The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-05 00:00:00

JUST BEFORE THE COLLAPSE.

It seems like the bitterest satire on themselves, their
hopes, their threats, their resolves, reading the Paris
newspapers just now come to hand, dated last evening--
now that we have the actual result from the seat of war
absolutely in our possession :--

Marshal MacMahon and his army caving in with a
capitulation—
emperor Napoleon delivering himself up personally
to the King of Prussia—
The " Army of the Rhine " defeated on the frontiers
of Belgium—
the journals ,of the French capital are yet discussing
the probabilities of triumphant turn being given to the
campaign. They are yet calculating upon the long
looked for union being ,effected between the forces
of Bazaine and the forces of MacMahon some-
lvhere midway between Metz and Montmedy. They
are Busily engaged preparing for the defence of the
capital, hoping against hope whenever an ominous tele-
gram has reached them circuitously, little thinking that
the armies are `4
,done for," and that the Sovereign, in
sporting phrase, is nowhere."

Our Parisian contemporaries in point of fact, now that
we are reading them, damp from the press—reading them
111 the glare of these astounding telegrams from Sedan
Berlin—are already obsolete. Notwithstanding this,
,we continue our translations from their columns as ketp-
;lug up the chain of information as to events immediately

prior to the Emperor's surrender and the Marshal's capi-
tulation.

NEWS FROM SEDAN.

The special correspondent at Sedan for the Temps,
namely, M. Georges Jeannerod, writing under date 30th
ult.—that is on Tuesday—little foreseeing what was going
to happen at that very place only three days afterwards,
that is on Friday, says :
" For MacMahon the very first thing to do
is to hold out the hand to Bazaine, to unite to
his own 120,000 men, whatever yet remains of
those valiant legions, after their heroic combats, and
with this still formidable mass, to throw himself at the
centre of the Prussian armies, and compel them to forego
their intended march upon Paris. This is the very plan
sketched out all along as inevitable in the event of an in-
" vasion and with the capital duly fortified. The delay of our
armaments and the inequality of the forces of Marshal
Bazaine blocked up in Metz alone compelled the carrying
out of this plan to be reflected in this particular direction.
As to the object the Prussians have before them, every
body to whom I have had occasion to speak upon these
matters agrees in thinking that I had good reason in sup-
' posing that they aimed at carrying out the same
manoeuvres here that have already been carried out at
Metz. The design is evidently to circumvent MacMahon
on the south end on the east as they have down with
Bazaine.

" Not less than in the instance of Bazaine, this would not
by any means be the work of a day, for a great army is
not assuredly to be dealt with like a mere division.
The danger, however, is in the perseverance of the
enemy, in the renewing of the battalions they freely
devote to death, sothat the last armies shall finish by
triumphing.
" The two armies are actually in presence of each other
during these last three days—preparing for the encounter.
They observe one another. They remain silent and
watchful. Each is on the look out to deceive his antago-
nist, if possible. This terrible game, however, cannot last
long without the intervention of cannon. I arrived this
morning at'Sedan in a carriage, so that I might be
at the actual scene of operations. I shall only quit my
post of observation in order to send off my letters when and
how I can. No trains, no couriers have any more free
passage. Meanwhile I carry my passport in my pocket,
ready to cross the frontier into Belgium, if need be even
on foot, to avoid being taken, and in order that I may be
enabled to rejoin you if it should unhappily prove that
my mission is definitely terminated.
" The Prince Imperial has quitted the town, and re-
turned to M6zieres. They inform me that he held a
review there of several squadrons, while others tell me at
Sedan that he severely reprimanded the commissary of
police because of a disturbannce that had taken
place among some drunken carousers. In either of
these two causes which should you regard as the more
marvellous on the part of this youngster, his holding a
review under the actual circumstances, or his having this
scene with the commissary of police ?

"Yesterday evening we had, at Mkieres, some cavalry
officers who had been wounded towards the close of
an affair of outposts. They belonged to the 12th
Chasseurs. Many pressed round them to interrogate
them, but they were fatigued for one thing, and in the
next evidently knew little or nothing. This ignor-
ance on the part of everyone is very em-
barrassing for a correspondent who wishes, as
I do, to acquit myself of my charge as faithfully
as possible. Nothing can express the sense of tedium to
which we are doomed in consequence. The correspondent
of the New York Herald said. to me yesterday that he
knew nothing comparable to it. Sedan is a town
of 18,000 souls, and is built at the foot of a suffi-
ciently strong citadel. I have found a library here
where they provided me with Le Temps, assuming
me at the same time when they did so that they were not
dissatisfied with its correspondence. Upon this I did not h esi-
tate to explain who I was. Nevertheless that did not save
me, a little while afterwards, on emerging from the town,
from being pursued and surrounded by four zealous ob-
servers, with fixed bayonets, demanding my surname, my
Christian name, my quality, and all the rest of it.
Then it was that one appreciated the value of one's pass-
port. On re-entering the town I beheld a touching spec-
tacle. Artillerymen, to what number I know not, having
defiled there—to them the inhabitants bring wine, fruit,
cakes, bread, sausages, sardines. They bring them
these things in overflowing baskets. May these evi-
dences of sympathy be auguries of better things than
the like incidents in Alsace at the commencement of the
campaign ! Whether it will be so, we shall see imme-
diately. I stop writing, for the courier, if courier he be,
is about to leave, and I am determined to remain here yet
awhile."

The Liberte rectifies an error which it made with respect
to the death of the son of General Uhrich, the Com-
mander of the town of fitrazbonrg. Albert Uhrich, pro-
moted to the rank of captain on the morrow of the battle
of Eeischoffen, is at present attached to the staff of
Marshal MacMahon.

The Paris correspondent of the Manchester Examiner
says Bazaine's victory at Courcelles is confirmed in official
quarters, and it is stated that 30,000 Prussians were left
dead on the field ! Prince Charles's cavalry was, accord-
ing to this account, entirely destroyed, and he was pre-
vented from joining the Crown Prince. Count Palikaos's
nephew at the War Office has received a despatch stating
that MacMahon was attacked on the 30th while crossing
the Meuse, and was driven back to Douchey, near Sedan,
but the next day he drove the Prussians back to Ville-
montry.
A meeting of the Alsatians in Paris took place the
other day; from two to three thousand were present. The
misfortunes of Strasbourg formed the object of discussion.
As the Government could not or would not send arms to
Alsace with sufficient speed, a subscription for the purpose
was organised. A protest was then drawn up against the
neglect with which the unfortunate and heroic city was
treated. This protest which was in the form of a petition
to the Corps Legislatif was then taken by a deputation to
M. Jules Favre, has presented it at the sitting
in the Palais Bourbon. The meeting was characterised
by its calmness. M. Ratisbon, who took part in the affair
declared that as Strasbourg had deserved well of France,
France should deserve well of Strasbourg.
The correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, writing
from Dinant on Friday night, says that the carnage at
the battle of Sedan was monstrous. He received some
particulars from General de Septueuil, who commanded
the light cavalry brigade in the corps of MacMahon. He
was thrown upon the Belgian soil with the whole of his
staff was made prisoner by Belgian gendarmes, and is now
at Dinaut, on his way to Namur, where he is to be kept;
he has with him nine officers, among whom is
an artillery colonel. On the 30th a division of Failly's
was taken by surprise and defeated. On the 31st there
were some considerable successes achieved by MacMahon
on the very same position where the fight took place on
the next day. The Prussians lost several thousand men
without inflicting any injury on the French. Confidence
was so great that the Prince Imperial returned from Avesnes
to Mezieres. The Prussian forces afterwards succeeded
in crossing the Meuse, and they then began to surround
Sedan from all sides ; `and the French cavalry, assembled
behind that town, unable to move in the mountainous
locality, and placed between cross artillery fires of the
right and left flanks of the curved Prussian line, was
forced to save itself as best it could. Since then the
General knows nothing. MacMahon is wounded, but did
not leave the battle-field.

The Industriel Alsacien has furnished some details with
respect to the bombardment of Strasbourg, which were
given by some persons who contrived to leave Strasbourg,
and return to France by the German route. The bom-
bardment commenced on the 15th of August, and con-
tinued almost incessantly ever since, more especially
during the night from half-past ten until six in the morn-
ing. It is carried on from three points. The frontage of
the Cathedral has been greatly damaged, and in many
quarters the buildings have been almost entirely de-
stroyed. The Bank of France was struck by balls, and some
ladies who had taken refuge in its cellars had to make a re-
treat, as they did not think themselves safe. In all parts of
the town smoking ruins may be witnessed. When
a house is on fire the Prussians keep pouring shot on it so
that the task of the firemen is a very difficult one. This
may account for the circumstance that whole quarters of
the city are so completely destroyed. For the last ten days th e
inhabitants have remained in the cellars by night and by
day, Onsp whose houses are burned take refuge in the
churches. 'De people are in the greatest distress and are
hoping every day 0124 t tbe French army may come to their
rescue. The Prussians are 4344t0 be revenging themselves
on Strasburg for the difficulties which they, have en-
countered in their march on Paris, and for the ardent
patriotism which they did not expect to meet with in
Alsace.