The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-17 00:00:00

THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE.

The Central Committee of the International League of
Peace and Liberty have issued the following proclamation
at Geneva, addressed to the people of France and Germany:
—People of France !—You have just regained the right of
which you were deprived by the Second Bonaparte,
through the crime of the 2nd of December—that gross,
sanguinary plagiarism of the 18th Brumaire. Unhappily,
it is to be feared that the revolution, which all
free men will applaud, will not have the effect of
immediately terminating the act of folly committed by
the Empire in declaring war against Germany. Your
territory is invaded ; and the monarch occupying it will
certainly not consent to withdraw, after the victories
he has gained. There is, nevertheless, a language
which, if, unhappily, it cannot end the war, never-
theless is suitable to facilitate and accelerate the
conclusion of peace. Declare aloud that, faithful to
the great principles proclaimed in 1789, the French
Republic has no pretensions for the smallest por-
tion of German territory ; and, more, that the Re-
public forbids all interference with the internal affairs of
Germany; that the Republic desires to respect the inde-
pendence of all peoples, and aspires only to witness the
day when fraternity will reign between people's and indi-
viduals. And you, German people, reflect that from the
moment the Republic was proclaimed in France the
aspect of the war became changed. 1t is no longer Ger-
many fighting against an Empire which had the preten-
sion to invade Germany, to prevent its union, and annex a
portion of your territory. The war has become a war
of a Monarchy against the Republic. Will you lend
yourselves to play such a disastrous part for you and for
Frsnce ? Declare, in the name of the people, that you
will not attack the independence of the French people nor
the integrity of th4ir territory; and that as, in face of
the Republic being proclaimed, there exists no longer a
motive for war, you demand peace, Say to one another a
"No more carnage, no more savage acts ; let us lay down
our arms, join in a fraternal greeting, and respect our
mutual independence ; let us carry our emulation and
rivalry to the fertile fields of peace ; and let. us
mutually work for the development of those institutions
which will preserve it. The old European system, which
has been a perpetual cause of war, has had its day ;
let the system of the confederation of the free people
of the States of Europe be the object of our mutual
efforts.

(Signed) G. BARNI, Frenchman.
A. GOEGG, German.
G. GOLLANDAY, Swiss.
CESARE STEFAN, Italian.
PEAS HANKE, Pole.

CAPITULATIONS OF MODERN HISTORY.

The Neuen Wiener Tagblatt, under the above heading,
gives the following interesting details :—The capitulation
of Sedan of the 2nd inst. is a singularly remarkable event,
inasmuch as, since King Francis I of. France, no monarch
has ever been taken prisoner upon the immediate field of
battle. On the other hand, purely military catastrophes
of this kind have occurred several times during the
past ' two centuries. We think that by giving the
principal details of these occurrences to our readers
we shall enable them to compare past events with those
of the last few days. The principal catastrophes are as
follow :

1700. Capitulation at Narwa. A Russian army 6
60,000 men surrendered to Charles XII. 01

Sweden.
1709. Capitulation at Pultawa. On the day after the

battle at Pultawa the remains of the Swedish

army surrendered to Peter the Great of Russia.
1713. Capitulation of Tonning, in Schleswig. A
Swedish army, under General Steenbock, sur-
rendered to the allied Russian and Danish

armies.
Capitulation of Pirna. The Saxon army, finding
itself hemmed in on all sides, surrendered to
Frederick the Great of Prussia.
Capitulation of Kloster Seven. The Duke of
Cumberland, with 20,000 English troops, con-
cluded a capitulation with the French, in conse-
quence of which the English troops quitted
Germany.
Capitulation of Maren. A Prussian division of
10,000 men, under General von Fink, surren-
dered to the Austrians. The cavalry cut their
way through.
Capitulation of Yorktown. An English army of
8,000 men, uFkler Lord Cornwallis, laid down
their arms beforo the North American General
Washington.
Capitulation of Ulm. The Austrian Field-Marshal
Mack surrendered with 32,000 men to Napo-
leon I. The cavalry, commanded by the Grand
Duke Ferdinand, cut their way through the
enemy.
Capitulation of Prenzlau. The Prussian General
Prince Hohenlohe surrendered himself and
16,000 men, mostly cavalry, to the French
Marshals Berthier and Murat.
Capitulation of Itatkau, near Lubeck. The Prus-
sian General Blucher surrendered himself with
10,000 men, subject to being allowed to march
off with honours of war but without arms to
Marshal Bernadotte.
1808. Capitulation of Baylen. The French General
Dupon surrendered with 10,000 men to the
Spanish army under General Palafox.

1756.

1757.

1760.

1781.

1805.

1806.

1806.

1808. Capitulation of Cintra. The French Marshal
Junot, with more than '20,000 men, surrendered
to the English army under Sir Arthur Wellesley
(Afterwards Duke of Wellington).
1813. Capitulation of Kulm. The French General Van-
damme surrendered with 15,000 men to the Em-
peror of Russia and the King of Prussia. The
cavalry cut their way through the enemy.
1849. Capitulation of Vilagos. The Hungarian army,
under General Gorgey, 23,000 men strong, sur-
rendered to the Russians.
Capitulation of Virginia. General Lee, with
30,000 men, surrendered at Appomatox Court
House, south of Richmond; to the Federal
General Grant.
1861 Capitulation of South Carolina. The Confede-
rate Generals Johnson and Beauregard, with
30,000 men, surrendered to the Federal General
Sherman.
1866. Capitulation of Langensalza. The Hanoverian

1865.