The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-08 00:00:00

OPINIONS OF THE FRMCII PRESS.

The draurleb de Paris says that oAI France will AcoefoL
the revolution which the capital has Inaugurated. It le
not the time to discuss the forms of Government when. the
enemy is at the gates,.
.1-4 a Pry declares that all should be secondaty Augima
those who gorern, and thoue who servo, under the fearful

peril of 9.1.0 advancing Prussians. When the..;''have beer.
driven from the country, the Republic may consolidate
itself.

Lc Soir says that they are the enemies of Ki,lg William
and that they declared war against him and his feudal
party, but that Germany contains a Liberal party which
they are ready to treat with. They will assist them to
disembarrass themselves of King William, of Bismarck.
and of others who impede their progress. If Germany
were free France would welcome her with open arms.
' The editor of the Public leaves the conduct of the
onrnal to fight as a soldier against the enemy, but
when the war is ended he will enter the ranks of the
Opposition against the Republic, which he highly disap-
proves of.

The SiMe in allusion to this says that some journals
have indulged in unpatriotic Language, but that the Go-
vernment of the national defence, and the people would
not tolerate it, and that the men of the 2nd of, December
had better be silent. •

The Union says that it attacked the Emperor in its
palmy days when others were prostrate before him,
but that it has no desire to attack him now that
he has fallen. It leaven to history the task of
recounting his deeds and sketching that power which has
crumbled in the midst of the country's disaster& The
chies and only duty of all is to expel the stranger, and
which has become the most sacred of duties.

The France looks upon the new ministers as a group
of citizens who are called upon at a critical
time to assume the command of affairs, and
declares that it is ready itself to make that sacrifice of
personal and political, opinions which it demands from
others,

The Pays considers that until the last Prussian soidie
has recrossed the Rhine, nothing can be thought of bu
the national defence.

The Revel,/ criticises the composition of the Provisional
Government and complains that none of the proclamations
bear the Republican device of liberty, equality, and
fraternity, which omission has greatly surprised the
people.

A LAST ACT OF HUMANITY.
In the last letter of the Times' correspondent, Colonel
Pemberton, who was himself killed soon after in the last
great battle before Sedan, says—l was, during one
part •of the action, standing near some Hussars,

who were in reserve. The sun was pouring
its rays upon us, and around us on every side lay
the wounded. One poor fellow, cried to them
for water— " Comrade, for God's sake, give me. water
we little drop. I am on fire, lam an fire t for God's
sake give me but one drop ; only wet my lips !" and
another near him could only hold his hands up
in prayer and point to his lips. A good-natured
Hussar, touched by the appeal, got off his horse
and ran to them with his water-bottle ; he was
in the act of raising the man's head when a shell fell
within a yard and, bursting, blew the whole three to
atoms. Whatever that poor Hussar's faults in this
world may have been, surely his last kind action must
atone for them in some way ? The regiment moved off
and his horse followed in the ranks.

THE BATTLE AT SEDAN.
A French correspondent of the Daily News furrissises
hat journal with a very graphic description of the battle
preceding the capitulation of Sedan. The writer says :
" At half-past ten the advance of the Prussians was
perceptible on both wings, At the same time
some French infantry, which was close to the town on
the east side, gave way, as it seemed to me rather
quickly. Soon after shells were coming from behind my
left, and it became evident that the French position'
had been turned, and that a fresh German corps had taken
position in our rear. The reserves were now obliged to be
directed against these points. The battery near which I
stood was already in action, and I thought it quite time
to beat a retreat, for the place was becoming as dangerous
as any in the field. Among the guns close to me the
Prussian shell began falling with their usual beautiful
precision, so I got on the other side of the slope,
and made my way tswards the town, ae the road
to Bouillon, which crossed the field of battle, was wholly
closed to me. Now, also, I perceived that I should be
shut up in that circle which the Prussians had been draw-
ing about the army and the town, and which was at last
complete. I made my way as fasts as I could by the
safest paths. When I reached the suburb before the
Porte de Balan, I found it encumbered with soldiers
of all corps, hastening, as I was, into the town,
It was a defeat evidently, yet it was not eleven
o'clock, and the battle was destined to continue
at different points for some time longer, though continu-
ing without any real hope of victory. To one entering
the town as I did there was no longer any, battle to de-
scribe— it was first a retreat and too soon a rout. I
thought myself lucky to get away from the field as I did,
for an hour afterwards the rout of those forces near by
was 'complete. Already soldiers were crushing against
each other in the struggle to get inside the town,
Dismounted cavalry were trying to make their way even
by the ramparts, leaping down the counterscarp, others
forcing their way in by the postern gates. From a nook
of the ramparts, as I rested a moment, I saw also
Cuirassiers jumping, horse and all, into the moat, the
horses breaking their legs and ribs. Men were scramb-
ling over each other. Officers of all ranks, colonels, and
even generals, in uniforms it was impossible to mistake,
mixed in this shameful melde. Behind all
came guns with their heavy carriages and powerful
horses, forcing their way into the throngs, maiming and
crushing the fugitives on foot. To add to the confusion
and horror, the Prussian batteries had by this time ad-
vanced within range, and the Prussian shells began
falling into the midst of the struggling masses of men. On
the ramparts were the Garde National, manning the guns
of the town, and replying with more or less effect to the
nearest Prussian batteries. It was a scene horrible
enough to have pleased the fancy of Gustave Dor6
himself. I could form but one idea of our unhappy
army—that it was at the bottom of a seething cauldron.
I hurried back as best I could to my hotel, following the
narrow streets where the shells were least likely to reach
the ground. Wherever there was a square or open place
I came upon the bodies of horses and men, quite dead, or
still quivering, torn to pieces by bursting shells. Reach-
ing my hotel, I found the street in which it
stood choked like the rest with waggons, guns,
horses, and men. Most luckily. The Prussian
fire did not at this moment enfilade the streets
fqr p train of caissons filled with powder blociked
the
,;vhole way, itself unable to move backward or
forward. Thera Vaa every chance that these caissons
would explode, the town being then on fire in two plae,es);
and I began to think that Sedan was a place more un-
comfortable than even the battle-field over which a vic-
torious enemy was swiftly advancing. From friends
whom I found at the hotel I learned that the Emperor,
who had started early in the morning for the field of
battle, had returned about the same time that I did,
and passed through the streets with his Staff. One
of my friends was near him on the Place Turenne
when a shell fell under his horse, and, bursting, killed
the horse of a General who was behind him. He himself
was untouched, and turned round smilingly, though my THE EMPRESS'S DEPARTURE
friend thought he saw tears in his eyes which he wiped ,
away with his glove. Indeed, he had cause enough for PARIS.
tears on that fatal First of September. Meantime shells Towards 12 o'clock on Sunday the Empress /eft the
began to fall in the direction of our street and hoteL We Tuileries in a plain carriage, accompanied only by
all stood under the vaulted stone entrance as the safest M. Pietri, the Prefect of Police. They drove to
shelter we could find. I trembled for the caissons still a station outside Paris, and there she took the
standing in the street, and filling all the space from railway to Belgium. If Pietri accompanied her
end to end. It was at this time, while we waited beyond the station he did not go far, for he was
watching painfully for the shell which would have sent us back in Paris in the afternoon. She may have left
all together into another world, that General Wimpffen before noon, or else she travelled fast, for she was
came past, making a vain effort to rally and inspirit his at Namur at 4.30, In Belgium the Court carriages
flying troops. Heshouted, Wive In France !" En avant? awaited her, and every deference was paid to her rank.
but there 'was uo response. He cried etut that Bazaino 'Before quitting the Tuileries she took leave of the
usasyaking the Prussians in rear. This news, which had officers and ladies of the Court who were coming an
been current all the morning at interval's, coming now from and going off duty, and thanked them gradiously for their