The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-16 00:00:00

THE SHELLING OF PARIS.

Saturday night, January 14, says the Standard, was
destined to witness the inauguration of the most hideous
and unprovoked atrocity which has stained the annals of
nineteenth century civilisation. It may indeed be
questioned whether the annals of mankind can
furnish a parallel instance of barbarity so gigan-
tic and cruelty so revolting. If the state-
ment published less than thirty hours since in
London is correct, ten thousand inflammatory
bdinbs will hate been launched before the dawn of
yesterday's Sabbath by the "mild and manly Prussians'
into the very heart of Paris. It has been reserved for a
Monarch who boasts that he derives his attributes direct
from Heaven itself, who professes to believe that he is the
instrument of a purpose for which he arrogates
a Uelestial origin, .who salutes each new feat of
slaughter achieved, and each work of misery for
his fellow-men accomplished, as some fresh mark of
the favour of Providence, to have signalised himself by an
enterprise of blood and vengeance, from which posterity,
when it views the utterly incommensurate magnitude of
motive and results, will recoil with indignation and
horror. The time has passed when the struggle
between Prussian and Gaul could be viewed as a con-
test between two nations. How often have we been
told in the course of the war that it has entered
upon a new phase? What is its present and latest phase,
if not that of mere murder— violating by its contact the
high name of justice—lust of spoliation and revelling in
the torture of tens of thousands of unoffending men,
women, and children, under the garb and the title of
divinely ordained vengeance? If France has been guilty,
or Paris has sinned, France and Paris have both
of them been purged in the fires and anguish of
atonement. It is a mere mockery of words to speak of
King William as the Heaven-ordained instrument of a
merited atonement now. Is Europe, is England willing
to incur the terrible responsibility of remaining an apa-
thetic and inactive spectator of this the most monstrous
crime—this the most unutterable outrage upon huma-
nity which it will be the duty of the historian of the
future to record? It is only now to the neutral
Powers and to England that the appeal can be made.
Prussia has long since turned a deaf ear to all considera-
tions of mercy, humanity, and justice. She has reached
the crowning point of her bloodthirsty sin. She has
deliberately preferred the reputation of Vandalism to that
of high-souled victory. For Prussia, it is true, the future
will bring its Nemesis ; and that Nemesis, come in what
shape it may, will descend in some sort also upon
those who have sanctioned by their silence a scandal
to humanity, whose perpetration cries aloud to Heaven
for vengeance.

While we cannot wonder at the protest which the Pro-
visional Government of France has issued against the
bombardment of Paris, remarks the Telegraph, we cannot
admit the justice of the accusations which it hurls against
the besiegers. It is, doubtless, hoirible that hospitals,
ambulances, churches, schools and prisons should be ex-
posed to the fire of shells, and that many innocent women
and children should have been killed ; and, if it is true
that the Germans gave no warning of their intention
to blinbard the city, they are so far guilty Vf
having broken the humane etiquette of war. However
soon may be the day of submission, the Paris of
1870 and 1871 has already earned a right to an
ins-
perishable place in the history of France, for
supremely displaying, throughout four weary months of
isolation, hunger, disease, and death, the hard and silent
virtue of endurance. Paris deserves well of France.
The fairest of fair cities, she has proved herself the
worthy capital of the most brilliant of all
peoples. There is perhaps no great capital in the
whole world that would have acted with such
heroic manhood and womanhood. We may all of
us--Germans as well as English—bare our heads in
token of our homage for the nobility of the spectacle.
When the strife shall be stilled, the historical im-
partiality of learned Germany will record with the glow
of enthusiasm how, for month after month, the millions
of the most luxurious and frivolous people in Europe
waited, and waited in vain, for rescue from the
cannon, the hunger, the pestilence which were kil-
ling them with the rapidity of a great plague. But
the admiration of Europe will not deaden the Parisian and
the French remembrance of such miseries. For every
shell that is cast into the capital, for every monument de-
faced or destroyed by Prussian fire, for every hour of
hunger
Paris, for every child that
hasu drie dend oi
or woman that has sick-
htfredf
ened of disease, ambilyie,
France will feverishly demand
M. John Lemoine justly says that the fur-
rows dug by the cannon balls will bring forth only har-
vests of vengeance. The starved mother who has seen her
baby die at the exhausted breast will cry to the survi-
vors, " Remember me !" The fathers who have
lost their sons will plot for the day when
France shall do unto Berlin what Germany
has done unto Paris. The woman will train up their
children to hate Prussia with the hate that leads to
battle. The whole nation will wait and drill and arm,
until it can strikt. with tenfold the strength now wielded
by France. The bombardment of Paris will never be for-
given. Its results will be the tears and blood of genera-
tions.

While two sons of Mr. Cameron, a gentleman
belonging to Glasgow, now on a visit at Bridgend, Islay,
were amusing themselves on' pond near Islay House, the
ice gave way, and the elder boy, named John, about 10
years of age, was drowned.

The Sporting Gazette states that Mr. Jesselyn
gives up the Suffolk hounds at the end of this season.—
Everything has been satisfactorily arranged for the future
hunting of Lord Wemyss's county. Major Browne has
consented to take a portion of the Northumberland dis-
trict ; and Mr. Forbes, of Callander, will be the • new
.master of the Berwickshire and ,North Northumberland
portion.—Lord Portsmouth has nearly recovered from a
severe attack of bronchitis on the top of influenza, which
has laid him up since Christmas Eve, although he is still
too weak to get on a horse,