The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

GENERAL BOYER'S MISSION.

All the intrigues which preceded the disastrous day
f were at least partially made known to the officers by the
generals of brigade, who had the painful task of preparing
the army for the news. One day a meeting of officers was
held in each brigade, when the generals informed them of
the opening of negotiations and the embassy of General
Boyer to Versailles. The enemy shewed great empresse-
meat respecting this journey, and it was easy to make this
appear to the advantage of the French, as it evidenced the
need of the Prussians to bring the hostilities to
an end. For instance, to facilitate the gene-
ral's progress, the Prussian Government, which now
rules in France, went so far as to suspend the regular
service of trains. Along the road from Chateau Thierry
they had, it is true, exhibited the Prussian forces to the
best possible advantage, something after the fashion in
which card villages and pasteboard men represented to
the Empress Catherine the population of the Russian
steppes. On leaving Chateau Thierry a carriage belong-
ing to the King, with armorial bearings, which awaited
the important bearer of peace or war, carried General'
Boyer to Versailles with a speed which indicated an
anxiety ,for pacification. At Versailles General
Boyer was received by Bismarck, who gave the
envoy a terrible picture of the situation. Paris, he said,
is abandoned to anarchy, and makes an armed resist-
ance to a power which Rochefort tries to usurp, and which
Trochu can ill defend. France at large is no better off ;
several towns, overwhelmed by Socialist disorders, have
begged for Prussian garrisons. The elections have not
been possible. as the local authorities have reported that
the people are far from supporting the changes, and their
votes, if they gave them, would be against the Republic.
Never was a more dismal panorama unrolled. General
Boyer heard all this attentively, and, having been thus
prepared by the Minister, he was ushered into the presence
of the King. But his Majesty was not alone,
the room was full. There was a grand council of war, at
which the King presided, having the Crown Prince on his
right, while round the table were the celebrities of the
German Empire—General von Moltke at their head,
General Boyer, called upon to speak, began timidly to
explain that the army was suffering from illness, when
General von Moltke cut short the discussion, and with the
clearness and coldness of Prussian steel, decided that the
affair was a military one, and could not be trifled with.
The army of Metz would supply Prussia with a
second edition of Sedan, and must surrender
purely and simply as prisoners of war. Bismarck saw
at once that Boyer did not take kindly to the capitulation,
and that Moltke's intervention was not one of those sweets
which catch flies. He .interposed, and said that for his
part he considered the affair a political one. He would
be disposed to accept a convention which would permit
the army of Metz to retire where it choose, but in Hance,
on condition of its protecting the independence and the tran-
quillity of the votes and the deliberations of universal
suffrage. Upon this, the state of France paralysed, of
Paris, which could not hear from famine, of the National
Defence taking flight in balloons, of the Red Flag, of
the necessity of saving public order, were discussed.
As no Government could be better qualified to calm this
anarchy than the Government which excited it, it was
proposed to have recourse to the Imperial Government,
represented by the Empress, under the protection of a
Marshal, whose name may be easily guessed. If—which
seemed impossible, as a Bonaparte must think more of
the throne than of honour—the Empress should refuse to
treat, recourse would be had to universal suffrage, and
how could universal suffrage act unless in the midst of
bayonets ? This would be the office of the army of the
Rhine. The matter would be gradually explained to the
soldiers, who would be shewn that their greatest glory
would lie in keeping their fellow citizens in order. It
was by sending Bazaine to sleep after this fashion that the
Prussians contrived to make us eat our last horse.

h SUN, LONDON, SATURDA Y,, NOVEMBER 5, 1 S7O.