The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-02-11 00:00:00

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LECTURE ON SEDAN AND micrz.

On Munday evening Mr. McMichael, ol

Bridgnorth, delivered a lecture in the Corn
Exchange, the subject being- Sedan and Metz.
under the aih•pees of the Church of England
Association, the proceeds of which were to go
towards the fund for the relief of the destitute
French peasantry. There was a large and highly
respectable audience.
Mr. H. 0. Firrustone occupied the chair, and
said the lecture they were about to listen to that
evening, was one of no common interest. They
had for months past day by day read the parti•
culars of the stupendous struggle, in which the
two greatest nations of the world had been en-
gaged. They had perused with untiring inte•
rest the description of battles by the correspon•
dents of the press. They had read in imagina-
tion the shrieks of the wounded and moans of
the dying, and all the horrors of the battlefield.
He then referred to the difference of position
between the French and Germans; and intro-
duced the lecturer to the meeting.

—Mr. McMichael said a friend Of his proposed
that they should go to France; but as the friend
was unable to go he had some difficulty in get-
ting anyone to accompany him, until Mr. Tho-
mas Ironmonger, of Wolverhampton, expressed
his willingness to go, and accordingly they
started on the 2nd of November. They travel-
led vid Brussels, and, on leaving Belgian terri-
tory, they encountered much difficulty in getting
forwards to Sedan. The lecturer gave a sad
account of the condition of the wounded, but he
testified that all nationality was forgotten, so far
as the treatment of the sufferers was concerned,
and French and Germans were cared for alike,
and the gratitude which beamed from their eyes
showed how carefully they were nursed. In the
round they made of the ambulances they found
the wounded expressing the warmest thanks for
the help which bad been sent from England.
Mr. McMichael heard horrible accounts of the
cruelties imputed to the Germans at Bazeilles,
but there were counter statements by the Ger-
mans against the French. One case was men-
tioned again, that of a man whose hands and
feet were cut oil by the Bavarians, and who was
afterwards burnt to death. Not only was this
related to them by persons in and out of Baziel-
les, but a woman, who was said to be the widow
of the man in question, reiterated it to them.
The state of Bazielles must be seen to be be-
lieved. It was a kind of suburb of Sedan, and

many of the welbto-do classes resided there,
numbers of houses being large and commodious.
From there ware only five houses left ant of

about 500; all the others without exception
being gutted and destroyed. Steps were being
taken by the English to rebuild the place, and
although the people were in the utmost need
there was no mendicancy and none of them asked
alms. The working population consisted mostly
of cloth weavers, and their homes having been
burnt they were left without means of gaining
weir bread. Mr. McMichael's exploration of the
' neighbourhood was much facilitated by &banker
of Sedan, to whom he and his friend had &letter
of introduction. This gentleman and his father
had a narrow escape at the battle of Sedan, for
while at a window which overlooked the field of
battle a shell passed between them, wrecking the
Iroom in which they were. They were almost
without food for several days, and they had to
cut up their mattresses to find subsistence for