The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

THEY WILL NOT BEE IT.

" Id. Gsmbetta and his colleagues, it is true, seem to think
that to insure victory France has only to swear never to sue-
render. They conceive that • people who 'will not perish,'
I cannot perish ; that the war should be carried on as lotto's
the last French patriot has • square inch of French territory
I to stand upon ; but they willutly shut their eyes to the facts
which at every step contradict this loity language. They
, do not see that throughout at least onettard of the country
, the invaded people is already virtaully at peace with the
, invader, and that the districts as yet tree from the
enemy are almost at war with themselves. They do not
ter that even in those Departments where an appeal to arms
has met with ready response, the fall of Metz. has led sober
people to consider whether eacrifices recognized as utterly
unavailing may be deemed j ustitiable. The Trimovlate at Tour'
are only killing the dead when they point to the abyu into
which the Empire has plunged the French nation. Unquestion-
ably Imperialism has been a corrupt and corrupting rule, but
we wish we could share the hopes of those who think that to
accomplish her regeneration France has only to place herself
under the tegin of the Republic.' It would be well at least if
it could beescertained whether the vast msj urity of the French
people share that faith to Republicanism on which the Govern-
ment delegation at Totten rely for the maintenance of national
honour, independence, and integrity. But we should by no
mewls wonder if Frenchmen in great numbers were somewhat
disenchanted eat° the wonder-working powersof Democracy,
The wrecks of the Empire as they lie strewn on the ground
at Sedan and Metz are a melancholy sight to contemplate.
But what has the Republic done In two months to raise the
nation's drooping spirits, to revive its faith, to recall it to
the worahlp of truth and justice, of real honour, of genuine
freedom 't"—Leader in The Times,

THE fiAMOTS UHLANS

_
A treat deal has been said about the rather melodramatic
performances of the famous !Alan.. But these light horse.
men are not quite original in their feat., and are, in truth,
copyists of the exploit, of the dreaded Cossacks of the Don.
" Accustomed to act in small parties," Ms Scott In his
" llistory of Napoleon," "they threaded weeds, swam rivets,
and often presented themselves unexpectedly in villages many
miles distant from the main army to which they belonged.. .
They alwaYs aneounced their party as the advanced guard
of a considerable force, for whom they ordered provisions
and quarters to be prepared; and thus awed the inhabitants
into in acquiescence in their demand,."

AN INGENIOUS WAS OF SENDING DESPATCHES
FROM METZ.

One of Bazaine's officer,, Lieutenant Woytkiewicz, lately
aucceeded in getting through the Prussian lines, and haa
lust reached Tours On getting into French territory a
sub-prefect supplied him with a special train up.:n presenta-
tion of his passport Before he could present that tlcco.
ment a watchmaker had to he sent for, who undid • part
of the works of his watch sod drew out u minute fragment

of paper which it bat be, n found possible to conseal Litre
without stopping the watch. Hie despatches were a tiny
bad worked into his thick worsted sock, and outirely in
psrceptible even upon close inspeciinn. Four officers
were sent out from Metz, ell carrying the same despatch.
M. Woytkiewicz is the only one who succeeded in getting
through—at least nothing has been heard of the others, who
were French officers brought up at the Polytechnic or at St.
Cyr, and all speaking German well. Ile says that when he
left Metz out of 15,0(0 horses only about 3,000 remained, and
that three were lean and weak, ill.adapted either for food
or for work. It is probable that liszsine was unable to horse
his Geld artillery, to say nothing of hin cavalry, and so
would have had to take the field deprived of these two im-
portant arms.