The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-17 00:00:00

WAR A. OUTRANCE.

A letter from Chaumont, in the Allgemeine Zeitung,dated
the 9th inst.,. says :—" Since the weather has become
milder, scattered bands of Francs-Tireurs have been again
frequently seen,especially in the woods and chateaux round
ClAtillon. A moveable column of four battalions of in-
fantry and two squadrons of cavalry has been formed,
under Colonel Dannenberg, which is to scour the whole
district in pursuit of these.kmall bands. The war is car-
ried on, alas, on both sides, with merciless bitterness. The
sufferings of the poor country are terrible ; famine and
distress are constantly increasing, and the people have
hardly anything to live upon. In many villages there
are more burnt down than uninjured houses, and domestic
animals are frequently not to be seen for miles." The
kind of warfare which is being carried on in the East of
France, and the exasperation of the Germans against the
Garibaldians and other irregular combatants, are illus-
trated by letters from an artilleryman, published in the
CaTogne Gazette. After mentioning Menotti Garibaldi's
surprise at Chatillon, where seventy or eighty Landwehr
men and half a squadron of Hussars were massacred
in their beds, he says :—" A few days ago thirty of these
banditti (Garibaldians) were captured not far from Chan-
Mont. They were first forced to dig their graves, and
were then shot and thrown in. Any of them who falls
into our hands immediately receives a bullet. If we meet
With Garibaldi, there will be- a life and death struggle ;
no quarter will be given. We are no longer fighting
against a French army, but against assassins. In
consequence of a requisition company having been
surprised at a village in the Vosges by Francs-Tireurs and
inhabitants, we were ordered to set fire to it. The infantry
stormed it, fired some volleys into the windows, and
brought out 16 principal inhabitants, including the Mayor
and the priest, as prisoners. Several who attempted to
'escape were immediately shot. Our infantry, with the
prisoners, drew out of the village, and we posted ourselves
1,600 paces off in order to convert it into dust and ashes.
After we had fired 40 shots the Franc-tireurs advanced from
'the neighbouring woods. Four of our horses and two of
our men fell, the infantry could no longer make a stand,
and it was high time to retreat, 'or all our horses and both
our guns would have been lost. The next day we went
again with six guns and more infantry, and only infants in
the cradle were spared. All who could carry even a stick
Were shot." The writer alludes to an attack by Francs-tireurs
and marines on a Landweln: garrison at Chatdauvilain.
The former left 15 killed on 'the field, one of whom he
saw—" 50 or 60 years old, barefoot, with a cartridge-
box over his blue • smock; :and a Cursed robber's face."
Referring to a march through snow nearly as high as
their :heads, when the men's feet were frozen to the
stirrup, he says How our teeth chattered you can
easily imagine, dear parents ; war in 'earnest is now be-
ginning. What, however, others can endure, I certainly
can too, therefore, don't be uneasy. As long as there is a
drop in the flask and something to smoke things may go as
they like. Of the men who at first formed the battery
not more than -a tenth remain ; we have been four times
manned, and are now again expecting new men. Whoever
goes through the war from beginning to end will certainly
have deserved Heaven:"

We (P AU Mall Gazette) have reason to believe there is
some foundation for the report that King William intends
leaving Versailles for a short time.
An officer of the Francs-tireurs took the trouble to count
the shells at •Courneuve, • Paris, the other day. He
counted 2,081. The result was not a man killed, and not
a man wounded.

It is believed that General Manteuffel has been 11P-
pointed to the command of the Eastern Army because of
his temper, which involves him in diplomatic difficulties.
His strategical conduct of the campaign, too, is not all
that could be desired.

The German troops, according to a Berlin paper, how
occupy, not partially but completely, 32 of the 85 French
Departments, comprising 15,000 communes. They exer-
cise in these all civil and military powers, control the
posts, telegraphs, and railways, and regularly collect the
taxes.

On the morning of the 11th, the Paris &Me declared
that a sortie, which was to have taken place the other
day, had been countermanded, because when the troops
were about to march it was found that the Prussians had
already concentrated their forces at the points which were
to have been attacked.
The Echo says that the Comte de Chauibord has pub!i shed
a protest against the bombardment of Paris, in which he
says, " No, I will not see that great city perish, which each
one of my ancesters has called My beautiful city of
Paris.' And since I can do no more, I will raise my voice
in exile to protest against the ruin of my country,"

It is reported from Dijon that not only a detach-
ment of Garibaldians have arrived in that town, but they
have also been accompanied by a number of women
dressed in various military costumes. Some wear the
uniform of an officer, whilst others are only decked with
the Geneva cross. The Garibaldians are well equipped
and armed, and warmly clad,
Another official list of fugitive French officers has been
issued at Berlin. It comprises 28 names—viz., one lieute-
nant-colonel, One chief of a battalion, seven captains, four-
teen lieutenants, and. five sub-lieutenants. In three of
these cases the' atteir IA was frustrated. The total number
of officers who have violated their parole in North Ger-
many alone is now 105.
The Allgerneine Zeitung, discussing what is to be done
after the fall of Paris, deprecates the extension of the war
further to the south, as calculated to attenuate the German
lines, and expose them to incessant guerrilla attacks. It
points out that even if a truce and preliminaries of peace
are arranged, the troops will not be able very. soon to eva-
cuate France. The peace negotiations will probably be
more protracted than at Prague.

The German, garrisons in Lorraine now take special
precautions against night surprises. The sentries are every_
where strengthened, the troops are lodged, wherever it is
possible, in barracks and buildingr connected with each
other, a fixed number of officers have to sleep in the
barracks with the men, while infantry patrols and Hussar
detachments scour the district by night and day. Nancy

especially, which Garibaldi was ordered, it is said, by Gain
betta, to seize upon, is thoroughly secured against a tour
de main,

Extensive peculations have ben discovered, accordh4.

to the Volk'sZeituug, in the Government erbswurst manu-
factory at Berlin. Detectives were placed among the
workmen, and by this means a confederacy was found out,
the members of which stole not only bacon, but whole
quarters of beef and large quantities of peameal and ilnur.
All clssses of workmen were implicated, and the establish-
ment was closed for some days, and then reopened with
almost an entirely new staff.
A Paris paper, the Electeur Libre, calls upon the muni-
cipal authorities to revise their arrangements for the
distribution o Meat, so as to preclude the necessity of
great gatherings of persons at the ,authorised butcher's
shops. At present, while many parts of the southern half
of the city are exposed to the fire of the enemy, long
queues of women..and children are to be seen waiting in
the streets to receive their allowance of meat, and, at the
same time, are exposed to mutilation and death from the
shells which are constantly falling in that part of the
city.

The Spoor Gazette says that when Paris falls it will be
necessary to organise a German civil administration for
the country, to prevent the social disruption of the coun-
try, and to maintain the German troops on the soil of
Franct, as well as to commence the payment of the
indemnity. The Germans can remain in the richest pro-
vinces of France, and occupy them en masse, so as to be
quite secure in their tenure. They have conquered the
house of the enemy and so long as he resists they must
hold it as their own. After a lapse of time offensive
operations may again be resumed, either to crush the,
last attempt of resistance on the part of the French, or.
to take possession of the rest of the territory if it pleases
them to do so.
The. Nuremberger Zeitung, relates that a young Hano-
verian officer had, on the occasion, of a rencontre with his
cun.pany, made some free-shooters prisoners. He seat to,

his commanding officer for orders respecting their fate'
and received the laconic reply, " Shoot them." The offi-
cer conducted his. company to the outskirts of the village,
and prepared to execute_ his orders. One of the free:
shooters, a youth of eighteen, who was very delicate, was
in great dread of death. He wept, "and threw himself at
the knees of the officer, imploring him in piteous terms to
save his life. The officer was deeply moved, but felt con-
strained to fulfil his orders. The youth was shot accord:-
ing,ly, the officer fainted away, and when he was restored
to consciousness he was mad. He is now in a madhouse
in Germany.

An incident in the life of General von der Tann is re-
called by the Aftonbladet, of Stockholm. " During the'
Danish war," it says, " Prussia had some volunteer corps
taken from various parts of Germany, and clothed and
equipped in the most fantastic manner. These corps com-
mitted many cruelties on the Danish villagers, and
even threatened to fire the open town of Aabenraa.

. . . They were under the command of a Bavarian
major named Von der Tann. Several of them were
captured by the Danes, who treated them like ordinary
prisoners of war. But now that the French have
organised volunteer corps for the defence of their country,
this same Von der Tann declares that any franc-tireur
that may be captured by his troops will, be shot."
A correspondent, writing from Paris under the bom-
bardment, says :--" After walking for many hours to-day
among the inhabitants of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Arrondissements, into which during the whole of last
night the iron projectiles fell like snowflakes, I have found
not the slightest disposition towards terror or submission,
I conversed again and again with women who were living
in houses over which some hundreds of shells have already
passed, and who, in some instances shewed the great
craters or holes produced by shells that had fallen and
buried themselves in their gardens. From all came the
same answer, 'We may be killed, but that is of little
account. Only let Paris hold firm until la France has come
to her rescue !' "

A German letter from Bar-le-D uc mentions an attack
by 1,500 Francs-Tireurs on a company of Jagers, near the
Confluence of the Aube with the Seine, north of the Troyes
and Fontainebleau Railway. The latter had to yield to
superior force, and withdrew to Vichy, where they arrived
after two days forced marches. They lost twenty killed,
and a larger number of wounded. After a short rest the'
company, having been reinforced, retraced their steps in
order to clear the districts of the Aube from Francs-
Tireurs and perhaps to avenge the surprise. If, as was
reported, the inhabitants of Marcilly and another village
were found to have taken part in the attack, both places
w"uld be burnt down. " The punishment," remarks the
writer, "is terrible; but if the peasants choose to carry on
against us a war which is contrary to the law of nations
they must take the consequences. Leniency in such
cases would not only be useless, but a crime against our
own soldiers."

It is not a little singular that the Jesuits, who have
been so unpopular wherever the Garibaldians have
appeared in the South of France, are just now, on the •
contrary, most popular inside Paris, on account of the
fact that, as a body, they have thrown themselves heartily
into the defence of the city. It is• well known that they
have hitherto had in the Rue de Sevres a most flourishing
college, the studies of which are preparatory to admission
into the Ecole Polytechnique and to public offices. They
have also a large public, school at Vaugirard, just within
the fortifications on the south of Paris. We understand
that this school still continues to be held in spite of the
siege, but that the students, though somewhat diminished
in number, are working only " half-time," coming to their
lectures only once instead of twice a day. In the evening
the Jesuit professors assist in lighting up the forts with
the electric light, and whenever a sally is made, some of
the Fathers accompany the soldiers, in order to minister
to the spiritual wants of the wounded and dying. A great
portion of the house 'accommodation of the reverend
Fathers has been placed at the disposal of the sick and
wounded.—Times. •

LORD *CAVENDISH AND THE WAR..
: After the distribution of the prizes by Lady Cavendish
to the Ist Administrative Artillery. Volunteers,- at Brad-
ford, on Friday, Lord Cavendish, in replying to the com-
limentary vote of thanks given to her ladyship, congaatu-
lated the brigade.on their history during the past year,
which was one of unalloyed satisfaction. The coming
year was big with the fate of all military organisa-
tions. During the past six months they had seen one of
the greatest military nations of the world overcome, and
on the other hand they had seen the terrible organisatipa,
of the Prussians who had overrun France, an organisatiq.
which was kept up at a very cheap rate. With regara
to the defences of this country, he would abstain from
saying anything against any Government, but be be-
lieved that the people of this country would demand
that the best military organisation should be brought
about. He did not think that it would be necessary
to have forced military services. Plans would be
submitted to Parliament in the next session for the reor-
ganisation of the national defences, and he believed that
the Government would do its duty in that respect, but the .
new system would have to be elastic, such as would adapt
itself to a time of peace as well as war. Whatever might
be the fate of this country, he believed that the volunteers
would do their duty in time of war- as they had done
during a period of peace. (Applause.)