The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-13 00:00:00

PRUSSIAN DEPREDATIONS:

The Paris " Besieged Resident" correspondent of he
Daily News, describing a visit to Versailles, says :—The
Prussians appear to be carrying on the war upon the same
principles of international law which formed many
thousand years ago the rule of conquest among the
Israelites. They are spoiling the Egyptians with a
vengeance. Even in this town, under the very eyes of the
King, there is one street—the Boulevard de la Reine—in
which almost every house is absolutely gutted. The
Prussian army may have many excellent qualities, but
chivalry is not among them. War with them is a busi-
ness. When a nation is conquered, these LI to be no
sentimental pity for it, but as much is to be made out of
it as possible. Like the elephants which can crush a
tree or pick up a needle, they conquer a province and
they pick a pocket. As soon as a Prussian is quartered
in a room he sends for a box and some straw ;
then carefully and methodically packs up the
clock on the mantelpiece and all the stray ornaments
which he can lay his hands on ; and then, with a tear
glistening in his eye for his absent family, directs them
either to his mother, or his wife, or his lady-love. In
vain the proprietor protests ; the philosophical warrior
utters the most noble sentiments respecting the horrors of
war ; ponderously explains that the French do not suffi-
ciently appreciate the blessings of peace ; and that he is
one of the humble instruments whose mission it is to make
these blessings clear to them. Then he rings the bell,
and, in a mild and gentle voice, orders his box
of loot to be carried off by his military servant. Ben
Butler and his New Englanders in New Orleans might
have profitably taken lessons from these all-devouring
locissts. Nothing escapes them. They have long.rods,
which they thrust into the ground to see whether any-
thing of value has been buried in the gardens. Sometimes
they confiscate a house, and then resell it to the proprietor.
Sometimes they cart off the furniture. Pianos they are
very fond of. When they see one, they first sit
down and play a few sentimental ditties. They
go away, requisition a cart, and minstrel and
instrument disappear together. They are a singular
mixture of bravery and meanness. No one can deny that
they possess the former qualify, but they are courageous
without one spark of heroism. After fighting all day for
Fatherland they will rifle the corpses of their fallen
foes of every article they can lay their hands
on, and will return to their camp equally
happy because they have won a great victory for
Fatherland, and stolen a watch from one of the
enemies of Fatherland. They Shave got now into
such a habit of appropriating other people's property that
I confess I tremble when one of them fixes his cold glassy
eye upon me. I see that he is meditating some new phi-
losophical doctrine which, some way or other, will transfer
what is in my pocket into his. His mind, however,
fortunately works but slowly, and I am far
away from him before he has elaborated to his own
satisfaction a system of confiscation applicable to me.
It seems to be a foregone conclusion that the
army is to enter Paris on the 19th of this month, march
over the Bridge of Jena, and then along the Rue de Rivoli.
Bismarck regards this as a piece of idle folly, but the
King is bent on it. He says that it will be a disappoint-
ment to every soldier not to be able to say, when he re-
turns home, that he has been into Paris. It would be
cruel, he thinks, to deprive them of this gratification.
Kind old man !

THE GALE.

(CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAMS.)

The gale on the East coast appears to have bean very
disastrous. At Bridlington Quay over 20 vessels are known
to have been lost ; and it is feared others have sunk in deep
water. Two crews were saved by the National lifeboat,
and five crews by a smaller boat presented by Count
Balthainy. Amongst the vessels known to be lost are
seven brigs, seven schooners, and four small vessels.
The major portion of them were colliers, bound south.
In one of its journeys the small lifeboat capsized, and six
men were drowned. It is feared over forty lives have
been lost. Fourteen bodies, two of them lifeboat-men,
have been washed ashore. The beach for miles is strewed
with wreck.

In the Humber, and outside, in the blinding snow
squalls, the crews could not see, and the ships were run
on Clee Ness. The Sicily, of Shields, and the brig
Euphemia, from Hartlepool. with coals for London, both
leaky and abartdoned, were brought in to Grimsby by Clee-
thorpe fishermen. A schooner from Leaham, with coals for
Lowestoft, was assisted into the same port by the pilotboat.
One of the crew was washed overboard, and the decks
were clean swept, except the masts. The German schooner
Alpha returned with loss of the master, who had been
washed overboard and drowned. The following vessels
came in for repairs :—the barque British Merchant, in
ballast, the schooner Dolphin, coal laden, a Tyne steamer,
coal laden, the schooner Hero, in ballast, the schooner
Richard and Elizabeth, coal laden, and the schooner
Woodville, coal laden. The master of the Moor of
Venice, riding in the Roads, reports that on Friday after-
noon he saw a schooner, name unknown, sailing in the
Humber, strike the ground and immediately disappear
with all on board. The Kate, of Hull, was abandoned
in a sinking state, and the crew were brought in by the
brig Whynot.
The vessel that sunk off Blasquet, on the coast of
Kerry, Ireland, is proved to be the three-masted schooner
Mary Ellen, of Liverpool, from Demerara, with a cargo
of rum and sugar. She struck on Tuesday night last.
The captain and crew of eight hands escaped in the long-
boat, and were beating about for twenty-four hours,
during which time they suffered great hardships. They
landed at eleven o'clock on Wednesday night on the
south side of Dingle Bay, and proceeded to Cahirsiveen,
Kerry.