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

POLIOE INTELLIGENCE.-THIS DAY.

DRUNK, FURIOUS DRIVING, AND DAISIAGE.—James
Ponsford, a wine carman, was brought before Mr. Knox,
at the Marlborough Police-court, charged with being
drunk, and furiously driving a horse and cart, and ho was
further charged with injuring a horse, the property of
Mr. Joseph S. Kegg. Police-constable William Fish,
5 C R, stated that on the previous night he was at the
corner of Warwick-street, when he saw the prisoner com-
ing along Glasshouse-street at a furious rate, followed
by a number of persons calling out "Stop him, stop him !"
He did so, and asked him what was the matter, when he
replied, " It's all right, constable ;" but thinking it was
not all right, he detained him, and directly after he found
out that he had run against a horse and severely injured
it. From the manner in which the prisoner was driving
it was a mercy no one was run over. It was afterwards
discovered that he had driven against a cab, and greatly
injured the horse. The prisoner, who denied being in
fault, but admitted that he had been drinking, was
remanded.

JUVENILE DELINQUBNCY.—Mary Ann McMahon, a girl
13 years old, was charged, at Westminster Police-court,
with stealing £7 15s. 5d., the monies of Fanny Wilson.
Mrs. Wilson said she was a widow, and was taking care
of a house at 71, King's Road, Chelsea, and between
Wednesday night and Thursday at two she lost the money
from a box in the kitchen ; the prisoner was minding
the children, and knew where the money was kept.
Prisoner's mother here fainted, and had to be removed
from the court. When able to be brought into court again
the prosecutrix wished to withdraw the charge, and, in
consideration of the prisoner not having stolen anything
before, and the nwther going to Ireland with her, Mr.
Arnold allowed her to be discharged.

Ihe Premier left town yesterday for Clumber
Park, Notts, and returns to-morrow.
CRYSTAL PALACE.—ONE SHILLING DAY, Thurs-
day, September 8, 1870.—Admissions by season tickets,
5,298; ditto on payments, 15,160 ; total visitors, 20,458.
THE FIRE IN EXMOUTH-STREET.—The inquest on
Edward Mobbs, a lad 13 years of age, who lost his life at
a fire in Clerkenwell on the 31st ult., was resumed yes-
terday. The poor little fellow was aroused when the
alarm was given, but is supposed to have been overcome
by the smoke ; and when it was found that he had not
escaped it was impossible to rescue him. The jury re-
turned a verdict of `• Accidental death," adding that
they did not consider there was sufficient protection of
life in the old and densely-populated districts of Clerken-
well.

SUICIDE.--A shocking suicide, evidently the result
of betting, occurred on Wednesday night after Warwick
races. The Great Western Railway passes by the race-
course, and towards eight o'clock the dead body of a
respectably-dressed man, about forty years of age, was
found lying beside the rails, the head being almost
severed from the trunk. His pockets contained only
lid., a Racing Calendar, and a marked card of the day's
races. The only clue to his identity is the entry in his
pocket-book of several addresses, to which the police
have written.

DUNVILLE and Co., Be!fist, are the largest holders
of whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky is r ommeuded
by the medical profession in preference to French brand- . Sup-
plied in casks and cases for home use or exportation. Quotations
on application to Messrs DUNVILLE Co.' Royal Irish Dis
tilleries, Belfast or at tllet Lopdon OfEct-E, 4, Reactor! Buil,Ull,•s
Strain 1, W.Q

•1 ,

CAPTAIN JEANNEROD ON THE WAR.
Captain Jeannerod, the able correspondent of the
Temps, whose graphic descriptions of the campaign have
!xeited so much interest in London and Paris, sends the
following account of the great military and imperial
catastrophe of last week :
SEDAN, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4.
Words are useless, are they not ? I must content
inyielf with saying what, is. I begin my melancholy
ci tal as soon as I can, and as I can. I shall continue it
il! the same fashion, and it must reach you how and when
it can.

A Prisoner with the army and.with the inhabitants of
daft, I hope to leave this afternoon, and to arrive this
evening.at Eouillon, in Belgium, from whence I shall
send you L..: letter. lam told that the Prussians have
shown themselves willing to oblige those Aenc.h officers
who wish to communicate with their families, but I shall
only use the regular service in Belgium.
Yesterday evening our unfortunate army terminated
its evacuation. At the same moment. as the last corps
left by the gate of Mozietes Prussians entered by
that of I3alou or Montmedy. The population, although
thoroughly French, could not restrain a somewhat un-
worthy curiosity. I saw some of them even approach the
intruders, offer their services, and extol the Prussian dis-
cipline at the expense of the Preach. Such sights are
painful, but more painful still is that this superior dis-
cipline is a fact. In this and following letters I shall
speak freely of the 'state of our army, and of the
causes which have produced this state of things.
We must draw from this list Of disasters a severe
but salutary lesson.
On Tuesday mornifig we, left Charleville, meaning to
stay only one day euroute,not doubting that Mac:Mitliterri
would pass Argonne. M. Geilion-Daughar and I
intended to take the railway to Montmedy, keeping near
the Belgian frontier, for I expected a manceuvre on the
part of the Crown Prince cutting off the French com-
munications with Paris. We breakfasted quietly at Sedan,
where the most encouraging rumours were circulating,
and the junction of MacMahon and Bazaine was
considered certain. The day passed tranquilly, but in the
evening the scene changed and disasters begun. In the
shadow, in the midst of the forges, with which the place
was full, groups of silent soldiers 'attracted our attention.
They were questioned, but did not reply, or murmured of
treason. The groups increased, and were joined by
cavalry of all ranks, the horses weary, the soldiers de-
pressed. An officer passing called out, "It was
very unlucky just now, but all will go . right
directly." What did it all mean ? Soon the
dreadful reality was known. While we were
indulging our hopes the sanguinary and unfortunate
conflict had taken place. Thanks to the neglect and
incapacity of certain leaders, which amounted throughout
the campaign to treason, we were again surprised on the
march, beaten, and crushed. Our corps cut off one after
the other, thrown back on the left bank of the
Meuse, and our artillery lost its cannons.
This artillery arrived but a few days since,
and we watched it start with so much hope.
Nothing returned of it but horses whose harness had been
broken or cut by the imprecations of the cavahy. The
crowd stopped and surrounded one of the men, and forced
him to speak. He belonged to Failly's corps, and this
name, ill-fated from the outset of the war, told us What
we might expect. As usual, they had marched without
any precautions, without scouts, and advanced into the
woody depths of Argonne as if they were on the high road
of Neuilly. All at once at Beaumont, at the bottom (if the
valley, a cannonade and a formidable discharge of
musketry poured forth, from an invisible ambuscade, into
the middle of our ranks. Overwhelmed by this surpOse,
our encumbered columns fell back in disorder, after a
murderous struggle under a rain Of iron and fire. The
break up extended all along-the Meuse, as far as Mouzon,
where one part of the corps of Dourty and Lebrun were
engaged. It was the first of thiS rout that we saw
arrive.

Everyone was complaining. The soldiers of the regi-
ments which had suffered most said they had been led to
a massacre, others reproached them with cowardice. An
artillery office; in the middle of some 500 persons, told
bow the guns were put in the batteries under a terrible
fire, and how; when they reached the woods, which they
could not pass through, they were skiked and,abandoned.
At htst they reached Mouzon. There was MacMahon.
He flings himself before the troops.
" What, you fly ?" he said. They answered that they
could not do otherwise, and they wept. Our emotion
on hearing the news was also great. During our sleepless
night a thousand noises in the streets confirmed the sad
—tidings. Voicee of men, varying'their tones from grief to
anger, ascended, amid the noise of horses'. The street
full of fugitives, with wounded bodies, pale faces,
forced to sleep on the pavement. Officers
and generals arrived in their thin, Mae fahon
himself was said to be there. It was a veri-
table defeat. In the bureau of the hotel a general of
brigade was seated, wrapped in his cloak, who replied,
with tears in his eyes, to the citizens who passed. Then
came the Emperor and his gilded carriages, which no one
troubled themselves even to look at with anger under this
overwhelming affliction.
And I—What was I to dot Should I leave ? But how
could I leave just when there was something to be
learned; and, on the other hand, if I stayed, could ma,
letters pass, and into what useless risks might I not be
running? You know now that the desire for information
carried the day ; and, convinced as I am that my recital
may be of service, I rejoice at my resolution. But at
midday there was no longer a choice. The voiturier
of Charleville, who had brought us, had left in the night,
and it was useless to dream of finding another, and already
distant echoes told us that the scouts of the enemy
already held all the roads. In fact, this rapid advance
was bewildering. The evening before we were certainly
dreaming of victory, and now, at the lapse of a few hours,
we are blockaded. The very suburbs in which we walked
yesterday are interdicted. I had been so often and go un-
fortunately confirmed in my apprehensions by events,
no longer believed in a favourable result. The fable of
Bazaine (for I cannot give another name to the hopes
which interested or credulous people have indulged in
during the last three days)—this fable, I repeat, had no
effect upon me. In vain the Emperor in a proclamation
posted during the evening assured the people that the
army of Mctz was reconstructed. These vague words
could not conceal the falsehood. The same proclamation
says in cenalusion " and if there arp cowards military
law and public contempt will give them their deserts."
This was an allusion to what was said of the regiments
who fled. Truth compels me to add that the report
could not altogether be denied.' But it must not be sup-
posed that there was any real lack of courage on the part
of our soldiers. I believe the exclusive capacity for
good or evil is rare in this world. Characters
arc exceptional circumstances, are eve`rything. The
same man will act in the most opposite fashions,
according us he is led. Was it not to this fact we owed
the bitter spectacle before us. Badly led, deprived• of
part of his means of action by the fault of his chief,
che?ishing against them evtravagant and unbounded, but
not unnatural, suspicions, the soldier was no longer the
soldier of other times, An army needs a united effort,
especially under such serious circumstances, and there
were too many different elements in ours for
this. I passed part of this day and the next
on the clock, from which I could distinguish all
the surrounding, country as far as . the wood
of Margee, celetrated in other times by the battle of
1641, more sorrowfully to be celebrated in the future by
that of September 1, 1870. Nothing, however, was to be
seen but some Prussian batteries. Every minute we could
see smoke and hear a report, telling us of a fight going on,
we could not tell where. The village of Bazeilles was
burning in two or three places, and the stone bridge of
the Meuse was well guarded in front of us. The blockade
continued, the station was burning, and an ambulance
train, which endeavoured to leave, was fired
upon. All the drawbridges of the gates of
Sedan were in the air. I busied myself hi
collecting what details I could, and I rejoice to bear
testimony of the courage of our men. I was told etwtain
Sibilla, whose corps I forget, fell, crying to his company
" En avant ! My friends, avenge me." Another wounded
would not be removed, while a young officer, who had a
large private fortune, persisted in marching, notwithstand-
ing the advice of his physicians, and found his death on
the field. Lieut.-Colonel 11Ienzian remained three hours
on horseback after he had received a ball in his foot, and
did not dismount until all was overcome, and he was
overcome with sorrow. It was he who seeing the standard
bearer kille,d, seized the flag, and planted himself
in the centre of the lines, rallying his regiment under the
enemy's fire.]
The Prussians as usual were under the wood. It wa,s
necessary to ascend a hill of 500 metres without seeing
them, while receiving their balls, and once in the under-
wood the , men were shot at fifty paces, with terrible
slaughter, Were they the Prussians or the German cony
tingents ? I do not know but our officers say they did
not recognise the boasted superiority of aim of the North
German troops. Their infantry is very inferior
to ours. They have triumphed by means
of a countless and admirably served artillery.
Everything that requires knowledge and management Is
with us in arrears. But the soldier who represents the
living force of the nation is always first with us. Their
artillery is magnificent. They bad, it is said, a thousand
pieces. This may be an exaggeration, but it is a fact that
0119 1,4 t of Septembefuoth4 else was to be'seen- The

mils, the borders of the woods, all the surrounding posi,
tions, were lined with it, and while, owing to want of
ammunition, (I shall refer subsequently to this unheard-of
fact), we were obliged to manceuvre our firing, they poured
upon us a terrible and; ceaseless fire, against which neither
cavalry nor infantry could stand. And what an aim !
Scarcely were their batteries in position when the first
shot was fired—a little too high perhaps ; the second a
little too low; the third exactly in the ranks. At
tionzon, where one division of the Lebrun corps crossed
the Meuse, the projectiles arrived with incredible preci-
sion on the narrow space covered by the column.
The unfortunate town, which twenty four hours before
received our troops with enthusiasm, thinking itself
saved from Prussian depredations, was pitilessly bom-
barded. Only ruins are left.

But I will give you hereafter the history of Sedan and
its environs, and try to make you understand the com-
pound of savagery and discipline which appears to cha-
racterise the 'armies who haVe thrown themselves upon
our soil. I have finished this latter, begun at Sedan, at
Bouillon, in Belgium, where I arrived were out Morally
and physically. I have had no news from Paris for a
week, but I am told the Imperial Government has ceased
t exist. The Emperor, escorted by a Prussian squadron,
left yeqenlay morning. The little town is full of fugi•
Lives and wJunded.

GEORGES JEANNEROD.

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OUR COTEMPORiRIES—This Morning