The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-31 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 31, LB7u.

(GERMAN ACCOUNT.) •
GRAND- PRE, AUGUST 30.
The village of Vrizy, situated between Vouziers
andAttigny, which was occupied by French infantry
chiefly Turcos, was yesterday stormed and captured
by two squadrons of Prussian hussars. The village
lies high, and is a strong position. The defending
force were taken prisoners.
Two officers of the general staff of Marshal Mac-
Mahon were brought in by three Uhlans of the
Guard.

PARIS, August 30 (Evening).
The Crown Prince is making forced marches to
reach 11IacMahon.

It is stated here to-day that the Prince is now 36
hours behind the calculation of the Prussian staff,
and will not be able to arrive at the proper moment.
The rumoured engagements of the last few days
are believed to _have been cavalry affairs be-
tween outposts or recon 'loitering parties. In official
quarters it is denied that any general or importang
engagement has taken place up to yesterday after-
noon.

No authentic news has been received respecting the
asserted junction of Marshals Bazaine and MacMahon.
The garrison of Metz and the army of Bazaine are
said to be well supplied.

Fifty thousand Germans are now besieging Stras-
bourg, and the library is entirely destroyed by the
bombardment.,
An agitation has commenced in various dis-
tricts of France amongst the peasantry against
the nobles, gentry, and clergy, whom the
agitators accuse of sympathy with Prus-
sia. Disturbances from this cause have occurred
at Be et Villaine, Montfort, liondain, Bretagne, and
Touraiue.

The Temps strongly condemns the recent at
to excite religious fanaticism against the
French Protestants, and says that it has received
numerous warnings from all sides respecting the
danger incurred by the Protestants in the South of
France and Alsace who are accused of Prussian
leanings.

FIGHTING NEAR MONTMEDY.
BRUSSELS, AUGUST 30, 8.15 P.M.

The train from Paris, due here at 2 p.m., has not
yet arrived. Notices have been posted up at the
railway station in Paris announcing that the daily
service for passengers has been suspended since yes-
terday morning until further orders.
The railway guards of trains coming from Mau-
benge state that fighting was going on on Tuesday
along the whole line of the frontier frcm Montmedy
to Sedan.

[The following telegram, dated Florenville, yester-
day evening, is from the Standard's correspondent :
At three o'clock the Emperor was at Biebelle
Farm, two miles from Carignan. Fighting is going
on between Moulins and Fouilly, a few miles
distant. MacMahon apparently successful. No
troops of Bazaine here.]

THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.
PARIS, AUGUST 30, EVENING.

In to-day's sitting of the Legislative Body, MM.
Andre and Johnstone protested against tile accusa-
tions which had been levelled against French Pro-
testants with reference to their attitude during the
war. They declared that the Protestant population
of France were ready to sacrifice life and fortune in
defence of the country.

M. Henri Chevreau, the Minister of the Interior,
stigmatised the accusations referred to as
unworthy intrigues. The Minister added
that he had had his recent declarations
on this subject printed, and that it would be
placarded to-morrow. He concluded by expressing.
ms conviction Ina!, ior an 1, rencumen unerei tluoutu
be now but one religion, the religion of patriotism.

M. Ernest Picard suggested that there was an
occult government at work behind the actual
Ministry.

M. Chevrean repelled this insinuation, and said
that the time when concord was being urged, was
not a fitting moment for such insiduous xemarks.
(Cheers.)

LUXEMBURG NEUTRALITY.
PARIS, AUGUST 30, EVENING.

A. categorical denial is given to an assertion of to-
day's Figaro, that the Ministers of War and Marine
received a despatch yesterday, affirming that twenty
vessels of large tonnage, and splendidly equipped, had
left different American ports with German filibusters
on board, with the object of landing the latter in
open French ports, and subjecting them to
pillage. It is added that in any case measures
have been taken to give such adventurers a warm
reception.
The Minister of the Netherlands in Paris formally
contradicts a statement of the Luxemburg corre-
spondent of a London newspaper; to the effect that
the Dutch Minister had signified to the French
Cabinet that his Government would permit..a short
violation of the Treaty of London, by authorising
French troops to cross Luxemburg territory, prided
they made no stay there.

Mayence and Munster, and the Vicar of Frieburg ar
expected to-day. The duration of the conference is un -
certain. The sittings open to-morrow, but will be
secret.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL RACES.—This DAY,

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRA:M)
PRODUCE STAKES.

Arrow flight ......
The Knight

MAIDEN PLATE.

Hesperia ...
Bar ms
Nunnery...

Seven ran.
WELTER STAKES

Brother to Vex
April M0rn.....
Blossom

... 1

2
3

Five ran.
ALL AGED STAKES.

Leases
Visage
Romance

MOLYNEUX CUP.

Plaudit
Stephanotis... .
Adelaide

Nine ran.

DERBY RA.CES.-TAIS DAY.
RAWDON HANDICAP.

Lincoln
Lady Annie
St. George
Headingley

BEAUFORT CUP.

Ismael ..... .
Masaniello..
Lady Annie.

1
2
3

1
2
• 3

NURSERY STAKES.

Peasant Girl
Kenmore
Flying Duchess c
SCURRY HANDICAP.

Thunderclap
Siege Train........
Flyaway g

2

WEYMOUTH RACES—This DAY.

COUNTY STAKES.

Nero
blalaria
Westward Ho i
DORSETSHIRE STAKES
Dentelle...

Whimsical
Thornettle

1

2

1

2
3

Bordeaux..,
Tartuffe....

SCURRY HANDICAP.

CITY BETTING—THIS DAY.
LIVERPOOL CUP.
7to 2 agst Myosotis (taken and offered)
4to 1 agst Indian Ocean (taken)
sto 1 agst Free Trade (taken)
7to 1 agst Choral (taken)
Bto 1 agst Fidelia (taken)
10 to 1 agst Torreador (taken and offered)
10 to 1 agst Ploughboy (offered)
ST. LEGER.
7to 4 agst Kingcraft (taken and offered)
sto 1 agst Palmerston (offered)
11 to 2 agst Macgregor (offered)
10 to 1 agst Captivator (offered)
25 to 1 agst Tabernacle (offered)
30 to 1 agst Normanby (offered)
4Q to 1 agst Wheatear (offered)
1000 to 20 agst Camel (offered)
CESAREWITCH
1000 to 20 agst Capdaliste (taken)
1000 to 15 agst Starter (taken)
CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
1000 to 15 agst Maid of Athol (taken)
1000 to 15 agst Mahonia (taken).
1000 to 15 agst Royal Rake (taken)

NATIONAL TEMPERANCE LEAGUE FETE
AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
, The last week in August is alwr ys looked forward to by
the teetotallers of the United Kingdom as the time when the
annual gathering of the friends of the movement takes
place at the Crystal Palace—a place in every resp ect fitted
for a demonstration combining instruction with the pur-
suit of pleasure. So far, the annual gatherings of the
National Temperance League at the Palace have been
unqualified successes, the excellent arrangements and
the respectable character of the assembly, inducing thou-
sands in the metropolis and the country to make this
their grand day's "outing:" Last year over 53,000 per-
sons paid for admission into the Palace and grounds on
the Temperance fete day ; and on the present occasion
the numbers must have exceeded even that large
figure. Yet there was no overcrowding apparent ;
but all the visitors seemed to enjoy them-
selves to the utmost in contemplating the
art treasures and specimenA of manufacturing skill within
the fairylike structure itself ; in strolling through the
mazy walks and along the palatial terraces, adorned with
the choicest floral beauties; in forming family and
friendly groups for purposes of refection and social
chat; in patronising the sports of the fair-
ground, swinging, rowing, and cricketing ; in
admiring the denizens of the prairies and
jungle, caged in a mammoth menagerie ; in riding tractable
steeds and untractable velocipedes; in watching the soul-
cheering procession of thousands of Band of Hope
children, gathered from all parts, and forming a hopeful
reserve corps for the cold water army ; in listening to the
sweet strains of harmony breathed forth by a select
and trained portion of the same children from
the grand orchestra, which was filled with a pleasant
company of 5,000 beaming faces, shining radiantly forth
from a fleecy cloud of white muslin ; in listening to the
advocacy of Temperance principles from the various plat-
forms ; and, in short, in whatever form they pleased, the
vast multitudes spent a happy day. The gathering was
not a purely metropolitan one, but was really
national, as befitted the occasion—special excursion trains
having been ran from all parts of the country, to enable
the friends of the movement to muster in force and take
counsel together.
The programme put forth was certainly a very tempting
one including a cricket match between the London and
Upper Edmonton Temperance Clubs, an instrumental
concert, a public meeting, under the chairmanship of
Samuel B'wly, Esq. (addressed by the Baboo Keshub
Chunder Sen and other gentlemen), a Band of Hope pro-
cession in the grounds, a concert
uyb 5,000 children of the
United Kingdom Band of Hope nion, a grand baloon
ascent, a grand display of the great fountains, Mr.
°award's performance on the festival organ, and a
bell-ringing entertainment by the Temperance Hand-
bell-ringers. Meetings were also held in the grounds
throughout the day. One was in connection with the '
Order of the Sons of Temperance, the members of which I
appeared in full regalia. The day proved fine, notwith-
steding a few threatening clouds, and everything passed
off in the most successful manner.

THE CROYDON WIFE MURDER..—John Carver,
who was convicted and sentenced to death at the last
Guildford assizes for the murder of his wife, this afternoon
received a free pardon from her Majesty.
DEATH BY DROWNING OF THE EARL OF ABER-
DEEN—ABERDEEN, Wednesday.—Intelligence was received
to-day by the Earl of Aberdeen's family that his lordship
had been drowned whilst on a passage from America to
Melbourne. The noble earl, who was in his twenty-ninth
year, has been travelling some time, and little has been
heard of him for the last two years. He is succeeded by
his brother, the Hon. John Campbell Gordon, who was
born in 1847.

Mr. Wells, who has been appointed aeronaut to the
Prussian army, crossed from Dover to Ostend this morn-
ing with a balloon, bound for- the Prussian head-
quarters.

THE REPRESENTATION OF SHREWSBURY.—We
understand that Mr. Cotes and Mr. Commissioner Kerr
will contest the representation of Shrewsbury in the
Liberal interest. Mr. Douglas Straight will be the Con-
servative candidate.

THE STABBING CASE IN THE BOROUGH.—DEATH OF THE
VICTIM.—On inquiry at Guy's Hospital yesterday it was
stated that George Meyers had expired at ten o'clock
that morning from the effects of the injuries inflicted on
him by George Martin Bailey. The unfortunate man has
suffered very much since Saturday (the day he was
stabbed). and he died in great agony, The inquest will be
held at the hospital on Thursday next.

THE WESTERN LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY.—In the
Chambers of Vice-Chancellor Bacon an application
was made by the official liquidator of the above society
to authorise the demand of a call of £1 per share, mak-
ing in the aggregate about £30,000 upon the contribu-
tories. It transpired that Mrs. Cecilia Willis was an
annuitant of the society, and as the payment of her
money from the Western, as well as the assignee of the
Albert, ceased, she presented a petition under which
a winding-up order was made. There were two
classes of creditors—annuitants and policy-holders, as to
the latter a question arose upon their claims, but it was
generally agreed that there was nothing in the claims of
the former to prevent their immediate settlement. An
objection was now raised, however, to the call, on the
ground that the summons had not been served upon all
the contributories liable to payment. It was urged, on
the other hand, that this objection was raised merely for
the sake of creating delay, the contributories not having
produced, the slightest tangible evidence against the call.,
The Chief Clerk (Mr. Allen) said that his colleague, Mr.
Leman, had already directed the question to be trans-
mitted to the Vice-Chancellor' and under those
circumstances the matter must remain in abey-
ance until Michaelmas Term. At the urgent
request of the official liquidator, however, Mr.
Allen consented to remit the question to the vacation
judge (Vice-Chancellor Bacon), at Shrivenham, on
Thursday, the Bth of September, when the formality or
informality of the summons relating to the call would be
decided.

OPEI3,4TIONS NEAR MONTMEDY.

The special correspondent of the Standard has a letter
from Chauvancy, dated August 28th. He says :—"After
sending my telegram this. morning I started for Chau-
vancy, on horseback, four miles from Montmedy, follow-
ing partly the railway line, and hearing a distinct artillery
fire, not only in that direction, but also more to the west,
ou the line of Stenay. At 10 o'clock I stopped at a little
farm on a hill, and I have had a full sight of an outpost
engagement, taking place on the station of the railway.
; I send you in a hurry the details of that affair, with orders
to take it immediately to Virton, to start by next post ;
the only importance to my letter being that as yet I have
not been able to ascertain if anything serious has taken
place near Stenay, where I am assured a corps of
MacMahon's is, and also a large Prussian corps d'armee.
A peloton of 48 men the 6th Regiment of the
line had been detached from Sedan to guard the railway
line at Chauvancy; the Uhlans had already cut the line
the day previously, and after an hour's fighting they
had been repulsed. The communications were re-estab-
lished. A few wounded had been brought to Montmedy,
and the new detachment thus was there this morning had
only arrived in the evening. At nine o'clock this morning
218 men of the Prussian Genr4 and 400 Uhlans suddenly
emerged from a neighbouring wood, west of Chauvancy,
and began the attack, on the French (peloton) of the Gth
of the line. The 48 Frenchmen, commanded by a
captain, bravely sustained the first shock; they
put themselves in tirailleurs ; and at ten o'clock' when
I came in sight of the combat, they were yet masters
of the station, fighting in Algerain tirailleurs'
way. About 20 different attacks were renewed
in my presence, and great was my astonishment in
seeing those few soldiers, nearly overlapped on either
side, continuing their fire under protection of . fences,
trees, barns, &c. At about eleven o'clock they were dis-
lodged from the station, and an hour after I could see the
Prussian infantry working to destroy the line, and the
Uhlans surrounding the place. Nine French soldiers have
been killed, six have been wounded, and have passed just
now on their way to Montmedy. They are lying on a large
van full of straw. Eighteen men, including the captain,
have remained prisoners. The Prussians have 23 men
hors de combat. The farm from which I wrote you these
few lines, although only a mile and a half from the
Chauvancy Station, is safe enough for me. It is placed
on an eminence on the road to Montmedy, and I
shall see in a few minutes what direction best to take. I
am very much inclined to go towards Stenay. Till
twelve o'clock I distinctly heard cannonading in this
direction, and I am strongly of opinion that on the other
side of Stenay, towards Buzaney, some serious
engagement has taken place this morning. At
five o'clock a.m. I heard the cannonade ; I
heard it at twelve o'clock, and the little affair I have
witnessed has positively lasted only from nine till half-
past ten. I cannot mistake one for the other. I have
ascertained that all the country between Mouzay, Dun-
sur-Meuse, and Domvillers are swarming with Prussian
troops, and, if my reports are true, the French troops
must be also in that direction.

MAC MAHON'S POSITION.

In the aotual circumstances, the placing of head-quar-
ters at Sedan nearly resembles an act of deliberate strate-
gical suicide. We have said that the town is very close
to the frontier ; and here, in the present campaign, lies
its chief inconvenience. It possesses only a single
line of railway communication with Paris—
leading westward by Mezieres to Hirson, and
thence south-westward through. Laon and Soissons,
or by the long detour of St. Quentin and Compibgne. No
doubt from Mezieres another line runs southward by
Bethel to Rheims ; but that line is already fast and firm
in the possession of the Prussians. We have seen already
the great importance which the invaders attach to the
interruption of railway communication, especially
at points like Hirson ; and Hirson is only forty
miles from Vouziers and Attigny, where we
have already heard of their cavalry. Even if it
were not true that Sedan and Mezieres had been chosen
by MacMahon and the Emperor for their base of opera-
tions, the importance of Hirson would be the same ; for
' is the nearest available railway point to an army
operating in the Northern Argonne and cut off from
Rheims. But niit only is the railroad communication
from Sedan precarious; the rugged region of the
Ardenne Forest, stretching westward all the way
to Hirson and Vervins, condemns the highway to
follow the line of the railway, and affords only difficult
cross-roads, the issues from which would certainly be
occupied by an enemy seeking to cut off MacMahon's
retreat. And that is precisely what the Germans are
seeking to do—precisely what they have the most
splendid opportunity and the strongest temptation to
do. MacMahon and his 150,000 men have marched
straight past the Crown Prince and his 250,000 men, away
from the capital, to the very northern verge of the
empire ; and the Crown Prince, who knows that he can
reach Paris at any time—all the more easily and impres-
sively indeed if first he should have put the second army
of France hors de combat—has simply wheeled
his advancing columns to their right, and marched
nortlward upon MacMahon's flank and rear. Thus
he now stands completely between the marshal and the
capital ; and his advance, on a line parallel to the fron-
tier, has already taken from the French a full third of the
triangle within which the immediate theatre of hostilities
is confined. The army of MacMahon now hangs to
Paris by a single, undefended, and exposed route ;
its proximity to the border hampers enor-
mously its choice of defensive positions, and
may dictate a most disadvantageous offensive ;
while the advantage of the narrow space between the
frontier and the Meuse, on the roads towards Metz, may
be made to tell as powerfully for the Germans as for the
French. And we repeat, that all we have said about the
danger of an operation in the valley of the Meuse applies
almost literally to the case of an operation partly or
wholly through Northern Argonne.—Teleqraph.