The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-26 00:00:00

WAR TOPICS.

We shall not wonder if European armies learn the same
truth which was so clearly shown in our war of the Rebel-
lion, that young men are the best generals. The Crown
Prussia, who has the chief glory of the defeat of the French
army, is not yet thirty nine years old, and before he was
thirty-five he had made himself a great name at Sadowa.
Prince Frederick Charles, the King's nephew, who com-
mands the Prussian right, and is esteemed the ablest of
all King William's generals, is forty-two years old. Most
of the fighting at Sadowa was done by his army.
Nearly all the French leaders are old men.—The French
journals published in this city appeared yesterday with-
out the news of the defeat of M`Mahon and Frossard, the
excitement in Paris, the proclamation of the Cabinet, or
the bulletin of the Empress. Nay, one of them devoted
its first three columns to the elaboration of a theory of the
battle, based upon the news of Friday and Saturday, and
arrived at the conclusion that if certain supposed move-
ments had taken place, " the army of the Crown Prince
must have been not only vanquished, but broken
to pieces, inasmuch as it could receive effective
succour neither from Prince Frederick Charles nor from
King William, having been cut off from them by the
French movement against Neuenkirchen on Thursday."
There is so much virtue in an "if ! " The French journals
receive no telegraphic despatches, but it is strange that
they should have remained all Sunday afternoon and
evening in ignorance of the serious intelligence which was
then posted on the bulletins and agitating the whole city.
The French army has been out-generaled
and out-fought. At the beginning of the cam-
paign all the conditions were in the Emperor's
favour ; but Von Moltke beat him in manceuvering
as Von Steinmetz beat Frossard, and the Crown Prince
decidedly beat MacMahon. The strategy of the Prussian
left was indeed in beautiful contrast with all the French
movements up to this time. In actual conflict the
superiority of the Prussians seems, from the present
meager accounts, to have been equally marked. There
have been fair stand-up fights and headlong charges, and
the Germans have shown, in addition to their charac-
teristic steadiness and obstinacy, all that elan which
is supposed to be tr e distinguishing merit of
the French.—The Baltic expedition is indefi-
nitely postponed, and its commander, Gen. Trochu, goes
to Metz to relieve Bazaine, who takes the place of Lebceuf.
General Trochu is a younger man than most of the other
corps commanders, and military critics rate him as one
of the best of French commanders.—As soon as Napoleon
is beaten, Prussia assumes a peremptory tone towards
England—at which nobody outside of England will be dis-
pleased, and immediately England takes a decided attitude
on the question of Belgian neutrality—at which nobody
outside of Franc@ will be displeased. France is
already experiencing the correctness of the old saying,
that nothing succeeds like success, and England has evi-
dently learned the same great truth.—lt is supposed that
Denmark is not so anxious now for a French affiance as
she was a week ago.—Napoleon is reported to be sick.
We don't doubt it. He is the sickest man in Europe.
—The tranquil infant has returned to Paris with his
bullet. The army has wept again.—Minister 011ivier
rightly appreciates the estimation in which he is held by
Frenchmen. In both the proclamations which he has issued
since the French defeat he has begun by assuring the
people that " the whole truth has been told them." The
assurance was certainly needed, in view of former deceit-
ful practices of the Government.—The attack of the
Crown Prince at Weissenburg seems to have been a
complete surprise. General Douay knew nothing of
his danger until the Prussian artillery began to
play upon him. Then the French account says he was
outnumbered, but that he was so is more discreditable
to the French than any other blunder of the campaign.
—The idea of the mitrailleuse, according to the Army and
Navy Journal, was borrowed from the American Gatling
gun, which had been submitted to the French Government
just before the famous machine now used in Napoleon's
army was first made. There is a Belgian gun of the same
kind, the invention of Montigny, which Is said to be
superior to the French. The following figures are given
as the result of an experimental trial of the Montigny and
Gatling guns. With a target 87 feet long by 26 feet high,
at a distance of 430 yards, out of 370 cartridges placed in
the Montigny gun, 278 truck, and at 650 yards the hits
were in the proportion of about fifty per cent. The Gat-
ling gun was fired at a target only ten feet square,
and 500 yards distant, and of 110 shots not one
missed. With the same target, at the distance of 1,000
yards, 76 per cent. of the shots struck. The story of
the terrible execution done by the mitrailleuse upon a
yard full of broken-down horses, like the story of its
mowing down columns of Prussians at Saarbruok, was no
doubt intended to be given to the army—as a tonic. The
men would keep up wonderfully if they thought every
regiment had on its flank a little Allachine which, by the
turn of a crank, could scatter the enemy's files in the
twinkling of an eye, —Xere York Tribune.

The Athens correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette
writes :—" Whatever may be the secret of the policy, the
fact itself is indisputable—the Russians are at this moment
lending us all their aid in Greece, and using every influ-
ence they possess to induce the Greek Cabinet to accede
to our demands. So far have they succeeded that NI.
Delegiorgisthe Premier, has at last given way, and per-
mitted the English law officers to be present at the exa-
minations."

and. proved a complete success.
METROPOLITAN POLICE ORPHANAGE.-011 Wed-
nesday a fete in aid of the funds of this charity was given
Palace
eoommissioners of Police and of the
superintendents lent eclat to the proceedings,
eeeanrliivened by 19 police-bands. The day proved
alwda lithh: pleasantttieecrhrihpyeertwCesersirunespct
opened in September, and is situated at Twickenham, will
be Fortescue House, which is capable of holding 100
children,

POSTPONEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL WORK-
ING MEN'S CONGRESS.—In consequence of the war the
general council of the International Working Men's Asso-
ciation has appealed to the continental sections to sanction
the suspension of the rule which makes it imperative that
the annual congress should meet on the first Monday in
September. In their replies the sections are unanimous
in stating that, under existing circumstances, the congress
could not be held anywhere at the appointed time, and
they authorise the council to appoint the time and place
of the meeting according to its judgment. Some are of
opinion that the congress osay be held iu Paris at no
distant date,