The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-26 00:00:00

ITEMS OF • THE WAR.

A bal!oon de.cended atiloogstraeten on llonday morning,
btingkg ML. Dinban, Saint Valery, and Jute. but.f.t.
- - - • - •

A new hiatorical comedy, by Karl Gutztow, in five acts,
entitled "Tim Yet/saner ot Metz, has been accepted Ytty the
itoyal theatre at Berlin.
Count littimarck bee officially denied the atatement that
Switzerland had been compromised by captured balloon
lettere.

A pamphlet by Marshal Basalt:os, Justifying his con inel at
Metz from the 14th of August until the capitulation, will be
published at !games Inn few days.
The Sra*ts AnstiJer says that since the capitulation of
Metz 140 001 psi/Amens mid 372 C. 1121.10411 have been taken by
the Germans.

It is reported that among the prisoners made at Contesters
were a L E phew of General von der Tann,and Si. do Perc,sl,
the Prussian Gov.:suer of Orleans, a descendant of a French
Protestant family. Gent rat von der fanu's carriage was
taken, and his body servant whit Is.
Mgr. Ibipanloup is said to have proposed to the King of
Prussia a fusion of the Bourbons and Offeanists, and sought
to induce the King to interest himself in his plan. Lie offered
to do his hest to bring this about!! the King would authorise
him to do so.

General Sheridan stated at Festh that the position of
France was not so despairingly bad se was generally be-
lieved, Psi, being provisiontu null! January. lie spoke
favourably also of the Army of the Lowe.
A telegram from Vsnailics, states that Sir. ftdo Ronal'
has Men received with the greatest courtesy at head-quarters,
and will have an apj niuntty ci fultilthug Ida ;Masten under
the most favourable circumstance.

The North German Correrimsdent says that the atoty of the
Neve hie Preme. that the Germano, on taking ylOilealnoll of
Metz. futtrei In that place • sum of 40,040,000 f., 1.. ..ure tu-
ventloo.

lha Pruss!ans hare captured soother balloon from Parts
between Preen and C'hartrec The aeronauts were made mi-
soners and their ps p sra scud. This lithe fourth balloon
captured since the ueghmirg of November.
It Is observed that the per fIA6IOII shells need by the Ger-
mans, which explode on striking any hard object, do not
answer well In wet weather and soft ground. Numbers were
found after the action of the 9.h ss hioh had not burst.

Toe Sfraitmenti ins the condemnation and execution of a
miller unsaid Foullly for supplying the enemy with Intelli-
gence. He had found an easy way of bilorming the Preisfans
of the preseuce of the French. When the French were In
toms the nails of his mill were set in motion; when they
were but few the Falls were motionlexa

A letter from 0 dend at the 19th says:—" Many French
emigres are now residing In our town. Among them are
00001 de rehire() and the Prefect of Orleans. The French
ladies, to get lid of the ennui of exile, have hired a hall,
which Is used as a conversatibn saloon, and in which they
meet daily, rigidly excluding the in when of the sterner
BOX."

A letter from Smthern France, dated November 20, pub-
hehed in the InWpriadence Br:ye, sal• thst there Is great ar.
tivity at the tonnages of Ls Sore, rear Toulon, and the nut
batch of rultrailleuses has been completol and delivered, but
the work is still going on. These instruments of destruction
are Anon a new mood, very light and portable, having a
range 011,20) metres, and only costing about 600 f. each.
The following order has been sent by 31 Gambetts, as
Minister of the Interior, to the FrVets of Depsrtnionts :
' inform the newspapers that they Inuit not Insert :my llama
despatch, to may communication whatever proceedlog from
any route, respecting the camp at leans, or relating to the
movements, strength, or position ot our troops"

It has been observed M the Frencli hospitals at Orleans
that the wounds or the Germans are chiefly from pieces of
shell comparatively few bullet wuttuus—but that the
French have chi, fly been wounded by the needle gnu the
inference is obvlous that the French flrctl wildly, too fast,
end witheut aiming, and perhaps at too great a dibtance.
The Chaster u, is a bad weapon for recruits, and especially
for young French soldiers, Impetuous and difficult to con.
trol.

The balloon Uhrich arrived at Tours on Monday, from
Paris. The Intelligence brought is that the victory at
Colanders has given fresh courage to the Inhabitants Every
one Is determined to prolong the war 1 outranee. and non the
slightest apprehemtion is felt as to the sopply ot food
The Nolcoelliete de Rouen says, .4th regard to the ha,es
of intercepted Prussian correspondencentow being rxdnine.l
a t Tours, that whiltaletters and Journals are being translated,
these are unsealed, trod It in" a pleasure " to see the fl anal
waistcoat., the stockings, the mtocoate, the tea, the wisps
cf fair hair, the dead flowers, and the photographs sent as
souvenirs from P.usals.

Two eaptalne who escaped from Metz, rather than f•ln In
the eapttulatlon, appeared the other day In the Gate de la
Vide tbe gular ol coachmen, which they had euccearfully
8.11,11134 to deceive the Prussian.. They soon made the.o-
rely°s known, and were sot rounded by a group of °MA. It
I s said they have brought a great deal of very Interesting In-
formation to Government

It Is a...minced from Toxin that intelligence of the recap-
ture of Orleans by the French was known in hale on the
19. h inst., and caused univenal rej doing. The persons Ini-
prisr ned for the attempted revolution on the 314 ult, were
set at liberty, confidence was restored, and all dissensions
were I rgott.eu. Mots flesh could he obtained without raw
tric' lon.

From Brussell we learn that the balloon which descended
tu ll,lglum on 'Tuesday brings sews Irons Paris to Alunday
last. Tne city was calm, and nothing was said about a sr-
render or an armistice. Herm flesh and vegetables were still
obtairo.ble in any quantity. All single men between 20 end
27. years of age had been enrolled so ties jiobuhtoed National
Guard.

Of sick and woundei there are still 15,000 In the hospitals
of Metz; end, In adilition to tie °turnery di seritery arid
typhus, t here are now numerous cmes of sinall-pi•x, Toe whole
of the cmvii pox patients are being sent to Si. Atoll, and
from St. Avoid a certain number to Forbsch. But no suf-
ferer from small-pox will, under any circumstancm, be al.
lowed to enter Germany.
Gr. Russell says It Is now very patent that the designers of
the Parts forts commlited enormous hiunders. They put the
ate, with the exception at Ve'Crion and the bmble
Couroune, to mar the city, and paced them on the inner
line of heights, 11310.0 of occupying the outer ridges. Bad
the heights over S.. Cloud or sloutretout, Mead., and
Clamart been covered with works like Valn.ilen the dinnulties
Of • besieging army would have bee:i prodigious, and Paris
within Its docile enceinte would have had • long life of P.
The same remarks apply to the north- west and north of
P iris, where there are points over Argenteuil arid at
Orgemont, Villetanenee, the , which might have been pro-
fittely nein lied, for there are men enough In Paris to hold
evert lar; or lines, and the spec, Inside would have elf irded a
supply if food.

In Metz at this moment the poor alone earn money, and
many of them seem to earn a good deal. The Prussian autho-
rities offer sf. a day to working bakers, who in o-dluarj
tones gala 2' only, A porter get, V., a stableman 51 ;Ia
fat t sf. in the lowed aura per day tat any one In alit, nem'
loc'ined to scent t for no matter whatservicee. Those, ensile
o.her hand, who do not live by manual labour are In the
saridert possible condithi. An official person, once rich,
PA 1 The Times' correspondent, that he now Hots by sal log,
o-e by one, the piece. of furniture belonging to his house
This gentit man has an estate, but the farmers pay no rent.
He has houses, hot the tenant. &OITA, to meet their engage-
ments. Ile has railway eh, -a, hut the E istert] Pu'lwey of
France is in the hands of tie Germans sod ph I is uo
nerds. "Why,' It was suggested, "hot borrow m fey from
poor banker ? ' Ent the banker tai prudently retired fr .
business , and absolet ly the oily money a rich man In Metz
can obtain. Is by his directing himself of all that personally
belongs to him The most impoverished of all are the oili•
cials of rnnor rank, who, having no private resources, and
finding their resources suddenly stopped, are simply venni.

Cobs, abbnovok ws• • little auwell tbe otbar day, bat
10 • himself again. _ . • ..

The Kr. uz &jaw,' of Innaday lays hot the rod of the
war is at Merl. The French Army of the Loire ii doomed,
aud Perla la abandoned to famine.

A teFrram Inns Amiens mentions that the Germans are
rrimrted to be tuvrching on that city, widala Is described as
calm, resolute, end reedy "
From more th di one source It Is stated that to Pros:-
aloud .111110:11% are Ultly to have to remove from Tout.
Very Ihlrtly.
" '" • •

The German soldiers in and shout Mantes, Mantes, and
Ghors are beginnirg t tecul.e chnisepota, whla, no dean:,
have come Imin the arsenal at Metz.

hew rellevol from the command of
the Amy of the North, and pAnted General of the
Liubtavoieh Army Corps, at Nevem
On idol:day moraine, at nine powder magc/r e
in lot Plappevllle, bite, exploded. Several persons ewe
killed, and 90 wounded.
•i If the authors of the war could see the result which their
wicked ambition lois wrolight at Grande. Ambled, ti my
would huvd rough to do to repent of it, If such befogs mu
capable of repentance, for the rest of their lives."—Cories-
p mdent of the News.

An Englishman who left Parts on the 5.11 Inst., says the
living well then bearable, and altogether We supply trt meat
would last More mouths at least. rite troops were ready for
any thing hut a .onm:et, anti demanded to be led out
against the enemy.
It is said that when nice() Frederick Charles asked
Marshal lie anti why the French army old riot follow op
their it trtial so rein on the 10.11 it August and • 'spa front
their elrical position before Metz during the weld, ha re-
plied, lie marche pas la milt."
An attempt was made by the French on Monday, with six
companies of Infantry and four c damn, to Teller° 1,1 Moe,
but they %tare driven back with considerable loss u the right
bank of the Wm by a battalionof the sth Regiment. A sortie
front the fortress, made immediately afterwards, was also
repulsed.
According to the Wert,' of the 17th lust., the Eloper, e
Napo:eon has espreucti In a letter hid entire approval of the
action taken by the Government of the National Defeacore-
specting the armistice, and has la commended the contluu.
auce of the war to any extremity rather than cede French
territory.

!even your g girls of Ingouvillo havo asked to ha allowed
to foim a regiment of young ladter, to be called" the Ven-
geance." They have begged the ef.itor of the local paper to
allow enlistments to tale place in his rube. Tills the e,lttor
hesitates to do, as the question appears to him a very ticklish
one, particularly as to the appointment of the commander.
"It is no use flaying,' he concludes, that the character oft
woman is mobile ; reflection is still necessary before aohtlis-
lug her entirely."

An epic, de of the fighting of the other day at Orleans
shows the reckless coolness of the young Mobiles. During
the action, the Monne, 4 Lr 0 uoride, who were in line amt
advancing to the front, were encountered by numerous
coveys of portages. which the a:plotting shells drove away.
Whose birds dew right in among the well, who became much
more engrossed by trying to catch them as they dew than
by the thought that ii, another two minutes they would he
under no II storm of shell aid bull.

AU possible sorts of suggestionu am made 1.4 y persons with
pret nsions to a knowledge of heraldry as to the new Ger-
man il ig Some want a vertically divided red and gold
banner with the Prussian eagle on a sliver field In the
mldrPe. A vertlcsl division of er,lours Is however thought
objectionable. as all the colour, of a ilg should be visible en
every part of it. The old German Imperial banner tea com-
pletely yellow, with the eagle ill the centre.

aAccempany big s contidbution to the asseciatidn composed
of members of the society of Friend; who are striving to
relieve the sufferings of the peasantry In France, Miss
Nightingrle writes as follows I wish it was tot times as
notch • for in this most terrible of all earth's wars—in the
countless horrors of this most hon dole of mankind's hhtorles
—I believe the sufferings of the starting, stripped, and burnt-
out peasantry are the greatest horrors of A 11.4

A Versailles lett.r refers to • secret visit of the Ilshop of
Orleans, who is said to have had an Interview with the King
of Prussia. Ills object, it Is believed, was to inttrest the
King lit a compromise between the I,gitlrulste and the ti,
leaniets, by which the C .mto fe Chamtord wuuld ucet,il the
French throne, and, being chll Iltss, would be succeeded by
the Comte de Parts. The Count, however, has an antipathy
1.. the Bishop. and would not be likely to respond to ink, ad-
vances from such • quarter.

Ihe municipality loons having characterised as •
" malefactor " some unknown person who shot a Prussian
sentry, and dwelt upou the necessity of abstaining from such
"nprehensirde acts" lest they should draw down reprisals
upon the town, St. Gsudetta has gibbeted the names of the
immicipal councillors in the edictal part of the Molifeur, to
the end that all France may despise the antl.pa.riotic men
who, " In such terms," made themselves the auxiliaries and
the mouthpiece of 4he enemies of Prance.

111, /dated at Berlin that tho results of the negotiation. at
Versailles are as follows Wen and Merle will enter the
North German Confederation unconditionally ; WUrtemberg
will enter subject to reservati um which are of merely
secondary Importance respecting taxation, the postal and
telegraph Berrien., etc ; Bavaria retains her military sure-
reuriity and an independent military organiedion. The
necessary conventions will be lald before the North German
Parliament let ratification during the approaching session.
A body of voluntetrs, styling themselves re ?wenn, tin
!Thom, being recruited from that town, have recently been
acting In the rear of ike German arm, besieging Parts. Ihe
commander ty: tie battellou hes Fist made a report of the
doings of the corps to the Slain, of U vre, ana at s'es that
they nave aucceecled in tilling two l'hlans, and shot, after
Old by c.urt-niartial, a Prussian If y. The hearing and dis-
cipline of the Venreure are adintrable. and "the young
Republican ettoyenne Marls always marches Incur foremost
ranks, and brings a blush of shame upon the chocks of the
cowards of Picardy."
The ',pedal C..rrespomient of the Da i 4 N tn., at the Rya
ilead•quarters, X orsall:es, says tint people are beginning to
doubt whether the siege work. before Parts are more than •
device to impose on the eneny ..1 to occupy the German
troop.. own Impremion, ' he adds, "still is. that the
&lege works have been pushed forward ln earnest ; hut that
as hunger is lighting for the besiegers such more surely
then they can light for then-melees, it is lilt tube better to
work cautiously and completo ly." For a doper two all had
been ellen., aud It was ruspected that this was the prelude to
a great effort on the part of the F:erich to break through
the Itucs—an ell rt certain to lead to sad butchery on butla
Wee.

"Some of the makeshifts employe 1 in constrticling the
defences are strange'y out OF keeping with their present uses.
liter Ville d'Avray, a 'glare piano set vts as a stand for a
rifleman under a particular loophole ; and at La Celle St.
Cloud there is a barricade aim of the COMpol;03It parts of
which is a stuffed ceacocll, in close proxlmity to a garden
roller And a fob!: d nip/. Two newspapers were brought in
trit eleht by a spe.cutatt.vp outpost, who crawled over to the

Frer"Cl7 arraWiZeies on his i;iiy,-"ared Orb red two ieim—de.oi
fresh butter f d two J'wools. The "swap" was a good one
for the French settinel, Inasmuch as two pnunds of butter
now represent in Parts exactly KS 123. In money."—Corres
pondeotsi Dasly Telegraph.
As order has been leen d by M. de Preuschitsh, the PANS
of the Seine at Oite appointed by the King of Prussia, thst
the local taxes in the department shall be applied tee tee
payment of the cures, echoolneasters, and tel.:era employed
In maintsenie g tree roads and other public works in the
depertment. The last artic:e of the iecree decl tree that
those :desires who shall fail to obey the order, or concerting
oh- xi complaints shall be made, or even U in the course of
his Journeys through the various comtmunes the Pr efet shall
find any school closed, a garde champlfre wantiog, or the
I Meurers he the roads onemdb peel, the Mares sill he held
responsible to the PIOT, anti will also he required to pay over
to him all the local contributions which they have failed pro-
perly to employ.
The Daily Netts Special Correspondent at Amiens says
that an Attache of Legation, who has jest arrived there from
Pais, is of opinidt that the city a HI hold out for three weeks
though the fresh meat Is now exhausted. The troops are
expectiac aid inem the Army of the Loire, hut If no sure cur
arrives "the pone is up." The it'd ltepubllc tres were
causing the blends of orner great anxiety, and keep nit the
Government somewhat in axe. The Attache took twelve
days to travel from Park to Amleis lie does not believe
that the besieging force arc-scud Paris could he seriously
dl.turbed. The Prowl. e Mew, were Impatient to open tire,
bathe was oft pinion that the order would never be given.

How little Inteution the Germans have of rel.lng their
hold on Alsace is shown by the fact that they have re-
cently occupied the cantons of daisies and S.thirrneck,
which, though belonging to the deportment of the Vosges,
and alt to Alsoce proper, are geographically and his-
torically connected with the latter. Their Intention,
apparently, Is to Render them in the annexed terri-
tory. They are on the eastern side of the mountains,
in the valley or the lireusche, and • pr jected ratites),
uniting Strasburg, Mulhansen, and the choir Rhine
valley with the npper Breetsche wend strengthen their
cootie aim with Alsace It is stated that three-fourths
of the inhabitants of Sehinntek speak thirman, though the
language line, owing to French being alone allowed in the
echoolx, hos yearly been receding Le the east.
Toe reconstruction of the Strasburg Library !making rapid
progreFe. Betide, the united action of the academies and
booksellers of all Germany, there are single gifts pouring
in of rici email value promptcd occeelonelly by red en ugh
motives. "Glue the welliknown scholiarch Landfermann, of
Content, has (-fleet d hi own entire library, the result of
many years' careful odlection, chic ily rich in philology and
history, and contaihing not a few role works no longer to be
lead In trade, to the civil conunisgery Von K tthlwetter, as a
contribution towards the new Strasburg Library. Ile bad
hoped, he adds, to leave these books some day to his son
Johannes lAndformann, a most promising }mime historian)
that he might use there shier him. But he had gone down in
tie trenches before Metz, aid the proleseor did not know
what better purpore these books c. old serve bOW than the
one he leas under the circumstances destined them fur.

The Ine Vrendence !lege of Tuesday contains &second letter
from An Mtglishinan," who left Parts on the Bth inst., In
whida details are riven of the organic stion of a Civic Guard,
comp ved OM fly of foreigners. Thla corps has various tasks
allotted to it It sees to toe entry if the names of all the
ii .habitants in the cadres of the army, and to the rigorous
execution of the order. of the Oovernment In preparing
against the eventualities of a bomlordment. The matt mof
ration. Is also under Its care. The writer of the letter
say. An Austrian who arrived at liruseels G -lay, and
who left Paris eight days after my delarturo,
the state of latiugS Is unaltered, sac qith g that the delite to
fight the enemy has increased with the aimienso of news from
w thou t."

- the Suobian M.
rettry gives some particulars of the Turco.
a' 11 n. 0.1 the 12 h, the ground befog covered with snow,
one of them asked incinentally whether the winter
would now soon be over. They are as is, U accommodated as
possible under the circumstances, but in the casements of the
sac the uttht is long and the air thick They are active
at washing, and have a pectiller manner of iroulog the cl-thes
with the smooth hack (cold) of a brush. In their cooking,
which they do for them telvel, they are also very cleanly, at
they are quitermigned to their a).t, partly through stolidity.
They are thankful, too, for everythit g, although unaccus-
tomed to 'Daily things. A wounded African in the hoemtal
recently had, for the first time in his lite, name good Suabian
soup. tie ate it patiently out of the i I de, Int: reinark-d on
fit.ishlng It that th tt cctfes was nor good, and he did not
wish for any more of it.

" To watch the gradual re.provlsloulng of the famished
city of Mete has been a task of unusual Interest : the throng
week-days and Sundays In the markets. the Cathedral square
and the prise' pal streets,ano public pieces, and the concourse
a peasant, offering most, fruit, and vegetables led one to
conclude that the land could not have been stripped by any
nif am so hare of It, produce by the German troops as has
been repretented, and that much has been successfully con-
cealed. It is a picturesque and motley crowd, despite the
absence of the costumes which lend such a ch rem to B;raa-
burg Jostling about in the throng. I encounter many
peasaut women, each carrying a fat goose in her arms—a pro-
ceeding which that sensible and much libelled bird regards
with lo taut the most dignified disapproval ; their husbam's
fdlow them with young p,rkers swung acre,, their, ahoulders
Vociferously screaming 'Murder!' while long rows of stalls
piled up with Goy apples, pears, grapes, hares, and poultry
give the bu. y out loor picture Its requisite colouring of Mid
lii,. The Provisos ikve presented to the Municipality front
their great stores at Ars anti Courcelles most liberal elf is of
bread, rice, cheese, and other provisions for distribution
among the poor, and they have been accepted and suitably
ackhowledgest."—Correspondent of The Tones.