The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-12-03 00:00:00

ITEMS OF THE WAR.

The neve forts of Metz are being completed and armed by
Pruettan engibeere. The officers of the garrison, expecting
to remain there, have sent for their families.

There are at present in Germany upwards of 25,000 widows
and 120,900 fatherless children owing to the losses in the
Landwehr corps.

It Is asserted that a man hes contrived to piss through the
Prussi.o lines, and entered l'arts on the I;nh last , bearing
SOO letters and a few newepapers.

A Paris balloon, with carrier pigeons and two passenger%
In charge of a mail Consisting Of letter, and nowanapere of
the 25th lest, descended on Monday In Noraay, ei4lat miles
from Clulstianla.

A message from Camel of the 21st Inst. gays :—'The ex-
Emperor had a long Interview with Baratta. today. The
marshal was eummoned from his hotel to a villa which had
been got ready for him, where the Emperor awaited him."
The French livers stße that General Katzler, late Corn
mander-in Chief of the Papal army, rem nine in Rome. Being
a Bavarian by birth he was unwilling to return to Ms country,
where he would be called upon to tight against hi, late
brethren in arms.

The Socialist democrat. In the German Parliament have
resolve .l. to vote against the war expenditure on the ground
that the war is now one of conquest against the French Its-
public,which is forcibly to be deortvod of Alsace and L 'mine
against the wishes of the population.

The Eeperance du yeuple heirs that among the wounded
soldiers at Cateaudun is a soldier who declares that he is.
Russian and not • Prussian. He adds that more than 20,000
Russian regular soldiers are at this moment serving In the
Prussian ranks by special permission of the Czar.
A letter from Ostend of the 251 h inst says that the Lord
Warden, from Folkestone, brought over to that pet on the
previous day a st ipment of gold in ingots of the value or Int
milllins of (runes for the Prussian Government, this beog
the third arrival of the same character In Ostend within •
week These amounts ate said to form part of a total of
100,000,000 fr.
A Paris correspondent of the Indopendunce Belge states
that the anthoritles in that city have adopted the plau of
issuing rations of salt and fresh meat alternately, so es to
economise as far as possible the supplies remaining in the
csplint It is added that very large contracts have been
effected by the Goveri.ment with grazlen and cattle-dealers
nubile for the supply of ozen and shiep either in the event
of an armistice or of a successful sortie.

Dr. Guigne, jun. surgeon-major, writes to say that on the
ith November he rutted M trthal Macllsholl at Pourru.sua.
Bois. His wounds are nearly healed; one of them has
already closed. Ile can walk a little, and takes drives in a
carriage. Ile will have to be careful for some time, but no
doubt Is felt that ultimately his cure will be complete and
that foul effects will arise from the wounds.

he Barre etatee that' M. Antoine Monard (Paul Grarnatl,
editor of the A tpmir (10 l'Auclz, arrived on Sunday et Rune.,
after paid g through the Gorman army round Paris. M.
Mona rd state, that last Tuesday a Bavarian a_ tiler fired at
K trig William between beiveciennes and Bougival. The
K log was not struck; the ball pruned within a few inches of
his bead. The soldier was Immediately &fleeted and shot."
The following horrible statement, which le to be hoped
may he proved untrue, he. been printed in a paper published
at Tonre:—" An officer of Franc-rtreura belonging to lon.
fainebleau, and now in Toms, yesterday recolved news that
the Pruselime have killed his wife and child, i years old.
The control these murders Is supposed to have been that
the Prussians had opened • letter In which he imprudently
told his unfortunate wife that he had himself killed five of
the enemy."
A correspondent of the Nov,l says he has seen Mlfahon's
report on the affair of Sedan. The Marshal entirely excul-
pates the Emperor, by whom, he etates, he was left UM.
plettly unfettered. BM own Intention had been to retreat
with the army to Paris, but he yielded at lest to precise or.
dors of the Empress, which were invited by MM. Member
ant de Yalikeo.

The Connttss de Gasparin writes from the Canton of Vaud
that &petition for peace,signed by • first list if 20,71 women,
has been simultaneously addressed to the G•ivernment of
National Defence at Tours and to the Head-Quarters of the
German armies at Versailles. "We do not pretend." she
says, "to Interfere In con, ells of war: but with clasped
hands we Implore the two countries to put an end to
slaughter, ruin, and desolation.'

The German field post transmitted, between the 16% of
July and the 15th of November, 49 200 000 letters, being
an average of 41.0,000 letters per day It also conveyed
27,675,300 thalers for soldiers' pay and other public pur-
poses, 2,76,000 thalers to soldiers from their friends,
1,150,000 thalers from soldiers to their friend., 30,750
parcels on public business, and 460,020 newspapers. The
private parcel post, which wee opened on the 15th of October,
conveyed op to tlie 18th of November 724,923 parcels, which
filled 45,352 sack( and required the services of 323 railway
trucks and many hundreds of cart&

A letter from a soldier before Paris, referring to the tint
fall of snow and M. Gambetta's probable exultation over
the shivering Gemara, says :—" We put an ether log on
the lire awl tranquilly read that blankets are already pro-
vided for the witposts, that furs are on the way for the
sentries, and that freah presents daily arrive, until every-
body will be supplied with warm underclothing. A[alum
souls at home need not, therefore, be uneasy. Things are
not so bad as they mostly imagine, and nobody can now may
that he haste tidier privations, even If he makes no use of
the dedrable things offered by the numerous sutlers esta-
blished Mre."

Toe Gazette de France states that M. Gale's, Minister of
besng anxious to quit Paris, requested a safe c
from 11. de Bismarik, who refused it. important affairs and
the illness of his wife in London induced hi Gains to deter-
mine to leave Paris at all risks. He therefore quitted the
city, and on arriving at the Prussian lines he was at once
arrested, but, declaring his diplomatic character, he insisted
on being allowed to pass. Reference was mad, to Versailles,
whence, two hours later, came an eider to allow the diplo-
matist to proceed on his journey.
A singular accident befell asergeant of Chasaeun in thou..
Mon at Chevil/y. While taking aim his gun received a etc.
loot shock. No damage was visible at the first glance, but
the mechanism seemed injured and did not work easily. He
had to take it to the workshop for repair. when It was dis-
covered that a Prussian ball had lodged in the barrel. A
cannon was disabled in this manner at the siege of Rome in
1840, when one of the enemy's balls lodged In the chamber
which already contained the charge.

At Chateanneuf &large party of Germania billeted In the
house of • French lady, who has boldly held her ground, and
ei.tertains the enemy with the utmost suavity and dignity,
as if she had invited them as her most cherished friends,
One night • !Ku:anent and slaty men who had been engaged
In the light in the wood an hour and a half previously
Invaded the mansion, and showed their billets for platter.
So up the staircase they tramped with bayonets fixed, and
blots and clothes soiled and torn by the recent combat, With
the hostess, bearing • light, leading the way, and smothering
her grief and indignation with a sell-eolitiOl which oom-
wander.; the warmed admiration,