The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-12 00:00:00

`1 HE STA, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1870.

THE SAIL

THE SIEGE OF PARIS

A SURGEON'S OPINION.

Dr. Wyatt, Surgeon-Major to the Coldstream Guards,
writes another letter from the beleaguered city. The
opinion he expresses is not unfavourable to the French
chances of success. He says :—" The Garde Mobile are
becoming admirable soldiers, and are still drilled in the
most indefatigable manner in every direction. It is a
curious sight to witness their departure for the fortifi-
cations, laden heavily, and with their fixed bayonets
thrust through gigantic loaves of bread enough to sus-
tain half a dozen people. I believe very little, of what I
read in the papers during these sensational times, but I
cannot refrain from mentioning two circumstances which
have come under my immediate knowledge and are not
happy coincidences. There are• two of the wounded at
the Palais d'lndustrie who describe their history as
follows :—One, a lad of 16, accompanied his father
and mother, with their few worldly possessions, when
they escaped from their cottage on the arrival of the
Prussians near Meudon. After their departure the
mother recollected that she had left a blanket
behind, which the poor lad desired to be sent in search of,
and did so ; but on his attempting to remove it was shot
through the lungs in the garden. Another poor child of
ten has been shot through the arm while picking some
flowers, but is progressing favourably. I fear that
the circumstances attending war almost necessarily
hardens us all more or less, but a touching sight pre-
sented itself yesterday to me which I could not help
being arrested by. A sous-officier was lying badly wounded
in bed ; his faithful dog, who looked as if he knew all
about it, sat by his side, and could with difficulty be
removed. His master could not speak much to the poor
brute, but their eyes appeared to convey an intuitive re-
membrance of happier moments. The Prussians have
now certainly lost all chance of any possible success by
assault, for the delay has rendered the place
almost impregnable, which seems to be the unanimous
opinion of well-informed people here. I only hope that the
available resources within the walls are as great in muni-
tions of food for the inhabi6nts as they are of war for
their enemy. "We know nothing still of what is going
onlin the outer world, for although the balloons are said
to be a tolerably safe method of conveying letters hence,
they bring us nothing in return by way of news, if they
return at all, which I dOubt..'

Gambetta's balloon is above ours. Obuses are
shot to try and burst the balloon. The moment
is a trying one. The wind gets up. We advance rising,
falling frequently to make a reconnaissance of the
Prussians. At three o'clock we lost sight of Gambetta at
Creil. He descended too near, and was an object for the
Prussian balls. The balloon had a hole made in it, and
his hand was grazed. At four we reached land at Rye.
The peasants were terrified and would not come near, but
soon the better class came in their carriages and gave us
welcome greeting. We found Gambetta at Amiens ;he
descended near a wood on the other side, which was occu-
pied by Prussians. At Amiens Gambetta received au
enthusiastic ovation. There is no discord in Paris."

OPERATIONS BEFORE METZ.

THE LAST SORTIE.

The account of the battle around Metz, on Friday last,
seems to have excited but little attention at Berlin.
People there, say the German papers, know that Bazaine
cannot get out, and they therefore feel no great interest
in the result of these sorties. The Berliners were only
disappointed that no statement of Bazaine's loss reached
them, at least on the first day. But it is generally
believed in the Prussian capital that the French army
must be fearfully weakened, from the heavy losses which
the Germans have sustained. An account of the battle
itself is given by a correspondent of the Cologne Gazette,
who writes from Mezibres on the day of the fight. He says :
" The Kummer division, consisting of the Posen and
West Prussian brigades, has the outpost service here, and
since noon it has been in warm conflict with the enemy,
who had been able to dispose his troops well for to-day's
sortie. The fighting is in the neighbourhood of St. Remy,
Maxen, and the Chateau Bellevue. We post ourselves
with a sergeant of the 45th Infantry Regiment, II mile
forward from Mdzibres, between this place and Metz, near
the 3rd Silesian reserve battery of 12-pounders, in order to
watch 'the progress of the combat. While on the right of
this battery French grenades fall onthe bivouac abandoned
by the Prussians and set it on fire, our 12-pounders
fire incessantly on the ranks of the enemy. On the
neighbouring heights the batteries of the Hanoverian
artillery regiment No. 10 develope an effective fire.
Still further forward, only about 1,000 paces behind our
infantry, two batteries of 6-pounders support the
determined attack which our troops are making
on the enemy. The French distinguished themselves,
as in all former engagements, by an indescribable and
and truly deafening expenditure of ammunition. Fort
St. Julien launches its heaviest shots against us. From
one o'clock till four the guns had not a minute's pause,
and yet the advancing French columns could make no
breach in our investing lines. About four o'clock we
suddenly see a brigade of the 10th Army Corps cross the
Moselle, including a battalion of the 16th infantry regi-
ment. With a loud hurrah a battalion from Bellevue—
we could not distinguish its regimental number—made a
vehement and decisive onslaught on the wavering enemy.
Meanwhile an entire division of the 10th Army Corps
passed over the Moselle. After six o'clock the French
were repulsed from their earlier positions, with great loss
in killed, wounded, and prisoners, amid the cheers of
the advancing Prussians. Some battalions of the 19th
and 81st infantry regiments took a decisive part in
the fight. The Uhlans and dragoons of Kummer's
division were likewise engaged; they occupied a reserve
position under the hostile grenade fire. Whether
Bazaine had promised his troops extraordinary success in
to-day's sortie, and wished to avail himself of the moon-
light to escape into neutral Luxemburg territory, whether
he did not like giving the Prussians a night's rest, or
whether the retreat of the troops which were engaged in
the sortie had been a panic, we do not know, but towards
nine p.m. the enemy's artillery fire was more violent than
during the day. Fort Plappeville, especially, threw num-
berless grenades, of course without any effect. The unani-
mous statements of to-day's prisoners are interesting—
viz., that the discontent of Bazaine's troops had reached
such a height that they were resolved either to cut their
way through or perish. Their discipline has during the
last few days been terribly relaxed. Since the night of the
battle of Gravelotte we have not seen such lines of flame
as to-night, when the salvoes of the battalions firing in
the plain before us are lighting up the whole front."