The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-22 00:00:00

THE WAR AND THE GERMANS OF
LONDON.

Mr. F. Wagner, who has been for several weeks •
careful observer of the state of affairs at the eat of war,
and who returned to London only a few daas ago, ad-
dressed a numerously-attended meeting of Germans,
held on Saturday night in the banqueting hall of the
Turnverrin. Old St. Pancras-road, King's-cruse ; Mr.
Luntz presided.
Mr. Wagner, in the ccurse of his speech, which was
delivered in German, and passages in which excited his
audience to frequent displays of German nationality,
said that he was in Strasburg two days after it fell into
the hands of the Privaiaria. After going about every.
where and carefully inspecting everything that came
under his notice, the conclusion he arrived at was that
if a person had not known Strasburg had been holm
broiled he never should have supposed that it had un-
dergone such a calamitous ordeal. Considering the
lengthy assault to which Strasburg had been subjected
the damage done wal very trifling. As far as he saw,
and as well as be could judge 100,000 Oaten. (about
£15,000) would make good all the damage that ha•l been
done. The injury to the cathedral, the preservation of
which he believed all intelligent Germans were quite
as much interested in as any Frenchmen, was, he re-
joiced, of no great consequence. While at the seat of
war he had made it his particular business to mix as
much asposaible with the inhabitants of Strasburg, and
with also the residents of the villages surroundog
Straidaurg. Among the German speaking portion of
the population of these various pi area he found much
embitterment on account of the treatment they hat
'been in the habit of rec icing at the hands of their
French rulers ; and eve n among native•born Fri nehmen
resident in thee districts he noticed a display of satis-
faction at the downfall of the Imperial power and the
expulsion of the French authorities. There was, no
doubt, a good deal of anti • Prussian feelin not iceahle
among the townspeople of Straahurg, but that feeling
was not by any means general. Amongthe inhabitants
of the vitiates for miles around Strasburg, he did not
meet with many who offered oprosition to their annex-
ation with Germany. Ile found, on the contrary,
a general willingness that they should be s annexed
'I he sielita he had witnessed in connection with the
succour of the sick and wounded were harrowing in
the extreme. Some of those scenes had left a nicker-
ing iuipression on his mind that he feared he should
never get rid of. He had visited moat of the hospital
natabliiihments that the war had.twought into existence.
The one at Bunsen, eatablished by the German Society
of London, he found to be qiiite a model institution.
The sanitary arrangements—an imp, rtaut considera-
tion in c insertion with such establishment,--were ad-
mirable in every respect. This in inion of his had been
borne out by some of the most reliable medical
authorities that could be had. All the medical men
who had visited the hospital at Bunsen were delighted
with the hospital establishment there.
i An animated discussion on the war and German
politics generally followed the delivery of M. Wagner's
address. The arrest and imprisonment of M. Jarobi
were dwelt upon particularly. There was • general die-
approval of M.Jacobi's political opiniona,but the itripri•
soliment of any man on account of the free expression ref
his honestly•einceived opinions was protested against
strongly. The arrest and imprisonment of M. Jscobi
were looked upon an a great political mistake. It was,
at the same time, admitted that the class of politicians
whom It. Jacobi represents are dangerous to the peace
of any community. There is • branch in London of tte
political organization to which M. Jacobi belong., and
most of its members are working men, many of whom
have taken active parte in the Republican meetings
which have been held in the metropolis since the
change of Government in France.