The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-25 00:00:00

WAR NEWS FROM GERMANY.

The General Steam Navigation Company's steamer
Berlin has arrived on Saturday morning with the follow-
ing news :

A Prussian sloop of war is stationed on the cruising
ground between Heligoland and Cuxhaven, to give intel-
ligence of the advance of the French naval force that is
expected to occupy the Elbe.

The Elbe is unprotected by a single battery or fighting
ship ; but it is intended to sink stone laden merchant
ships in the narrow channel.

The neutrality of Denmark is distrusted, and the
occupation of the Elbe by the French is regarded as the
signal for the departure of the Danish fleet from Copen-
hagen.

WITHDRAWAL OF THE FRENCH REPRE
SENTATIVES FROM SOUTH GERMANY.
The Diplomatic Agents of France at Munich, Stuttgart
And Carlsruhe have demanded their passports.

REPORTED STRANDING OF A FRENCH

MAN-OF-WAR.

One of the French men-of-war, bound for the Baltic, is
said to have been stranded near Harlingen, on a danger-
ous shoal, called the Pollen.

THE HOSPITAL SERVICE

France and Prussia have declared to the Federal
Council 'of Berne that they recognise the engagements un-
dertaken by the Convention of Geneva of 1864 respecting
the neutralisation of ambulances. In reference to the ad-
ditional articles of 1868 both Governments are disposed to
apply them as modus vivendi during hostilities, and have
given the necessary instructions to the commanders of
their respective forces.

COMMANDS IN THE PRUSSIAN ARMY.
The New Prussian (Cross) Gazette announces that the
military districts of the Ist, 2nd, Bth, 9th, 10th, and 11th
Army Corps hevc been placed on a war footing. General
Kirchbach has been appointed to the sth, General Count
Goeben, to the Bth Army Corps. General Steinmetz will
have an important command, as also will General Falken-
stein, in North Germany, with head quarters at Fred-
zichsort.

The face of the country to Berlin is still verdant ; and
as yet there has been little harvesting. The destruction
of the growing crops will, it is feared, be serious.
At Spandau, the Prussian Arsenal, there are great
assemblages of the population of Berlin cheering the arriv-
ing regiments for Stettin and the departing regiments for
the Rhine.

The Weser has been blockaded by the sinking of
stone-laden merchant ships, and the English persons at
Bremen are making their way to Cuxhaven and other
ports.

The Pall Mall Gazette is informed that there are new
about 350,000 Germans near the Rhine.
In the Prussian army General Kirchback has been ap-
pointed to the sth, General Count Goeben to the Bth
Army Corps. General Steinmetz will have an important
command, as also with General Falkenstein in North
Germany, with head quarters at Friedrichsort.
Mr. Gibbons, the President of the principal Fenian
faction, has issued a call fot a Fenian Convention, to be
held at Cincinnati on the 23rd of next month. He pre-
dicts that England will be involved in the European war,
and reminds Irishmen that England's difficulty would be
Ireland's opportunity.
The Greek Ministry has been reconstructed, with Dele-
georgis at its head.

M. Prevost-Paradol was buried at Washington on
Friday with imposing ceremonies.

THE FRENCH EMPEROR ON THE WAR.
The following letter has been addressed to the Tele-
graph :—" Sir,—Experience has warned me that autho-
ritative expressions of opinion emanating from the pro-
tagonists in a great political crisis rarely find their way
into foreign newspapers, It is with the purpose
of enabling your readers to form their own judg-
ment upon the views now expressed by the
Emperor Napoleon, that I venture to repeat the
words which he yesterday employed while speaking to a
friend and to myself during an interview with which he
honoured us at the Tuileries. I must begin by remarking
that I have known the Emperor for many years, and have
seldom seen him looking better. When last I spoke
with him, five months ago, he looked careworn and
haggard, with a complexion more than usually sal-
low and ash-coloured. Yesterday his face looked
fuller, his eye bright, his cheek healthy. I wish in ad-
dition to premise that, after he had spoken, I inquired
whether we were at liberty to repeat his words a haute
voix. He answered, " I wish nothing better than that I
should be represented to the people of England as hold-
ing these views." The Emperor, after speaking with
his usual quiet kindliness upon some private
matters, turned suddenly to the political situa-
tion of France and of Europe. He said, " One fort-
night before the utterance of the Duc de Gramont in the
Corps Legislatif—which utterance has, as it seems to me,
been so unjustly reflected upon by the English press—l
had no notion that war was at hand, nor am I, even at
this moment, by any means prepared for it. I trusted
that, when the Duc de Gramont had set me straight with
France by speaking manfully in public as to the
Hohenzollern candidature, I should be able so to
manipulate and handle the controversy as to make peace
certain. But France has slipped out of my hand. I can-
not rule unless I lead. This is the most national war that
in my time France has undertaken, and I have no choice
but to advance at the head of a public opinion
which I can neither stem nor check. In addi-
tion, M. de Bismarck, although a very clever man,
wants too much, and wants it too quick, After the vic-
tory of Prussia in 1866, I reminded him that but for the
friendly and.self-denying neutrality of France he could
never have achieved such marvels. I pointed out to him

that I had never moved a Frensh soldier near to the
Rhine frontier during the continuance of the Ger-
man war. I quoted to him from his own letter,
in which he thanked me for my abstinence, and
said that he had left neither a Prussian gun nor a Prussian
soldier upon the Rhine, but had thrown Prussia's whole
and undivided strength against Austria and her allies.
I told him that, as some slight return for my friendly
inactivity, I thought that he might surrender Luxembourg,
and one or two other little towns which gravely menace
our frontier, to France. I added that in this way be
would, by a trifling sacrifice, easily forgotten by Prussia
in view of her enormous successes and acquisitions, pacify
the French nation, whose jealousies it was so easy to
arouse, so difficult to disarm." M. de Bismarck replied
to me, after some delay, "Not one foot of territory,
whether Prussian or neutral, can I resign. But,
perhaps, if I were to make some further acquisitions. I
could make some concessions. How, for instance, if I
went to take Holland ? What would France want as a
sop for Holland? I replied," said the Emperor, " that
if he attempted to take Holland, it meant war with
France ; and there the conversation, in which
M. de Bismarck and M. de Benedetti were the
interlocutors, came to an end." _

I have repeated this conversation as nearly as possible
in the Emperor's words. While we were speaking the
Duc de Trevise brought a despatch to his Majesty, which
the latter read, and which was to the effect that
"the eleventh corps of the Prussian army were at
that moment trooping into Trbves." I have little, Sir, to
add to this recapitulation. These words, which I have
faithfully endeavoured to interpret. must speak for them-
selves.—l am, Sir, yours, &c.,

AN ENGLISHMAN.

Paris, Friday Evening, July 23.

The Bishop of Winchester has left London for
the Channel Islands, where he expects to be detained by
his episcopal duties till near the end of August.
DREADFUL TRAGEDY IN BIRMINGHAM.—A most
atrocious murder was committed on Saturday morning in
Birmingham, the victim being Philip Bass, a respectaple
clerk. The unfortunate man cohabited with a female
much addicted to drink. She was out all day on Friday,
and some words ensued, but ultimately the parties retired
to rest. In the morning the woman gave the alarm,
and the man was found with his throat cut and a
pail nearly full of blood by the bedside. The female was
taken into custody on suspicion of committing the murder.
After perpetrating the crime it is thought that she slept
off her debauch by the side of her victim.

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