The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-19 00:00:00

'l'll SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVEA ING, AUGUST 19, 1870.

Silesians, as well as the martial legions of Bavaria,
Wurtemburg, and Baden, worthy rivals of their northern
brethren in gallantry and in discipline. Such an army
has never been assembled under one leader since the
days of Xerxes ; yet Germany is in a position to double
or treble it, if need be, without proceeding to the
desperate measures already instituted in France. —Cor-
respondent of the Telegraph.

THE FRENCH Tnoops.—l had several opportu-
nities at the railway stations and elsewhere of observing
the behaviour of the French soldiers, and was a good
deal amused by their active and lively proceedings,
as well as pleased with their simple and courteous
manners. There was about those I encountered nothing
of the arrogance and offensiveness which are very
generally, and too often with justice, at%ributed to
the military character. True, most of them were but
young soldiers, and military vices like military virtues
requir6, I believe, some time to come to perfection ; but
I can hardly imagine that even a long series of campaigns
could transform the quiet and more than decently-con-
ducted youths whom I encountered at Commercy and
elsewhere into the farouches warriors of the First
Empire. I sincerely hope that they will not
have the opportunity, for I am certain that most
of these lads would, make good and industrious citizens ;
and would contribute much more to the advantage of the
world by the cultivation of the peaceful pursuits from
which they have been torn, than by killing and being
killed on some ensanguined battle plains, however greatly
the struggles in which they are to engage may tend to
advance the military art, and all the improvements in
weapons of destruction to which the experience of the
present war may give rise notwithstanding.—Letter in
Daily News.

DIFFICULTIES NEAR METZ.—After a long walk,
for no carriage was to be had, I was nearing the
station, when a group of soldiers, one of whom was
drunk, surrounded me and forced me back to the
village, where I was taken to the guard-room,
shewed my papers to the Commissary of Police,
was again found to be all right, and liberated with
politeness. The Commissary added a certificate stating
that my papers were perfectly in order. The
worst of this state of things is, that even with a
safe conduct one is still liable to be stopped and molested.
The soldiers who take it into their heads to stop you, take
it for granted that you are a spy, and they have nothing
to do with your papers. Then, on the way you may be
killed, for the crowd increases at every step. I walked
two miles in the midst of a crowd shouting " Hang him,"
&c. Women started from the doorways which lined the
road and flew at me with clenched fists. Such scenes
have never been seen Since the first French Revolution.—
Daily News Correspondent with the French Army.
TERMS.—I am of opinion that Alsace and Lorraine
will be retained as the prize of conquest, fairly won in the
battle-field. The Southern Germans have deserved, and
will expect, some recompense for the splendid readi-
ness of their adhesion to Prussia, and for the devoted
patriotism they have displayed in pouring forth
their heart's blood to consolidate the union and yin-
.dicate the independence of the Fatherland. That
recompense is conveniently at hand ; and to suppose that
Prussia will not take advantage of the fact, would be to
suppose that her Rulers are more or less than human.
France, after making the tremendous sacrifices that have
been required of her, and making them in vain, will be
-neither disposed nor able to disburse any heavy sums
of money in the way of war indemnities ; her finances
will be in a disastrous condition, and years of
economy, strict and radical, must elapse ere she will be
able to set her house in order. Lorraine and Alsace -
which are ancient German provinces, and, in themselves,
not profitable contributors to the State Budget—will
probably change owners, resuming their former nationality ;
and their cession will be accepted by Germany as a settlement
of accounts between her and her conquercd assailant.—
Correspondent of Telegraph at Ludwigshaven.
THE DEFEAT AT WOERTH .—The following
is from a letter in the Journal de Paris.
It is written by a French soldier. "On arriving at
Brumath, where the branch line from Haguenau joins the
trunk line to Strasburg, our train stopped to allow the
passage of another filled with wounded. A little after we
saw the road which skirts the railway covered with men
running away—horse and foot—pell-mell, in fearful con-
fusion—a terrific route (dgandade epouvantable.) We
were evidently beaten ; but no one supposed the
disaster to be so great as it was discovered to be next day.
Strasburg was in a state of scare : such must have been the
tumultus of the Romans when the Gau's had arrived at the
gates. The drums beat to muster, the church bells rung the
tocsin, the gates were hurredly shut. The wounded and run-
aways from the battle-field arrized in crowds, went about
the streets imploring the inhabitants' charity, and describ-
ing the incidents of the day. It soon became known that
the first corps was utterly routed, that our soldiers fought like
heroes, but had to succumb under overwhelming odds ; that
towards evening ammunition failed, and retreat became
necessary ; that the cavalry had suffered heavily,
most of its officers having fallen whilst charging
at the head of their squadrons ; in short, that
there had been a defeat ; but a glorious re-
treat. Next morning—Sunday—all these rumours were
confirmed. It was reported, moreover, that the railway
was taken by the enemy, and that we were all prisoners
in Strasburg. I did not believe a word of it, and
jumping on a locomotive soon reached Saverne, at the
foot of the Vosges. What troops Marshal MacMahon
had left were encamped at Saverne, on both sides of the
railway. The soldiers were in a state of intense fatigue
and dilapidation, seeking in vain for something to eat in
the little town which had witnessed their onward passage
with so much enthusiasm, and did not expect to see
them return otherwise than victorious. Neverthe-
less a few cows were slaughtered—a very meagre
meal for so many hungry men. But before the
rations were cooked, the outposts set up a shout of alarm—
`The Prussians are coming!'—and the camp was thrown
into confusion, and the town into a perfect panic.
I then saw a sight which I never can forget.
The whole population leaving behind their
houses, their business, their interests, fled as
though seized with frenzy, with all they could carry
away, shouting 'To the mountain ! to the mountain !'
I ran to the station for my luggage, and as I could
not find a single house where I could put up, I entrusted
it to a person who was kind enough to take it in charge,
and started up the mountain with the rest. The scene
was precisely like that in one of Erchmann-Chat-
rian's novels. Along the rugged pathways of the
Vosges a long file of women in tears, children stagger-
ing and stumbling along, men with sad, gloomy faces,
in the plain below the confused noise of the Prussians ad-
vancing and of our retreating forces—night coming on,
and the mists rising from the valleys. After two hours'
march we got to a village perched on so isolated a peak
that the natives had not the remotest idea of what was
going on a few miles below, and whom our arrival threw
into a state of panic."

Messrs. Whitbread. and Co., the celebrated Lon-
don brewers having noticed the ever increasing. demand
for all kinds of bottled beers, have commenced bottling
the various kinds of liquors manufactured by themselves,
and Mr. Robert Baker, of 26, Worship-street, Finsbury,
has been appointed their sole agent. The excellent qua-
lities of the beverages supplied by this firm are so well
known that it is, therefore, almost unnecessary to state
that the finest qualities only of stout, ale, and cooper are
bottled, and that they are in splendid condition.
THE HARVEST.—The weather continues favour-
able in the eastern district for the prosecution of harvest
work. About Diss, Norfolk, wheat, which is quite an
average yield this year, is in most instances cut and in the
sheaves. Barley is not quite so forward. In East Suffolk
a large number of farmers have finished their wheat
harvest.

MILITARY NEWS.—It would appear that the War
Office has at length got the " thin end of the wedge "
into the Horse Guards, for we learn that a branch of the
registry office at Pall Mall is now fairly established in
working order in the Commander-in-Chief's office, where
the old system of recording papers, &c., was deemed de-
fective by the War Office officials. Orders have been
given for the amalgamation of the offices of the Con-
troller in Ireland and the Controller of the Dublin
Division.

HER MAJESTY'S SHIPS ORDERED HOME.—The
following ships have been ordered home from the under-
mentioned stations, to be paid out of commission :—Chal-
lenger, 18, screw corvette, Commander Rowley Lambert,
C. 8., from Australia—this vessel wos commissioned at
Sheerness in April, 1866, and left England in May follow-
ing ; Cruiser, 5, screw sloop, Commodore George G. Duff,
from the Mediterrnaean—this vessel was commissioned at
Portsmouth, July 22, 1866, and left England in August
following : Dart, 5, screw gunvessel, Commander the
Hon. John Carnegie, from the North America and
West India station—she was commissioned at Ports-
mouth, August 25, 1866, and left England September 28
following ; Reindeer, 7, screw sloop, Commander Edward
Nares, from the Pacific—she was commissioned at
Chatham, October 27, 1866, and left England in January,
1867.

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