The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-01-21 00:00:00

AH! RING THE JOY BELLS:

The Special Correspondent of the Daily NC 1,3 with
the Head-Quarters of the Crown Prince of Saxony,
writes :
•• " •

The Bavarian journals report a remarkable speech
by M. Kolb, member of the Second Bavarian Chamber,
in the course of the debate on army ebtimatee. Ex.
Kessing his conviction that Germany, though vic-
torious, stood in need of peace, he said :

The representatives of a free people have never, gen.
tlemen, allowed theniselvea to be deprived of the right
0, freely declaring themselves for peace. Toe case has
often occurred in England, the finest pages in the his-
tory of Fox being those in which he struggled for peace....
1 have said victorious Germany is In need of peace,
the opposite side replies, Yes, hut we mast have an honour-
able peace." Goutlemeu, has there ever been a question
of any other ?. . Is ever peace elishotiourable which
does not include a conquest? lam not at all of that
opinion. 1 rattier consider, especially in the case given,
teat conquest and annextion are as unjust as imprudent,
and prejudicial to the interests of Germany. I regard
the auto lotion of a people who do not wish to he annexed
as an it justice. Since 1 have been able to form a political
judgment I have been a partisan of the principle of the
Individual suffrage of nations. I have declared tbat I
consider such annexation as disadvantageous to Germany.
You cherish the hope of securing to it a safer frontier in the
future. Is it then seriously believed that the peace and
tranquility no much desired will be secured thereby? 1
think the whole worid is convinced of the contrary. And
now, gentlemeu, are the claims we advance on behalf of
peace unjustifiable / The military annals of Bavaria are
rich in desetiptione of sanguinary wars None among them,
with one exception, has caused sin much blood to flow as this.
lithe struggle for which rupplies are asked continues twit or
three months longer, you may he persuaded that it will have
eat mere blood than the Ruled. campaign. lathe face of
these human hecatombs. gentlemen. I lay aside every other
consideration. I will not dwell longer on Um other evils of
tint War, it isenough forms to show the barbarous and savage
customs it Imings he its trsin, and which are about to Invade
society. How much trade aim Industry have to teem is not for
me to tell, What perturbations are not produced in civil life
by the interruptions to the traffic 011 out railways? Meal. a
mistake to think that the devastations committed in France
injure Frenchmen only. their retroactive and disastrous
effect will soon reach our lands, and we shall suffer for long
years Irene the ruins accumulated there. I have but one
more observation to make In passing. No indemnities Inc
the charges of the war are assured to us ; the expenses I.'.
crease from day to day, and from day to day the French
people will IA less in a condition to psy the enormous sums
required if the war continues.

•
One beautiful autumn afternoon—it was the 17th of
October, although, as I write, it seems years ago—l wit-
nessed the Landwehr-men of the Division Rummer falling
In their ranks as they stood, rather than give ground before
the furious assault that burst out upon theni from the works to
the northward of Metz. In your columns I tried to describe
what 1 witnessed and what I felt. God knows inadequately,
for there are heart swellings that will not flow from the
pen's point. With the post that bore me back that delimit,
tion printed in the Daily e It's there came the first
of a series of very pitiful lettera—letters that made one
shudder when I saw the under-officer with the bundle from
the held post, although I knew that the packet was sure to
contain letters from loved ones over the water. But with
these there was certain also to be others. It so happened
that the description to which I refer found its way into most
of the German papers, and many were the women—alas
that so many were In truth widows who in their simple
reasoning concluded that he who penned it must have a soft
spot In his heart, and would try hard to answer tile questions
they asked as to how it had fared et ith the fathers of their
children. That I did what I could in this way, under difficul-
ties that must !cell. to any reader, I believe not stew humble
families in Fatherlat,il would bear ready testimony. The and
stream glows toward me again, this time from Saxmoland.
God help us—no man feels war till it comes home to him in
some much way as this. Morning after morning that smiling
secretary at Vie field post in the park hands me over letters
which were Ito copy • few of them and send them to
you would bring the water into the eyes of every reader.
Some are from I Fiends asking after irleinis—these are genie.
ally wordy and occaiYonally inflated. But brothers
write to ask after brothers. Fathers want to know
about sons. Occasionally, hint oftener, mothers are
the questionern. Poor creatures, hew precise are
the details! Regiment, battalion, company, aye, and a
personal description now and then betides. " Tall, slender,
with bright blue eyes and curly auburn hair, very small
hands, and a greenatone dog en one of the fingers of the
rlOl band, and bla sass pierced." This Manlioess is en-
PALand, Oink% I horn on bonier - Wog fiflk battle-

tleld:-OliTf&id-inathir,-there-would be little rftelttiess In—htimantty epl shame to aMe-expresslon to its liargria---
the blue eyes in that case, and I should have to look a tion that Tarcos should with their thumbs gouge the eyes
long time before I foiled the " greeintone ring on one of their prisoners from their sockets. But the Independance
of the fingers of the right hand," There comes a lump in I A Vrieline and, after it, several other French papers address
my throat wi en I think of tho letter I have to write when I the newly-formed African callers, the Gums, as folio-a in
taco !totalled this one. It hi a reply to a tear-blurred rec, maieudieg to them lib invasion of Germany We know
epistle from a e•,or woman he Kamenz, rho, it seems, has ' p.m. We prize your courage. We know that you are
SPtIl .3413 tXtrYetl from my correspondence in some energetic, impetuous, and enterprising. On and c,tt cod
Saloll paper. She wrote that she "was sure I must be a healle ; the more, the higher you will rise in Our ,
thaler, anal would not spare, therefore, a little trouble to Away with the invader ! Away with feelings of Mir-emits
got itiformation for a mother about her sonar" She gave two The Gums will reap honours, when we give them the parole,
hostages to the Fatnerland-will the Fatherland ever/IR/PM Death, Pillage, Arson '
the pledge? [low shall I tell her that one of her sons lies ~ The Turcos are acenuntable for the decapitated
behind Brie with twenty itches of frozen Fretunt earth on dead and samoded, without Lowe and ears, found
his breast, and comrades unto the death-comrades in the , in the village of Coulours, near Villeneuve-le-Roi and
grave-right and left of him? That I sew the other 'is a Anecan, near Troyes. Perhaps it Is due to the long con-
word in the No.siel lazaretto, contemplating with • philo- nection with Algiers and the progeny of the liarbaresques
sophy that seemed begotteu of a cigar, the stump ed one of that French authorities allow their fellow-ciF sna VI commit
his legs that the doctors had stripped ter dressing ? Strike nets and even give iestructions by which all military maps
up the martial music ring the joy hells fire the salutes? of Christian nations and all military sense of bonnet. are
Let the cities illurnitiate, and the mob roar itself hoarse it
the news of victories! God knows all these couutet-dine are
In conclusioe, the deepatch cites neutral testimony
needed to drown the grown from hearts wrung by weir.
in support of counter charges against the French.
A GERMAN VOICE FOR PEACE. THE CONFERENCE.

The Conference invited to consider the representa-
tions of Russia on the Treaty of 18511 assembltd a: one
o'clock on Tuesday, at the Foreign Office. These, cal
States that were parties to the Treaty were represented
by their Ministers resident at the Court of ht. James', --
Austria, by Count d-Appony ; Italy,by the Cavaliere
dorm'; Prussia, by Count Bernstorff ;Russia, by Baron
Bronnow ; and England, by Earl Granvill,, who ',re-
sided. The only exception bad been anticipated, for
no representative attended on behalf of France. The
proceedings of the first sitting were of a formal nature,
and the meeting was adjourned, in order to afford an
additional chance for the arrival of a French eleni-
pctentiary—th,- next meeting bring fixed for Tu,sday,
the 21th instant.

The apartment of the Foreign Office In which the sitting
was held is called the Smaller C 'unseen. Room; rut because
ills the reverse of spacious—being far larger, Indeed, than
most saloons in private niansionr—but in contradistinction
to the magnificent hall si hi ,h is known as the Conference
Room proper. The great dimensions, loftiness, line pro-
poitions, handsome decorations, and furniture of the large
room will be seen In passing through it to the chamber
beyond; which is, in fact, an ante room to the great
dining hall and in that smaller room the representatives of
the Great Powers will confer. It. long windows look out
upon the quadrangle, three sides of which are complete,
and contain the Foreign, Indian, and Colonial offices. The
vacant side on which the Cbuference room looks directly,
namely, that abutting upon Charler,treet, Westminster,
offers by ne means an agreeable aspect at present. 'I hough leas
, elaborately decorated than the great hall, the smaller room is
I sumptuously fitted up, arid in its centre flow stands around
table of moderate rig I, which is covered with the traditional
" green cloth," mistimed to be inseparable from Conference
talkies. On this table are placed six tall silver candlestick.,
with towering wax lights, and about It Is arranged
every requisite In the way of stationery ; though some
of the officials complain that the table Is not large
enough to hold a great many other accesaorlee waft' had
been prepared for the occasion. Around the table stand
eight red morocco-covered chairs, one of which will be
appropriated to the secretary or reporter of the Confer-
ence; of the others, six only will be occupied by the Flout.
potent lanes of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Turkey, Italy, and
England, the seventh place being yet vacant, through the
elbzuce of the representative of France. Altogether, the
material arrangements for the sitting of the Conference
seemed to be everything that can be desired.