The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-27 00:00:00

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EVENING EDITION.

LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 1870.

DANCING over a volcano, a masked ball i❑ the
midst of the horrors of an eartlqualte, are alone
comparable to the scenes now being enacted in more
than one part of Christendom. Already the present
war has secured to itself the dreadful distinction of
being one of the most sanguinary conflicts on record.
By an outrageous slip of the tongue, it was announced
by the late Prime Minister of France as having been
undertaken with a light heart by the Government over
which he was presiding at the time in his capacity as
Minister of Justice. Judging from appearances
the horrors of the carnage are still being regarded
with a certain ghastly light-heartedness. Not in
Paris—that at least must be admitted. Among the
Parisians the war is regarded as coming too nearly
home, in Lord BACON'S phrase, to " men's businesse
and bosomes," to admit of its being treated
any otherwise than most seriously. But
while this is so in that usually gay and
sprightly capital, it is to all appearance the very
reverse with some, at least, among the observers and
commentators of the war in Germany, and also, we
grieve to notify the fact, here, in England. At
Darmstadt, for example, there has been a series of
grotesque limnings under the title of " Zuminadas,"
in which, among other pictorial absurdities,
there have been pourtrayed van-loads of the
French prisoners ignominiously dragged in to
Berlin, in the sight of tittering ladies
assembled for this merry spectacle Unter
den Linden! Another of their miserable drawings,
drawings dashed off in the vilest taste in the world
representing the Prussian Uhlans after the capture
of Marshal MACMAHON'S baggage at Woerth

—the said Uhlams capering about in "the crinolines
and latest Paris fashions of his distinguished visi-
tors "—observe the implication ! A sketch pronounced
by the Times correspondent from Frank-
fort-on-the-Maine, as "also. irresistibly comic."
Irresistibly comic! The.% is as a C9llllllollt
upon the hideous destruction of human lile
at Woerth and at Weissanburg. Unhappily, we
cannot pride ourselves here in London upon having
disdained any participation whatever in these hor-
rible mockeries upon the calamities of our fellow
creatures. A familiar axiom has it that there is a
time for everything. But surely one might have
imagined that even the professional grinners
through horse-collars would have abstained from
going through their fatuous performances in
the presence of death and in the midst of the
most appalling sufferings. Instead of this being the
case, however, one of our many so-called comic publi-
cations of the day appeared with a broadly burlesqued
representation of the battle-field, whether of
Forbach, or of Borny, or of Rezonville,
or of Gravelotte was left to our imagination.
And now another of these decorous drolls
announces as an immense attraction a Comic
War Diary Extraordinary. It is time, perhaps, to
think whether we have not had enough of this kind
of fooling. According to a moderate calculation,
within the first four weeks of the war not far short
of a quarter of a million of men in the pride of life,
and most of them in the very flower of their age,
have been put hors de combat. A spectacle like that
is hardly one to receive with an air of merriment
only to be accurately expressed by the word snigger-

in,g.

SINCE the series of great engagements which ter-
minated in the very costly victory of the Germans of
the 18th little has been known respecting the move-
ments of the various armies, and that little is far from
intelligible. At present the history of the
war terminates with Thursday week ;
indeed, we have but just received sufficient
details to explain the operations which led up to the
battle of Gravelotte. Previously to Sunday, the 14th,
BAZAINE had been collecting his forces about Metz,
and the German host, under STEINMETZ and Prince
FREDERICK 011ARI;1S, had pushed on through Lor-
raine to encounter the French Marshal. The
latter, however, determined to avoid an encounter,
and it was in attempting to cut off his retreat
that the three battles took place. The first engage-
ment, on the 14th. was not, as has been supposed,
a feint of the French rearguard to cover the retreat
of their main body. The Prussian leaders saw that
BAZAINE was making his way to Verdun, and they
sent a strong force to make an attack on the east
side of Metz. The serious battle that followed un-
doubtedly secured the object in view. It kept a large
portion of the French army employed, two corps
which were about to cross the river being rec
but the Germans can hardly claim a victory in the
ordinary sense of the term, for they suffered very
severely from the fire of the French, and in one part
of the field were thoroughly routed. It is
true that the French retired, leaving the
ground in the hands of the enemy; but their
object was to retire as soon and as rapidly as
possible. This happened on the east side of the
Moselle. The fighting was then transferred to the
west bank. The French crossed at Metz ; the Ger-
mans higher up, at Pont-a-Mousson and its neigh-
bourhood. Hurrying round northwards in order to
intercept the _ retreating columns as they
passed along the Verdun road, a comparatively small
German force caught the head of the French
forces, and kept them at bay until
greater strength came up. The battle round about
Mars-la-Tour and Vionville was engaged on pretty
equal terms, the French being, if anything, rather
superior in number. Here, then, the Germans
gained a most decided victory, for, without advan-
tage in numbers, they barred the row t against the
French and forced the latter back. The next
day llazAiNE was at Gravelotte. A glance
at the map will show that instead oi
gaining ground he had lost it, for Gravelotte is

further from Verdun (BAzArNE's object) than Vion-
ville. The battle of the 16th ended in the Germans
so far gaining possession of the route by which
I3AZAIIE intended to retreat, that it was neces-
sary for him to make a successful attack
if he desired to carry out his design.
He declined to hazard an assault in the
face of superior forces, but most wisely en-
trenched himself at Gravelotte and the surrounding
villages. The accounts wIl:h have appeared in
our columns shew how well he disposed his men, and
how admirably adapted for defence was the position
he took up. The task before the Germans,
indeed, greatly resembled the storming of
a powerful fortification. The loss inflicted
was so immense that the German accounts of the
engagement are devoted almost as much to bewail-
ing their dreadful sacrifices as to congratulation over
their success. Nevertheless, thorgh the French are
not disposed to acknowledge it, the facts go to prove
that the advantage secured was of the first moment.
Gravelotte is the last position on the west side of
Metz. After losing it I3AzAINE was driven into the
fortress or immediately under its walls. So com-
pletely was he isolated that for the last week we
have heard positively nothing of him. A clay or two
ago a rumour was spread to the effect that he Lad
cut his way through to Montmedy, and this theory
still finds credit at Paris ; but there is no evidence to
support it. Every indication of worth points to the
conclusion that BAZAINE is still at the great fortress
and fast locked up there.
Whilst all this fighting was going on, MAcMAHoN
was endeavouring to gather the remnants of his
corps, which was broken up at `Werth, and to organise
another army at Chalons. Ile has succeeded. A
strong force Wag collected at the famous camp up to
the beginning of the present week; and by some
authorities, who are entitled to every consideration,
this heterogeneous host is described as very formid-
able, perhaps over 160,000 men. MACMAIION,
however, has not thought fit to fight the CROWN
PRINCE, who advanced to Chalons to engage
him. Be , broke up his camp and retired to
Rheims. Immediately after reaching this city he
quitted it also, and departed to some place as yet,
whilst we write, unknown. This manceuvre is
not easy to explain. In quitting Chalons he aban-
doned the best position which that district affords
for the ;defence of the capital. He must
therefore have retired, either because he felt
himself unable to cope with the CROWN PRINCE,
who has been reinforced from the other armies, or
because he designs to join Bazaine and make a united
attack upon the Germans round Metz. It is far from
improbable that such a design is entertained. It is
likely, on the other baud, that AlAcM.Arrox may fall
back on Paris and fight at an advantage around
the walls of the capital: But this latter
supposition scarcely accounts for the confident tone
with which the French Ministers speak of their
prospects in the Corps I,4gislatif. According to
PAr.ucAo the world is to be astonished soon. Surely
the Cabinet would never dare to raise hopes which'
had no better foundation than the retreat of MAC-
MAHON on. Paris. They must be well aware of the
terrible outburst which would follow such deception.
Nevertheless the Germans pursue their onward
march calmly enough.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.