The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-18 00:00:00

GENERAL VON GOEBEN'S ARMY.

From Albert, January 10, the correspondent of the
Daily News sends the follywing :—General von Goeben's
army is the same which hitherto has been commanded by
General von Manteuffel. The latter has taken the com-
mand of an army formed around Dijon, consisting of the
7th Army Corps and of the joint forces of von
Zastrow and von Werder, Of the reasons why
General von Manteuffel has been entrusted with
the command of the new army many versions
aro current. One says that it was the desire
of the headquarters to have the general at hand in order
to take part in the victorious entrance into Paris.
Another contends, on the contrary, that fault having been
found with the general for attacking the enemy,
or accepting battle with forces insufficient to
gain decided victories, the great losses which
under such circumstances must be sustained, and
which indeed have been sustained latterly, were
considered ' unnecessary, and not possible under
the calmer leadership of von Goeben. The third version
however, seems to be the most probable. According to
this it would have been a difficult task, in forming the
new army, to decide by whom it should be commanded,
General von Zastrow, being nearly equal in age to
General ven Werder. In order, therefore, to avoid
jealousy, a general, has been chosen whose seni-
ority is far above that of either of the two others.
Be that as it may, it is a fact that General von
Goeben is the chief of the First Army ; and that
General Faidherbe has no occasion to rejoice at the
change. I left off my last letter from Bapaume
stating that the enemy, pursued by our cavalry
division, had retreated as far as Croiselles. Hers he did
not stop, but fell back into the fortress of Arras,
probably in order to let his men indulge in a
few days' rest ; for shortly after the battle rumours
were current again of the French having taken position,
with the intention of delivering another battle. The
reader will understand that General Faidherbe's anxiety
was to break through the line and to march—if it were
possible to do so—towards Peronne, which was still
under a heavy bombardment, well knowing that with
the surrender of that fortress all operations in the
the north of France must be paralysed. In this effort
however, he was not successful. With the fall of Peronne
the Army of the North is doomed to remain within the
fortresses of Arras and Lille, which the Prussians will
certainly leave alone. The Army of the North is thus
paralysed annihilated ; and to think of being
still able to penetrate the double girdle of for-
tresses and armies held by the Prussians, and to
march on Paris, would be utter madness. The First
Army Corps, which has been engaged in the siege of
P6ronne, will now be able, together with this, either
to go into winter quarters or to join the army be-
fore Paris ; leaving merely a sufficient garrison to
defend the fortress, and to keep up the line of communi-
cation to the left with Amiens and to the right with
Maieres.

CRYSTAL PALACE.—One Shilling Day, Tuesday,
January 17th, 1871.—Admission by season tickets, 1,688;
ditto on payment, 2,582 ; total visitors, 4,270.
A recent letter from tlie pastor of Norfolk Island
states that a new church is being built there, to be called
All Saints. The settlers are the Pitcairmars, the mutineers
of the Bounty and their descendants.

. The Bishop of Oxford has presented the Rev.
Nicholas Thomas Garry, M.A., to the Vicarage of St.
Paul's, Oxford, vacant by the resignation of the Rev.
Alfred Hackman, M.A.

Captain Behenna, late of the Ordnance Select Com-
mittee, has been appointed to succeed the late Captain
Williams as superintending officer of pensioner clerks at
the War Office. •

It is expected that the court martial for the trial
of the three ships' stewards will -assemble on board the
flag-ship Duke of Wellington, at Portsmouth, and that
Vice-Admiral G, Wellesley, C. 13., will be president.