The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-20 00:00:00

BOURBAKI'S DEFEAT.

The failure of General Bourbaki to force the German
lines and raise the siege of Belfort, and his subsequent
retreat southward, remarks the Daily News, reawaken
some curious speculations as to the present phase of the
war. The first of these refers to Bourbaki him-
self. The movements of that General, ever since
he left Metz, have been .shrouded in a certain
mystery. Offered the command now of one army
and now of another, he has wandered from south
to north, and from north to south, and from south to east,
in a somewhat incomprehensible manner. When, a short
time ago, Bourbaki and Chanzy were found at the
confidentlyge t
heexrp; e c taendd tthhae t
it)lilne
iye w
wo u la
sd
head of an immense body of troops, it was
n
Paris
to
march
leneroain vemryar
that their march was likely to be successful.
Instead of this, we found Bourbaki and his forces
suddenly starting upon a mysterious mission eastward,
and leaving Chanzy to deal single-handed with the com-
bined forces of Prince Frederick Charles and the Duke
of Mecklenburg. Naturally, reasons had to be
produced for this exploit. Bourbaki was to join
Cremer and the Garibaldians, and crush Von
Werder before assistance could reach him from
Paris or the North. Bourbaki was to rescue Belfort. Nay,
Bourbaki was to carry his operations into the enemy's
territory, and effect a small version of that great invasion
of Germany which was contemplated in July. Any or all
of these projects may have been included in his
plans ; but the actual result of thig mysterious move-
ment was twofold. In the first place, it weakened Chanzy,
and exposed him to a crushing defeat, which ended in
mmense losses of men and stores. In the second place,
it failed to inflict serious harm on the Germans in the
East, who may now look to General Manteuffel for ad-
ditional strength. At this present moment it
is very hard to say what aro the real conditions
of belief under which France is fighting. So far as the
war has gone there has been no suggestion that France is
fighting merely out of despair, and the possibility that
she may soon be in that position is only suggested by
the constant series of defeats which her arms have
suffered. Scarcely a gleam of success has visited
her banners; and she has never even been near
winning that great victory which many think would be
the only possible forerunner of a peace. Nor, on the
other hand, do the disasters which follow. each other so
quickly seem to affect the attitude of the nation.. All
the hope; of the country were fixed upon D'Aurelle ;
and yet, when he was driven back, the national heart
fixed itself upon the Army of the North. That, too, was
routed, and the country looked once more to the Loire.
Chanzy's defeat at Le Mans, had scarcely been an-
nounced, when we heard from Bordeaux that France had
staked all her hopes of suceess upon Bourbaki. Now he,
too, has been compelled to give way .and France looks
abroad on the spectacle of large and gallant armies placed
under the command of men who have each and all been
out-generalled and defeated.

Under the head of " Crimes and Casualties," a
rural paper mentions the fact that a rival editor has just
published a book. _

On Wednesday was solemnised, at Frampton, in
Dorsetshire, the marriage between Mr. Algernon Sheridan,
second son of Mr. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, and Miss
Mary Lothrok) Motley, second daughter of the distin-
guished authot and historian, late Miniiter Plenipotentiary
from the United States of America, •