manteuffel's intentions, but it is likely the Prussians will speedily make a serious effort in the extreme north, and probably undertake . the siege of Lille. Faidherbe knows his adversary has • formidable forces at his disposal, and this is why he has chosen positions less exposed than Arras and Albert. The only drawback to this prudent course is that it leaves the country exposed to the full severity of the Prussian requisitions, which are extreme. Faidherbe has published an order congratulat ing his troops on their conduct on the 234 and 24th. MORE ABOUT AFFAIRS IN PARIS. The Correspondance Havas gives some interesting details of life in Paris. One of the commandants of the army said a few days since to his staff, "If Paris should hold out patiently, as I have no doubt it will do, we shall have by the 15th of January an army of 900,000 men." Domici liary requisitions have brought to light considerable quan tities of provisions, both of preserved meats and in cheese. The manner in which trials of the new kinds of artillery are being made at Fort Montrouge las been the theme of several journals, but none have • men tioned the , name of the distinguished officer who superintends them. It is Captain Laprade who, many years since, gave up the profession of arms for industrial pursuits, and created a large establishment_ in South America. At the 'first news of the French disasters he left his manufactory and resumed his captain's uniform. It is his great technical knowledge which enables him to superintend the trials of the new guns, and the manufac ture of the cartridges with so much success. M. Paul Richard, brother of M. Maurice Richard, whose appoint ment as Fine Arts Minister created so much discuSsion, has just died at one of the ambulancesafter great suffering from a wound received in a recent action. He was only 23. A brother of the Due de Grammont has had to suffer amputation, another is prisoner. The younger brother of M. Emile 011ivier is mad. The Ministry, which went into the, war with a light heart, has been pretty severely tried. The pianist and composer, Eugene Ketterer, has just died• from smallpox. _ His funeral was celebrated at Notre Dame de Lorette. Another remarkable death has occurred, that of Madame Hamelin, widow of M. Hamelin, French Xmbassador at Constantinople under Louis Philippe, and sister-in-law of Admiral Hamelin. She was 66 years old, and died miserably in the room of a furnished hotel, it might almost be said of hunger. The Prefect of Marseilles has issued decrees against two rich- merchants who have left the town for abroad a daily fine of I,ooof. and 3,000 f. respectively, starting from December Ist. It is said that General Suzanne intends to resume the direction of the artillery at the War Office and the command-in-chief of the artillery of the • Paris armies, replacing General Guiod. - _ The double prosecution going on against M. Gustave Flourens, founded on the incidents at the Hotelsde Ville, October 31st, and on the information of the commandant of the National Guard respecting the Belleville battalion, is being pushed forward vigorously, and, it is thought, will shortly be sent before the Council of War of the 2nd section. The death is announced of M. Chevalier, sub-lieu tenant of artillery from the Polytechnic School, who was mortally wounded at Paris on the 2nd December. He was the son of M. Auguste Chevalier, formerly deputy of the Ciirps Ltrislatif, and manager of the.united journals of the Constitzttionne/ and the Pays, and nephew of the famOus political economist, Michel Chevalier. The Journal Officiel publishes a decreee stating that as the Government considers the election of officers to the different grades of the Garde Mobile presents risks at this time, and puts the Government under the disad vantage of being unable to appoint commanders of proved capacity, and to recompense services on the battle-field, all officers of the Mobile will henceforward be appointed by the Government on the nomination of the War Minister. _ _ _ GAMBETTA AT LYONS.—The National Guards of Lyons have presented an address to M. Gambetta, in which they refer to the assassination which has recently taken place, and, inquire if some steps should not be taken to put a stop to such acts of violence which substitute brute force for moral force. They want to see the red flag pulled down, and the noble colours of France restored to Lyons, and advise M. Gambetta to call the National Guard together and consult with its chiefs, so that with their assistance the work of maintaining order may be accomplished. The address 'also intimates that the time has come to put a stop to the seditious meetings which are constantly taking place, where mischievous discussions are held, and where plots of assassination are concocted. [ADvmaisEmENT.Holloway's Ointment and Pills.— Colds, Influenza.—Until within a very few years these complaints were treated with blood-letting, blistering, and emetics. Now a more rational method of cure has been adopted. Holloway's Ointthent and Pills purify, heal, and strengthen. They neither weaken the body, nor discomfort the nervous system. Depletion doubtless arrested these diseases, but at' the same time it teak away nature's means of restoration. Holloway's remedies, on the contrary, while working the cure, are Trying the foun dation for perfect recovery, not only of the afflicted, but every other organ,. Holloway's preparations are also the best preservatives askinst the whole list of winter ail ments; they.throw oat all impurities, and preserve the vital principle from disease, or lead it back to health. BIRTHS. On the Nth inst., at Horton Lodge, Epsom, the wife of Henry Wallis, jun., Esq., of a daughter. On the 28th inst., at Charlton House, Croydon, the wife of John Verinder, Esq., of a son. JIA RRIAGES.I On the 29th inst., at St. Stephen's, South Kensington, George William, second son of the late Samuel Brewis, Esq., of Langley, near Prestwich, Lancashire, to Eliza beth Sainsbury, younger daughter of Clement Unthank, Esq., of Intwood Hall, near Norwich. On the 27th inst., at All Saints', Upper Norwood, Alex ander David Graham, Esq., of Dartmouth, Devon, to Mary, the daughter of George B. Allen, Egg, M . B•, Oxford, and of the Pentlands, South Norwood. DEATHS. On the 28th inst., at Westcombe Lodge, Wimbledon common, Philip Hardwick, Esq., RA., aged 79. On the 28th inst., at Halford House, Richmond, Surrey., Robert Thomas Mawley, Esq., aged 63. London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of No. 112, Strand, printer, and Published by him at, THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the P recinct o f tot, Savoy, in the County of Middlesex. Saturday, December 31, 1870.