The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-15 00:00:00

BEFORE PARIS.

The following is the translation of a private letter
with which we (Daily News) have been favoured from
a German officer to his brother in England :
St. Germaio, near Corbeil, Sept. 30.
One really gets tired of writing, If one bee to write one
letter after the other, and that for weeks without ever getting
no answer. Since the day on which wa left Landau I
have not received any news either from home or else-
where. Whether my letters have fared better I do not
know, but hope so I am still attached to the "Ge-
neral Etappen Inspection," and employed in the offices,
and I am getting on pretty well, although my life I. not
a lax/ one, and there Is no want of work. Good
quarters and a good iced I very rarely mini now. What
regret is the little titre left to me to enjoy the charming
neighbourhood, for we have to work very hard, and I am
at work In the offices almost without ihterruption from
eight In the morning until eleven or twelve o'clock at night.
For soldier'. life In war my occupation is indeed abnormal,
although not without interest and pleasant change, at all
events it is safe from shells, which is not so bad after aIL
Now serving as Interpreter at the official inquiry of courts-
martial, now selling horses on the " marche," then again
acting as interpreter between Euglishmen and Frenchmen,
or writing out French requisitions for the communes of the
neighbourhood, or serving as orderly in extraordinary mis-
sions, I hear of nearly every thing which goee on In our army
the 3rd), and am better supplied wi,.h military news than
even a soldier in the field. Ido not give you the latest new.
from the seat of war, only a few hours diststit, because
I know that your pi perm will no doubt have told you long
ago when this arrives, and besides I have no time for de-
tail,.

Tool has fallen, Strasburg capitulated, the railway with
Pads Isle our possession without interruption, so that the
siege train used before both fortresees can go on without
delay, to be used against Parte. Then I suppose the Parbians
will at last open their eyes, which until now have been struck
with blindness through their ignorant vanity. Yesterday, the
Colff,ur told me, with great dplontb, that if ever • Prussian
(they only talk of Prussians, although just now our 3rd
Army copings half of Bavarians and Wurtembergere),
army entered Paris, not one soldier of it would see his
home again, for those not killed by poison would fall by
the citizens' hand. It cannot be dented that the fanaticism
of the populace here is extraordinary, and it costa great
trouble to [asks way against it. Principally there are the
Pranciettreurs, who carry on a guerilla warfare behind ne ;
and, although they do not do us great damage, bring
on much unpleertotness. Then agate they often cut
the telegraph wires or railway lines, so that there
Ls no end of official emattiries and of prisoners taken
se guarantees. We are just writing out the orders to make oat
the contributions as equivalent of damage done by eapture of
German merchaat vessels by the French, and which I am
afraid will I alas even mare the nog, r of the much peoy to,
t 01 there taco help for It. Oa reading, "Urn era! Puippen
Inspection of the 31 Army," you will no doubt ask what this
can be, and I will give )ou • short explanation. Its end is
to keep a Were ad (steppe, , if possible, railway and chaustaa,
open from behind the army to our country, anti eventually
te a secure retreat. Beside. this, " Inspection " has to take
care of Etappen hoapitals, =guinea, dm., and Is la general
the donkey on whose back everything is packed which an army
In Ini held wants, or every work which such army can

Our general staff consists of onelleutesantsgeneraL as chief
commander, with three aldee.de-camp (one captain, one first
and one second lieutenant): one major as chief of the
stuff; One lieutenaut of the Landwehr, as ihrk wcrt-
tary, and three writers ; subject to hint are the gene-
ral tntendantur, under a councillor of hitendeutur, with
unite; the general medical officer, one maj..r of en.
gineers, one major of artillery, one major of gendar-
merie, one Wurtemberg major, one direotor of the pout-
office, w•tti relais and under oflicen ; one railway director,
on e auditour i councillor of justice). one telegraph director and
suite; and attached to him are ; one regiment of reserve
dragoons (000 hones), one telegraph corps (in gineers
of the guard, 150 men), one railway corps (eniiincers
of the guard. 00 me, ', ono company of engineers
torn). All these are soldiers of the Land wehr,
and there are added to them so many battalions of
the Landwher as is necessary for securing the etappe
and garrisoning purprieee, so that the whole has the
strength of one division. All these branches have to confer
in our thaw, which are the centre of the whole. Ido not
think that we shall be kept long before Paris, as we are to.
day already in the possession of several outworks at Parts.
Poor Perla, how you have been misled )—hardly any Parisian
lalieved that his capital could be taken—what will they say
in a few weeks?