The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-01 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON, MONDAY MORNING, AUGUST 1. . 1870.

THE WAR.

THE SECRET TREATY.
BERLIN, THURSDAY.
Whatever doubts you in England may have on
the subject of the- Sic ret Treaty, we in Berlin have none
whatever. Seldom, indeed, have facts of such importance,
facts concerning which there was likely to be very lively
contestation, come to the light with such great rapidity.
The apologies and protestations of the Paris press are so
wretchedly poor as to condemn themselves without further
hearing. They admit the existence of the treaty, but
declare that it was dictated by Bismarck. The idea of the
Chancellor dictating such a document is preposterous
It proposes to secure for France the most extensive advan-
tages ; it gives Prussia comparatively nothing. And not
only is logic entirely on the Prussian side, but the
Government, has likewise- the most abundant material
means of proof. The document is in M.- Benedetti's
hand-writing ; it is in possession of the Prussian
Foreign Office ; and it is stated by the Cologne Gazette of
yesterday that the offer was made more than, once. When
the affair of the Belgian railways was in hand, the proffer
was made 'again, indeed the Belgian quarrel was got up
expressly that the bargain might be struck under the
most propitious circumstances. If this be correct, and
tare is every, reason for believing it, the, last. plea
of the French defenders—that the propositions
have not been made recently—disappears. Several of the
leading German papers publish the text of the draught
with a second version, containing a slight alteration upon
the first. The difference is of no importance in itself, but
it goes to shew that the proffer was made on at least two
distinct occasions, and in two varying forms. Another
point connected with this draught is likewise tolerably
well established. It was M. Rouher who has been
throughout this matter the direct go-between of the Em-
peror and his Ambassador at Berlin. The proposals, in short
came specially through the Emperor, and the Foreign Minis-
ter had little, if anything, to do with them. Whilst Count
Darn was in office a few weeks in the early part of the
present year, he was kept quite in the dark as to the real
object of the Emperor's German policy. He exchanged
assurances of peace and good will with the Cabinet of
Berlin, whilst all the time the sovereign and the astute
Rouher were cogitating over their long cherished de-
signs.

Of course few impartial observers will credit Count
Bismarck with any great display of virtue in the matter.
The extent of his scruples are well known. If he
declined the offer of France it, he did so simply
because it was not to his interest to accept
it. It is, indeed, quite possible that he might have
encouraged more or less directly the preferring of such an
offer in order to gain a diplomatic advantage. But it is
true, all the same, that the bargain is one which France,
encouragement or none, ought pever to have thought of.

THE GERMAN FRONTIER.
COLOGNE, THURSDAY.

The country round about this famous town of the Rhine
presents a curious appearance. There are very
few people to be seen, but multitudes of sol-
diers, who by their uniforms give a remark-
able aspect of lively monotony to the scene.
All the Prussian troops are dressed in dark blue, with
black trousers, the white cuirassiers only presenting any
contrast. Hence the indistinguishable mass of blue-coated
humanity parading in all directions on the Rhine.
It is not easy to distinguish one corps ' from
another; it would have been impossible to distinguish
one Lranch of the army from another unless special
precautions had been taken. Thus the reserve is distin-
guished from the line by a white circle on a black cockade,
the first van of the landwehr by a white cross on the
cockade, and the second van of the landwehr by a double
peaked shako. It may be needful to recall the salient
features of the military system in Prussia. At twenty
years of age (with the exception of Westphalia,
where there is exemption of a year) every sound
young man is liable to serve in part of the army. He
spends two years in active service, four years in the
reserve, six years in the first van, and six in the second
van of the landwehr. After completing his eighteen years
of service, he is classed in the landsturm—the levee en
masse as a last resort of defence—and is kept under
control until age or infirmity prevents him from being of
further use. At this moment the line of the reserve and
both vans of the landwehr are under arms. Hence all the
male population of Prussia between the ages of twenty
and thirty-eight are in the field in one capacity or the
other. None are left to reap the harvest except old men,
women, and children. Such a depopulation was perhaps
never seen before. It is a nation preparing for battle. The
soldiers who have been recalled as reserve or landwehr
are mostly excellently formed men, and soon settle down
into superior regiments of troops. The greater part of
them wear medals commemorative of the campaigns of 1864,
and 1866. Cologne has been so materially strengthened
during the last few days, that it is now in an excellent con-
dition of defence. The embrasures are now well restored,
the declivities turfed, redans and outworks have been
pushed out, and many batteries which lacked offensive
material, are well supplied with guns. Cologne, too,
is well furnished with. provisions, which is more than can
be said of many towns on both sides the frontier. At
some eatables have risen to famine prices. Saarbruck,
for instance, well nigh fell a prey to a riot a day or two
age, in consequence the high prices asked for food.
coblentz, of course, is in first-class defensive condition,
and so is Mayence. At Aix-la-Chapelle there is a very
strong garrison. The rapidity with which the various
atoms of which a regiment is composed are
gathered together is wonderful. A regiment of artillery
counting four batteries of six pieces each, has just re-
formed here. Three days ago the men had not joined,
the horses had not arrived, the guns and munition were in
the arsenal. To-day the whole regiment, complete and
in splendid ceder, started off for Mayence. Special cor-
respondent s meet with better treatment here than on the
French frontier, but they are carefully excluded from
quarters, and will remain so until the campaign actually
commences.

ON THE FRENCH FRONTIER.

WISSEMBOURG, THURSDAY.

The Bavarian and Baden troops are harassing the
French frontiers, and the latter have just been making an
escapade which has done them little service. A patrol of
sixteen dragoons on Sunday passed through Lauterburg
while the people were at church, and destroyed
the telegraph wires, afterwards taking themselves
off to the woods at Hagenbach. On their
way they met a gendarme and a French
lancer, who attacked them. The lancer killed
an officer's horse, and was himself struck down and
left for dead. The gendarme was captured, but escaped
and ran off to give the alarm. The next morning some
French cavalry made their appearance off the Baden lines
and fired on the sentry. The Baden dragoons fired from
the windows of their inn, and there was an exchange of
shots. The French chasseurs, however, forced their way
up the staircase, and in a few minutes the enemy was
disCoinfite'd' 'five *ere killed, six wounded, and the rest
captured. Among the wounded was an Englishman who
was holding a commission in the Baden army. He was
mortally hurt. The French lost one man. There
was great excitement at Niederbronn when the pri-
soners were brought in. It was particularly noticed that
among these sixteen men no less than five were officers,
who all wore the uniform of 'simple soldiers. Wissem-
bourg has also been visited by a band of these patrolling
troops, and some alarm has been created, but nothing
of any consequence has taken place. Some twenty men,
part of the infantry which occupies Schweigen, came
towards the town, and the rumour of their approach pro-
duced great excitement and cries of Aux armes I But
after a shot or two were fired the patrol, which appeared
to be merely reconnoitring, galloped off.
The Prefect has put up a notice at the Hotel de Ville
to the effect that all due precautions have been taken to
preserve the public safety; and there is no ground for
uneasiness. In some villages the people, recalling the
evil days of 1814 and 1815, have taken themselves and
their belongings off to the woods. More than 300 families
have left Walbourg for the forest of Haguenau with all
their goods and cattle.

METZ, THURSDAY.

The representatives of the press at head-quarters here
suffer a fate which ought to command the sympathy of
every right-thinking person. They have little or nothing
to describe, they are treated constantly like spies, and
their letters and telegrams are shamefully delayed. To-
day the first post was not delivered until two o'clock in
the afternoon, and for some time, things have
been little better. The few sources of excitement
we get invariably prove false ones ; the events that are
reported are almost all lies. Yesterday the rumour spread
in the camp that the Prussians were contemplating' an
attack. After the fast day order by King William it was

said that no time would be lost in ordering an advance, bu
the alarm proved to be groundless. The commissariat is
the great question of the day, for the French do not follow
the fashion of drawing supplies for the army from the in-
vaded country, and consequently the administration has
to provide everything. About war material there
is no difficulty, the supply being ample. Each
division is furnished with the famous mitrailleuses, which
are not, however, allowed to be visible until the day of

action. The reserves are coming in, and the force is
already large enough to open hostilities. Many of the
reserves consist of old soldiers and volunteers who have
been through the, campaigns of the Crimea, Africa, Italy,
and Mexico. The heat has modified a little, which is a
great blessing. There is so little eagerness
'for an immediate battle that if the authorities know when
'the enemy will be at a given spot, they take care to reach
it just too late. If the foe is seen in the distance a few
shots are fired, but nothing decisive is attempted, and it
is impossible for the unitiated to say when the first move-
ment will be made. The levees en masse have been pro-
ductive of great suffering. . Bread in Rhenish Prussia is
very dear already, and those workmen who were at work
in France have been forced to cross the frontier. Nothing
is certain, but the general belief is the great struggle will
begin very soon.

MORE CORRESPONDENTS TROUBLES. - Azamut
Batuk writes the Pall Mall Gazette the forthcoming
war should prove a desperate one for the French and
Prussian armies, it is already a despekate one for English
correspondents, though in a different sense. None of them
has run as yet any serious risk, but all of them have had
go through an almost unbroken chain of degrading sensa-
tions. It is now a week since I left England, and during
the whole of that time I have not ceased for a single
hour to be accused or suspected of being a spy, or to feel
that lam behaving like one. The same thing seems to
be experienced by many gentlemen whose acquaintance
I have made here, and a couple of whom were actually
arrested on the supposition I have indicated. Matters did
not go so far with me ; but at Luxembourg I underwent
a very unpleasant moral hunt, on the part of the
people at the hotel, the post, and telegraph office. At
Thionville I Was forced to disguise myself, or at least to
try to appear as a citizen of that locality. At Metz I had
the pleasure of being regarded everywhere with open
suspicion and distrust. Finally, here I was not only told
that I was a spy, but at one time had reason to expect to
be given over to the French outposts as such with two
English gentlemen.

THE WAR FEELING IN NEW YORK.

Since the Union 'army compelled the capitulation of
General Lee, with his disorganised and badly beaten forces
in April, 1865, New York has been overwhelmed by no
such tidings as those which flashed over the cable yester-
day at noon, proclaiming that at ten minutes past two
o'clock France had spoken for war. New York was
filled with exultation. Despatches from Washington
came pouring in announcing that the Napoleonic menace
had been received in the House of Representatives with
profound sensation. The afternoon papers discussed
the position and crisis with flippant p'eriods, and men
went around on the eve of a cosmopolitan disaster with
light phrases and feathery jokes. Singularly enough the
same joy that followefl Lee's surrender in 1865 is now pre-
ceding the gigantic struggle between the two mightiest
Powers of Europe in the summer of 1870, and this kind
solicitude on the part of America for the misery of the
quarrelling dynasties of the Old World seemed to be a sort
of entertainment to those. who read the voluminous
despatches and eagerly watched for the latest intelligence.
Setting aside that ,-extreinely small body of humani-
tarians who alWays labour for peace, and the highly
respectable body'of broadbrims, there is no doubt that
Yesterday's doings abroad were a subject of congratulation
in most every household. The long gloom of faces of
1861, when the pall of . war hung over the young Admin-
istration of President Lincoln was nowhere to be seen.
An ocean separated America from the battle field to be,
and people were happy, remarkably contented. Upon
applying the finger to the popular pulse it was found to
beat swifter than for ,previous years, and all themes,
social, political and financial, were absorbed in the capil-
lary subject of the French-Prussian dontest.—Neui. York
Herald, July 16.

THE WAR BETWEEN. FRANCE AND.

PRUSSIA.

The news of a declaration of war between France and
Prussia, which reached us by cable telegram yesterday,
was not unexpected. For some weeks past it was evident
that France desired to throw down the guage of war, and
that Prussia was not unwilling to take it up. At two
o'clock yesterday Napoleon communicated to the Corps
Legislatif that war with Prussia was proclaimed in conse-
quence of insults offered to the French Ambassador at
Berlin, Count Benedetti, by the Soveroign and Court of
Prussia. We may accept this incident, therefore, as the
immediate eaev,s belli, although we know very well that a
variety of irritating causes have existed since Prim offered
the Spanish throne to a member of the Prussian royal
family, thereby provoking the indignation of France,
leading to hasty and defiant words on the part of the
French Minister of Foreign Affairs, which were
met by the King of Prussia at first with dignity, and
afterwards with some natural display of irritation, which
resulted in the dismissal of the French Ambassador. These
are the ante-war incidents of some days past. That the
peoples of both France an d Germany are eager for this
war there can be no doubt. The utmost enthusiasm is
said to prevail in the leading cities of France and Prussia.
Whether the succession to the Spanish crown was the
real cause of the difficulty, or only a pretext, matters
.little now. We are -on the threshold of one of the most
terrible wars Europe has ever witnessed. It may be of
short duration ; but, taking into account the skill, the
numbers, the opportunities of the contending forces, and
the deadly appliances which modern science has placed
in the hands of each, the result in any event must be
fearful. It may culminate in a Jena, it is true, or it may
be so prolonged as to draw all Europe into the vortex—
possibly into a coalition against France. BOt we
cannot expect to see such a coalition as that which
brought the allied troops into Paris in 1815. There have
been revolutions among nations, and changes of boun-
daries since then. England, of course, unless forced into
an alliance, must stand aside. She has too many thorns
tormenting her at home to go into the foreign war busi-
ness. Besides, the army she could bring into the field
(about two hundred thousand men) would be but a pigmy
in this battle of the giants. However, if the rumour be
true that she will protect the neutrality of Belgium, her
navy might do terrible service at Antwerp. In looking
for the cause of this conflict, so suddenly sprung up, we
must go deeper than the question of the Spanish crown.
It may be a matter of mutual necessity on the part of
both sovereigns. The crops in France are very short.
Bread riots in Paris are dangerous affairs. A hungry
and discontented people must be diverted in some way
from ' brooding over home grievances. A war
is just the thing for the emergency. Napoleon
is shrewd enough to see this, and it may be presented to
his sagacious mind just now, the question between a war
and a dynasty. There are troublesome elements at work
in Prussia too. The popular parties who are disposed to
cut down the army supplies and reduce the army are gain-
ing ground. There appears to be every probability that
they will have a majority at the next election, which
would he most, embarrassing for the King and Govern-
ment. Do not' the real causes of war lie in these
facts ? We in the United States cannot but deplore this
unfortunate event, in the general interests of mankind.
A bloody war is always to be regretted ; but whatever
the consequences may be to Europe, the benefits of the
conflict will accrue to us. There will be a larger demand
for our abundant breadstuffs, our merchant marine will
find wider employment, and all the general, interests of
the country will partake of a stimulating influence
from the thunder of cannon on the Rhine frontier.—New
York Herald, July 16.

GENERAL FAILURE OF THE EUROPEAN

CROPS.

The year 1870 will long be remembered in Europe, not
only for its intense heats but for the prolonged and wide-
spread drought that now gravely threatens nearly two-
thirds of the cereal and other harvests. By our latest
advices we perceive that the situation in this respect has
become actually alarming. In many departments of
France not a drop of rain has fallen for many weeks, and
even throughout regions near to the seashore the crops
look poor and thin compared With those of former years.
Universally hay, straw, and clover are lost, and the pea-
santry are hurrying their cattle to the butchers, because
they no longer have fodder wherewith to feed
them. At the late La Villette market, in Paris,
four thousand head of beef cattle were offered
for sale at almost any price, where two thou-
sand has been the usual figure. Thus there is
more meat offered to consumers than ever before; but the
question arises, " What are the latter to do next winter ?"
Farmers near the garrisoned towns who usually enjoy the
loan of artillery horses by the Government, have sent
them back to the army for lack of the commonest feed for
them. Wheat, barley, and oats have doubled in price,
and the standing growth is wretched. Peas and beans
are in the same condition ; hemp and flax are gone ; the
fruit trees of all kinds begin to droop and are full of cater-
pillars, and the vineyards of the southern districts are
seriously attacked by the worm known as the "phylloxera
vastatrix." Even Algeria has suffered from both
drought and locust, and can count upon only a
medium crop of grain to aid France. Spain
and Italy are similarly tried, and the only really fine crop
of staple that the latter will be able to boast of will be
silk. Bohemia, Hungary, and the Danubian Principali-
ties will come to the rescue, to some extent, but the deficit
in Germany will probably absorb all their superabun-
dance. The most singular feature of this " beggarly
account of empty boxes " is 'that in some of the finest
grain provinces of the Russian empire the crops are short
for another reason than heat and drought. Untimely
cold and moisture have_ crippled them. Sweden will do
no more than sustain itself, and it is doubtful whether
Belgium and Holland will do so much. The East seems
to be similarly threatened. Early in the season we noticed
the distressing lack of rain and running water
in Syria and parts of Turkey, and both
those countries look to importation for help.
Prices - in France have gone up largely and are
rising every hour, and the reserve which the govern-
ment always makes there, for a year or two in advance,
is likely to be more than taken out of its hands. At all
the leading markets grain has reached the rate of thirty
francs per metrical quintal. In some places it has risen
even to thirty-five, which is from five to ten francs above
the prices of last winter. What, we may ask, will it be
three months hence, particularly should an insane war
open the floodgates of devastation and waste ? It is now
that the United States step into the foreground as
the granary of the nations. It is to this " fruitful land of
Canaan " that all must look. Here are the-golden fields
and the laden orchards all the way from Maine to the
Gulf of Mexico, and from ocean to ocean. Here are the
cattle on a thousand hills along with the rich grass, the
luscious fruit and the bursting ear. Out of the midst of
war and desolation this much favoured land has been
raised up to offer the Old World, in the hour of its dearth
and its warlike madness, healing and a refuge. To-day
the Republic stands before mankind the image of
Liberty, holding the olive branch of peace in one hand
and the horn of plenty in the other.—New York Berald.

Tali: ADMISSION OF GEORGIA.—It would be a
great disgrace to Congress if it adjourned without taking
the necessary steps for the readmission of Georgia, and
yet that seems likely to be the barren issue of all its
discussions on the question. There is not a dingle good
reason to be adduced against the restoration of Georgia,
but the obstinacy of one or two Senators threatens to
place Congress in a false position before the country. Our
Washington correspondent tells us that the President is
advised that he may order an election in Georgia next
Fall, but this would not compensate for the failure of
Congress to do its duty. Is it impossible, at this eleventh
hour, to prevail upon the Senate to act in a rational man-
ner on this question ?—New York Times.

PHILADELPHIA FIREMEN'S FIGHTS. They of
the City of Brotherly Love have just had the old-fashioned
entertainment of another bloody fight in the streets be-
tween two companies of bellicose firemen. Thank
our stars. we of New York, with our paid and re-
gularly appointed and disciplined fire department,
have been relieved of this old time feudal age
nuisance of firemen's fights. Philadelphia is be-
hind the present age with her feudal system ;
but let her adopt our orderly and efficient system and she
too will be thankful over a happy deliverance. She will find
the change in every respect of law, order, efficiency, and
economy something to be particularly proud of. Let her
try it. With us it is the greatest reform of all our local
reforms of the last twenty years, and we are very proud of
it.--New York TWA