The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-26 00:00:00

THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS,

The news up to yesterday afternoon is not so favour-
able as it was on Monday. The negotiations opened
by the British Government are still in a very crude state,
and so many elements of -confusion exist, in the
shape of rival demands for the power of treating
with Germany, that great doubts are felt by everybody
here respecting the speedy conclusion of the war. The
Daily News of this morning gave reassuring information;
but the Times regarded the negotiations as at an end. The
former announced that the preliminaries were proceeding
in a satisfactory manner : an interview had been arranged
between Count Bismarck and M. Thiers, and the latterwould
at once pass through the German lines. The Times, on
the other hand, declares that the suggestions concerning
an armistice have come to nothing in consequence of
Prussia demanding that France should consent, on
principle, to a cession of territory. There is some
truth in the statements of, both journals. M.
Thiers is about to visit the German lines, and
the French Government are desirous of making
peace. But if they admit the principle of ceding terri-
tory at all, they are not prepared to cede much. There
is unquestionably a strong party amongst the Re-
publicans who believe that better terms can
be obtained by holding out for another month.
The Germans are disgusted with the war.
A few weeks' winter campaigning would induce them to
relax some of their stringent conditions. These views are
not shared by all the Ministers, but they have their
weight. One preliminary stipulation the Republican
Ministry will insist upon : they will not negotiate
so long as overtures from the Imperialists
are listened to. Bismarck will not be permitted
to flirt with both sides. The announcement
made with characteristic servility by the Telegraph, that
the Empress is about to settle everything as Regent, is
entitled to no great consideration. The British Govern-
ment, having entered the field, is leaving nothing undone
to ensure success, and it would be decidedly premature to
abandon hope yet.
The Pall Mall Gazette of yesterday afternoon has little
hope that the peaceful prospects of Monday will be fulfilled.
It believes that the King and Bismarck are determined
not to leave the walls of Paris until they have taken the
city.

The Empress Eug4niehas returned to Chislehurst.
The Constitutionnel announces that the proposals of
Lord Lyons relative to an armistice appear to have met
with a favourable reception from the delegation of the
Government at Tours. They have taken measures to in-
form the Central Government of the overtures which
have been made to them by the representatives of Eng-•
land, supported by the representatives of Austria and
Italy. The Constitutionnel expresses a hope that without
prejudice to the interests of the national defence, these
efforts will be as well received in Paris as
they have been at Tours, and that France,
being for the time relieved from the war,
will be able to recover herself and elect her national repre-
sentatives, and believes that the Government will take
advantage of the armistice to convoke the electoral col-
leges and elect a Constituent Assembly.
The Journal of Brussels, in a recent number, says the
great interest of the day is not the progress of the Prus-
sians or the operations of the French, but the rumours
of peace which are circulating throughout Europe. Two
efforts in this direction have been recently made. One of
these entirely failed; the other offers some
chance of success, but cannot be spoken of with
any certainty. The first of these attempts was
made by General Burnside simply for an armistice, and
its terms were rejected by M. Favre. The other was of
a different character, being carried on between the belli-
gerents themselves without the intervention of a third
party. In this case it was neither Paris nor Tours which
was to treat for France, but Metz. The correspondent
of the Independance Belge, it will be rembered, inferred
that Bazaine would immediately assume the position of
Dictator, and would in that quality summon the nation
to elect a Constituent Assembly, the Germans meanwhile
allowing them full liberty to do so.
The Nord believes that the movements in and around
Metz regards a capitulation of the fortress rather than a
treaty of peace. The Marshal can only act as the repre-
sentative of Napoleon 111., and no one can say what
reception ho will meet in Paris. Bismarck is too practical
a man to open negotiations with an uncertain authority.
The Provincial Correspondence, of Berlin, says the fresh
attempts in favour of peace ought, first, to be directed to
convincing the French people how greatly they stand in
need of peace, and to making them recognise the inevitable
basis of a possible treaty.
A letter from Maubeuge, written on the 25th of October,
says that the diplomatists are redoubling their efforts to
bring about the conclusion of a peace directly between
the King of Prussia and Marshal Bazaine. The King has
several times expressed his -willingness to treat with the
Marshals of France, and negotiations have been opened.
Marshal Bazaine, if rendered powerless, would sooner
capitulate than accept the cession of any part of France
as a condition of peace. Accdrding to good authority, the
conditions proposed by the Marshal through General
Boyer were that Prussia must content herself with the
dismantling of the French fortresses, with a heavy indem-
nity for the war, and with a treaty of peace guaranteed
by Russia, England, and Austria against whichever of
the two belligerent powers infringed it.
The St. Petersburg Journal believes and hopes that
Bazaine will capitulate in order to put his army at the
disposal of the Government, which will decree the elec-
tions and the meeting of the Constituent Assembly. Ac-
cording to the Russian organ, there is an understanding
between Bazaine and the - Prussian headquarters,
and General Boyer has only been sent to the
ex-Empress as a matter of form. If she refuses
her consent to the plan, Bazaine will hold
himself free from all obligations excepting that of serving
his country.
Meanwhile the Situation, the organ of the Bonapartists
in London, says the only method of escaping from the
dilemma is to restore the rights of the regency, to treat
with it on the basis already indicated by the imperial note
published by the Situation, and to immediately convoke
a congress of sovereigns, in which the august prisoner of
Wilhelinshohe should take part as the most legitimate
of all.
The Journal de Rouen thinks the neutral Powers have
at last discovered it is their interest as well as that of the
belligerents that the war should cease ; but France should
reckon only on herself, and accept all outward aid as
superfluous.

A granite monument has been placed over the
grave of the late Bishop of Bath and Wells in the palace
churchyard, adjoining Wells Cathedral.

We understand that the Archbishop of Canter-
bury is desirous that a committee of Prelates should be
appointed by the Upper House of Convocation to
consider a plan for the revision of the Prayer Book.—
Record.

Four names are added to the long list •of candi-
dates for seats at the new London Education Board.
These are Miss Elizabeth Garrett, M.D., and Mr. Joseph
Guedalla, who was a prominent member of the late Re-
form League, for Marylebone ; Mr. Side, a working
man's candidate, for Southwark; and Mr. C. E. Mudie,
of Mudie's Library, for Westminster.
M. ESQUIROS AT MARSEILLES.—The Interna-
tional Society has organised a demonstration at Marseilles
in honour of M. Esquiros. Some hundreds of individuals
assembled outside the Prefecture, and, amidst loud
cheers for the Governor, demanded the formation
of the Revolutionary Commune. M. Esquiros promised
to take this demand into consideration,. though he did not
say what he would do in that case with the Municipal
Council, which was formed exclusively of the Republicans.
In the course of his reply, Esquiros said, " Citizens, you
know the difference which exists between the central
poWers at Tours, and those which have been confided to me.
If the administration at Tours forsakes me I am certain
that Marseilles will not abandon me. In another week
the National Guard will be mobilised, and we shall all
start. I will put myself at your head, and will go
from village to village preaching the sacred war, and
dying if necessary to save France and establihs the
Republic." After the applause which followed this ad-
dress, the " Marseillaise ' was sung, and a patriot
mounted a ladder and declared that he had never heard a
better speech, and to preserve the memory of it he sug-
gested that the street before them should be called the
Rue d'Esquiros, in place of the Rue Saint Ferrest, which
was unanimously agreed to.

Dowrt WEST. —A curious story comes across the
plains, which, if true, is calculated to upset some of the
favourite theories of the geologists. Professor Agassiz de-
clares that the New World is incomparably older than the
Old World ; and Professor Winchell adds that, with the
exception of part of Canada, the Western is the oldest part
of the continent—so old, in fact, that it is nearly worn
out, and hence is reduced to a desert. Now, what
will the learned Professors say to this little scrap of
scientific fiction from the Los Angelos News ! It says that
on the great Yuma desert, forty miles north of San
Barnardino, and thirty miles west of Los Palmos was
formerly a shallow salt lake, which has recentlydisap-
peared, revealing the wreck of a large vessel imbedded in
the sand. There can be no mistake about it. Nearly
one-third of the forward part of the ship or bark is
plainly visible. The stump of the bowsprit remains, and
portions of the timbers are perfect. No inscription, log-
book, valise, or other article has been found by which the
strange craft can be identified ; and the question is, how
came she there ? It is forty miles from the nearest
road, and, so far as known, nobody but Indians
have ever passed that way. They never could
have built a ship ; and if they had, they could
not have floated it upon that shallow lake. It
is hardly rational to suppose anyboly would attempt the
passage of the plains in such a vehicle ; and the more the
editor thinks about it the more he don't know. In the
light of geology, we see but one possible solution to the
question. Et is the scow of some reckless Canadian who
started to hunt for gold in California, and was shipwrecked
on the way. It probably happened about the time the
Rocky Mountains first came above water, and interfered
with overland navigation,—Deb-04 POSE.