The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 87()

THE SIEGE OF STRASBURG.

'MP following is from the Daily News:—The. narful
`amount of suffering inflicted on the inhabitants of Stras-
burg by the siege, is forcing itself upon public attention at
a moment when it is uncertain whether a similar calamity
may not he impending over Paris, and deep anxiety is ex-
pressed for the discovery CIF . some means by which
the horrible scenes which are only too likely to
occur may be averted. Short of the conclusion of
peace, with its preliminary, an armistice, it
does not appear that any plan can be devised. The ex-
terior forts of Paris are at a sufficient distance from the
wall to keep the place from being shelled at once; but
these forts are independent erections, each con-
structed to stand a separate siege, and would
soon be ruined under the concentrated fire
of the siege . guns, and the bombardment of
Paris might then take place. Such a proceeding would
far more shock the public sensibilities than the bombard-
ment of Strasburg has done. It is, however, one strictly
within the legal rights of a belligerent, although in the
case of Strasburg, for reasons probably political, the
King of Prussia has given orders that the fire may be
henceforth confined as much as possible to the defensive
4morks. The reason for attacking a fortress is
sometimes in order to get possession of the
place, sometimes to compel the surrender of the
resisting force, sometimes to accomplish both ob-
jects. When Strasburg was first beiieged it was
generally understood that the fortress itself was all that
Was wanted, and that if it were surrendered the garrison
would be allowed to march out. Now it is
reported that General 'Ulrich is ready to give it
up, but that General Werder insists upon the
surrender of the garrison as prisoners of war.
If this is true, it is probably because he sees
his way to the capture of both fortress and garrison, and
thinks that the loss of life and the destruction of property
which have taken place within the last four weeks
require a military compensation. Some of the German
papers have stated that General Uhrkh is to be made
personally responsible for the destruction of Kehl as a
purely wanton act, not serving a single purpose of war.
However that may be, a very large portion of Strasburg has
been laid in ashes, and grand historical monuments of the
old German city, such as the Cathedral, have sustained
irreparable injury. The damage, it is alleged, was in
great part an inevitable incident of the seige, and this may
be admitted. You cannot fire at a bastioned front with-
out many a ball going over into the city. But to
throw bombs into a town, is this allowable ? The
answer usually given is that no town ever has a shell
thrown into it except by the choice of its masters. If,
however, a town is fortified by its own Government so as
to become a basis of military operations, or to give shelter
and protection to that armed force which it is the
object of another armed force to seek out and
destroy, then that town is a fortress, and may be
bombarded if the enemy thinks that the best way to compel
its surrender. The character given to a town by the
element of defence which it possesses is often a source of
misfortune. When Blucher, having saved his corps from
destruction after the campaign of Jena, was pur-
sued to Lubeck, he found it surrounded by a ruined ,
wall and deep ditches filled with water, and this gave him
an excuse for treating it as a military post, in spite of the
protestations of the inhabitants, who loudly declared their
neutrality. The consequence was that on the next day
the French stormed the place, which the Prussians de-
fended from the tops of the houses when they had lost
all other footing, and the inhabitants underwent all the
horrors of a town taken by assault.

THE BLQWING-UP OF THE CITADEL OF

LAON.

An eye-witness of the events at Lao& has mentioned
some facts in connection with the blowing-up of the for-

ress.

The General refused to surrender the fortress,

though several applications were made to him on the part
of the Prussians. The citadel of Laon may be considered
a stronghold, but it is otherwise with the town, which is
quite open. The General persisted in his resistance until
the morning o'f the Othy when he received a telegram from
the Minister 'of War, saying that the citadel had better
be surrendered, as it was not in a fit state to defend
itself. /n consequence two officers of the Garde
Mobile Informed the Prussians of the determination
on the part of the garrison to surrender, and a corps of
Prussian infantry entered the tows A portion of them
went at once to the citadel, which was guarded by the
Mobiles. These laid down their arms, and were in the
act of defiling when a tremendous explosion took place.
The powder magazine was blown up. Another account
says that the town of Laon is built on a height, which
commands a plain of ten leagues in diameter. It was
defended by a little citadel, which had thirteen batteries
of cannon and 26,000 kilogrammes of powder in the
magazine. Some of the army corps which were
stationed there withdrew from the place on
learning of the disaster of Marshal MacMahon,
and little notice was taken of the commander of the place
He was left there with some troops and a mobile well
resolved to fight. An revoir was said to him, adieu,
replied he. He had already made up his mind as to his
titure conduct. He knew that Laon could not hold out,
but he knew also that he had 26,000 kilogrammes of
powder in the citadel. The next day some Uhlans
appeared, they were repulsed. The day after a regiment
appeared, and the next an army, the hour of surrender
approached. What could they do, in fact, but that which
all the towns had done since the beginning of the war
and surrender themselves, The enemy appeared en masse
with the Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, they took pos-
session of the citadel, their spurs grated on the pavements,
while the black masses of their troops advanced along the
plain. All at once• this earth was shaken and the air
shook with a terrible detonation. Only one. For some
seconds the earth and the sky appeared to be nothing but
chaos. then all sank again into silence. The mountain
had fallen in. The town of Laon existed no longer. The
citadel had been blown up, with all the force of its 26,000
kilogrammes of powder.

Fifteen millions of francs are in course of being
struck by the Paris Mint in 2f., if., and y. pieces.
On Sunday morning a body of French cavalry drove
back a Prussian reconnaissance in front of Chateau

Thierry.
The Satr declares that Marshal Canrobert, so far from
being one of the escaped at Sedan, has never left Bazaine,
and is shut up with him in Meth.
A subscriber of Figaro writes to suggest that a price
should be put on Bismarck's head, and that a public
subscription should be opened to recompense the

assassin.
All the detached forts which protect the enceinte of
Paris have been supplied with the electric light, in order
. _ .

to guard against possible night surprises.

It is said that the Provisional Govrnment pro
pose to sell a large quantity of the furniture, &c., belong
ing to the Crown, the proceeds to be applied to the henefil
of the wounded.

A Frankfort journal reports that a regiment belonging
to the garrison of Strasburg marched out of the fortress
on Sunday, and laid down their arms, stating that they
were not bound by the military oath to the Empercr.
Private letters received in Berlin from the seat of war
state that the discipline of the French army is utterly
destroyed, and that the element of protection upon which
the French counted, the marine troops, was rendered use-
less at Sedan.

It is said that when Prince Napoleon arrived at Flo-
rence, his father-in-law, Victor Emmanuel said to him,
"In your place I should have remained-to die beside my
cousin." The Prinee, after Q. pause, replied, "That is
easier said than done."

The municipal authorities of Paris directed, in view of
the probable siege, that all the closed cemeteries within
the limits of the capital shall be re-opened, so as to pre-
pare for any eventualities ai the future.

Five thousand Remingtons, 'coming horn England vii*
Havre, have arrived at Paris.

The Brankfort magistracy has received an order from
the Government to report whether any and what anti-
quities and objects of art were taken from Frankfort by
the French at the end of the last or beginning of this
century.

A telegram in the Maitaloster Examiner says that the
German Princes will take the initiative themselves in
regard to the settlement of German affairs. Corres-
pondence is already being exchanged between the Govern-
ments upon the subject. M. Von Delbruck (President of
the North German Parliament) is now at the head-
quarters of the King.

A bladder is said to have been found in the Moselle
some miles to the north of Metz on the 2nd. It contained
a letter from Marshal Bazaine addressed to the comman-
dant of Thionville. The letter states that the condition
of the fortress was dreadful. Typhus and dysentery were
raging. •

It is positively asserted from Rome that the Emperor
of Austria has pledged his word to Signor Minghetti not
to interfere in any line of action which the Italian
Government may feel itself obliged ti) adopt in order to
protect its own interests as against Rome.

THE LOSS OF THE CAPTAIN,
LIST OF = THE SAVED.
The foliawing was received from the Admhalty
yesterday :

"Admiralty, 12th September, 1870.
" The following persons who escaped from H.M.S.
Captain, and landed at Corcubion, north of Cape
Finisterre, on the evening of the 7th inst., arrived
this day at Portsmouth in H.M.S. Volage :
Mr. James May, gunner.
James Ellis, gunner's mate.
Lewis Werry, captain of foretop.
James Harvey, second captain of foretop.
George Borde, coxswain of the pinnace.
Charles Tregenan, leading seaman.
John Heard A.B.
Albert Herd, A.B.
William Lawrence, A.B.
David Dryburgh, A.B.
John Walker, A.B.
Jame Freeman, A.B.
Henry Grange,-ordinari
Robert Tomlinson, ordlntirg.
Thomas Vernan, ordinary.
Francis Merriman, boy, Ist class. •
•
James Saunders, boy, Ist class.
John Gribble, boy. Ist class.

" Mr. Herbert L. Mayne, midshipman, who was sup-
posed to have perished on board the Captain, was left in-
valided at Lisbon Hospital.
" It appears from the deposition of the survivors that the
Captain turned bottom up in a heavy squall, and went
down in three minutes."