The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-13 00:00:00

THE LONDON, SATURDAY E ENING, AUGUST 13, J B`i O.

on the centre of the position which we occupied on the
right of the Sauerbaoh. Much more serious and more
threatening than the first—which continued—this second
demonstration was after all only a false attack, which was
vigorously repulsed. Towards noon the enemy com-
menced his attack on our right. Clouds of riflemen, sup-
ported by considerable masses of infantry, and protected
by more than sixty pieces of cannon placed on the
heights of Gonstedt, threw themselves on the 4th
division and on the 2nd brigade occupying the village of
Elsashausen. In spite of vigorous charges, many times
repeated, in spite of the well-directed fire of the artillery,
and several brilliant charges of the cuirassiers, our right
was born back after many hours of an obstinate resistance.
At four o'clock I ordered the retreat. It was covered by
the Ist and 3rd divisions, who put a bold face on affairs,
and permitted the other troops to retire without being

too much pressed. The retreat was effected to Saverne

by Niederbronn, when the Guyot de Lespart division o'
the sth corps, which had just arrived, took up position
and did not retire until after nightfall."

Such is the Marshal's official account. Like most others
of the kind it leaves unsaid most of the facts which would
have interested us. The consequences of the defeat—
whatever may have been its causes--are unmistakable.
A daily increasing portion of the country is falling into
the hands of the enemy. Hour by hour the
free range of travel has dwindled down, so that
at last the trains only go to Avricourt, two stations be-
yond Nancy. In a few hours we shall probably
esteem Nancy the eastern boundary of France !
Of what is passing beyond we know nothing,
nor can we tell what has become of our
friends whom we left there. The enemy can come
and go in Alsace or Lorraine as if he were at home. The
news that Marshal Bazaine had been appointed
Commander-in-Chief has given considerable satisfaction
to the army; but they manifested still greater
pleasure at hearing that Le Bceuf was to be replaced by
Trochu. "Now then," cried they, "we shall pay the
Prussians with interest." This animation was the more
striking as for the last four days the troops
had been thoroughly demoralized, a fact the
more remarkable, as the troops at Nancy are for the most
part composed of the veterans of Africa. Marshal
Bazaine, if he wishes to make the most of the opportunity
afforded him, had better entirely reverse the
plan hitherto followed. He should organise his forces
and advance against the enemy with compact bodies of
men. It is the scattering of the troops which has been
their ruin. Those who took part in the affair of the 6th,
declare confidently that with 10,000 more, the French would
have had the victory. If some fresh regiments could
have moved up at two o'clock to the relief of the heroic
30,000 who had withstood an enemy four times
their number since twelve, the victory of Prince
Frederic Charles would have been one of the
most sanguinary defeats in history; at least, so say
the French. Napoleon I. said that if a man
were not great in administration he was no general. So
Marshal Bazaine, if he is wise, will look to the material
welfare of his troops. At Freischwiller the exhausted
soldiers had to fight all day without receiving any
supplies. "If only we could have had our
coffee in the morning !" said one of the Zouaves.
One of the officers who arrived at Strasburg,
had not eaten anything for 36 hours. Spies are constantly
being caught. A day or two since a curb in a quiet
village in the Vosges was visited by a gendarme, adorned
with medals and decorations,who wanted to know his way to
Phalsbourg. He wanted to know some other things, too,
which made the good curd suspicious, and he contrived to
send a word of caution to the Mayor, who pounced upon
the decorated gentleman while he was drinking a glass of
wine, and carried him off to Saverne, where he was de-
tected as a Prussian spy.
Another narrative of this great battle says that
MacMahon's troops were arranged in the form of a
triangle, with the point turned towards the frontier, the
left resting on Worth and the right on the village of Elser-
bach. (It may prevent confusionwith theprevious account
to say that Worth is close by Gonstedt.) At first a Ger-
man corps of 60,000 men came by the Niederbronn road,
and endeavoured to force a passage between Worth and
Reichshoff en. MacMahon altered his forces a little, and
opposed this mass, finally driving them back. At this
juncture, however, an entirely fresh body of 60,000
men issued from the forest near Worth, which had con-
cealed their march, and assailed the regiments placed in
front of that village. Even then the fight was obstinately
maintained for some time, but it was clearly lost. About
five o'clock MacMahon gave up the position. It was,
however, extremely difficult to withdraw his forces in
presence of the overwhelming host of the Crown Prince,
The Prussians and Bavarians pressed forward on both
flanks, and though the little cavalry which MacMahon had
left performed prodigies of valour, the loss in the
retreat was fearfully heavy. It is said that
an order was given to General Failly to send
two divisions to Lambach in order to take the Germans
in the rear. The telegraph read the word " Hansbach."
This is the name of a place in quite an opposite direction.
The two divisions hurried thither and found nobody

LATER FROM NANCY.

(FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE CENTRAL
PRESS.)

NANCY, AUG. 10.

MacMahon, with his army, is retiring on this town.
He is expected here to•morrow. The Prussians are
within fifteen miles of the place, but they keep
out of sight, being, it is supposed, concealed in
the woods. There has been no battle to-day in the neigh-
bourhood.. The excitement in the town is very great, and
the arrest of spies still goes on. Five were arrested yes-
terday afternoon and evening. One of them was arrested in
the hotel where I am staying, an accomplice, it is said,
was with him, but he maraged to escape. A German
shoemaker, who lives at Nancy, was arrested for having
made hostile demonstrations against the Government.
One of the spies seized yesterday was only a mere child.
Great numbers of wounded men are arriving in the
town, but fortunately ample accommodation is provided
for them. There are of course the public hospitals,
and many private houses, have offered to
receive and tend some of the sufferers. Besides these the
Communes of the Department have placed 11,500 beds at
the disposal of the Minister of War, so that at
present there is little fear of the wounded
not being duly cared for. The people manifest a patriotic
spirit, and are resolved to rise en masse in defence of their
country. There is much dejection, but no loss of spirit
or courage.

MORE CORRESPONDENT'S MISFORTUNES.
The case of the special correspondents in France be-
comes harder every day. It is clearly all over with the
profession there. The representives of the Daily News
and the Illustrated London News were both seized at Metz
as Prussian spies, dragged before a commissary of police
by a mob, and there treated with no little indignity.
Finally they were brought before General Coiffiniere, com-
mander at Metz. This is what happened :—General
Coiffinibre, a tall, fine man, with white moustaches,
finally arrived. The same story of questioning
and cross-questioning began all over again. The
Commissaire de Police, with another man, was intro-
duced in order to examine the validity of our passports.
On my shewing the one I possessed, and which had been
given me by Sir Augustus Paget only ten days before, on
my leaving Florence. the Commissaire took it up, made a
roll of it, and said it was a false one, and even if were a
good one it was one worth nothing, for it did not prove
that it was my own. The general sat himself on the
small table, and knocking his stick on the wooden pave-
ment, asked what had become of the sketching gentle.
man and his notebook. When he 'was told that Mr.
Simpson had gone off, he went into a desperate passion,
and blew the colonel up, saying that no orders, not
even those of the Emperor himself, were to have
been executed without his knowing of them ;
that he was responsible for the safety of Metz.
He then looked at us in the face, and, ad-
dressing the officers, police agents, and men in blouses
who surrounded him, said, " Gentlemen, you know that
Metz is in a state of siege, and, therefore, no longer under
the common law. We have been too humane, too noble-
hearted, too generous. While the Prussians have com-
mitted the most horrible crimes against inoffen-
sive Frenchmen and other officers, we have suf-
fered the enemy to abuse our generosity, and
this is the gratitude we receive. But it must stop once
for ever. It is a hard thing, but the law gives me the
right to shoot any one I choose in the market square ;
and an example must be given, or we shall never have
peace." " Bravo, General ! bravo, Commander !" cried
all of them in a chorus. The man in a blouse left the
room, and in a second the whole square echoed with cries
of " Bravo, le Gdneral !" " Mort auis espions !"
As I felt pretty safe that M. le Gdn6ral would
think twice before making his experiment on an
English subject, I said frankly that what he had

been saying was all nonsense, and that when we
might prove who we were and why we were in Metz it
was an absurd thing insisting any longer. " But your
papers ? " said the General, "have you nothing else but
your passport ?" I told him that my letters of introduc-
tion to the head-quarters had from some mysterious
cause never reached me, and could only shew some tele-
grams I had received, and the sight of which was
sufficient to clear up everything. " Well," said
the General, " I ought to ask you to give a
satisfactory account of yourself within three hours ; I
shall give you four-and-twenty hours ; but I must tell you
one thing— if you succeed in getting off, you must leave
this immediately, for we won't stand it to have people
here amongst us who keep writing against France, and
favouring the cause of Prussia. You say you are the
correspondent of the Daily News, eh ?" " Yes,
sir." " All right. Good day, gentlemen," and
off he went. We had led the way, and now every
moment a new spy was got hold of. One of them, the
correspondent of the Journal Illastre, was in a very bad
state indeed. His coat had been torn to pieces, and
they had attempted to strangle him. The poor man was
walking the street very peacefully, carrying a little dog
with him, when a lot of people dashed upon him, and
would have murdered him, had it not been
for several offieers who did their best to save
him. He cared little for himself, but he was
in a most awful way about his dog, and offered
any sum of money if they would bring it hack to him.
It was the most ludicrous thing in the world to hear the
officers questioning him, and his answering only. "Oh !
mon petit chien, mon petit 'chien !" The correspondent
of the Daily News left Metz and came to Dijon ; but here
again was persecuted and ordered away. He was given
twenty-four hours to leave, for Italy, and was warned
not to\ set foot out of his hotel during that time.
Nevertheless, he managed to gain some idea of the state
of feeling in Dijon. This is his impression " The hotel
is crowded with peophe running away from every quarter.
The consternation is something dreadful. What a differ-
ence from a few days ago ! Then hope and joy brightened
every eye, now despair and humiliation are depicted on
everybody's face, and strange, strange words of revolution
of revenge, and of treason, are uttered by men of all
classes and ages !"

THE EMPEROR.—Unpleasant truths must some-
times be told, and it is impossible to conceal the fact that
amid all this grief, alarm, and uproar the dynasty that
still nominally reigns in France is commonly thought
of almost as a thing of the past. Notwithstanding all
shortcomings, and in spite of recent revelations of
designs on Belgium, the Emperor's downfall would,
I think, awaken the sympathy of many in England.
It is now generally spoken of as all but consum-
mated. A turn in the fortunes of the campaign—
two or three brilliant French victories—might, some say,
yet save him. Hardly that, say many others. A great
defeat, it is generally admitted, would be his complete
ruin. Pvople talk of the Republic as close at hand.
Jules Favre's motion for an Executive Committee of 15
members chosen from among the Deputies would have
been, if accepted,' tantamount to the formation c.f a
Provisional Government. It is rejected, but there is
now a project on foot for the formation of a similar
governing and defensive committee without the sanction
of the Chamber, to be ready to assume power when the
proper moment should arrive. In short, as in some recent
Government proclamations which attracted notice on that
account, the Emperor is ignored. One does not hear him
spoken ill off, but he seems treated as a thing of the past.
His answer to those who urged him to return to Paris is
cited as a proof that he is determined not to survive die •
aster.—Times Paris Corresponnt.
MigArANAGEmENT OF THE FRENCH GENERALS.—
As to the feeling in the whole army against General
MacMahon and the leading officers it is something tre-
mendous. " What was your plan ?" they keep asking.
Why weaken our forces by occupying such a long line
when the enemy was only a few miles dibtant, and it
would be impossible for us to concentrate at a given
point when the enemy might be upon us at every mo-
ment ? 'Why march. against Saarbruck when the whole

army was not yet in a position to engage in separate
battles? Not half of the African corps had arrived.
Thousands of men had not yet joined their regiments,
and as to speaking of the commissariat department, it
has proved truly inefficient. It is not a question of time—
it is a question of military organisation. The
Prussian system is so easy and simple that an
army, however numerous it may be, is sure to
meet with no such inconveniences as have been
experienced on this occasion by the French.
What moral influence can a geiieral such as MacMahon
have in his army when the men, even the most unin-
structed,see with their own eyes the mismanagement of the
whole undertaking? What can men think of their
generals, and with what heart can they combat to invade
a hostile country when food and straw and hay, and all
that is requisite for an army is wanting them in their own
country ?-11fetz Correspondent of Daily News.

AN ENGT.TSIMIAN SHOT AS A PRUSSIAN
SPY.

'The following letter from Mr. Elliot, of Paris,las been
received in the town of Brackley, Northampton:lire
"Paris, Aug. 9. Write this in haste, as I am leaving
Paris to night, if permitted. I have to communicate the
:;aO, news of the death of my dear brother. He was ar-
-:,,,ted yesterday as a Prussian spy,' and I have heard,
from authority I can rely on, he was shot this morning. I
not permitted to see him: I shall be in Braelacy
to-in i.iow, permitted. I hope, till then, God be with
us., I send this by a friend I can rely upon, who has got
pas:,2ort. He will post it directly he arrives." Mr.
.John Elliott, the name of the gentleman shot, was on a
to his brother, in Paris.

WAR MEETING IN BIRMINGHAM.

On Thursday night a meeting was held at the back of
the Birmingham Town Hall to discuss the war. About
fifteen hundred people, chiefly working men, assembled.
It soon become evident that the proceedings would be of
a disorderdly character. Mr. O'Neill, the chairman,
spoke in terms of censure of the practice of keep-
ing standing armies. He thought that the
three great curses of the world were Imperial
rule, secret diplomacy, and vast armaments, and
he hoped the day was not far distant when each would
be swept out of existence—(hear, hear). Imperialism had
been weighed in the balance and found wanting. At the
same time, he hoped that all the moral force of England
would be exerted in preventing the French people from
being trampled upon by triumphant Prussia. The other
speakers strongly condemned both the Emperor and
Bismarck. The chairman was at last compelled to close
the meeting on account of the disturbances which took
place.

A CONNECTICUT CENTENARIAN.
A correspondent of the Hartford Courant gives
the following account of the birthday celebration of the
oldest man in Connecticut :—" The 23rd of July will long
be remembered by the inhabitants of Marlborough and
vicinity, for on that day a century was completed by a
human being—a thing so rare in this age of fast living,
that it is worthy of commemoration, and very proper that
we should pause in our rush from the cradle to the grave,
and look back with this veteran, over the battle of
life that has covered so many years, and witnessed
so many changes in the history of the world. The day
was fine, though very warm, and towards noon there
might be seen winding over the hills and through the
valleys of Marlborough and neighbouring towns, loads of
hot and dusty travellers, with mysterious baskets tucked
away in one corner of their vehicles, all destined
to the old gray weather-worn house on the hill-
side. Ascending the hill, the first thing we observed
was the old flag floating above the trees near
the dwelling. In front of the house a nice
shady arbour had been erected for the protection of
the tables, which were loaded with tempting edibles—the
result of the kindness and forethought of the people of
the town—for even sober-smit Marlborough can be stirred
up upon the birthday of her oldest living son, and we
must confess she did justice to the occasion. The ancient
well sweep was still in operation, and the water from
the ' old oaken bucket' was never so good as on this
hundredth birthday. Everything bore the marks of time
like the venerable resident. Even the turkeys had a
dignified air appropriate to the surroundings. .Passing in
at the front door we were met by the master of cere-
monies, and informed that we could go anywhere in the
house except that room where the old gentle-
man was enjoying a little rest. Soon, however, the doors
were thiown open, and all had the pleasure of seeing and
shaking by the hand a centenarian. There he sat in a
large arm-chair, a patriarch like unto the days of old ;
erect as he always was, -a splendid head of gray hair, eyes
dim with a hundred years, face calm and composed, and
a beautiful peace resting upon his countenance—a monu-
ment of how gently Time deals with the children true to
nature. His voice was feeble, but his memory seemed
fresh as ever as he welcomed one after another, and with
some ready remark referred to by-gone days. At three
o'clock, the ceremonies were opened by reading of the
Scriptures and prayer by the Rev. Mr. Ruskin, of Marl-
borough, the old gentleman having taken a seat at the
front door and devoutly listening. Next followed au
historical sketch of his life, by the Rev. Hiram Bell, of
Westchester, of which we will give a few extracts :
" John Day Bigelow was born on the 23d of July, 1770,
in the county of Hartford, town of Glastenbury, and
parish of Marlborough. Two of his uncles wished
him to be named from themselves, and his mother
consented, on conditions that they would present him
with a suit of clothes, but, as they would not agree
to do it, she appended the name he has borne to
this day. He has been married twice, his second wife
having died some twenty years ago, since which time he
has lived a lonely life. He has had seven children, three
of whom are now living. He has been a member of the
Congregatianal Church in this place for thirty-nine years,
and a faithful attendant too. He entered this- life under
British rule, and lived to see these thirteen feeble colonies
become one of the most powerful nations on the
face of the earth. He voted for Washington
at his re-election, and has voted at every Pre-
sidential election since that time, though not
always successful, I am sorry to say, and he says
lie hopes he shall live to vote once more. He has never
changed his politics in all that time." A very touching
scene followed. The old gentleman wished all the children
to be brought to him, and there leaning upon his cane, his
head covered and his dim eyes looking away into the great
unknown, sung a few verses with a broken voice, that
sounded already from a far away land. Then he re-
peated the ten commandments, asked them a few ques-
tions in the catechism, and gave them some parting
advice. The children sang him a simple song and then
retired.