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

A NOVELTY IN THE DEFENCE.

The Kriegs-Zeitung, which has lately appeared again at
Berlin, draws special attention to the correspondence
from Versailles of the Kreuz-Zeitung, from which, says
the editor, it is clear that the chief difficuly the Prussian
batteries have to contend with is in the novel mode of
defendingthe enceinte adopted by the garrison.
There are, according to this writer, a vast number
of temporary batteries in front of, between, and
even behind the forts, connected with one another
by breastworks, but not constantly armed with guns.
The batteries employed in them are moveable, and can at
any moment be transported from any one to the next ; so
that as soon as the German gunners have discovered one
to be fully armed and opened 4 heavy fire, the first shots
that are found to be properly laid upon it are the signal
for the battery to be off, and resume its dangerous work
elsewhere. This ruse, often repeated, has led to a vast
waste of German shells, fired in hopes of disarming bat-
teries which had in reality been dismantled long before.
The editor adds that this is an actual and important
novelty in the defence of fortresses.

M. JULES FAVRE AND COUNT BISMARCK.
The Times correspondent at Versailles says Count
Bismarck is quite willing to let M. Jules Favre leave
Paris. His pass is mode out, and is waiting for him ;
but then he must ask for it. This he refuses to do. He
prefers trying to obtain leave through the intervention of
Mr. Washburne, and he will fail. M. Favre informs
the Bordeaux Government he would die sooner than ask
the favour of a sanf-conduit at the hands of the Prus-
sians. But he has already asked a favour ; M. Favre
has sought for a pass from Paris for his family and
some private friends. The Prussian Government only
insist on it that he shall ask them directly for the
pass, as they might be misunderstood if they were to
offer or send one in. M. Favre might go out by any gate
he pleased, and take what road he liked. There was no
necessity for his coming to Versailles or seeing any official.
If Mr. Washburne accompanies any proposal on M.
Favre's part with " suggestions " no doubt he will meet a
favourable reception should there be grounds in them for
tangible negotiations.

THE MATERIAL OF THE FRENCH ARMY,
A correspondent of the standard, who writes after the
defeat of Chanzy's army by Princa Frederick Charles and
the Duke of Mecklenburg, makes some impressive re-
marks upon the composition of the French army :—I
remembered that I had yesterday looked down from an
advantageous height upon the broken woodland I was
now traversing at my leisure, when it presented nothing
but undulating clusters of trees, dotted with interspaces of
snow, from which the rattle of rifle-firing never ceased, and I
compelled myself to recall what were the forces, and what
their strength—a strength so small I dare not name it—that
had been sent to clear the ground of its innumerable occu-
pants. How had the former succeeded, and how had the
latter been worsted ? There is nothing to be gained by
the suppression of the truth. Only rank cowardice,
or incapacity p,erfeetly childish, could have allowed
the Germans to do what it was now quite clear
they had done. Allow me to try to describe to you
what seems to me the impregnable nature of the position,
according to the style of fighting on which the French
now seem to rely, and from which they were driven
with a loss astoundingly heavy. As I have said, I must
not venture to put a figure upon the strength of the
Germans engaged ; but if it be borne in mind that the
duke has only two divisions under his comnand, and that
' only a portion of one of these was actually engaged you
may possibly approximate to the amazing truth. What
numbers General Chanzy has had at his disposal
you know too well ; and the killed, wounded, end cap-
tured of the last five days sufficiently attest whether
they have been within hail. Take, then, these woods,
such as I have described them, in themselves no
contemptible resource to superior forces—i. e., to a
superior nutnber of trigger-pulling fingers—acting o;