The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-10-01 00:00:00

A rmONSR.B OOMPL&Ille I

Extract from the letter of a French rflicer, a prisoner of
we., taken at Sedan The Proaslane give its no chance of
forgetting that we areprisoners ; they humble us in every
possible way. For three days we have been travelling on foot,
in the most dreadful weather, betweenn two lives of Prussian
soldiers, pistol in liwuri. A few of our captains have been
allowed place, in open carts, lined only with a little straw.
We have neither broad nor water on our Journey, and when
we reach the halting place for the eight we have to beg of
the villagers. Last night I slept on u.little straw in +church,
but to-night I have been more fortunate, and have met with
a kind family, who gave a good dinner and a bed, and
promlee4 to post thin latter for me. An yet we are not ale
lowed to write to our friends, but I hope when we get to a
garrisoned town to be able to write and receive lettere. We
do not know where we Ire going, hut ills sold that at Pont
Mormon we shall take the line of rail into Prussia "

THE EMPEROR NAPOLEON AT THE. LITTLE OF sEDAN.
The liadepentlanc.. Ilrige haf published the reply of el -floral
In Whoppten to a letter of the atiles.de.csnm ot the limper,
Napoleon. The general says among other things :—..the
note forwarded t the Emperor woo as follows —I have
ordortd General L 01,114 lA. attempt to pnla throngh the
Pruielan lilies ho the .11, notion of uarignam Let your Majesty
place ourirlf among his soldiers ; they will consider Stall
honour to open tor ),tos • mulauge.' The objact of this invi-
tation was to ewe the Emperor the pain it being made •
prissier, and to make use of his prestige in order to facilitate
• combined niovemeat, without which it woe latp,ssible to
cut through. The Emig.ror did out c taint to the proposal,
end ordered the white liaA to be hubted unknown to me At
the came time hie Majesty sent an envoy I.lth a Hag of truce
to the PfUSIIIALI head dmirtere. In spite ol niy protest and
re oral ti oxottate, the white tun; was not lowered.
sct4,' adds tho welter, 'spoilt the execution ut toe last offen-
sive movements."

FRANCE IN MOURNING

" has gloom enough at present. Fran,: fllkd
wit n mourners. lhe aioliof her women alone would suffice
to show how mtghty it the national sorrow, su.l how wide
err its hrtnehlog roots. Among the demos who us rich
eueuch to hay a garb of mourning, you everywhere ne the
dark tutees of sorrow. Look along the streets and yeti NM
women droned h black ; the dinner-table reveals the UM
symbol of grief; the railway-carriage is filled with the same
proclamation of mourning for the dead, in one compact
meat of the carriage by blob I rer.ched Tour, there were

worsen ; they were all dressed In black, and the face of
more than one would have borne witness to freshness and
depth of sorrow without the parade or attestation of funeral
drape, y. One woman, whose pious Instincts were betrayed
by the wary beads which served her for a watch chain, was
reading a book on which I read the title, 'L'Art d'atre tou-
joun content,' Poor woman ! tier pale-worn face sold
mourning dressi told how hard it was for her to learn that
art,' and how profoundly she lacked its benedictions. And
Lie lesson before the sorrow-stricken woman is also that be-
fore the country. With her finest armies shattered, her
capital heseiemi, and her military supremacy Mann) el, poor
France—la belle Franca of other days—must try to learn
Tart dans toujours content,' "—Correspondent of Daily
TekgrapA.

The Garman newepapers complain that 5111 C• the prods-
nation of the Republic the attitude of the lower clmsea
France towards the invaders has becone far more hostile,
Attacks on the troops are frequent At Etienne • Dragoon
was fired at from • caie, for which outrage the town was
ordered, SS a penhhment, to supply 2,000 bottles of chem.
peon At Epernay an officer riding at the head of • patrol
sprang into the railway Mallon Wore hi. soldiers could
follow him. A number if people dosed the door, dragged
him from his hone, and murdered him. The offender, could
not be discovered, butes the population were not participators
In thi., act, the only penalty was • cu,ntribution of £12,00.
At Itoursault, the military chest, containing £l,OOO, was
atolen from a chateau I y three of the proprietor's servants
Thanks to a Urea& of burning down the house arid to the
efforts of the priest and inhabitants, the rogues were dia
covered, as also the money, all but £ll3, which the pro-
',Gator made good. In the neigbb,dirhocal of Rebels some
peman's erected barricade, with poplar trees, tired ou the
advancing troop., and wounded five soldiers. 'racy were cap-
fared and will be tried by a military tribunal.

UNLUCKY DE FAILLI

Prone an intelligent non-commissioned officer of Do Zailly's
unlucky corps I Times' correspoudeut) had all Interesting
sketch of what he had himself seen of the battle of Beau'
mont. Neree was there a more Complete surpriee, or one
more entirely due to the rhamelnl nealigence of thcre in
command. Ihe troops that were to supply thu outposts had
been ordered to march at ono o'clock. At noon the Presdans
CAM, down. The men were cleaning their accoutrements
and cooking their dinners, most of them with their coats off.
The were able to approach to a defence of about
200 metres without meative mingle sentry; then they opened
fire from their artillery. 111 e first notice the French had of
their presence was from the shells that fell among them.
Temp clipped on their belts, seized their chaesepols, and har-
ried forward. There WAS too time for formation, the con-
fusion was terrific. My Informant, who was suffering from
two wounds—a 11-job wound in the thigh, of no great come
quell., and the tees of one loot sadly crushed by a bit. of •
—told me be fought all through the actloo In
his shirtsleeves. Whose I saw him he was wearing •
cavalry jacket which he hail picked up somewhere
811,1 It fez which • Turco hail given blue. Slim anti
cfli.erra, lie said, cast the whole blame on De Failiy.
Ile assured me that a colonel of Artillery openly ricelsr ii
upon the field that he would give 1,0001. to whomsoever shot
De Fail's% and would further undertake to bear Wm harm-
less. That general, as you know, escaped unhurt. All the
soldiers speak with coefidence mail sympathy of Ilamhal
alacliahrin. One man told nee he saw him weeping with
grief and rage at the terrible alaughter at \Puerto. Ile la
evidently the soldiers favourite. All the military I have met
with, both officers and men, coudemil the general incapacity
of their commasidels, and speak in the highest terms office
Pruseian artillery and organisation. It Is hardly to he expected
that they shculd express much hopo of anything efficacious
being now done to stem the hostile tide, at least in the field.
They mem to think the war ever, union Perla can perform
miracles.