The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-23 00:00:00

FILE StTN, LONDON, MOND" JANUARY 23, 1871.

all of which he believed- to be in the hand-
writing of the same' person. In the cross-
examination of Mr. Murray a great deal of what the
Bench termed irrelevant matter was introduced by Mr.
Rae, who could not shake this witness's evidence. The
threatening letter,which was read, commenced as follows :
"It is a very long, closely-written document, notice
to quit !for Murray, agent to Lord Erne,
in conformity, and according to our general way
of doing business, directed to all deserving of
death, namely, as to whom it may concern, with power
of greeting, and to you first on the list of 'criminals.
Amen. Be it known unto you, the hell-deserving Mur-
ray." Mr. Dullock, the house steward of Crom Castle,
proved to having received a notice from the accused, in
Crom Castle. He believed the endorsements and the
other documents were all in the same handwriting. After
the cross-examination of this witness the case was ad-
journed until eleven o'clock this (Monday) morning.
Prisoner was taken to Enniskillen gaol under a strong
escort.

DEFEAT OF THE FRENCH
ARMY OF THE NORTH.

The blow, says a letter, dated Douai, January 21, which
1 the silent anxieties of those most interested have for day,.
foreboded has at length fallen on the North, in the deci
sive defeat at St. Quentin of General Faidherbe's army.
That unfortunate town is now for the third time in the
hands of the enemy. The fighting commenced by some
skirmishes on Wednesday, the 18th instant. On the
previous day General
,Faidherbe had established his
Quartier-General at St. Quentin, and early the follow-
ing morning despatched a brigade of the 22nd Corp-
d'Armee in advance of the main army, which shortly after
followed in a southerly direction towards Mezieres on the
Oise. General Faidherbe being practically utterly defi-
cient in cavalry, his reconnaissances were too limited
to enable him to know for certain the direction
occupied by the enemy ; consequently a portion
of his men came unexpectedly upon their advanced
posts near the village of Roupy ; and at Vaux the
43rd Regiment of the Line and the 20th Battalion of
Chasseurs were suddenly and violently attacked by a
Prussian battery. They lost five officers and over a hun-
dred men. Orders were given to a portion of the 23rd
Corps d'Armde, which it must be remembered is mainly
composed of Mobilisds as opposed to the 22nd Corps
d'Armde made up of Line soldiers and Marines, but they
arrived too late to be of service. On the 19th the main
battle commenced at nine o'clock in the morning
by an attack from the Prussians, who occupied some
heights overlooking the villages of Grugis and Castres,
occupied by the 2nd Division of the 23rd Corps d'Arm4e
and commanded by General Gislin. At ten o'clock the
French were obliged to abandon their positions, and a
powerful attack was made on their whole lines by the
Prussians with an immense artillery force. The struggle
continued till 2 o'clock, at which hour some French officers
assert the Prussian lines were giving way before
the 22nd Corps d'Armde, though at the same time the
23rd Corps d'Arm6e had then lost much ground. The
two corps had unhappily become separated by the Canal
Crozat, too broad and deep to be crossed but
by bridges, and were consequently unable to be
of use to each other. It was, therefore, soon
seen that the 23rd Corps d'Arm6e (composed, as
I said before, chiefly of Mobilis4s) began to yield
visibly, and by three o'clock had retreated, certainly
not in good order—in fact, "ran away" would be the more
correct definition for those who had not become prisoners.
General Faidherbe endeavoured, but ineffectually, to
restore confidence by directing some battalions of the 22nd
Corps d'Arm4e to go to their aid; but before this move-
ment could be accomplished the panic was too
great. From this time the 22nd Corps d'Armee,
under Generals Deroj4 and Paulze d'lvoy, sus-
tained the whole of the fight. Even among these
troops some
ThMeseoblialteter Mobiles
gavewnaey bodybl o f
but
were
young again
rallied and placed in front of the regiment of Zouaves of
the North.
devils as the French possess. However, by four o'clock
General Paulze d'lvoy, seeing the impossibility of defend-
ing further, the retreat was sounded, and under the con-
tinual fire of the enemy, St. Quentin was again reached,
but only en route for a further distance still; for, deter-
mined to repossess the town they had evacuated
three days before, the Prussians not only fired
upon the troops entering, but sent some shells into it.
Thus, when, night was falling, the weary men—almost
dead with several days' marching to and fro, first upon
Albert, next tacking westward upon Fins—were trudging
several kilometres in the dreary darkness to Cambrai,
knowing they had lost an important day, and that their
conquerors were occupying the town they held the
night before. Very few wounded have been able
to be brought forward, the majority having fallen.
into the hands of the enemy. Of the numbers of killed
and wounded on either side it would be simply misleading
to name any number whatever. They are entirely unknown.
What is better known are those that are " missing" on
the French side. These are so enormous compared to the
numbers engaged, that it can only be assunied that either
prisoners have been made en masse or that
immense numbers have simply run away as fast
and as far ai their legs will carry them. In-
credible as it may appear, large numbers of these
'poor fellows have been obliged to march and fight 4h
bare feet, their shoes, so bad in the first instance,
collapsed. I see now many limping through the street
with nothing but a piece of the under sole strapped on
God knows how, and their feet naked or only covered
with a ragged sock. Can any people expect men of the
calibre Frenchmen are to fight under such circumstances ?
—Correspondent of the Daily News.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL

DEFENCE.

The correspondent of the Telegraph sends the following
from Brussels, dated January 21 :—Private letters which
have been received here from Paris by the latest balloon
give details of the last meeting of the Council of National
Defence. A very lively opposition to Trochu was
displayed. The cause assigned for this attitude
was his apparently inactive line of conduct. Every-
thing was done to induce the Governor to initiate
sorties on a grand scale. This preposition, however,
Trochu rejected for the moment with the greatest energy,
and refused to submit to any interference with his com-
mand. The meeting was very stormy. Picard is even
reported to have said that they had overthrown
the personal power of the Bonapartes to sub-
stitute in its place another Csar. Trochu
offered to resign and to take the simple grade
of a General of Division. The Council appointed to suc-
ceed him a triumvirate, composed of Generals Vinoy,
Frebault, and Clement Thomas. The Council, however,
on reconsideration, recoiled before the responsibility
of overthrowing all the plans of the defence, and
ultimately Trochu was maintained in full authority.
Deputations from the bombarded quarters of
the city have waited upon M. Jules Favre, and
requested him to go and carry their protest before the
Conference at London. The Minister replied that he
could not do so at the present moment, but that he hoped
that soon the situation of Paris would permit him to go
and represent France abroad. These words produced a
great sensation.

COUNT BISMARCK AND M. FAVRE.

BERLIN, January 22.

In reply to a request from M. Jules Favre, on the 13th
instant, for a safe conduct in order that he might proceed
to London, Count Bismarck, on the 16th instant, answered
that he could not forward such a document. He could not
enter upon official negotiations at the base of which
lies the pro-supposition that the Government of
the National Defence is internationally capable of
negotiating in the name of the French people, before it,
at the least, has been recognised by the French nation.
The Commander-in-Chief would certainly have em-
powered the advanced posts to allow M. Favre
to pass without prejudicing the question at
issue ; but this plan was now impossible, chiefly
in consequence of M. Favre's declaration of the
12th instant, that an invitation to the Conference
would- be a recognition of the French Government, and
which prevented Count Bismarck's complying with the
wish' of M. Favre in the matter of the safe conduct.
Count Bismarck left it to M. Favre to consider whether
any other way could be found to allay the scruples above
mentioned, and to avoid any prejudice which might
arise from the presence of M. Favre in London. In
conclusion Count Bismarck asks if it is advisable
that M. Favre should now proceed to London,
since the interests now at stake in Paris are far
more important for Germany and France than the Black
Sea question, and when the diplomatic agents of foreign
States in relation with France, trusting to the protection
of the Government, had remained in Paris. It is, there-
fore, scarcely to be expected that ]\L Favre in so critical
a situation, of which he has been the main cause, would
deprive himself of the possibility of co-operating to effect
a solution the responsibility of which would rest upon
him.—lteuter's Telegram.

PENALTY FOR KISSING A•DAAISEL AGAINST HER
WlLL.—Maria Devonport charged Joseph Havenhand,
at the Dronfield Petty Sessions,with assaulting, her. Prose-
cutrix said that herself and several friends went to a tea
and dancing. It was a Christmas party, and there was
some mistletoe hung up. The young men were kissing
the maidens, and the maidens were kissing the young
men. He wanted to take her under the mistletoe, but
she was not going to be kissed at all by him. She did not
strike him first, but pushed him away, and was sure his
nose did not bleed. They wire all comfortable together
when defendant tried to kiss her. Knew him before then,
but had not been friendly with him, and never would be
kissed by a man like him. For the defence, Mrs. Turner
saw Havenband offer to take Miss Davenport under the
kissing bush, when she hit him in the face, and would not
go under the bush. Mr. James Namer said he and his
son went to the house. He had no sooner got there than
one of the females got hold of him and took him under the
bush and kissed him. It was a jovial party, and Haven-
hand kissing Miss Devonport was only a joke. The case
created great amusement in court, and the Bench, being
of opinion that a young lady should not be kissed, even at
Christmas, against her will, ordered the defendant to pay
12s. expenses.