The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-25 00:00:00

rifles, or a portion of them, have found their way into
the market, and have been purchased by the French

Government."
THE PARIS CLUBS.—The clubs of Paris are not all
closed, despite the bombardment. That of the Reine
Blanche, at Montmartre, is often crowded. The other
day a most stormy meeting took place. The noise of the
cannonade was heard, which redoubled the excitement,
and one of the speakers said that in a fortnight the
bread would be exhausted, and they would be
given up to the Prussians. They should not
lose a moment in proclaiming the Commune.
It was announced that a Council of War had been held at
the Louvre, after which, as usual, the Prussians were
informed of the result of the deliberations. Another
speaker suggested that, as the Government allowed the
Prussians to bombard them, they themselves should be
bombarded at the Hotel de Ville. The assembly separated
with cries of " Vive la Commune!"
THE PARIS NATIONAL GUARD.—M. C. Thomas
has addressed the following order of the day to the
National Guards under his orders :—" It is with pride
• the chief commandant of the National Guard pays tribute
by means of this order to the courage displayed by the re-
giments of Paris engaged in .the battle of
the 19th. He had the satisfaction of hear-
ing them praised on the field itself, by
the several chiefs of the army under whom they fought.
Engaged from daybreak, they sustained with vigour a
struggle, which the state of the atmosphere rendered more
difficult, until a late hour of the night, which alone
put a stop to the fight. Not having yet re-
ceived the necessary instructions from the heads of
divisions, the chief commandant cannot mention the names
of those officers, non-commissioned officers, and guards
who have fallen, or who have especially distinguished
themselves. But he does not hesitate to state that from

this day forward all France will say that on the 19th of
January the National Guard of Paris, like the Army and
the Mobile, has nobly done its duty.
A BATTLE INCIDENT. One incident of the
battle I must mention as very peculiar. A mari was
shot on the field for a crime. He • was a private in the
119th of the. Line. He had for some reason or other,
perhaps not expecting to be discovered, shot his cap-
tain in the battle. Summary justice was executed
upon him. Half-a-dozen men were told aside to
shoot him. He fell but not dead, it seems.
By-and-bye came the " brancardiers," as they are
called, that is, the stretcher-bearers, and see a,
wounded, but living man on the field. They propose to
carry him away. The soldiers of the regiment see what
they are doing, and warn them off. They find that the
the man they had shot is still alive. They lift him up to
see if he can stand, intending to shoot him again ; but he
falls flat on the ground with a heavy thud. A
soldier levels his gun at him as he lies on the
ground apparently quite conscious. The ball hits, but
does not take effect. The man still lives. Then
another soldier comes forward and fires. There is
something wrong with his gun, and it does not go off. A
third soldier then tries, and he at last succeeds. He sends
a ball through the head of the poor wretch who had killed
his captain. A battle is horrible enough in itself, but an
execution like this in the midst of it is worse than all.
Perhaps a few more executions would be of use to the
discipline of the French army. The Republican authori-
ties are much too mild to the sins of the soldiers.—Daily
News Correspondent.

THE MEDIATION OF NEUTRALS.—An article in
the Cross Gazette on the mediation of the Neutral Powers,
says that certain statesmen are desirous of interposing on
behalf of peace in the war between France and Prussia.
Peace is naturally desired by all European States, but it
may be asked why the general conscience did not awake
in time to prevent the war, when Louis'. Napoleon, by a
criminal act, troubled the peace of Germany ? When the
Republic, with insensate blindness, preferred to con •
tinue this criminal war to resigning themselves to
the consequences of their reverses, it was then that
the political wisdom of Europe might have interposed
again, and have convinced M. Favre that France could not
be specially privileged.' And how do these wise statesmen
propose to deal with M. Gambetta, who reckons the days
of his dictatorship by the number of his defeats? Let
them watch their words and refrain from the least move-
ment for fear of aggravating the evil. The least word of
sympathy will be taken as a promise of help, or, at least,
as evidence that France in continuing the war will lessen
the first demands of the victor. Any move-
ment on behalf of France will strengthen the
resistance of the country, and support the
dictatorship of Gambetta. Let the neutral powers openly
declare- that further resistance on the part of France is
useless, that France cannot refuse to suffer after disastrous
war, the consequences she always imposed on others after
a fortunate war. Let the neutral powers add their con-
viction that the sacrifices which Germany demands from
France are destined to consolidate the security of Germany,
and the peace of the world. Any other intervention
would have the worst effect alike for France, for the in-
terests of justice, and for the peace of Europe.

THE BOXER CARTRIDGE AND THE
GATLIN& GUN.
The information of the Army and Navy. Gazette on the
subject of the ammunition for the Martini-Henry rifle is
as inaccurate as its information with regard to the arm
itself has hitherto been. Our contemporary stated last
week that it had been informed " that the Boxer
cartridge cannot be made applicable to the Gatling
gun, and there are some doubts of its being
made applicable to the Martini-Henry rifle."
The fact is that no attempt has yet been made
to apply the Boxer cartridge to the Gatling gun, but
the Committee on Mitrailleurs has recommended that the
Boxer cartridge should be used if possible with the
Gatling—and there is no reason to anticipate any difficulty
in the application of this construction of cartridge to this
weapon. As to there being " some doubts" of the
Boxer cartridge being made applicable to the Martini-
Henry, a paper which deals with military questions ought
surely to be aware that to the use of this cartridge the
success of the Martini-Henry has been in no small degree
due. Originally the inventor submitted solid metal
cartridges with the Martini, and with these cartridges the
arm gave satisfactory results (Report of Small Arms
Committee, p. 31). Subsequently the Boxer cartridge
was used, and it has from that time continued to be used
with unbroken success. As considerably over one
million of these cartridges have been expended in the
course of the trials carried on by the committee, by
the troops, and at Wimbledon, as the reports on
the cartridges are as favourable as the reports on the
arms, and as these reports have been presented
to Parliament, and are therefore accessible to everybody
who takes an interest in the subject, our contemporary's
statement is inexcusably inaccurate. We understand
that the adoption of the short-chamber Boxer-Henry
cartridge for use with the Martini-Henry is as certain as
is the adoption of the arm itself. Both recommendations
will probably be included in one report—a report which is,
we believe, expected to be rendered in the course of next
week.—Pall Me'l Gazette.

BOTJAIANIAN STATE RAILWAY LOAN.—A meeting
of the holders of these bonds was held at the London
Tavern on Tuesday. The loan was issued last year, and
the first dividend, due on the Ist of January, was not forth-
coming. The Roumanian Government alleged that they had
paid the money to the concessionaire, and refused so paY
more without the aiithoriey of the Roumanian Chambers.
The concessionaire, on his part, denied that he had received
funds enough for the purpose, and a commission was
now investigating the matter, while the Roumanian
Chambers were also summoned to authorise the payment
in the meantime. Lord Granville, on being appealed to,
had promised to use his good offices with the Roumania°
Government in the matter. A committee of bondholders
was appointed to watch over their interests, and the
meeting separated.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—Holloway's Ointment and Pills.--
Diseases of the Skin.—No case of disease of the skin, be
its nature what it may, has failed to be benefited is;11,811
these potent' remedies have been properly applied. -'ll
scrofulous and scorbutic affections they are especially serj
viceable. Scurvy and eruptions, which had resisted se
other modes of treatment and . gradually become .cvors
from year to year, have been completely cured by 1-1011°:
way's cooling ointment and purifying pills, which root oily
the disease from the blood itself and leave the constitutiol!
free from every morbid taint. In the nursery HollowsV
ointment should be ever at hand ; it will give easeo 113
sprains, contusions, burns, scalds, and infantile eruptint
C'
and may always safely be applied by any ordinary
t ondant.

BIRTHS.
On the 21st inst., at Purton, the wife of Cornwoill°
Wykeham Martin, of a daughter. •T
On the 22d inst., at Mount Avenue, Ealing, Mrs. \• •
Browne, of a son.

MARRIA.GES.
ii, 0
On the 21st inst., at St. James's Church Hatchalvt " - liq
Chandler, of Rye Hill Park, Peckham-rye, to Allio"'f
Eliza, the eldest daughter of the late Joseph Gall°' -
Peckham. -., Anti ;h'
On the 21st inst., at St. John the Baptist's, 11.-„(311-„'s-
town, Charles Stewart, Raymond-buildings, 111.3'011.
inn, 0 Sarah Ann, youngest daughter of the late St'
Cullen, Lynstead, Kent.
DE A.TH S. woof
On the 22d inst., at his residence, the Very Rev. Nic'llsDl
Vincent W. Eyre, M. rector of the Catholic CV"'
Hampstead, aged 56.
On the 20th inst., Sir William Verner, Bart., age cl,
195, olr
On the 22d inst?, Mr. Samuel James Brown,
aged 72. ,
„.,,,, 0,
London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYII, '',, 0
No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published bY n'rhe
THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct ox
Savoy, in the County of Middlesex.
Weduesday, January 25, 1871.