The Sun. — London, England, 1870-08-03 00:00:00

THE WAH GREAT BATTLE AT SAARBRUCK A special telegram from the correspondent of the Standard, dated Metz, Auguat 2, 3.55 p.m., says:—" An important engagement has taken place to-day at Saar bruck, resulting in the victory of the French." The official bulletin, issued at Paris yesterday morning, states that news from the army to the Ist instant, men tions no change in the military situation. The 7th Prus sian Army Corps, under General von Zastrow, was said to be advancing on TreVes by way of the Eifel range of hills. The correspondent of the Telegraph, in a telegram dated Paris, Tuesday, says—lt is ,believed here that there will be no action for some days unless the Prussians attack. The Prussian organisation is reported to be faulty, and their supplieS deficient They liaye strengthened their position by Hues, 36 leagues of 'which are said to be finished. RECONNAISSANCE AND SKIRMISH. Oft Monday mo - rniiig, according to the official Bavarian account, a reeonnaissance was made by Bavarian cavalry and Prussian hussars towards Stuerzelbruenm They came into conflict with a French patrolling party, and one of the enemy's Qffirs and several of their men were wounded. Tyro Prussian soldiers were wounded, but no loss was sustained by the Bavatians. A SEA FIGHT. A despatch from The Hague, dated July 28, announces that a sea-fight took place on the day before between two French vessels of war and some Prussian gunboats, not fe.r from Cuxhaven, on the coast of Hanover, when one of the latter was sunk. The French fleet paned Frederikshavn (Jutland) yes terday, at 4.30 p.m., steaming towards the south. Eight of the vessels took a course east of the Island of Less 6. ANTICIPATED CLOSING OF KONIGSBERG. (bENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAM.) The following telegram has been received by a firm of shipowners in Hull : " KONIGSBERG, August let, 2.50 p.m. "It is daily expected that our port will be closed by the Government. In the meantime ships are coming and going. Frhts Bs., east coast." THE SEAT OF WAR. A Prussian account gives the following as the chief items up to the Ist hist :—Communication between Sear louis,Treves, and Saarbruck is completely,open and unim. peded. Saarburg and Merzing are in the occupation of the Prussians. As previously announced, the French column of infantry, supported by artillery, which attacked Saarbruck on Saturday, was repulsed. On the Prussian side oiie thlan was killed, two Fusiliers wounded, and two horses shot. Columns of the French have advanced towards St. Arnual and Gersweiler, and hold possession of the woods in that neighbourhood. There bas been a very brisk rifle firing, and an immense waste of ammunition on the part of the enemy. THE ATTITUDE OF AUSTRIA. The Vienna Presse of lkst evening, in a leading article upon the attitude to be taken by Austria with regard to the war, shews that the policy of the Austrian Govern ment since 1866 is one of self-interest, while a parb.of the population' of the empire has adopted a policy of sentiment. Since the battle -ef Sadowa, the policy of interest, as understood by France, has led that Power towards an alliance.with Austria ; while Prus sia, with her tendencies to unite Germany under the Hohenzollern dynasty, endeavours entirely to crush Austria's power. The triuniph of Prussia in the present war would be the destruction of Austria, while the victory of France would estdblish a French preponderance against which Austria would move only should Germany be menaced. Austria's• duty is to form a neutral league to establish an European equili brium, which, in certain eventualities, would have to be brought about by force. ARRIVAL OF THE KING OF PRUSSIA AT MAYENCE. The King of Prussia arrived at Mayence early yester day morning, and alighted at the Grand Ducal Palace. The reports of Monday night from all the army corps announce that quiet prevailed everywhere: and that the troops are confident. THE CROWN PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA. In reply to some rumours, it is announced that, under existing circumstances, the Crown Princess will not leave Prussia. THE SECRET NEGOTIATIONS. The Vienna Morgen Post of yetterday publishes the following information without guaranteeing its authenti city :—" At the beginning of June, 1866, the Grand Duke of Baden went to Baden to see the King, in order to attempt a last effort in favour of Schleswig Holstein. In the conversation the Grand Duke had with King William, the latter told him that Count Bismarck had formally proposed to cede to France the district of the Saar, but that he (the King) and the Council of Ministers declared against this idea." The Morgen Post asserts that this disclosure is founded upon a copy of the Grand Duke's notes. THE OBJECT OF FRANCE. The wee* bulletin of the Official J:aurnai of last evening contains the following :—" We are making war, lint against Germany, but against Prussia, or rather against Count Bismarck's pat,. Before Sadowa, the Emperor had already expressed ideas favourable to the wishes and interests of the German nation, reconciling at once the rights of Prussia, and those'of the secondary states, and maintaining Austria in her great position among the German people. The realisation of this programme would have spared,Germany the evils 'IV despotism and of war." The Official Jounial further criticises the violent policy of M. de Bismarck, and regrets that King William should submit to the domination of an un scrupulous minister. It adds " France quite as much deplores the situation imposed by Prussia on the German Southern States, the integrity of which Was protected by the Emperor after Sadowa. The Em peror desires that the German States should exercise their awn free will in disposing of their destinies ; he wishes to rescue Germany from Prussian oppression to conciliate the rights of the Princes with the legitimate desires of their people ; to put a stop to successive encroachments whfcit threaten Europe ; to preserve the Danish nationality from complete ruin and, finally, to obtain an equitable and durable peace, based upon moderation, justice, and right. Such are - the general ideas which govern the present conflict. The war which commences is not waged to satisfy ambi tion, but to establish an equilibrium; it is the defence of the weak against the strong, the reparation of great iniquities, and the chastisement of unwarrantable deeds.' THE PRINCIPALITIES. • -- - The Jouriet de St. Petersbouro of yesterday mentions the rumours current at Ruchareattf an intended military ecupation of the Roumanian Principalities, and declares the rumours to be mischievous inventions, The Times correspondent at Berlin says that no .lorrespondents will be allowed to accompany the Prussian army. A special telegram in the Manchester Examiner jays :—Masters of German vessels arrived at Rugenwalde Ponvrania, from Copenhagen„state that the men-of-war at anc. or in the port of Copenhagen have been- actively arming ever since the 15th instant. There is at Copen hagen great excitement against Ger Many, which exhibits self in insults to German seamen and others there, THE EVACUATION OF ROME. Prot,' Florence we have news that the military measures required by the September Convection are in full course 4 execution. A cordon of troops is forming on the frontier to prevent aggression. FRENCH FEELING TOWARDS ENG MONDA Y.LAND. PARIS, The most interesting feature at this moment in the aspect of affairs is the state of feeling amongst Frenchmen, from the highest to the lowest, about the public mind in England. I have known Paris for thirty years, and have been a fixed resident for seventeen. I knots , people in all classes of society—ministers, barristers, military men, bankers, noblemen, and gentlemen. They all have for many years conversed and still speak to me with a freedom which is not common and not even safe. Well, just now I meet people every hour, not to say more frequently, who appeal to me a bout the "animus of the Engli s h press (they allude especially to the Times) and the di s p o• sition generally of England, I succeed almost invariably in calming their irritation, and assure them that it would be very difficult to embroil the two countries. If there be one point on'which the Emperor has been true, it has been in his resolute resistance on certain 0CC040114 THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY E ENING, AUGUST 3, 1870. to the rising flood of popular feeling here, which, if controlled, would have borne him to a bitter war between the two countries. I ask the soldiers —(I met two elderly officers yesterday, both marked with scars)—whether they believe we are likely to aim at the medals bearing the image of our Queen on the breasts of their soldiers. I shook hands with several of these brave fellows the other day, when - they broke their lines for repose on the Boulevard Haussman on the way to the station. I felt that a very insignificant man like myself can do good on certain occasions, and you would have been struck with the pleasure these men evinced and expressed to their companions in arms at what I said to them. The regiment was the " Voltigeurs de la Garde." I need not tell you that the very best feeling existed between the soldiers of the English and French armies in the Crimea and China. If it did not extend amongst the officers to quite an equal degree, this can be understood. Those who attempt to create. or foster a bad feeling between England and France are in my eyes the most deadly foes to humanity at large. to the hotel of the prefecture, in wliiich not very palatial edifice, on the thither side of the Msselle, and facing the cathedral, the Imperial Majesty of France is now - lodged. Metz was illuminated at night, and the thoroughfares were wellnig,h impassable for the dense crown; of soldiers of every arm of the service, and of civilians and country people, The cafés were all crammed to suffocation, and the usual patriotic chants were discordantly audible until nearly daybreak. There was the usual plethora of tricoloured flags, but these ensigns have ceased to wave. They flap or bob up and down, or hang out of windows rigidly : for the supply of tri-coloured bunting owing to the unprecedented- demand, has become ex hausted, and the banner of the three hues is now painted on a thin sheet of tin. The wilderness of flags was, however, as thick as ever; and I thought of poor dear old Venice. and of her store colorate, about which General Alemann made such a fuss, until, Venetian independence being acknowledged by Aussria, the people took the flags out of the cellars and colours in which they had hidden them, and hung them out exultingly in the Tedeschi's faces.—Correspondent of Telegraph._ . _ .. - - " vroLAnoN „ —lhe correspondent of the Tdeprapte at Luxemburg, was met by alarming news :—" The only rumour that, has reached me bearing any possible signiti- Jance is one that comes from Berlin' through the Independance Beige, that the violation of the soil of Luxembourg by the 'French continues and increases. A hundred French soldiers crossed the frontier, xnd sang 'La Marseillaise " in a neutral village of- the Grand Duchy. This, of course, might at any moment be made a cams belli, and we should be waiting no longer." But in a later letter the thing is explained : " Alas! that one should have to pass so quickly from the sublime to the ridiculous ! The ' violation of neutral soil' alluded to above by Gallic heroes singing their national anthem in a Luxembourg village, turns out to have been nothing more than an irregular visit on the part of some French soldiers to —buy baccy I" TRE GENOA SOLDIER.—Under the phlegmatic exterior of the German soldier is concealed a stratum of sound sense and share of intellect above the average. He can read and write. How many of his French opponents can do likewise ? He knows something ..)f the greateSt men of his country. To him Goethe and Schiller are not mere abstractions, but names asso ciated with writings of which he knows something. Both the education he receives when a boy, and that which he rains from experience of life, tend to render him a patriot of the first water. The songs in which he takes delight, Ind the sayings which are his household words, inculcate :everence for the land of which he is a native, -and lead aim to regard it as the chosen home of honest and, free aorn men. He has been taught that all the ills of Ger nany, have had their source in victories won by the French. Hence, he 'is accustomed to consider ,he French in the light of natural and implacable inemies. So long as the Rhine runs through. 3rerman territory he believes that a barrier is fixed be ween him and the French. Thus the inviolability of the Rhenish Provinces is held by him to be an object to be naintained at all hazards. Wherever the German pea sant lives his heart leaps up at the utterance of the words )f the German poet— " Sie sollen ihn nicht haben, Den freien deutschen Rhein," ' They ne'er shall get possession of the free German Rhine." When the French sing about tyrants, blood, and onquest, and declaim about carrying victories round the world, the Germans grow enthusiastic over their resolve a) resist the attacks of a foreign foe, and shout, not for the subjugation of &neighbouring people, but for the pre servation of their Fatherland. THE VALUE OP io curious to sae a full private of the Line driving about in his carriage, or two or three troopers chartering a drosky to take them for an airing in the park ; but these men may be of good family and rich enough to have bought themselves com missions were such a thing possible. But here, as far as military service goes, all are alike ; from prince to peasant, all must serve. It is a grand sight thus to see a nation arming, not for money, for the pay is barely enough to find fl man in aigarS, but on the principle that the individual belongs to the State, and that, in retur. for the advantages it bestows the State has a right tgcal apon every man to maintain its integrity and protect tht soil. The berrefits derived from such a system are many and` obvious. The economy is evident when we refiect what Prussia has conducted t*o European eampaiff,ns at about the same expense that England incurred in the expedition to Abyssinia. The possibility of being able in a few days to bring an army of about a million of men into the field naturally does away with the necessity of maintaining a large standing army At a vast expense. The salutary effect of drill and of the strict liscipline and necessity for implicit obedience of a soldier's life on the physical and moral natures of men is well known. The British soldier is frequently recruited from the very dregs of our population, and cannot be said to be remarkable for docility or urbanity of manners ; yet in a short time he becomes civil in his bearing, amenable to authority, and faithful to order and the State. This civilising effect of discipline is not, as among us, confined to a small num ber of the populace ; but pervades and leavens every part grade, and class of society.— Telegraph Correspondent at Berlin. IHE QUALITY OF THE Two ARMIES.— Th 8 French active army, consisting of 400.000 men, is *com posed of the contingents of 1865 to 1869' inclusive, each numbering about 60,000 men, and 100,000 re-engaged men —that is, old soldiers who have chosen the army for their profession. With them will be er.rolled .the contingents of 1864, recently dismissed to their homes, The men, therefore, which France will bring into the field will be all— withthe exception of the contingent of 1869, who have only had one year's service—men of from two to six years' service, or old soldiers. The army that France places in her first battle field may be said to be composed of the best possible materials. Nov let us consider what the first five hundred thousand men whom the Prussians would put in the field to oppose this army of France will consist of. And here it must not be understood that France will place the whole of her half million of men in the field. Garrison duty, Algeria, Rome, &c., will all deduct a certain proportion. It may be that only 300,000 men will actually face the foe. It is not the quan tity which lam considering, but the quality. The regular Prussian army is only 200,000 strong, composed of men of one, two, and three years' service. The first reserve con sists of the last four years' contingents, who, after their year's service, returned to their homes. These, exclu sive. of the Landwehr, who have been absent from their standards more than four years, raise the army to 510,000 men. Let us suppose, as is probable, that the first battle will be fought by a portion of this 510,000 men against a portion of the 500,000 of France which has been described. It will be seen that while none of the Prxssians will have served in the army for more than three years, only 180;000 of the French have served for so short a time as three years, the remainder being either men of four or five years' service or men of continuous service. Again, only a very small portion of the Prussian troops have been in actual service for the last two years, the reserves having been one, two, three, and four years respectively away from their regiments. Now, although a man under such circumstances may speedily regain his drill, it is evident that he has to a great extent lost the lightness and smartness of the soldier. A man who after three years' service as a soldier goes for four years to farm labour may be an armed citizen, and as such may fight gallantly, but he will hardly be considered by a military man in the light of a soldier. Hi s shoulders have become rounded, he has lost his elasticity of step, his movements have become slow, certainly as a soldier he has deteriorated. By the above comparison of the component parts of the two armies, taken from official sources, it will be seen that from a military point of view the troops of this first army of France are decidedly superior as drilled and disciplined soldiers to the first army of Prussia.—Standard Corre spondent at Frankfort. - - - A FLYING VISIT.—The correspondent of the Telegraph made a gallant attempt to get to Metz, but though he got there, he was not allowed to remain. Here is the story of his interview with the Provost-Marshal : —"At last I was desired to step upstairs, and found myself in presence of General St. Sauveur, and several officers. A bloused individual and a priest were also before the General, evidently in trouble,' like myself. I should have been glad to wait and hear what these gentry had been doing. They looked, by the way, in a most orthodox state of funk.' My nationality, however, gave me the p ° Granville,'reference ; and the production of a passport, bearing the signature of was not without its effect. - I am sorry to say General St. Sauveur could not translate the document, but handed it over to a young officer, who did it for him. He then asked me my object in coming to Metz, which I explained to him in = a very few words ; and he added, 'Let me advise you to go off by the next train. We cannot allow you to I replied, ' I thought foreigners might remain in the town so long as they did not attempt to follow the army.' For the moment, no,' he said. ' You must not stop at Thionville, Metz, Nancy, or Strasbourg. Go back to Luxemburg'—for I stumped him with my return ticket—' or to Paris, or, better still, to England. It is not safe to remain here." BPressed again as to my purpose in wishing to stay in eta I made a clean breast of it, and told him frankly I was an Unglish journalist. We do not allow OUT Own Journalists/ he replied, so we cannot be ex pecteA to allow foreign ones.' argued still, There are journalists, for we see corresp?ndence from Metz, in the newspapers.' There la,' ho said, only one journalist in Metz at this moment, an Ame rican, who was arrested this morning. His papers were irregular, and he is now locked up in the fort.' Finally, the young officer who had translated the pass port took an opportunity of airing his Eng lish though I will wager my French was far more 13ritannip ,—. saying, " Really, sir, you must go. You must not stay' at Metz, Thionville, &c., to-day. To-niorrow, perhaps, yes. Good morning." So off I went, smiling at all. I saw that the French were in great force at Metz. I saw, moreover, that there was an evident movement in the direction of Thionville. The 71st Regiment moved up in the afternoon, and the 57th went by the same train as that which carried me back to Lux emhourg." THE GI%IPIANS .INTnIp ADv4NpE.--1 have heard it stated. on good Apfhority that the King of Prussia has resolved to make strerMous efforts to parry the war into the enemy's country, and thus sparing Ger many from the infliction of being the theatre of battle. In the event, then, of a forward movement the German forces will he divided into three sepa rate armies, each engaging on something like good terms with the enemy in its front ; and all handled with a view to co-operate and concentrate on any given point. If these tactics should be pursued the T reat and and decisive engagement p which every on e l oo k s ° for ward will probably be delayed 'Until the opposing forces shall have completed their manceuvres and' selected their positions. It is obvious that if the Germans press for ward they will be able to force the French to alter plans involving an offensive movement towards the Rhine. Had the French followed up their declaration of war by an occupation- of the Palatinate, they would have acquired a superiority of which they coed • with difficulty have been dispossessed. It is now admitted that Prussia was not prepared for such a contingency. It is the subject of congratulation in military circles that the French paused instead of acting. The speculations in which some of your contemporaries have indulged are founded on that view of the case. However absurd it may now appear, the probability ten days ago, was in favour of the Prussians retiring from the frontier and concentrating their forces in the vicinity of the several fortresses which command and guard the Rhenish pro vinces. But at present there is no thought of following such a course.—Daily News Correspondent at Frankfort. GLORIOUS WAIL—A very distressing incident has happened since the arrival of the troops at Mayence. A poor fellow, who had just been called in to active service from the reserve, was a small tradesman in C---, with an invalid wife and. five young children. Y 0 Com pelled to close his shop and to leave his family absolutely without the means of living and totally forlorn of resources, he was assailed by a deep and abid ing melancholy, which waxed gloomier and gloomier for several clays, although he continued to perform his duties with the greatest punctuality. On Tuesday, however, whilst on parade, he broke out into wild ravings, fell down in a fit, and when he recovered his consciousness was a prey to frantic and ungovernable madness. Kind neighbours, benevolent Christians, may possibly help the sick wife and the innocent children through their imme diate troubles, but the husband and father is lost to them for ever, strickeji by an affliction that is even worse than death. Had liedied in the field, pro arsi et focis, with his face to the _foe` these bereaved ones would have received some small pension in esse, and Government protection in posse, that would have enabled them, perchance, to struggle on somehow through life ; but.what are they to do now ? Madness, induced by sheer grief and despair, is/- no title hallowed by precedent to a country's gratitude or a king's favours. The wife will die of poverty, plus a broken heart ; the children—l dare not prophesy what may become of them.—Daily Telegraph. THE PJWSSIANS IN THE NORTll.—YestEirday and to-day troop; have been constantly passing through the city on their way to the North. I heard it estimated that a train arrived every half hour, and it has been stated that within four days there would be 120,000 troops in. Schleswig. There seems to be some urgent reason for hot haste in this quarter. To-day I observed that most of the troops coming in wore the Saxon uniform, and they were loudly cheered as tlfey marched through the town. It is hinted that Denmark will be absorbed at the first sight of any overt act in the French interest. In a strategic point of view, Hamburg is now a point of great importance ; and should the contemplated French movement in this direction be anything more than a feint, it would not be at all surprising if there should be a terrible struggle for its possession. A line of 130 miles in length, drawn in a north-easterly direction from the ancient city of Bremen to Lubeck, would intercept Hamburg about half-pay. Previous to 1866 these three powerful cities enjoyed their independence, and had distinctive flags. Upon the annexation of Schleswig-Holstein they all thme shared the same fate, and were tacked on to Prussig: During their independence they stood as a neutral wall, so to speak, stretching across the base of the penin sula, and dividing Prussia from Denmark. Since the latter little kingdom has been shorn of so much 'of her possessions, she has sunk rapidly in the opinion of her neighbours : and now even these three cities, two of which formerly belonged to her crown, are the willing vassals of her conqueror, and glory in her disgrace. Ido not find fault with this—it is the.common fate. The train of those who sympathise with misfortune is something lamentably small, while success carries a multitude in its march. _Baltic Correspondent of the Globe. THE FIGHTING AT SAARBRUCK.—The correspon dent of the Pall Mall Gazette, writing on Sunday, says —" Yesterday morning the French attacked Saarbruck in force from Forbach, which is about three miles from Saarbruck. They must have been in greatly superior force. The fighting doubtless took place on the ridge of hills which separates Saarbruck from Forbach. The country is wooded and much broken and well fitted for defence. as the nature of the g round would prevent the French taking advantage of their superiority of force. Saar briick is only a small town, and there being not a general but only a major in command, seems to chew that the Prussians were not in great strength. Having been in Saarbruck the day before the skirmish, I should confidently say that the Prussians had merely outposts there, and not something like a corps d'arm4e as the French have in and about Forbad]. ; but then I do not pretend to know what forces the Germans may have had in the neighbourhood by that time. As said before, the scene of action is well adapted for defence. The Saar valley is not unlike that of the Wye, or a Devonshire stream like the Lynn. The railway (on the Prussian side of the river) follows generally the course of the .stream, and will be of the utmost importance to the Prussians in bringing up supplies; and already the troops on both sides are creating a scarcity of food on the frontier. The attack was probably made on Saarbruck (or Saarbrucken, there 'being two bridges) from its position at the junction of the line from Forbach with those to Troves and Kreusnach, which now serve to feed the Prussian forces. Could the French get the rail in their hands, even for a few miles, it would break the communi cation between Troves and Kreusnach, where I believe the Crown Prince now is. • NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE. The Duke of Cambridge, attended by several officers of the Horse Guards staff., arrived at Alder shot on Tuesday, and reviewed the tioDps at the camp. Shortly after eight o'clock the different regiments of cavalry, artillery, and infantry proceeded to Tweexleclown hill, where they were formed up in three divisions, under the command of Major-Generals White, Casey, and Lysons. About ten o'clock the troops began to manoeuvre. The evolutions gone through illustrated a sham fight on a small scale. The departure of the 7th Dragoon Guards from Alder shot for Brighton has been countermanded. The determination of the Government to increase the army by 20,000 men has caused considerable activity amongst the recruiting sergeants in Westminster. Ser geants of the Royal Artillery, 4th Dragoon Guards, sth Dragoons, sth Lancers. 7th Hussars, 3rd, 4th, sth, 17th, 52nd, and 59th Regiments, succeeded in tempting batches of young fellows to join their respective corps. In smaller numbers recruits were obtained for the Rifle Brigade, the Royal Engineers, and the Royal Marines. The depots of the Ist battalion of the 10th Regiment and the Ist and 2nd battalion of the 11th Regiment which were under orders to proceed from Chatham to Ireland, have been ordered to be detained at the garrison, and will not be dispatched to Ireland for the present. The whole of the non-commissioned officers and men of the Chatham division of the Royal Marines Light Infan try now at haad-quartcp are to be at once put through a course of instruction with the new Snider breech-load ing rifle. The portion of the Channel squadron) assembling at Spithead will leave that anchorage on Thursday . next. The ships already there consist of the Warrior, the Her oules, the Captain, and the Minotaur. The repairs to the Monarch will not be completed by Thursday, so that she will not sail with the other ironclad; but will follow im mediately she is ready. The Minotaur will take out a detachment - of marines for the Lord Warden. Ari order has been received at • Portsmouth for the shipwrights who were a few days back discharged with gratuities to be retained in the service of the dockyard. It is understood, however, that a great many of the men have gone away to a long distance. FATAL FIRE. AND LOSS OF LIFE IN SHEFFIELD. On Tuesday, as already briefly announced, a fire broke out in a thickly-populated part of Sheffield. It originated in a shop rented by Mr. D. Whitehead, hosier, Deepear. The flames were seen issuing from the shop about two o'clock: Mr. Whitehea 1 and his two children were roused and made their escape. The flames continued to spread. Mr, F. Law, tobacconist, occu pied the shop next door, and on the alarm being given he and his family got hurriedly out of bed and tried to save what property they could. In a short time the fire got hold of the shop of Mr. Prith, butter merchant, and the bed-rooms were speedily in a blaze. The fire brigade, under Captain Pound, were by this time at work. The rooms of Mr. Frith's house were deluged, and in a short time the fire was got under. Much uncertainty prevailed as to the fate of Mrs, Whitehead, but on the firemen penetrating to the kitchen they discovered the charred remains, of what they sup posed to have been the body of the unfortunate woman, When Mr. Whitehead reached the back window of his house in escaping from the smoke and flame which spread around him as head rushed from his bed he cried, " God save my poor wife ; she is inside" Immediately some brave man, whose name was unknown, dashed into the window, from which Mr. Whitehead fell exhausted. Although the smoke was already almost overpowering to those who stood near the courageous fellow plunged forward through the burning Amu., and, in the confusion of the moment those who awaited his reappearance were unable to discern what became of him. Unhappily the fate of the gallant man is still involved in mystery ; and some of those who witnessed the whole occurrence froni a short distance of the house are of opinion that in all •Ilrobability he too has fallen a victim to his bravery. The body that was found in the kitchen was hgulleas t and the „legs also appeared to have been literally burnt off, so that in fact the mere trunk only remained. Whether it was the body of a man or woman it, was of course impossible to tell. It was found buried in the debris, ana the Dolice are still continuing their tesearches. The Council p 1 the Macclesfield Chamber of Com merce on Monday adopted a memorial to Earl Granville prayin that every effort might be made by her M o• ajest'y's Government for the strict observance of neu trality by this country in the differences between Prussia and France. LpNpoN Could ov COMMON COT,JNOIL. special meeting of the London Court of. Common Council was held yesterday afternwn to consider a, resolution pro posed by Mr. Moss Defries to the effect that the court contribute the sum of X5OO in aid of the recent deplorable fire at Constantinople. After a short discussion the reso lution was adopted by a large majority. In reply to Mr. Pedlar, Mr. T. E. Saunders, a - member of the Metr3- politau J3oard of Works, stated that the entire main drainage system of the metropolis would be entirely completed in two or three months, and by providing storm outlets at Blackfriar's Bridge, the inhabitants of Farringdon-street would be no more subjected to inunda tions. Mr. J. F Bedford stated that the recent inunda tions in that locality had not only caused damage to the amount of .£2O, 000 or £ 30,000, but had left behind a deposit which was most ruinous, and prejudicial to health. THE GOLD EXCITEMENT IN WALL STREET. The Gold Room was recently the scene of an excite ment only surpassed in the days of our late war and dur ing the culmination of the famous gold corner of last Sep tember.. The apartment was wedged tight with the brokers, who, in the midst of the sweltering heat, frantically bid gold up to 123 on the re port which carne second-handed from London, that Russia had joined Prussia in hostility to France. The iinm diate cause of the advance was the fear that this alliance would stimulate a further decline of our securities in the foreign market. While there is no doubt that in the derangement of European finances which will follow the war our bonds will be the best invest ment for foreign capital, and that a reaction will certainly ensue in their favour, the market is rendered extremely sensitive by some of the speculative foreign bankers, who bought gold and sold our bonds at the first sign of war. They purposely exaggerate the situation abroad as against our securities, in hopes of buying back large quantities of bonds which they sold on speculation and also to enhance their profit on the gold which they bought so pro fusely on the outbreak of hostilities. War in Europe means a profitable market for everything we can ship there. When we have overcome the first and very natural depression in our securities abroad, arising out of the shifting of capital in such a crisis, we shall be the Creditor country with Europe, and require settlement of the balance of • trade by shipments of gold this way. ITetv York Herald. AT METZ. SUNDAY The last few days here have been spent by the gentle men of the press in frantic efforts to stave off the ruin which awaits them. It is obvious that they will not be allowed to accompany the army. It is palpable that they cannot from this side of the operations gain any satisfac tory and trustworthy accounts of the war. The refusal of the commanders to allow any correspondents with the army has not given way : and to attempt to glean an account of events in a surreptitious manner would be highly dangerous. Hence the excite ment among the fraternity ; hence the frantic efforts for redress. Indeed, the newspaper question is just now the only point of interest, for, though there are plenty of troops in and about Metz, the tide of war has swept onwards, leaving this fortified place in a state of inaction. Well, the literary men are not getting on very well. Quite the reverse ; their condition and prospects are worse than ever. They cannot get permission to go with the army, and though it is said that some of them have introduced themselves into the ranks, it is not easy to credit the story. It is reported that some have enlisted and others gained employment as depen dents of different kinds attached to the various corps. But such a yarn presents great difficulties. These corre spondents in disguise must be all Frenchmen, that is clear, and the French papers still labour under prohibi tions which render their correspondence of the baldest, most useless kind. Moreover, how could these writers, employed in the army, manage to send their letters, and what would become of them if they were found out ? No, there is no hope even of this kind. The French public must be satisfied with what news they find in the Journal Officiel— and in the German papers. The unfavourable consequences of this arrangement we are even now able to esti mate, for whilst the Journal Officiel is publishing the baldest of bulletins, the German papers are all engaged in spreading the news that every one of the skirmishes on the frontier has turned in favour of their own side. There is reason to think that the honours have been more equally divided, but, owing to the restrictive system, no body is told of what is done on the French side. Meanwhile the correspondents get into gaol in greater cumbers than ever. There is probably not one representative of the press who has failed to enjoy the honour of incarceration at least once. Some have been locked up twice; one or two can point to even stronger testimony to their zeal. And if there is one nation more than another which the French are given to suspecting of spying proclivities, it is the British. They have all had more than their share of polite attentions. The Echo representative was bagged a day or two ago ; Mr. Simp son, the artist, had a narrow escape ; and a still greater haul was made two nights ago. Three of your contemporaries, the Freeman's Journal, the Man chester Examiner, and the North British Daily Mail. have adopted the highly sensible plan of combining and sending out a correspondent between them. Thi representative, Mr. Cameron, is now under lock and key. Upon him hang the interests of three important jour nals, one in each of the great provinces of the Empire, and yet he is taken. Three lights quenched at once, Mr. Cameron, sooth to tell, did not behave with great prudence. He was guilty, it is said, of asking questions of the soldiers ; and when a man is arrested for looking with one eye at a small fortification, or for pulling out 'e note book, or for standing in the street, it may certainly be expected that prowling about camps will be visited with prompt retribution. Mr. Cameron has spent two days in prison, and there he still remains. He has expressed a fear that he will not get out until peace is proclaimed, which according to the Emperor's proclamation-will be, long first. Either Mr. Cameron was more guilty than the rest of his kind, or the Provost Marshal, Count de Saint Sauveur, has determined to have a victim, and has fixed upon this tres juncti in uno as the proper man. We have got to the pressed bay stage of our prepara tions. In fact, Metz is occupied with nothing save this superior food for cattle. The money has all come in, the Commissariat is generally in better order, and now pressed hay is the great question of the hour. WISSEMBOURG. SUNDAY We have had some news here from a spy, or semi spy, or some person of that kind, evidently more objectionable than a newspaper correspondent. An Alsatian arrived here yesterday from Landau, the Bavarian town. He said that having obtained a safe conduct from the municipality, he had some trouble in find ing a driver who would take him into France. Having at last done so, and having been stopped ten times while en route he was very well 'pleased to find himself safe on French soil. During the last eight or ten days according to his account, large numbers of troops passed through Lar.dau, and all the rail: way trains, whether for passengers, goods, or mails, were suspended for the sake of the military trains. Letters and papers arrive at rare and uncertain intervals. The number of Prussian troops brought to Landau by the line he estimated at about 80,000. Seven complete regiments of infantry arrived there in two days, and passed on to the central rendezvous in the south. There are 2,000 Prussian soldiers and 2,000 Bavarians at Landau billeted on the inhabitants, who are sometimes puzzled how to accommodate them. They have received orders to supply provisions for them for three months, an order which in many instances presses hardly on the people. Never theless, they are confident of victory, and the troops of the active army, who have a resolute and soldierly air, present a fine appearance, and are in good spirits. The soldiers of the Landwehr are not, unnaturally, more depressed and weary. Ten thousand men are stationed at different points between Landau and the frontier, and several bodies of cavalry are kept on the look out on the several highways, Altogether this Alsa tian told us that South Germany had been strongly de fended, albeit the number of troops is not so great as to leave any doubt of the determination of Prussia to make the Moselle county the scene of most of the fighting. THE SECRET TREATY. The North German Correspondent says : "As Count Bismarck has been blamed by some papers for not giving sooner to the world the draft of the secret treaty proposed by France to Prussia, and it has been suggested that this step should have been taken when Bennigsen interpellated the Government in the Luxemburg question, on Ist of April, 1870, we desire to state that we know, from an excellent source, that at the date mentioned the draft of the proposed treaty was not yet in the hands of the Federal Chancellor. There were, besides, most cogent easons for not publishing this treaty sooner, and these may be summed up in a few brief sentences. The earlier publication of the document in question would have led to immediate war between France and Germany ; but both the Confederation and the Southern States had need of peace, and every additional year it lasted wad a great gain, especially as there was a hopefu prospect that the internal relations of France might at last take such a turn that 414 danger and apprehension of war would disappear. We will add to what we have already said that we have good reasons for believing Bendetti's were not the only proposals made to this Government, and that similar attempts to gain Prussia and Germany for the interests o f F ron a } ambition have been made through other organs we have heard, for e xam pl e , th e of the Cabinet of P 4 r 4— name of the Prince Napoleon melgiored." The paper adds that Switzerland and Italy were both mentioned. THE EMPEROR AT METZ.—On the arrival of the Emperor Napoleon at Metz on Thursday afternoon his Majesty entered an open carriage, the Prince Imperial and Prince Napoleon followino ill the next, and the re mainder of the su4 i eut4eF ,carriages, the cortege, escorted by the Cent Gardes, progeeded through the strcpts, which were lined, by e4husi4§tic crowd? THE POLLUTION OF RIVERS. The seeond report of the Royal Commission on the pol lution of rivers has just been issued among the parliamen tary papers, and it contains some important observations on the AB C process of treating sewage. The Commis sioners when opening their inquiry were directed to include selected river basins illustrating different classes of ern , ployment and population. Those selected were the Thames Valley, as an example of an agricultural river basin with many navigation works ; the Mersey Valley as a river basin polluted by cotton manufacture ; the Aire and Calder Basin as a sample of the pollution of woollen and iron manufactories ; the Severn Basin as a seat of the iron trade, the Taff Valley. in connection with mining and metal industry, and a river basin comprising a mining district in Cornwall. The cogclusions at which the commissioners have arrived after their prolonged and labourious inquiry, are altogether unfa vourable to the A. B. C. process, both in respect to its alleged power to hinder the pollution of rivers by town sewage, and as to the value of the manure which it manufactures. Their investigations into the system as carried out at Leicester and Leamington con vince them that the process removes .a large proportion of the suspended impurities from sewage, but never so completely as to render the sewage admissible into running water. It does not repay the cost of manufacture having a low market value, and the process required for the extraction and drying of the manure would occasion serious nuisances in warm weather. It would be rash, say the Commis sioners, to set bounds to the possibilities of chemistry, but at present there is no hope that the foul matters dissolved in sewage can be got rid of by the application of chemicals. The different results of treating sewage by any such method, and of applying it by means of irrigation to the action of the soil, • whose surface is covered with plants, which it feeds, and whose substance provides for the neutralisation of its objectionable qualities, are strikingly evident. In the one case the best result that can be obtained is the conversion of a polluting into a non polluting stream. In the other, not only does the nuisance vanish, but a fertilising influence of vast agricultural - make. is retained and utilised. " Irrigation," says the report "is the only process of cleansing sewage which has stood the test of experience, and unless it be extensively adopted there is but little hope of any substantial improvement in our sewage-polluted rivers." MARKETS. LIVERPOOL CORN MARKET, TUESDAY.—Opening report—. There was a good attendance of buyers at this market to-day. Prices were better all round. 2d. per cental more was asked upon Friday's prices for wheat, but little was done so far. Naples beans, 425. per quarter ; Indian corn, 325. 6d. per quarter. Oats and oatmeal were a slow sale, the former 3s. 9d. to 4s. ac cording to quality ; the latter 295. for 2401 b. Closing Report.— There was only a moderate business done at this market to-day. Fine qualities of red wheat were held at an advance of 2d. per cental over Friday's prices, but other descriptions are without change. Flour was unaltered in value. Beans, 6d. to Is. per quarter lower. Indian corn sold at 3d. to 6d. per quarter re duction. NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE. CORN MARKET, TUESDAY.—There was a good supply of wheat at this market to-day, but business was not very active, and an advance of from is. to 2s. per qr. was asked and in some cases obtained upon last week's prices. Oats were firm, at late rates.. There was no advance on flour, but previous rates were fully obtained. HULL CORN MARKET, TuEsDAL—There was a small sup ply of English wheat at this market to-day, at is. per quarter advance. Barley and beans were better to sell. Peas were easier to buy. Oats were firm. Old English oats were rather dearer. English wheat from 525. to 545. per quarter. Barley, 85s. to 40s. per qr. Beans, 48s. to 50s. per qr. Oats, 28s. to 30s. per qr. Peas, 38s. to 455. per qr. HULL CATTLE MARKET, TUESDAY.—There was a small show of beasts at this market to-day, especially fat stock. The transactions were limited at the late high rates. The show of sheep was small, and few changed hands at the late currency. There was a fair supply of fat and store pigs. Average sales Bs. 6d. per stone. LIVERPOOL STOCK EXCHANGE, TUESDAY.—This market opens very flat. Prices are quite nominal, 4 lower all round. London and North-Western Railway, 1214 to 122 ; Lancashire, 1274 ; Caledonian, 73 to 734 ; Sheffield, 394 to 401 ; Midland 120 to 121 ; Metropolitan, 634 to 641 Great Northern A, 1024, Great Western, 624 ; Great Eastern, 30 to 31 ; Berwick, 1294 to 1304 ; Illinois, 98 to par ; Eries, 15 to 154; Luxemburghs, 94 to 9i. The marketsto-day close rather firmer in tone, recovering somewhat from the severe depression. London and North- Western, 1204 to 121 ; Midland, •1204 to 121; Leeds, 1204 ; Metropolitan, 634 to 64 ; Berwick, 1294 ; Five-Twenties, 824. METROPOLITAN HAY AND STRAW MARKET, TUESDAY. —ln consequence of the large supplies on sale at the market to-day the trade was only steady, at about previous currencies. —Prime old hay, 120 s. to 130 s. ; inferior ditto, 100 s. to 110 s. ; prime new hay, 105 s. to 1158.; inferior ditto, 90s. to 100 s. ; prime old clover, 1355. to 1455. ' • inferior ditto, 110 s. to 1205.; prime new clover, 120 s. to 1 2 8 s. ; inferior ditto, 100 s. to 110 s. ; and straw, 245. to 30s. per load. BOROUGH AND SPITALFIELDS POTATO MARKETS, TUESDAY.—These markets have been well supplied with potatoes. The business doing has been only moderate, at about late quota tions —English shaves 100 s. to 1308. ; regents, 110 s. to 130 s. ; and French, 10s. to 90s. per ton. LONDON WOOL MARKET, TUESDAY.--Very few transactions have taken place in the wool market. The slackness in the manufacturing districts, and the dimin:shed export inquiry, have restricted the demand for both colonial and English pro duce, and the quotations have had a drooping tendency. COLONIAL PRODUCE MARKETS, TUESDAY.—The produce markets have continued very unsettled. The demand for sugar has been to a very moderate extent, at drooping prices. Com mon brown and middling yellow Natal, 19s, to 265. ; washed graining Mauritius, 31s. 6d, to 33s.—In coffee next to nothing has been doing, and prices are nominal.—Saltpetre has been firm,• at 31s. landing.—The oil market has been depressed ; linseed oil has been dull at 30s. 6d. spot.—Rape inactive, at 425. 9d. to 435. spot.—lron has been in limited request, at 50s. 6d. cash, and 51s. month.—Tin has been firmer ; Straits, £l2o.—Tallow has been dull, at 455. 6d, spot, and 478. 3d. sellers last three months. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET, TIIESDAY.—Opening report—lmport, per bill of entry, 8,024 bales, of which 4,773 bales are American, and 2,140 South American. The market opens with a fair inquiry, at the full prices of yesterday. The prospective sales are 10,000 bales. The official account of the closing sales report them at 10,000 bales, of which 6,000 are : Amerif . an, 4kd. to 9d. ; 900 Pernambuco, 9d. ; 400 Bahia and Mum, 81d. to 84d. ; 200 Maranham, 81d. to 10d. ; 300 Egyptian, 81d. to 15d. ; 2,200 East India Surats, sd. to 7d. The market is firmer, with a good supply of American, but the grades are becoming scarce. Middling Uplands, 8 ; Mobile, 81 ; Orleans, 81 ; fair Dhollerah; 61 ; fair Egyptian, 10d.; prices nominal. MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT, TUESDAY.—This market closed yesterday with less depression, in consequence of more business in cotton, at steadier, and, in some cases, dearer rates; and it opened to-day with the same improvement in tone, and many producers this morning raised theirprices. This at once pre vented their doing any business, as others are still willing to sell at Friday's prices. On this basis an average business has been done in yarns for the home trade, shipping yarns being in very small request. In cloth the firmer position of the market ap pears to have restricted operations, as buyers' ideas are fully below prices of Friday. Some large offers have been heard of, of 811 b. skirtings, common makes, at Bs. 9d., but without leading to any business. The home trade are still operating sparingly, and as Calcutta telegrams announce a depressed market there is no buying for that quarter except at prices too low for acceptance. The market closed quiet, and the day's business was small and disappointing to sellers, as the improved tone has tended to restrict rather than increase business. Quqtatioris are marginally the same as on Friday. LEEDS TRADE REPORT, TIIESDAY.—The woollen trade has seen a change for the better. The Ministerial tone of confi dence as to our defensive position has done great things for the trade of this district, and this morning's market was com paratively a buoyant one. The terms in which merchants and manufactnrers met each other showed that a reaction from the gloomy forebodings of last week had set in. The larger manufacturers are determined to proceed as before the an nouncement of war; and work in anticipation of an average de mand. Their present stocks, too, they refuse to sell except at a fair remuneration, because they feel that commercially, short of our taking up arms, the worst is past. The smaller makers, of course, are not so fully convinced that a brighter prospect has set in. They are discouraged at not having been able to clear off the stocks in hand, although the prices at which they offered to sell were shamefully low, but the common sense view of this position is unfavourable to the legitimacy of the remainder of the full trade. Some large home lowers have been in the town, and their operations, though not large, have been a good deal more spirited. White goods have been in brisk request. Victorias sold almost to the last piece. Wool and every other manufacturing material is dearer. --- GLASGOW PIG IRON MARKET, TUESDAY. - Opening report. This market was very flat to-day. Business was done from bOs. 6d. cash, down to 50s. 44d. a Month, Claaillg rather buyers at the lower quotations. CLYDE CRUSHED SUGAR MARKET, TIIESDAY.—The market to-day is quiet. Not much is doing, Prices favour buyers, The Germans in Austria desire to maintain strict neutrality, and a resolution to that effect has been passed by the German Political Society of Reichenberg, Leave has been stopped to all the officers in the Royal Marine Artillery and Light Infantry, and a notification sent to all the commanders of divisions to hold themselves in readiness for immediate embarkation on foreign service, as events may require. A marriage is arranged to take place next month between Captain Halifax, of the 3rd Hussars, and Miss Coker, second daughter of the late Major Coker, of Bicester ouse, Oxfordshire, and step-daughter of Mr. H. W. Deacon, Master of the Hampshire Hounds- The managers of the Metropolitan Asylums have resolved to retain possession of the Hampstead Fever Hospital, in order to meet the possible requirements of the Metropolis, which, a medical contemporary states, is threatened with an epidemic of typhus fever. The return of the emigration officers for the month of July shews a great falling off in the number of persons leaving the Mersey. This arises from the entire cessation of German emigration since the outbreak of hostilities be tween France and Prussia. ARE IRELAND'S ANIMOSITIES TO BE NATURALIZED IN AMERICA ? The Orangemen, it seems, imagine that this commu nity has not seen enough of feuds imported from Ireland. They propose to make faction fights a part of our national amusements. Having been, in the eye of the law, the aggrieved parties at Elm Park on the Twelfth, though contributing rather more than their share to the mischief done to life and limb, they contemplate a revival of the delightful performance in August. The City is entitled to expect that; on the promised occasion the Mayor will do his duty. The British Government has vainly tried, by its Party Processions Act, and other means, to crush the spirit which finds in these detestable conflicts its natural expression. The charitable conjec ture hithgrto has been that the feuds with which an alien authority has ineffectually contended are among the legacies of protracted cruelty and misrule. For their trans portation to this country, however, even charity suggests no excuse. We have nothing to do here with the Battle of the Boyne, with Protestant ascendancy in Ireland, or with the countless wrongs which its Catholics endured at the hands of their oppressors. An Irishman, living in Ireland, may not unnaturally feel strongly upon these points. But when Iri s h men come t o the - United States they should make up their minds to drop the 'old antipathies. They seldom hesitate to cast off allegiance to the Government which rules in. Ireland ; and the implied obligations of American citizenship require that they shall also cast off the violent prejudices, and restrain the violent passions, which have contributed so largely to the misery and degradation of their old home. Delay is dangerous. Indifference to these matters has been tolerated too long. Irish feuds espe cially call for repressive measures. A twenty-four hours' ride will convey those who desire to study the subject to localities that exemplify the consequences of laxity in re gard to the introduction of Old World feuds. It is not necessary to visit Ireland to discover bow noxious is the influence exercised by the Orange organisation, when suf fered to attain full growth. There' are townships and cities in Western Canada which tell the story almost as well as Ireland ;—townships in which no Roman Catholic is allowed to dwell in peace, and cities in which the jury box is invaded by secret oaths, and obligations at variance with the administration of justice. These are not influences which should be encouraged in New York. The means which can alone suppress them effectually must operate impartially. We make war upon Orangeism not as an "ism," but as a specimen —the late events have rendered it a conspicuous specimen —of the malign agencies by which Irishmen in this country per petuate the factions and sectarian traditions and aversions of their native land. A just interpretation of the respon sibilities incident to the acquisition of American citizen ship should have led them voluntarily to avoid old and senseless causes of quarrel. This voluntary action having been withheld, our people look for help to those in autho rity over them. If they, too, are powerless, the interposi tion of the law-making power must be next invoked. The City may surely demand the preservation of order, and the punishment of those who attempt to create disorder, whether the aggressors be Irish Catholics or Irish Orange men. —New York Times. THE AGES OF THE COMMANDERS. Should the Franco-Prussian war last for more than a single campaign, it is probable that the majority of the commanders who are now conspicuous will sink out of sight, and that new men, whose names have not yet even been heard of, will rise into prominence. It is a curious fact that nearly every officer of high rank in both the Prussian and French armies is over sixty years of age. Marshals M`Mahon, Canrobert, and Bazaine, General Lebceuf, and Admiral Rigault de Genouilly are all between sixty and sixty-three; Marshal Forey is sixty-seven, and Marshals Bandon, Baraguay d'Hilliers and Vaillant are all more than seventy-five. On the Prussian side, General Moltke is seventy, General Manteufel is sixty one, General Van Roon sixty-seven, and Prince Frederick, who commanded the Army of the Elbe at Sadowa, sixty nine years of age. Among so many venerable officers it would not be unreasonable to look for tactics of the Fa brian pattern, since age is prudent, and military leaders of past sixty have, personally speaking, more to lose by defeat than to gain by victory. Still, it is already plain, even had we not been in a position to guess as muchbefore the late events, that behind these veteran leaders there are two min Is intensely alive to the value of time, and to that of the first prestige of success. This is to be a war of moral impressions and dramatic effects, as well as of hard fighting, and if any man knows this as well as Napoleon 111. it is Count Bismarck. The situation as regards the age and experience of the principal European commanders promises to be not nnlike what it was when Napoleon I. . took the command of the Army of Italy, and it would not be surprising if some genius appeared, whose rise would depend, like that wonderful man's,. upon disregarding military tradi tions, and snatching victory while trampling upon profes sional conventions. No leader ever turned to greater profit the art of not doing what is expected, or what by all recognised rules ought to be done, and of substituting novel and bewildering combinations. Youth and audacity as well as genius are essential to the power to do this, and these qualities will perhaps soon be forthcoming in men as obscure at the present moment as was the young Corsican, Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1790.—New York Times. THE LATEST NEWS. The fall of one per cent. in British consols yesterday, shews how fast the opinion is gaining ground that Eng land is doomed to be drawn into the present war. We have from the first pointed out the apparent impossibility of Great Britain remaining a mere spectator of a contest in which the destinies of all Europe are largely involved. If the war is not ended with the first great battle—that is, if the non-combatant powers are not able to bring about peace between France and Prussia, and it is very difficult to see how in any case they can do so—England will as certainly be obliged to fling her sword into the scale as she was compelled to nndertake her long series of wars in the latter part of last century and the early part of this. The Government and the people must alike perceive the truth. Consols were quoted yesterday at 89k, and closed at 891. In the first year of the Crim ean war t h ey never sun k lower than 85 6-8, and from that time until the end of the war the lowest point reached was 86 2-8. No mere exter nal complications would have had the effect of sending consols below 90. There can no longer be a doubt that England feels herself committed to the war, and when once she is engaged, Europe will soon be on fire from one end to the other. A special despatch forwarded to us upon excellent authority states that Austria will certainly join France. Those who profess to believe in the unanimous sentiment prevailing among all sections of the German people will probably be surprised at a turn of affairs which less sanguine observers have confidently anticipated. If Austria could so soon forget the treatment she has re ceived within the last few years from Prussia, it would be the strangest transformation of national feeling ever re corded. She could not challenge Prussia single handed, bid she was scarcely likely to resist the temptation of avenging Sadowa with the aid of France. The circle is thus momentarily enlarging, and the world is likely to see one of the most tremendous wars ever known excited by the blundering policy of a Spanish adventurer. The story that a large proportion of the French people are ap posed to the war is sufficiently answered by the subscrip tions now pouring in from all sides towards the expenses of the contest, and by the fact that 100,000 men have al ready enrolled themselves as volunteers in Paris. Many persons have agreed to give a certain sum each day while the war lasts, and as another indication of public feeling it will not be overlooked that there is a demand for M. 'Tiers' resignation on the ground that his recent speech was " unpatriotic." As the Spectator, no- friend to Napo leon, has justly observed, the French people would never have forgiven their Emperor if he had allowed the intri gue between Bismarck and Prim to be accomplished. The scene'at St. Cloud, at the dinner given by the Em peror, is only a fair representation of the true state of French feeling. Russia still remains neutral, while Den mark, it is vaguely stated, is yielding to the influence of England. She did that once before, and had no cause to be grateful to her " protector." Belgium and Holland seem to have assured France of their strict neutrality, but situated as Belgium is she may yet be the means of in creasing strife. The promise of Russia would be of much greater moment. Before the English people go into the war at all they will very probably require something more than Court influence to dictate on which side they ought to fight. It becomes more and more important for the United States to decide`what course should be taken in order to secure for our shipping interest some benefit from these great events. Before the month is out there may be a general war in Europe, and there would be an opportunity for our trade such as never was known or seen before. At present our merchants are set to run a race in sacks. The ultra-Protectionists have cr ippled them. The situation in which we are now placed is more striking commentary on the folly of our mercantile policy than all the arguments in the world. If we only had ships we could reap a golden harvest. The monopo lists have killed our shipping trade, and the people can only look on and sse a magnificent opportunity slip through their fingers.—New York Times, July 20. On Sunday night, in consequence of the water getting in in the heavy thunderstorm that prevailed. one of the furnaces, No. 5, at Blaenafon iron Works, Cardiff, blew up. Several men were injured. Western Mail. BIRTHS. On the 30th ult:, at 5, Cromwell Houses, the Lady Cairns, of a daughter. On the 30th ult., at 65, Brook-street, the Lady Mary Shelley, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. On the 29th ult., at Cowfold, Sussex, Frederic, son of the late Sir Godrey Webster, Bart., to Julia Helena, the daughter of the Rev. W. Margesson, of Wooldringfold, Sussex. On the 30th ult., at Stratford, Essex, Leonard Wilton, fourth son of John Wilton, Esq., of The Deanery, Strat ford-green, to Elizabeth Kate Cozens, youngest dauglr ter of the late George William Edwards, Esq., of 26, Mincing lane. DEATHS On the 29th ult., at 4, Gray's-inn-square, Henry Hugb - . Bunbury, aged 39. On the Ist inst., at 45, Elgin-road, Notting-hill, Maurice Solomon, Esq., aged 92. London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by him sti THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of be Savoy, in t County of Middlesex. Wednesday, August 3, 1870. 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