The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-31 00:00:00

THE PRUSSIANS AT ROUEN.

The Prussians are concentrating their forces near Gisors,
with the evident intention of marching on Rouen, though,
possibly, with the view of throwing the French off their
guard, they keep their troops in motion. The French on
their side, are taking active precautions, and a change
has been made in the chief command, which has been
transferred to Colonel de Lusay from General Gudin.
The former has distinguished himself on several occasions
during the present war, and his appointment to the chief
command has been very well received, There has been
some talk about the French taking the offensive, but their
complete ignorance with regard to the enemy's movements
as usual interfered. The spy system, so useful
to Prussia has entirely failed France. In-
stead of, knowing exactly the strength of the
Prussian force in such a place, the French military
authorities are absolutely ignorant of what goes on in the
invaded districts. The Prussian spy service is on the
other hand admirable. A few days since there
were eight hundred Prussians at Audelys. They
had piled up their guns, unsaddled their horses,
and left their cannons without horses, while
the men dispersed themselves among the cabarets or in
the houses. A quick witted resident in the neighbour-
hood perceiving that 200 Frenchmen might easily take the
whole body prisoner hastened to give the information to a
body of Free Shooters in the neighbourhood, whose com-
mandant instantly got his men together and marched
rapidly on Audelys. They were scarcely en route,
however, when the Prussian. Colonel, who was
taking his ease at the Prefecture received a note telling
him of the movement of the Free-shooters. He
at once mustered his men and evacuated the town ten
minutes before the freeshooters reached it. There was a
skirmish between Uhlans and Freeshooters near Gisors
which was sufficiently remarkable. The Prussians at first
had but 25 men, but in the twinkling of an eye they were
reinforced to the number of 800, while the Freeshooters
were only 100. The Prussians wished to surround a wood,
but the Freeshooters concentrated themselves there,
and would not let them approach. The Captain, M. Gamier
shewed great courage. Pressed closely by the Prussians,
he intrenched himself in the house of a forester, but he
was exposed to the firg of the musketry. The Prussian
officer, thinking he was lost, advaved, crying " Sur-
render." M. Gamier, for answer, discharged his revolver
and laid him dead at his feet. Escaping, he was fired at
from all directions, but was only slightly wounded in the
hand.

The Official Journal of Paris has published an order of
the General-in-Chief; which confers the rank of sergeant
on a corporal of a marching regiment of Zouaves, who
swam across the Seine, under the Prussian fire, to rescue
a messenger of the army. This unfortunate man had
taken refuge on the island of Marande, as his boat had
been destroyed' by the enemy's shots. The corporal
found a cask on the bank, and placing the messenger in it
he drew it in safety to the shore.
The Libert6 advises the commandants at depots, and
the colonels of marching regiments, to keep a sharp look-
out, because a well-informed person coming from Belgium,
has said that the Prussians have bought a number of
certificates belonging to soldiers who were prisoners in
Belgium, and that, in consequence, several spies have
passed into France on the pretext of being French
soldiers.

The Courier du Havre says that on the 21st some
Uhlans returned to Etrepagnay and demanded a fresh
requisition from the mayor. The latter replied that the
canton was too poor to furnish it. The Uhlans left, and
returned next day to the number of 300 with two pieces of
artillery. They pillaged some warehouses and insisted on
being supplied with 4,000 francs, 100 bags of oats, forage,
and straw. The required stores were got together with
the greatest difficulty.
-

A Vienna correspondent, says that the Dutch Govern-
ment proposes in a confidential manner, to sell the Grand
Duchy, and Count Bismarck, mysterious always, pro-
poses to buy it. The king justifies his proposal, by the
fact that Luxemburg must enter into a customs alliance
with one of its neighbours, and it chooses the Zollverein
because Begium and France are out of the question. The
King of Prussia, says that a foreign country cannot be
received into the Zollverein ; and hence the necessity for
a cession to take place. Count Bismarck intimates
that he can dispense with the consent of the population
to the cession, and their votes need not be taken on the
questi
A FRENCH REFUGEE.—At the Mansion House,
Edouard Xorier, an elderly Frenchman, was brought
before the Lord Mayor, charged with obtaining
I money by false pretences from the French Refugee
Aid Society, in King-street, Cheapside. It
appeared from the evidence, of Mr. Bennoch, the
secretary to the society, that about a fortnight ago the
defendant called upon him, and represented that he
was in great distress, and had only just been turned out
of Paris as a " bouche inutile," or useless mouth, and,
upon his signing the paper, witness gave him half-a-
crown, and told him to call again, and that in-
quiries would be made about him. The result
of these inquiries was that it was discovered that the
defendant had been in this country for several years, and
that he got his living by imposing-upon the charitable. A
passport was found upon the prisoner, by the dates upon
which it appeared that he had been in Paris within a
comparatively recent period. This was explained by Mr.
Bennoch stating that the defendant appeared to have con
trived to get to Paris occasionally, and obtain vises to his
passport, and was thus enabled the better to carry out
his fraud. Mr. Bennoch also said that a great many
genuine cases of the most painful distress came before the
society, and it was necessary to prevent any imposition
from being practised. The Lord Mayor sentenced the
prisoner to two months' hard labour.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE

NEWMARKET RACES-SATURDAY.

Gaston
Callipolis f
Clos Vougeot,

£lOO PLATE,

Fifteen ran.
HANDICAP PLATE.

Miss Hervine
Duke of Beaufort
Theodore

Eight ran.
MATCH.

Patience
Gruelthorpe
SWEEPSTAKES OF 10 SOUS,

Ismael
Newsman
Blonde ..

Seven ran
PLATE OF 50 SOVS,
Queen of the May
Gantelet
Eole II

Eleven ran.
HOUGHTON HANDICAP.