The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-13 00:00:00

ORLEANS RETAKEN.

" Azamat Batuk "sends to the Pall Mall Gazette a
letter from Orleans, dated the sth, which adds some
important particulars to our knowledge of the late battles.
Ile says :—" After the partial defeat of the 16th Corps on
the left flank, at Patty, on Friday, the position was, as I
wrote you, restored by the arrival of the 17th Corps ; but
on the next day the defeat was general ; the 15th Corps,
which had made its junction with the 20th
(Crouzat) two days previously, was again detached and
occupied a position north of the 'forest of Orleans,
at Chilleurs-aux Bois. It was most thoroughly beaten.
Even the word beaten is not sufficiently expressive, for
the corps did not fight at all ; it ran away as a body.
Only a few detached francs-tireurs and marine companies
stood firm. The fight of the three days being chiefly an
artillery fight on the part of the Prussians, the 15th
Corps, having almost no artillery, could offer scarcely any
resistence.

" The alarm of the 15th Corps from Chilleurs-aux-Bois
communicated itself to a considerable extent to the 16th
and 17th to the left of the said position—that is, to Nen-
vile and Artenay. The whole force at once retired to
Chevilly, where a marine battery of heavy guns protected
the retreat for several hours. The guns were finally
taken. however, and at daybreak the next mor-
ning the fight was already going on close to
Orleans, at Cercottes and Semay. The can-
nonading was fearful, and terrified the whole
population of Orleans. The evacuation of the
town began early in the morning of the 4th, the baggage
and provisions being the first things sent to the other
side of ,the Loire. At about noon began the retreat of
the 15th Corps, which was most disorderly on the
field, but quite satisfactory when the troops reached
Orleans. All the streets were blocked up, but still
no panic had shewn itself, and only those of the men of
this corps were made prisoners who did not remain
in the ranks to await their turn to cross the bridge. The
retreat was going on till late at night, the town being
protected by strong batteries, which 'wore firing from five
p.m. From the church tower of St. Hubert a splendid
view was obtained of the burning houses of the faubourgs
and the bursting shells. At about twelve at night the
pontoon bridge was set on fire, and as soon as part of it
had burned all the pontoons started down the river, which
was covered with large blocks of ioe. The night being
bright and the moon full, the sight was exceedingly
impressive. To-day, at three in the morning, began the
marching in of the Germans, but occasional fighting in the
streets and on the embankments of the Loire was going
on till late in the morning.
" The German troops arrived in the most perfect order.
Raving been constantly on the French side, I had no op-
portunity of forming anything like a precise idea of the
magnificent state of these troops. The order and disci-
pline in the 9th Corps of General Manstein at least are
beyond all praise."

The Saxons aro beginning to grumble at the postpone
ment of the bombardment of Paris. These troops were
dreadfully pounded in the late sorties.
It is said that the French now possess cannon of a now'
calibre which are used for the defence of Paris, whose
range is 500 metres further than that of the Prussians.
Some of the French papers give a flaming account of a
heroine from Colmar, who is said to command a corps of
freeshooters in the Vosges. It is useless to give the details,
for the story yet requires confirmation.
A correspondent at Versailles says that the Prussians
will not enter into any further negotiations with the
Government of National Defence so long as it allows
French officers who have been released on parole, on con-
dition of not serving in the present war, to resume their
posts in the French army.
In order to provide for all eventualities the authorities
in Paris are adopting measures upon a large scale for the
grinding of corn into flour. A contract for the fixing of
200 pairs of millstones has been effected with the well-
known firm of Cail and Co., and one half of that number
are already in operation.
The correspondent of the Telegraph says that the Ger-
man troops to the north and north-west of Paris are busy
making wooden barracks for the garrison,of Paris when it
marches out as prisoners of war, It has not marched out
yet.
Great anxiety prevailed at Tours when the Government
published no bulletin with respect to the army of the
Loire, and the fate of Orleans, but when the truth was
made known a regular panic prevailed. The hotels were
emptied, the railway trains overcrowded, and every kind
of vehicle was made use of. The Government employes
collected their papers.
An official report from Versailles states that the last
sorties from Paris were undertaken by the depot troops of
the line with the Mobiles, in all about 90,000 strong. Be-
fore retreating they killed the wounded horses and took
with them a portion of the flesh. They had no cavalry,
but a numerous artillery.
The Department of the Basses Pyrenees, is rapidly
sending contingents of levies to the war. The Mobiles
from the whole department number from 7,000 to 8,000.
The Departments nearest the Gironde furnish about
00,000 of that class ; they will all be encamped
outside Bordeaux ready for active service in a very short
time.

The "Besieged Resident" of the Daily News, writing:
from Paris on the 3rd, jocularly says :—" All the animals;
in the Zoological Gardens have been killed except the
monkeys : these are kept alive from a vague and.
Darwinian notion that they are our relatives. In the cellar
of the English Embassy there are three sheep. Never did
the rich man lust more after the poor man's ewe lamb
than I lust after these sheep. Igo and look at then)
frequently, much as a London Arab goes to have a smell
at a cookshop."

A letter him Garibaldi's headquarters tells an extra,
ordinary tale of the behaviour of the French Mobile
Guards. They were armed with the best weapons money
could buy, and they fought shamefully. The Italians
and Francs-tireurs appear to have done all the fighting,
and only their courage saved thesGeneral from capture or
death. For the second time, the flight of the Mobiles
threw the whole column into disorder, and the general
retreat which ensued became a scramble. After the re-
turn of the column, and the concentration of his forces at
Autun, the General appears to have had a successful
engagement with the Germans.
Some portions of the pamphlet by Marshal Bazaine one
the operations of the army under his charge appear
in the German papers. Most of the story has
been told in manifestoes from the Marshal
and his generals. It appears, however, that
the French commanders deliberately chose to remain iet
Metz, " which otherwise could not hold out a fortnight,
thus keeping 200,000 Germans employed, giving France
time to organise, and in case of the enemy's retreat
making it as disastrous as possible."

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BIRTHS.

On the
,10th inst., at Bromley, Kent, Mrs. 0. Nickalls,

of a son.
On the Bth ilia., at Tulse-hill, the wife of Captain Jones,
of a daughter.

MARRIAGES.

On the 9th inst., at St. Marylebone Church, George Sale
Schwabe, Captain Gth Dragoon Guards, to Mary Jaque-
line, only daughter of the Right Hon. the Lord JUAtiCef
Sir William M. James.
On the Bth inst., at St. Luke's, Lower Norwood,
Dade. Esq., of Tuffnell-park, Holloway, to Louis:),
Elizabeth, second daughter of the late Louis Asser,Esq.,
Hyllewood House, Lower Norwood.

DEATHS.
On the 10th inst., at his residence, Kilburn, George Ogg',
Esq., of University College, London, aged 61.
On the 9th inst., at 49, Malvern-road, Dalston, Mrs.
Weedon, aged 89.

London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, of
No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by him at
THE SUN Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the
Savoy, in the County of dliddlesex,
Tuesday, December 13, 1870..