The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-23 00:00:00

THE BEDS IN PARIS

The correspondent of the Evening Standard writes from
Rouen :—•" The one party in France which is anxious
for the continuance of the war at any cost is just now a
powerful one: It was in order to humour it that M.
Henri Rochefort was transferred .from a gaol to• a seat
in the executive commission it was also to
humour it that 1116gy, the assassin, has been
released from the hulks at Toulon, under the
curious pretext that shooting a policeman must be

considered as a political offence ! What is most to be
dreaded in Paris is that this party, which I will call
the party of the Sansculottes for want of a better name,
will, on the bare report that the ' Government of
National Defence' are negotiating for peace raise their
favourite cry, Nous sommes trahis,' describe the ' Go-
vernment of National Defence' as a Government of
" national disgrace and surrender," turn it out as unce-
remoniously as it was appointed, and instal in its stead a
parody of the Revolutionary Commune of 1792. Before
the sth instant the " Sansculottes " were com-
paratively harmless, for they were without arms ;
but now the truculent. friends of M. Roche-
fort and citoyen M6gy have been duly provided
with muskets, swords, bayonets, accoutrements,
and, moreover, a plentiful supply of cartridges. In the
flurry and confusion which now prevail, they have un
questionably favourable opportunities of carrying their
openly avowed designs into effect, and the negotiations
for peace are, I am sorry to say, calculated to give them
the pretext which they stand in need of,

A FRENCH OFFICER'S VIEW OF -THE
FRENCH ARMY.

In the later days of August a party of Prussian scouts
surprised a mail train. Amongst the letters captured was
one from an officer of MacMahon's army, dated from
Semuy, August 26th. It is interesting as presenting a
French soldier's opinion of his own army. It will be seen,
too, that it contradicts the general belief that Napoleon
was answerable for the march of MacMahon's force
towards Metz. It appears from this communication that
he was answerable rather for delaying that march by his
customary indecision of purpose. The letter runs thus :
—" In order to be fully aware of what is going on, you
must know that we do nothing but commit blunder after
blunder, folly after folly, and that our military and
political leaders have, so to speak, relapsed into a state of
infancy. Tire whole of France was so astounded by our
double defeat at Froeschwiller (Woerth) and Forbach,
as so almost lose its head. Our Chauvins did not indeed
expect anything of that kind; they spoke of going to
Berlin with greater ease than one gets to Corinth. or
Athens. After such a check they believed that all was
lost ; and yet the disaster, great as it was, might perhaps
have been repaired. Unhappily, we had no generals,
and the Emperor was even more prostrated by
the blow than the rest of the country. It was
undoubtedly his fault that, whilst MacMahon
was flying with his routed corps, the bulk of
our army was so foolishly kept at one fortified place, so as
to serve as nothing more than a garrison, hampered by its
great number and unable to recruit its stock of provisions
or ammunition. To remain at Metz when the Prussians
were debouching at Nancy and crossing the Moselle at
Frouard was the height of folly—quern Dens salt perdere
pries dementat. The army of Bazaine, completely blocked
up, commanded our movements, for the safety of France
depended upon MacMahon's junction with him. When
four corps had been united at Chalons—the First, the
Fifth, the Seventh, and the Twelfth—it was before all
things needful to march upon Verdun without losing an
instant, and attempt to release Bazaine. Unfortunately
the Emperor was mad—thinking only of his own safety,
and not comprehending that his interest was the
same as that of France at this moment. A
retreat, then, was made towards Rheims, the intention at
first being to cover Paris only, and leave Bazaine to his
fate. happily, the Council of Ministers declared that
the dynasty was lost, if people learned at Paris that the
defence of Paris only was thought of, and that no hope
was entertained of the situation at Metz. That put a
little heart into our poor monarch, who, not daring to
enter Paris, dragged on in the rear of the army. The
plan was changed ; and now (August 26th) we are ea
route to join Bazaine. But much time has
been lost. Our marches are difficult, because supplies of
food are difficult to obtain, and I believe that plans and
ideas are altered every day. From Rheims the scheme
was to advance on Montmedy, and then on Mezieres,
turning the Argonne Forest. Since this morning we
have directed our steps straight upon the defiles of that
forest, The Germans, who keep a perfect look out,
launch their advanced columns far in the
front, and have a vast system of espionage,
know, beyond doubt, where we are, and where
Bazaine is (in which respect they are better
informed than ourselves), and they will do all they can to
prevent us uniting. It is possible, therefore, that we may
be on the eve of a battle against the whole forces of the
First and Second Armies—that is, after the losses previously
suffered, against 200,000 men at least, for the
effective of these two armies was originally 260,000
men. (The writer is wrong ; it was much more—the second
army alone numbering as many.) Ido not believe that
our force with Marshal MacMahon is more than 120,030,
and the Prussian artillery has an evident advantage over
us, as well in respect of number as the efficiency of the
pieces and the skill of the artillerymen. It must be
added, too, that there is nothing to prevent the Third
German Army, which had an effective of 180,000 before
Woerth, from joining the other two, between Bazaine and
us, and either fall upon our rear or continue its march to
Paris, in the hope that the capital would not hold out if
the French army were beaten on the Meuse. Our situa-
tion, then, is not pleasant, and yet it is absolutely necessary
to reach Metz in order to reunite the two parts of our
army, and not to allow them to be overwhelmed one after
the other by double or triple their strength as at Woerth.
. . If Bazaine has been able to advance on Mezieres,
and if he could attack on the same day as ourselves, the
Prussians might find themselves in a very awkward
situation: But they would always have a sure
retreat upon the army of the Prince Royal,
who ought to be near Vitry-le-Francais. The
finest victory cannot rid us of our guests at one stroke,
but I believe it would remove their desire of going to
Paris, and would set them in retreat towards the frontier.
This is a hope we entertain, but I confess that, consider-
ing the past, and the incredible, the impossible unskilful-
ness of our generals and the Ministry, I have more fear than
hope. Would you believe it, since Woerth the First
Corps has not even yet been properly reorganised ; we
require guns and a multitude of indispensable things ?
Nobody seems to know how to furnish us with food. It
is not known by four o'clock in the afternoon where
we shall go on the morrow, and therefore we cannot give
the makes of villages notice before hand, neither to make
ready any provision, nor to send it anywhere, if by chance
we found some at the railway station. It is even said
that France is running short of cartridges. Ido not
know whether Bazaine has sufficient for more than one
day of battle; we wished to send him a couple
of millions, but they were not able to pass by way if
Verdun, and they have, for slight reason, in my opinion,
been brought back. It was still possible to get them
through by Montmedy and Thionville by displaying a
little skill in travelling by night, for the Uhlans cannot
scoar very far in the dark. People would never believe
that, though at least fifteen days have elapsed since ali
idea of invading Prussia was abandoned, the Ministry has
not sent us any maps of France. I have a number of
excellent maps of Prussia, and not a single map of France
other than the thing which is sold under the title of
" Theatre of War." My general has no map of the
country, neither good nor bad. General Ducrot, who
commands in place of MacMahon—that is, the first corps
—has some maps, but the officers of his own staff have
not The insufficient distribution of rations

and the disorder of the first days of our retreat on Saverne
and Luneville have produced great indiscipline in this First
corps. Everywhere the men pillage and rob even the
houses ; the villages through which we have passed are
more devastated than they would have been by the
Prussians. One officer in the army even robs another ; the
demoralisation is abominable. Our commander-in-chief
has made for some time laudable endeavours to bring these
disorders to an end ; but he can do nothing. Our army
has the most incapable generals, and the most ignorant
officers of Europe, as also the most indisciplined soldiers
in the world. The African troops are a pest ; they have
spoiled the rest of the army in the matter of discipline.

The Peuple Souverain says the railway from Paris to,
Orleans is occupied by military. Every station on the
line is surrounded by palisades provides with loopholes.
Sorties are being make from Strasbourg, but they are
of little importance, and lead to no great results•on either
side.
On the demand of the Helvetian Government a large
part of the population of Strasbourg have been permitted
to leave. More than two thousand have taken refuge in
Basle, Berne, or Zurich.
The evidence in favour of Napoleon's courageous con-
duct at the battle of Sedan is unquestionable. He was in
the front of the battle the whole day. Several aides-de-
camp were killed or wounded by his side. One shell
burst under his horse.

Accounts from Lille state that the armaments of the
fortifications are complete, that the inundation can be
effected in less than twelve hours, that there is in Lille
more than a thousand million cartridges safe from all sur-
prise or accident, and that the food provisions which are
already considerable, are increasing daily, so that the
authorities are prepared for any emergency.

The Bois de Boulogne is rapidly disappearing under the
application of the axe and the saw. All the trees within
the zone of the fortifications have been cut down. The
Gardes Mobiles, who are encamped in the Bois, amuse
themselves by shooting at the ducks, which, alarmed by
the incessant disturbance, fly about like pigeons.

Marseilles has voted £400,000 for purposes of defence.
M. de la Gueronniere, late French Ambassador at Con;
stantinople, was arrested at Marseilles on Tuesday
thrown into prison.
Three French men-of-war lately employed in the
blockading squadron in the Baltic are cruising in the Pas
de Calais from Boulogne to Dunkerque.
Paul de Ca,sag,nac, M. Mitchell, and about sixty French
officers, who find the climate of Konigsberg, where tbeY
have hitherto been detained, too severe, have been allowed
to remove to places further south.
The Prussians have repaired the lock on the canal of
the Marne, near Paris, which they will use for transport
of their siege material. French peasants have been

obliged to furnish the necessary labour.
The Prince of Wales, on hearing that Lieutenant-
Colonel Pemberton (the correspondent of the Times) wasf
shot at Sedan, telegraphed to the Crown Printed it
Prussia to take measures to identify his body and send 1
home.
The women of Paris have formed committees in all Parts
of the city, and in an address just published, they egil
their readiness to serve, when called upon, as nurses
with the ambulances ; or even, like their sisters at FP-

bourg, to meet the enemy sword in hand.
The Cologne Gazette says that the cure of Bare it
headed the women and children of the population in
attack on the Prussians. The wife of the village biler
smith is stated to have killed five of the enemy witiliges
own hand. This was the cause of the village of Bate

being given oyez to the flames. at
The 'Official German Gazette for Alsace, publisbe-
Hagenau, in its first number alludes to the recovery
"
Germany of Alsace and Lorraine. It says, "theses
vinces, when re-annexed, will soon adopt Ger
politics, being thoroughly German in language, ma „hey
ideas, and even in their partiality for foreigners•
will be, moreover, only too happy to separate Ir°-
Socialistic France."
The Rappel states that in a house in the flue Fallb°°ll
Poissonniere a deposit of arms and Prussian Luiforcas were Pr°-
discovered on Friday last. These articles v 3re deposited
in cellars communicating with each other. Public rallif
had directed suspicion towards the premises, ,tie
military authorities directed a search, which results(' '
the discovery. A placard has been affixed to the III:
stating that " Arms and clothing have been seized by cr'e
of the Government for the benefit of the State."
The Freeman's Journal publishes a telegram from Fran
..„
received yesterday by the Dublin central committee
the relief of the wounded soldiers of France. The tel
gram is to the following effect :—"France accepts sv'er
gratitude the Irish ambulance corps ; will take it into has
service, and under her special protection instantly 011,
~:
arrival. The French Government will maintain the
ambulance corps as a distinctive Irish body, subject t° tk,g •
necessary regulations of the public service'. France than.ai
Ireland." " Such," says the Freeman, "is the cifiLA
answer of the French authorities, telegraphed to the
the
Ambulance Committee. It is a message that will stir
heart of Ireland."
The Bavarian soldiers who accompanied a number
French prisoners to Berlin have been very warn:" r:
ceived there. At the c ommand of the Queen they lye"
shewn the principal sights of the town, and where've;
they appeared they were enthusiastically cheeredthe
festival was improvised in their honour, at which recl,
whole corps, consisting of 12 officers and 400 men, aPPe.,2-4°".
Patriotic songs were sung, toasts were drunk to the -P"—,
of Bavaria, the King of Prussia, the German genets6
Bismarck and Moltke, and a telegram was forwarcleclits:
the King of Bavaria expressing the satisfaction felt P)
the meeting at being enabled to entertain the bral
Bavarian soldiers, and to thank them for their exerti°l3
in the cause of Germany.
The Etoile Belge says it has been waiting for the Frtls;
sian authorities to contradict a report of its correspolciejla
with respect to the burning of the Mayor of Bazeilles
tbe
In
his wife by the Prussians on the public Place. --the
meantime the Echo du Parlement declares it is 1141"-e
true nor probable, and that none of those whom they had
interrogated had heard of the horrible canard. The Pw e
says that the point to decide is whether more relislic
should be placed on the statement of its own corresP°ll.
dent, who was a superior officer and signed his deposits d;
or upon that of the people interrogated by the Eck°

Parlement.
The French officers who were made prisoners with theft 0 o
troops, have been before the commandant at Sil°l's to
verify their grade and to prove their identity. Ninei,od
them, who were officers of the Garde Mobile, but '
taken the campaign as volunteers in the army, were
mediately sent to the fortress of Cusel. Among h;,a
ee
were four journalists, MM. Michel, Paul de Cassegi l
Carette, and Froment. The Zouave and Turco officete
who are at Silesia will also be sent to Cosel, as fete
barracks of the town are full. Many officers live in be
town, but their troops are obliged to remain ill v

barracks.
The .Presse of Vienna relates that the other dap tDB
King of Saxony went to the railway station of Dresden
pay his respects to some battalions which were starting to
the seat of war. One of the young soldiers standing at ti;s
door of one of the carriages, bowed to the king
the train moved slowly along, and said, "
dulce et decorun est pro patria mori," to which the 1,271
replied, smiling, " Bene dixisti." The crowd gretel
with loud cheers the soldier who had so happilY qtleof
from Horace, and the lettered King, the translator i 5
Dante, who had shewn that he had not forgotten 11

Latin.
The Brussels correspondent of the Times denies t
the Emperor Napoleon was, as he says, forced into Nv9: be
the pressure of French public opinion. Whatever tbt
influence brought to bear upon him, there can be no cletidi
that he gave or approved the instructions to Bene„(le,;0
which were the immediate cause of the war. It has
said that the men who were bent upon a cordlic,6"
like Lebceuf, for instance, who should :lave 101°11;
if any one did, how ill prepared France wasfor it---111,"
Pietri get up the warlike demonstrations on the .L
boulevards, and organise the columns that night 3'"o
night paraded the streets with warlike songs and 01°110
of " A Berlin !" while he at the same time treated i.'m
disturbers of public order those who endeavoured to U'

counter-manifestatione in favour of peace.
Sir Tollemache Sinclair, M.P., gives his testiraoeY te‘,
specting the desire for peace amongst the French Paulo
tion :—" We baited half way, at a small village, 311' e
took the opportunity of talking to a number of
..,""j
people, and found they no longer feared the Germans'
,;c1
that only one man out of the entire population ','o
volunteered for the army, and he had only gone bee3;l
he had quarrelled with his wife. In fact, the °fp
population of France is sick of war, glory, andbloodshel
they have no arms, and few of them know how to tleeio
gun. Indeed, there were only about six fowling pieee6,o
the village and neighbourhood, and these the Prussl.7t
had taken. They feel that their rulers are to blare°
an aggressive and unprovoked war, and they see ele.e,rtio
that, whether victorious or beaten, they will get but 11%,
thanks for the danger and sufferings which they are

vited to encounter."
„f the
[ADVERTISEMENT].—HoIIoway's Pills.—Diseases
Digestive Organs.—These admirable Pills contain ve
mercury nor other noxious ingredients, and are therooic
peculiarly adapted for these ailments, which often atW3
the mucous membranes during summer. HollowaYs
dense the blood, stomach, liver, and lungs from all nicer
ful impurities, and subdue the local irritation. ate
improve the powers of digestion, and speedily eraalc'oe
all disorders of the liver, bowels, and kidneys. A ,_°l
of these cooling pills prevent the distressing ",:"";lelo
attacks induced by hot or humid weather, and disc
flatulency, giddiness, headache, and costiveness• fled,
purifiers of the blood, Holloway's Pills stand unriva'-'O,
hence the power they possess of clarifying the complolo3
removing sallowness, checking the growth of pimples,
renovating the vital functions.