The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-23 00:00:00

OPINION ON THE WART

A correspondent of the Daili News thus writes, under
date December 21 :-- Notwithstanding , a powerful
organisation both in the military and non-military inva-
sion, it is easy to observe a certain anxiety in the German
mind: They are surprised at the length of the siege, and
ask how long one thinks the war is still likely to last.
They have made up their minds to three more months of
it. An 'ignorant German Kaufmann, or small merchant,
who forced his conversation upon me at Epernay, said
he could not understand the long-sufferineanll patience of
the King in not pressing the siege of Paris. For, he
added, we must be prepared for other nations not being
being pleased with our successes, and if weelare attacked
from any other quarter before we have settled things in
France, we may be in a very grave position. Most Ger-
mans, however, say that Paris is well provisioned, and can-
not be bombarded yet from any point. At Nancy two
army contractors, who seemed well-informed men, had a
very animated discussion in my presence. The one was a
thorough Prussian, and as sure of victory and the invinci-
bility of Prussia as any Prussian can well be. He was
also under the conviction that the war had been
forced upon Prussia, and that Prussia had never
desired it. The other was an Austrian subject, a
Hungarian, a Republican in politics, and a thorough
French sympathiser. This man contended that, even
should Paris fall to-morrow, the war would not be ended,
that the French people would yet drive the Prussian in-
vasion out of France, &c, All this was openly and
noisily discussed. He said the Landwehr-men who were
now passing through Nancy went along crying ;
that it was well known that it was only by actual
force they could be made to leave Germany. At
Saarbrucken I spoke with many of the trades-
people. Here also I found great anxiety, mixed with
hatred, against the French for holding on to what the
Germans declare is now a desperate cause. And say they:
" Here are all our sons and nephews gone, our men up
to forty gone, or going, our business at a stand-still,
and our losses in men increasing every day. all be-
cause Paris will hold out, and because Gambetta
1 tells the French people to fight on." Another man
said to me, " You dont't know how we are losing men. I
overheard in the room of the hotel the host talking to a
fellow townsmen. They were launching imprecations
against Paris for keeping up the war, but said they,
if our last soldier should fall, we old men will go
if necessary, but we will conquer them." What
would they say if they knew, which they do not,
that after Paris there is Lyons, Grenoble, Toulon,
&c. ? What wonderful resources France possesses. We
went through provinces which have been trampled upon
for the last four months by hundreds of thousands of men,
wive thousands and thousands of men are passing con-
tinually and preying upon them, and yet there is abund-
ance of everything. I see by the papers, and by the public
talk here, that the political horizon is still gloomy!,
and that we must he prepared for some time to come for

stormy weather. That is the general opinion here, it
senns to me. The "braves Beiges," as the French used
to call the Belgians, seemto think that the day may not
be far off when they may have to show by the side of
other nations what they can do.