The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-13 00:00:00

THE CLUING SCENE.

M. Camille Pelletan thus describes the closing scene of the
" Battle of Morbach," as he calls it:—" Then a horrible scene
was pretested Before these fresh em flies slices of regiments
and scattered bodies reformed, and the troops of two nations
fought almost hand to bard, firing upon one another at 100
pax smith guns which kill at 1 50t). The flashes mingled and
penal. The fusila le was carried on at point-blank. We
struggled—we resisted—we were crushed. It was impossible
to hoot on We were caught between Prussian batteries. It
wag a retreat, a rout, a flight, and this at nightfall, in the
twilight; men and women, wild, terrified and lost, tlylog
they knew not whither. Thun Forbach took fire and began
to blazo, red, in the night. Now the enemy were masters of
all. 'I hey fired on a passing train, the carriages ran in smoke
amidst balls ant bullets. The station was taken, the train of
troops was captured, and the locomotive was sent back empty
to tell the tale of our disaster."

A MOTHER'S ANXIETY !

" Louis 'for such Is the name by which the Emperor chooses
that his Bon should be associated by posterity with this war)
I, back in Paris. An express train, with terrace carriage
waggon bedroom, and drawing room, was on Sunday des-
patchid to fetch him back to St. Cloud. The exalted lady
who inve.ited crinoline, is not made of such Spartan stuff as
she imagined, when a little more than • week ago she said
to the hope of France, 'Louis, va fairs ton devoir.' The
one point uppermost In her mind at the anxious
council which lasted from midnight to half-past six, was
how to get the child out of danger. The sudden and iii-
slosh..n return of the heir app .rent„ °inanes with the
theatrical despatch from before Saarbruck. The • baptism
of fire' dots not seem to have given to the hope of the
Napiileons the military prowess which princes should posters,
whose chief function is to be to idle (14 Carina. The • baptism
of tire' reminds me of a wild American—a veritable Is-
manilla, whose hand waa against every man and every RAIN'S '
against him lie was horribly pock marked, which he
thought went for something in his outlawed state. Netting
this triune one day at Bills, 011 the Boulevard des Capuchms,
just atter he bad got into a bad scrape, be said to me, • Well,
air, it's not my tault, I declare sir, I ought to have • smooth
skin raid • Christian heart, for I we. both baptieed and vacci-
nated, but neither of them took.' Likewise the Prince
Imperial ought to he a uldier If his pyrotechnic baptism had
only taken."—Correspondent of Daily New.

MUSD'S DUTY.

'We may leave France to work out for herself the problem
of • change of servants if it be fore< d upon her; but there Ls
a duty incumbent upon us in such. contingency from which,
dltheult an It WHIM be In execution, no Ministry ought to
shrink. Germany has never made war upon France. The Em-
peror threw doe n the challenge, and it was accepted. With
the retirement of the challenger the battle ought to close,
and, in the words of Mr. Disraeli, an opportunity would arise
for' a Powcr like England to come forward, with a friendship
that cannot be doubted, to give counsels of moderation in
Such a manner as will show that, while anxious for the peace
of Eur. silo respects the dignity and national feelings of
both beiligetents.'"—Leader In The Times.

MISTAKING HIS VOCATION!

When Napoleon has confided the conduct of his army to
either ( hangarider or liazalne, the Emperor will do well to
look alum his own campaign as at an end ,remarks The linus
ins teethe) It is evident that his bitableso at thla moment
is not to light but to reign. ills place is in his Cabinet not
in his COllllllll of War. All hi. ouemler—his worst enemies
—are by no means before Metz. His poet of danger, and,
therefore, his post of honour, is in Paris. Panto. have
been let loose In the heart of his Empire during his short ab-
sence which he himself may fall to curb, but which he alone
can hope to curb, lie has ruled like one who dreaded the
deluge to come after him. But now the deluge has
alintiit overtaken him In his own time. The flood may
be too strong fur him to Went but 11 000 he etemmed by no
other 110111. It is imposailde to foretell what might be tins
effect of the Emperor's presence in Paris, but It is fearful to
contemplate the probable lc:tilts of his prolonged absence.
After the Berezina and alter Leipsic the Fast Napoleon
showed his subjects how he could put a good court.
tenni., upon a losing game, and his people thanked
him that he "had not &spared of the public cause." The
Emperor may still do good service in Paris. But that he can
do none in Metz is a point on which 110 man has entertained
any doubt since the very opening of the campaign.

A RIM' AND ENDIGNIFIEI, EXPERIMENT.

" In the meanwhile we see with pleasure that the Prince
Imperial has been sent bark to Peels. It would be highly
desirable that his father should follow biol. The Emperor
Napoleon laid, perhaps, too great a .r c! on the asoendancy
which his ',reser.co and the preetive of his name might exer-
cise on the French tro, ps. There was little he could gain by
showing him ,elf to his Army In the Infirm state of his health,
and takinz with him a mere child of fourteen, unripe for
the hardships and unconscious of the dangers of real war-
fare The experiment was rash if made In earnest; it was
not dignified if merely meant for show. It wee neither a
soldier like • Louis,' nor, he it said, for truth's sake, a
thneral like his father, that Franoe needed at this crisis
The Emperor acknowledges his mistake—one may hope, not
too late."—Leader In The 7'intes.