The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-11 00:00:00

THE FRENCH MISMANAGEMENT.

Azamut Batuk writes from Metz to the Pall Mall Gazette
on Sunday :—" Let me say now how the events of the last
two days appear to an eye anxious to find an explanation
of a fact in the possibility of which it would never have
believed. You know how long was the French
line. From Sierck to Weissenburg, on the
whole of the distance, four corps were scattered in
thin detachments, all of them unaware on which point the
attack might begin. Out of these troops a corps is to be
deducted—that of Ladmirault (the 4th corps d'arm4e),
which had the special duty of protecting the valley of the
Moselle. Only three remained then—the 3rd corps of
Bazaine, the 2nd of Frossard, and the Ist of MacMahon.
The corps of the Imperial Guards, under Bourbaki, is not
to be reckoned, as he was near Metz ; while the sth of
Failly, was at Nancy. The official bulletin has further
shewn that even the corps of Bazaine did not take part at
Forbach. The whole of the Prussian forces had thus prac-
tically only two French corps to oppose them at the places
selected for the attack. The results were only natural, and
you know them already. Of Frossard's corps, one regiment
(the 60th of the' Line, if I rightly remember) numbered after
the Battle of Forbach only about 100 soldiers and one
officer; while two of MacMahon's Turcos, covered with
blood all over their ragged dresses, were seen last night by
a friend of mine, at Nancy, rolling on the pavement of the
railway station, and crying aloud for their regiment, about
whose fate no one seemed to know anything. And why
was there such a want of concentration on the points of
attack ? What were the arrangements which made
it possible that isolated divisions and brigades
should be surrounded by two and three corps ?
No one is able to answer ; not even the
officers at headquarters whence all the orders must
have been issued. Igo to write to you with a very heavy
heart, and the profoundest hope that I may be able to see
and hear to-morrow something different from what I see
and hear to-day. One symptom impresses my mind
most unfavourably. We see almost no wounded here,
although their arrival has been many times announced
and the best possible preparation made for them. Is it
possible that the retreat was of a nature which did not
allow them to be carried off ?

THE CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE
EMPEROR.
The High Court at Blois has delivered its verdict in the
case of the individuals charged with conspiracy. Mdgy
was sentenced to twenty years' hard labour; Beaury to
twenty years' imprisonment ; Dupont, Fontaine, Sapia,
and Gerin, to fifteen years' imprisonment : Petiean,
Mollin, Godinot, and Pelerin, to five years ; Grenier and
Greffier to fifteen years ; Ballot and Gronuer to five years;
and Direnze to three years. Verdier was acquitted, having
given evidence for the Government. All the other pri-
soners were acquitted.

THE EVACUATION OF ROME.
The evacuation of the French troops is completed, and
General Dumont has been authorised to cede to the
Roman Government 35 mortars and 15,000 shells. The
cases of desertion are more numerous than ever from the
Antibes Legion, twenty-seven of that corps having disap-
peared.

THE MASSACRE IN GREECE.
The Greek Government has refused to permit English
barristers to be present at the inquiry relative to the
affair at Marathon. The English Minister has protested
against this decision.

THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION.
The special correspondents of the Toronto papers with
the Red River expedition announce that all was going
well up to the 28th of July. Labour was very scarce at
Portage, but steady progress was being made without any
accident. The first detachment, consisting.of part of the
16th Rifles; the Artillery, and Engineers, lind then reached
Deux Rivibres Portage.

(CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAM.)
LORD DERBY ON THE WAR.

Lord Derby presided Last evening at the annual dinner
of the North Lancashire Agricultural Society, which was
held in Blackpool. His lordship, in proposing the toast of
the army and navy, saidthe toast was one which six months
or even three months ago would not have excited more
than ordinary interest. But it was not too much to say
that the events of the last few weeks had produced on the
minds of all thinking men a painful sense of awakening
from ideas which, however pleasant, had unfortunately
been shown to be illusory. The idea of a mere
aggressive war was scouted by every Englishman.
We had flattered ourselves until very lately that
the feeling which we knew to be universal amongst us
prevailed over continental Europe. We had learnt now
that in this respect we were mistaken. Under these cir-
cumstances men very naturally asked what ought England
to do. That was a serious question. He would not then
undertake to supply the answer. That would not be a .
fitting time or place. But there was none the less neces-
sity that he, should do so, because in a place which he had
lately quitted opinion upon that'subject was pretty unani-
mous. But although he did not undertake to say what
this couutry ought to do, he might venture to say that it
did not follow that because some of our neighbours had
chosen to run mad that we had to run mad also. We
might have been a little sanguine in our hopes of a
quiet life. We might have been a little too eager in try-
ing to reduce to what we supposed to be the simply neces-
sary amount of our naval and military expenditure. But
don't now let us run into quite the opposite extreme,
and don't letus because for the moment some expectations
in which we have indulged are disappointed. , Not as if we
were about to get under the influence of possession, panic.
There were no doubt circumstances which might compel
us to take part in the quarrel. For his part he told them
fairly he thought the chances were a thousand to one that
these circumstances would not arise, but they were bound
to be prepared for the contingency. On the one hand,
and no less on the other, to do nothing by foolish talk,
by unnecessary threats, or by expressions of defiance
addressed to those whatever wrong they had done
to one another; they had done no wrong to us. In point of
moral power he believed we had never been so strong, or
nearly so strong as we were at present. We had a fleet
equal to any two of those afloat. As to mil' army,
it was undoubtedly relatively small, but taking into
consideration the limited amount of our forces, our arma-
ment was about the best in the world. There was not,
therefore, as far as he could see, any cause for alarm,
though there was sufficient cause for vigilance and for
precaution, and for provision against that future which
was necessarily uncertain.