The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-24 00:00:00

TUE BATTLE OF BORNY.

Two official German reports have been issued respect-
ing the battle of Pange, as the Germans call it, or Borny,
the name the French prefer. This battle took place on
Sunday week. The first report is dated Herny, August
15, and is as follows :—" This morning his Majesty the
King, accompanied by Baron Moltke and the other gene-
rals of the royal head-quarters, as also by Count Bis-
marck and Count Kutusoff, the Military Member of the
Russian Embassy at Berlin, inspected the locality of fes-
terday's fight. It is situated between the eastern
ramparts of Metz and the villages Ars, Lague-
nexy, Borny, and Colombey. At Coligny, west of
Pange, where the head-quarters of the 7th Corps d'Armte
were, the King, with his suite, mounted and proceeded at
once to the battlefield. It appears that on the morning of
the 14th the French army were stationed east of Metz,
occupying three different camps, and stretching over a
space of at least nine kilometres. It is probable that Gene-
ral Bazaine intended to fall back upon Chalons, and that it
was only owing to sundry difficulties with which he had to
contend that we still surprised him at Metz. At two
o'clock in the afternoon General Steinmetz ordered the
7th Corps d'Arm6e (Westiihalians, General von Zastrow)
to proceed to the attack. As on previous occasions, we
found the French behind earthworks and in rifle pits,
which, while protecting them from our fire, exposed our
troops to the full effect of their deadly aim. On this oc-
casion as on some other preceding ones it was observed
that the French, when crouching in rifle pits, fire more
calmly than when in the open. One after the other
we had to take the pits and intrenchments near
Ars, Laguenexy, Griquy, Borny, Colombey, and
some other hamlets, which, surrounded with hedges,
present considerable difficulties for attack. The fight was
long, vehement, and very sanguinary, As the French stood

on the defensive, and only popped up out of their shelter
to fire, their dead have nearly all been shot in the head.
In one rifle pit alone we found 781, all laid low by our
sharpshooters. Our losses, too, are considerable, as we did
not break off the engagement till late in the evening, by
which time we had driven the French into the very glacis
of the fortress. When the enemy began to yield,immense
confusion set in in his ranks. After a short time he had en-
tirely disappeared, most of the slightly wounded managing
to effect their escape with the rest. As we have made pri-
soners of nearly all regiments of the three principal corps
united under General Bazaine (respectively commanded by
Generals Decaen, Frossard, and Ladmirault), it seems
that we had nearly the entire force opposed to us. Yes-
terday's fight, nailing the French army to the spot at
Metz, will be the more prolific in results, as the Crown
Prince has already occupied Luneville, and penetrated
even to Pont-k-Mousson. In the meantime, we are con-
structing a railway from Remilly, south of Metz, to a cer-
tain point north-east of the fortress, which will enable us
to utilise the Saarbruck-Metz-Nancy line, even though
Metz remained in the hands of the enemy. Though a tem-
porary construction, and built in the light style of the
American prairie railways, it is a grand enterprise, and
occupies thousands of labourers. Our difficulties in the
task are the greater, as the inhabitants of the neighbour-
hood have been mostly draughted into Metz to work on
the new fortifications."

The second report is dated Pont-h-Mousson, August 16 :
"The Royal Headquarters having been removed to-
day from Henry to Pont-h-Mousson, are now stationed
in the midst of the three operating armies, cf which the
one, under General Steinmetz, is before Metz ; the other,
under Prince Frederick Charles, has got far beyond Pont-
h-Mousson ; and the third, under the Crown Prince, has
reached Nancy. The basis of future operations now is
the Moselle, between Nancy and Metz. There is little
doubt that the engagement near Pange, on the 14th,
will be attended with the most important conse-
quences. Marshal Bazaine, being obliged to
fight by our troops coming up with him, probably
kept quiet on the 14th, because he had determined to
celebrate the 15th, the Napoleon's Day, by a battle. He
accordingly, in the night, from the 13th to the 14th, drew
his troops together into one continuous line, and, it seems,
awaited the arrival of the Imperial Guard, under General
Bourbaki, on the 15th. However, we left him no time
for the execution of his plans,, but ourselves proceeded
to the attack, in the afternoon of the 14th. We found
ourselves in front of the four corps Ladmirault,
Failly, Decaen, and Frossard, the latter of which, it is
true. could no longer be called a corps, having been almost
crushed at Saarbruck. Of the three corps d'armde form-
ing the First Army, under General Steinmetz (West-
phalians, Rhinelanders and East Prussians), the 7th
or Westphalian, corps opened the fight. The en-
gagement at first was little more than a skirmish,
but by the new French practice of fighting
from rifle pits became very bloody, and assumed
unexpected proportions. Eventually portions of the Ist
(East Prussian) Corps d' Armee became involved, when the
French were driven from pit to pit, from intrenchment to
intrenchment, and at length were compelled to seek
shelter on the glacis of the outworks of Metz. As .we
advanced upon them, they left their ditches soon enough,
but only to seek cover in another trench prepared a
little further back. This, and the telling effect of the
Chassepot, when managed with more deliberate aim, as
it usually is by the French from under cover, retarded our
progress. Still, as we steadily gained ground, we reachcd
the glacirs by the time darkness set in. It was owing to
this very gradual advance of our men that the French had
time allowed them to retreat. The fact of their retreat is
sufficiently proved by their not reappearing on the 15th.
In all probability they have since joined the Guards under
Bourbaki, and are at present drawing off on the high road
from Metz to Chalons. It is just possible they will have
to encounter our Second Army, which has turned to
Thiancourt from Pont-h-Mousson, and is likely to stop
them long before they come in sight of Chalons."

At a meeting of the Central Society of the French
booksellers, it was resolved that all possible means
should be employed to carry out the generous plan of
Baron Holtzendorff.

M. Lexier, of the Siecle, writing from Chalons, says :
"The Imperial head-quarters present an aspect of
melancholy. The Emperor does not shew himself, and
no one has seen him since his arrival at the camp. In
passing along the road near the pavilion which he occupies
I met the Prince Imperial, in uniform and wearing the
military medal, walking with his equerry. He had the
gay and careless air of a boy of his age. After following
the road for a distance, he crossed a field and went and
sat down on the edge of a ditch, where he amused him-
self in drawing lines or figures with his walking-cane in
the sand."

Baron Holtzendorff, Professor of Sciences at Berlin
University, and a member of the Institute of France, has
written to M. Malarce on the subject of providing enter-
tainment for the French prisoners. He is informed that
more than twelve thousand have passed into the hands
of the Germans through the fortunes of war. In
order to lighten the burden of their imprisonment
in a foreign laud he has formed a collection of French
books to be distributed among the French in the prisons
and hospitals. He desires that assistance should be
afforded to him in his undertaking, and requests M.
Malarce to use his influence with the booksellers and pub-
lishers of Paris and procure some interesting works which
would be suitable for the purpose he requires without en-
tating a heavy sacrifice on the donors. He mentions the
fact that one of the publishers of Berlin has sent to the
hospitals, for the use of the wounded, books to the value
of 20,000 fr.

FIELD TELEGRAPHS.—The Opinion Nationale
gives an account of the Prussian field telegraphs :—" I
found there the field telegraph, which extends its lines
in the rear of the troops, according as they advance in
the country occupied by the Germans. A 'division of
pioneers stretches the line in a few hours along a distance
of several leagues. If the lines follow the line of great
forests, the telegraphic engineer follows closely upon the
axes of the pioneers, who cut off the branches in the way
of the wire. The campaign police, whose eyes are never
shut, and whose iron arms know no fatigue, watch during
the execution of these works of the war machine. From

time to time you may see two or four tall strong men on
horseback, m earing the uniform of gendarmes, rise as it
were from the earth and disappear as suddenly. These
horsemen belong to the campaign police. They have the
whole police regulations of the camp in their charge
during the war, and, in case of need, the police regula-
tion of the hostile countries occupied by the German

armies."

HOLLAND AND THE WAlt.—Whilst ➢T. Edmond
About complains in the Soir that Holland is hostile to
France, the Cologne Gazette of Sunday complains that
she is hostile to Prussia. The Gazette says :—" To
thinkers it is very wonderful that in Holland a timid and

hostile feeling still prevails against Germany and Prussia,
as our cousins in the Netherlands pass with justice for
an intelligent and reflecting people ; and, apart from some
fantastical people totally without influence, no one
amongst us has ever cherished any thought of their ab-
sorption, or other injustice directed against them.
French insinuations have without doubt had
much to do with this inexplicable state
of feeling. It is, however, worthy of notice
that it appears to have spread since the Min:stry
of Zuylen van Nyeveld. This is perhaps to be explained
by the fact that Count Zuylen was for some- time Am-
bassador in Berlin, and did not distinguish himself by the
fine and skilful manners of his predecessors and successors
The consequence may have been that the Ambassador did
not meet with the same reception as these, and that he
carried home with him from this time an ill tempered
feeling which now produces its effects."
A PRUSSIAN SOLDIER'S VIEW OF THE WAR.—
A letter from a Prussian soldier to his mother says : " The
battle at Woerth was worse than that at Koniggratz; we
had so many more wounded, for those horrible mitrail-
leuses were hid in between the vineyards all up the steep
hills above Woerth, and the people cowered behind the
vines and bushes and fired down in fury upon our ad-
vancing troops. We could not get at them till our batteries
came up, and when they began to fire in upon the French
army there ensued a scene that must have been horrib'e.
We had about 6,000 dead and wounded, but numbers of
the wounds are in the legs. Very few shots went higher
than the lower parts of the body, but those are the most
dangerous. I think the advancing army despised the
mitrailleuses too much, and so were uselessly exposed. The
Artillery came up too late, but from that moment the
French bolted. I think our fellows had no idea they would
run away in that manner. . . . There must have
been 10,000 French lost in that dreadful battle, and we
have at least half as many more prisoners, mostly un-
wounded. What astonishes me is the number of un-
wounded officers that have fallen into our hands. They
are dispirited, and seem to have little hope for the French
cause. A poor colonel of a miserable regiment that was
cut to pieces, who was wounded and taken prisoner, went
into hysterics at the sight of the remnant of his men. I
am sorry for such old soldiers, but I have not a grain of
pity for Napoleon. He has not a grain of pity for his own
poor people. Who has murdered all those wretched
fellows ; who but himself and Gramont ?

POSTAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN.
ANTWERP AND NEW YORK.

It is very possible that Antwerp is not a potent factor
of European politics, and its opinion that the Franco-
Prussian war will be over in a week, according to a some-
what silly telegram received by the ocean cable, may not
decide the fate of empires. But Antwerp is neverthleess
a town which has within a few years, revived to an extra-
ordinary degree from the decline into which it had
previously fallen. It may yet recover the splendid posi-
tion which it held in the height of its prosperity, between
the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when it was the
commercial centre of Europe, and was frequented by ships
of all nations, boasting of twenty-five hundred vessels ill
port at one time, and of a population of two hundred
thousand. If a letter from Brussels to London may be
credited, Antwerp has already made an additional stride
towards its ancient position by the establishment of
weekly postal service between itself and New York for la
years. The German steamer which Congress recently lost the
opportunity of purchasing may be secured, it is surmised,
for this service, which is additionally important in view
of the uncertainties of communication between this port
and the port of Bremen, Hamburg and Havre, on account
of the European war. Immigration from Germany and
France to the -United States must be temporarily checked
by the war ; but facilities of postal communication with
the Continent of Europe are in greater demhnd than ever
and, so long as Belgium maintains its neutrality, wiJi
doubtless be fully enjoyed.—New Yorlc Herald.

OUR FRENCH AND GERMAN RESIDENTS.

The wise advice which the Courrier des Etats Unis gives
its compatriots in New York, to maintain, especially i°
places of public resort, " the utmost coolness and
moderation," might well be given to the Germans
in our midst, who largely outnumber the French. "
intemperance of language is a lack of self-respect or lb
lack of generosity, according as it is occasioned b)
adversity or by prosperity." It is earnestly to be hoped
that our French and German residents will ac't
repeat the painful personal conflicts which have
already taken place. Why should they quarrel ? Al this
distance from the actual seat of war they might both
coolly look at the situation and repress even the strongest
natural sympathies with one side or the other, rather than
come to blows at the dinner table, in the club or in the
bar-room. The Germans at home are fighting not for
Prussia so much as for Deutschland, not for
absolutism in the persons of Frederick William
and his able Minister Bismaick, as for the
unity of Germany, and, it is not too soon to add,
for a republic as a possible ultimate result of the war'
They are thus really fighting for France as well as for
Germany. On the other hand, should Napoleon either
abdicate or proclaim a universal republic, there would n°
longer exist a bar to the enthusiasm with which the
French people would rise en masse to the defence of their
native soil against foreign invasion. The prestige of the
famous armies of the first French republic would be
recovered. French republicans . and German republican°
would shake hands instead of crossing swords. An era of
peace and conciliation would be inaugurated which nothing
but the restoration of imperial and monarchical despotism
could interrupt. The Germans at home are fighting for
German unity. The Frenchmen at home are fighting
a.iainst foreign invasion. Most of the Germans and of the
French in New York are republicans and need not quarrel
here. If they are " spoiling for a fight " let them go over
to France or to Germany and volunteer for the defence
either of Paris or Berlin.—New York Herald.