The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1870-08-23 00:00:00

A PitUSPICT FOR PAR

On Tuesday, Au,.;ust 10, M. About hail an opportunity
of witnessing whit en Frenchmen of this genervion had
ever been or serer:US to see—the occupation of a
French tcwu by a hostile force. It was managed very
quirtiv, Early iu t. 16 worming the sound of cermet'
hsd been heard in •11 • distance. and at noon carne •
rumour that the enemy was at hand. The inhabitants
of the placu tuened unt into the street, as if for some
anticipated spectsele, or the entry of some strange
, cavale • le. At ahuat half-past four in the afternoon the
stranger; aprcared in the form of two Hossars, who
rude slowly up the White street, to the Town Hall,
where the mutrcipal authorities were bitting in Council.
Behind turn fullewed three more Hussars, and trrese
five soldiers summoned cud received, greatly tr M.
A hout's indignation, the surrender of A town with
• 50(X) inhubirants, After it brief interview with the
Mayor the soldiers retired, but at • quarter past si.Ven
an officer rode into the place at the head of twenty
troopers, •nil dictated to the population the terms of
0!.0 conquerors. 'Elroy c 'lllpr-hied a demand for 20,000
• six-pound loaves, or an equivalent of 101,000 frexca in
rnourry, to be furnished by ton o'clock rho next morn-
in.:. This requiNition wit followed I.y another for
more loaves, isoff,e, oxen, and tobacco, 75 000 cig ire for
the offieers, 15,000 litres of wino, and 2tX.l bottler, of
champagne. Of course, the demand was extravagantly
disproportionate to the resources of the town; but as
the Pcusaian commissaries, on r•ceiving a representation
to that effect, consented to take all th it was to be bat,
and forego the remaindur, the comlitiolis were not so
crushing as they appeared. M. A bout.however,iruproves
toe or:a-talon by aildresaiug his fellow•ci!izeue in Paris.
—" P-risiar.s, my goral friends, you are Nally +el times
more numerous than the peon'. of Severna. Tho 11th
Corps, which alone has honoured ILA with a visit, only
represents about one-sixteenth of tho Prussian army.
If you allow yourselves to be Mead, d, you will have to
meet every dny • retuisition 6,400 times heavier than
oLtfA was ; that is to soy, you will have to supply daily
64 millions of 6/b. loavea. 351,000 oxen, 5.000,000 kilo•
grammes of roasted coff e, 1,152,000,000 cigars Ate.
The ironical exaggeration of this reckoning will not
disguise the qualities which it covers ; but, htyeed the
levy of war contributions, no aeveritjs are imputed to
the invading army. 'the alarm is great, and the con-
fusion, disorganisation and buffering are great also,
but no acts of cruelty, barbarism, or wanton destruction
are recorded.

• M. ABOUT IRRITATED.
La Schlittenbach, Saturday, Aug. 13. Daybreak.—l
do not know whether it proceeds from some infirmity of
my nature, but Imu stifling here. The house is
pleasant. For twelve years I have lived in it, and have
adapted it to my taste. The objects that surround me
only evoke agreeable recollections. The courtyard is
strewn with toys which my children have forgotten' in
their flight. The plum trees in the garden are laden
with ripe fruit ; the dogs are rolling over on the sward
under my windows ; the esny.rising peahens are lead-
ing their broods abroad ; the swans are gravely gliding
over the smooth waters of the lake. A philisoplier,
perhaps, would be delighted to live secluded and serene
in so peaceful a retreat until the conclusion of peat*.
But I sin cots philosopher, and I gat furious. The
execrable invasion hat thrown me into a condition that
I cannot endure for two days lonzer. The air which I
breathe among conquering enemies is no longer whole-
awn° air. Ido not see the Prusdiuis. I feel them.
There is no need to tell me that they returned yesterday
in great numbers said strong force. I had divined it.
I was sure of It. I know also, although I hive received
no letter or newspaper for • week past, that the de-
liveranee of the country has not begun. The enemy is
gaining ground; he is advsneing prudently, slowly, but
surely. If we were to believe the reports which the
Prussians themselves put into circulation, Strasburg
would be In their pocession and Prince Frederick
Charles marching by easy stages upon Paris. False-
hood be a weapon for these worldly conquerors, who do
not disdain to avail themselves of the smallest means.
They calumniate our poor Turcosby ascribing to them
abaurd cruelties, and thus they provok. the fury of
their own soldiers against them. By •r, fiumnent of
policy they calumniate themsei yes and propagate repsrts
which are useful although discreditable, to themielves.
While King William swears to us he is not the enemy
of Freuchmen, he bus ageuts who Infest our villages
calling out "Mike your escape.' The Prussiaus are
seizing by force upon all young limo between 18 and 30
years of age." Our youth fall into the trao ; they flee
Into the forests, and when the Uhlans arrive they find
none to face them but women, children, and old men.
It is a very ingenious method of driving away the able-
bodied portion of the population. They take advantage
of the panic to establish themselves, and when that has
been dune they say to the heads of families. "Cell beak
your sons. For what do you take us? We ate a civi-
lized people, utterly incapable of violating the law of
nations or of enlisting a variquished people against
their wishes." I ask myself with deep anguish, what
can Europe think of Us? What does it say of that
proud Alsatian rape which surrenders, without striking
a blow, to four of the enemy's scouts ? Where are the
traditions of 1702, of 1814, and 18157 Not a single
peanut has taken up arms. No, lam wrong. On the
, day when we were conquered at Severna by five
Üblaus, one poor fellow placed himself with a pistol
under his blouse behind the Prussisn lieutenant ••I
am going to kill one of them," said he, "and then
they niay do what they like with me." A neighbout
arrested his arm. "Do you want to cause the town
to be burnt?" That was the only attempt at individual
resistance which history will be able to record. What
must we think of the apathy on the part of a people
formerly so energetic? Is it that 20 years of desputisin
have degraded the whole mass of Frouclimen 11. ll is
the Government of the last Bonaparte succeeded be-
yond its wishes and caused all citizens to forget all
methods of resistance? As it took 20 years to 1111111 ous
forget the Afars illaior, has it also caused us to lose that
eivia spirit which is the mainspring of all natural
defence? A nation Gannet with impunity be disarmed,
enervated, smoothed down, amid taught to believe that
soldiers in uniform alone have a right to handle the
musket. That mean prisjudiee, which for a time
'asinines the necessity of a despotism, produoes as an
ultimate effect the moral debasement which I have just
referred to. France will soon recover h. rself ; the
people are hut asleop ; thee ninon will awaken theist
man will again become citizens in the old and sublime
acceptation of that wind. This revolution will come
the more speedily as our sufferings become greater.
Blesstd bottle blow which has brought the blood to our
head. Let the invasion be welcomed, since it was
required to resell us to ourselves and to resuscitate the
great French people.

TIIE HEALTH OF TILE EMPEROR
The Doi' y News Brussels oorres,soodent telegraphs :--
"It. reported bore that the En-peros Napoleon is
sallering (min fobrilo :anaemia* Jams the parox yams
of winch he inoosesatly criee out that he has been buLyoL
'