The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-30 00:00:00

THE GERMANS BEFORE METZ.

Some interesting notes are given by a correspondent of
he Pall Mall Gazette who writes from before Metz,
August 21. He says :—Yesterday a move northward
began, and probably to-day the army corps on either side
the Moselle will effect a junction north of Metz, and then
that town will be completely blockaded. What amount
of provisions the French may have in Metz we know
not. But besides the 50,000 people who form the
ordinary population of the city, there must be many
thousands of fugitives, for in every village we have passed
througn all the chief residents had fled, and when we
asked where they had gone to, we almost invariably were
told " A Metz." More than 100,000 soldiers must be still
encamped outside the walls—we could see yesterday one
very large encampment from our outposts near Fort
St. Quentin, and it will be now impossible for them
to escape to Thionville. So that there are probably
200,000 hungry mouths in Metz. About half the
Prussian army will probably remain around Metz, while
the Crown Prince, strengthened by one or two corps from
Prince Freiderich Carl's army, the only one which has
had little or no fighting, will press on to Paris, if indeed
the Crown Prince is not on his way there already. lam
glad to hear that the number of dead is not so great as it was
at first feared it would be. The 40th Regiment, which
has had a great deal of fighting and has suffered heavily,
is now at its old strength again, having received rein-
forcements from the depot battalion yesterday. The re-
inforcements for the other regiments which had their
numbers reduced are either here or on the way. With the
foresight which they have displayed throughout the war, the
Prussians are hard at work fortifying the plateau beyond
the Verdun road which they had such hard work to win
on Thursday. A pontoon train is now going up to the
front, doubtless to be thrown over the Moselle north of
Metz, and so complete the junction of the different
army corps encamped round the town. If a
regular siege takes place, it is probable that one
of the first things the Prussians will do will
be to make a railway completely round the town with
trucks specially constructed to carry heavy guns, and
thus to enable them to concentrate a heavy fire, and, if
wanted, to pour in troops at different points where least
expected. I much doubt though whether there will be
any occasion for a regular siege of Metz. The French,
one would fancy, are thoroughly beaten, and the Parisians
who were so gaily shouting '` h Berlin" must
find that " nach Paris "is a more seasonable cry. The
Crown Prince is probably now near ChAlons:sur-Marne,
with nothing between him and the capital but
MacMahon's beaten army and the Garde Mobile. But
the Crown Prince's movements are a secret into which I
will not pry. It seems that the battle of Thursday
had larger dimensions that we here at first thought
it had, for on the hills to the left above the
Moselle there was almost as severe a conflict as on the
Verdun road. No less than seven army corps are now
admitted to have been engaged, and the Guards are said
to have suffered severely. Two Princes Salm-Salm are
dead. One was a major in the Prussian army, and was
with Maximilian in Mexico. The other a cousin, was a
very young officer. The Prussian loss is admitted to have
been very heavy.

AN EX-CHAMPION OF ENGLAND IN TROUBLE.—
At the Nottingham Police-court on Saturday, the 27th
inst., William Thompson, alias Bendigo, an ex-champion
of England, was taken before the sitting magistrates
charged with being drunk and disorderly ; and also with
assaulting Joseph Burley Johnson on the 20th inst.
Prisoner pleaded guilty to the charges made against him,
and urged in extenuation that he was intoxicated at the
time. He had saved a child from drowning and had been
since liberally treated with drink, &c., by its friends. If
it had not have been for that he should not have committed
himself. He was going to keep a quiet little house at
Collingham, near Newark, and if the bench would let
him go that time he would not trouble them again. The
magistrates took a lenient view of the matter, and as the
cases were not pressed against him, he was discharged on
paying 12s. 6d., the expenses, and promising to leave the
town.

UNIVERSITY oERVANTS.—FOT some time past the
Fellows and Tutors of Colleges at Cambridge have been
occupied in endeavouring to organise a better system of
remuneration to College servants. The present mode of
payment is unsatitfactory to employer and employed ; the
perquisites in some instances are excessive, wt ile in others
labour does not meet with its reward. Caius College has
just issued its rules and regulations. These state that bed-
makers are to be paid £1 10s. per quarter for Fellows
(whether senior or junior), and £1 ss. for other occupants
of rooms. The rules further state that in full term
every bed-maker shall employ . a help, and the tutor
shall require a character with each help. The
pay to every bed-maker's help is to be 4s. 6d.
per week where bed-makers have no less than eight
sets of rooms. Bed-makers and their helps are to leave
college when the gates are closed. With regard to gyps,
Caius College have put the remuneration at a guinea per
quarter. The tutors have a difficult matter to decide,
and sure we are that in their deliberations they have, not
lost sight of the reward due to faithful and trustworthy
servants. It is expected that other colleges will shortly
issue rules and regulrtions applicable to each ; and in all
we are convinced justice will be done.

THE POLICY OF PRUSSIA.
What is the true policy for Prussia to pursue? Evi-
dently to end the war as soon as possible, and to impress
upon the people of France that it is not waged againsti
them, as King William has done in his well-timed pro-
clamation to the French nation. The King of Prussia,
said in his speech to the North German Parliament : vve
have with calm and deliberate consideration measured
the responsibility, which before the judgment of the Al-
mighty and that of men falls on him who forces into
wars of devastation two great and peaceable nations
living in the very centr
has plunged of Euro." The Emperor Na-
poleon is the man who these " two great and
peaceable nations into wars of devastation." The people
and statesmen of all nations expressed their astonishment
that war should have been commenced for so slight a cause,
or, rather, for no cause at all. It is condemned everywhere.
Though the French, from national pride, may have chafed
under the progress Prussia made of late years toward consoli-
dating her power, and may be ambitious of strengthening
France in something like a corresponding degree, theY
would not have gone to war and would have
seen no . cause of war after Prince Hohenzollern
was withdrawn, had not Napoleon and bis bellige-,
rent Ministry forced the issue. The prompt deposition of
the 011ivier Ministry and its sudden unpopularity sheW
that the French are greatly incensed at its conduct.
The French people have sense enough to know, unless
misled by their rulers, that the Germans have a right to
unite under one government, and to make themselves a
great nation, and that as long as they should not interfere
with France there would be no good cause for war. Why'
indeed, should not the German people be united under
one government, as the French are ? What offence should
this be to France? The French people would have seen
this had not unscrupulous rulers misled and plunged them
into war. But the die is cast : terrible war has come.
It now remains for Prussia to convince the French
people, if that be possible, that the war is not /node
upon them, and that peace is desired between these
" two great nations, living in the very centre of
Europe." Unless this be done Prussia may suffer terribly
yet, notwithstanding her successes; for if the revolvtionarY
elements of France should take control of affairs, and the
nation be aroused to its very depths, there will be such
an avalanche of fury as may make Europe tremble.
Indeed, the Prussian monarchy, as well as other monar-
chies, may be overturned. Every hour is pregnant with
important events. Dreadful as the present crisis is, we
are not without hope that in the end the people will
become more enlightened and get their rights—that, in
fact, they will cease to be food for the powder of ambi-
tious rulers.—New York Times.

THE NEW FIREARMS.
Since the Belgian guh-maker, Montigny, brought out
his improvement on the French Mitrailleur, the Imperial
artillerists have thought proper to change the gender o
this formidable weapon, so that in France it is now called
the Mitrailleuse, and among the French soldiers it has
received the pet name of La fille du Commandant (the
daughter of the commandant.) The French officers
placed much of their confidence of success upon' the
powers of this gun, but it would seem that the Prussians
had quite as effective a weapon in the recent battles.
The size of the mitrailleuse makes it an easY
mark for artillery of heavy calibre, so that
it is in danger of being knocked over or seriously injured
by a gun out of its range, while it is effective only at
about a thousand yards. To oppose it the Prussians have
the Gatling• gun, which is composed of ten barrels, while
the mitrailleuse has thirty-seven ; but the Gatling's
barrels are of larger calibre, and capable of throwing a
one-inch shot or shell. A full description of the French
mitrailleur appeared in the Ledger of the 31st of August
last year, but as the subject has acquired renewed interest
since the recent battles, it may be a s well to re"
capitulate the leading characteristics of the gun-
The mitrailleur consists of a cluster of thirty'
seven barrels, either bound together or bored
out of the solid, and mounted on the same
principle as an ordinary field-gun. At a few
hundred yards it is difficult to distinguish it from the
Common gun. To the barrel is attached a massive breech
action, capable of being opened and closed by a lever. In
the Montigny arm the cartridges are carried in steel
plates, perforated with holes corresponding in number and
position with the holes in the barsel. This steel plate
forms the "vent-piece "of the system. The centred
fire cartridges being dropped into the holes in the steel
plate, stand out at right angles from it ; and the
plates thus ready charged are so carried in limber
and axletree boxes, specially fitted, for their re-
ception. When the gun comes into action the breech is
drawn back, a steel plate full of cartridges is dropped into
its corresponding slot, and the breech-block is then thrust
forward and secured. The gun is now on full cock and
contains thirty-seven cartridges, which are fired by a
" barrel organ ' handle, either one by one, as the handle,
works round click click, or in a volley by a rapid turn e'
the wrist. When the gun is empty the breech-block i 4
again withdrawn ; the steel plate, carrying the empty
cartridge cases, is lifted out, and a fresh plate is dropped
in if needed. The great advantage of this gull
is that no. boring or firing of fuzes is required,
and the whole operation is performed so rapidly that
two cool, steady men could maintain a fire of ten dis-
charges a minute. But it is obvious that the effect 0'
each discharga is limited to but a small area, for the charge
does not scatter, as is the case with shell and grape. Its
effectiveness and its defects, and comparison with the
German, American, and English inventions of the same
general character, will soon be demonstrated. Should the
contest last long enough, the world will learn something
about the efficiency of other guns. The French paPers
speak much of the power of a nem gun, which has been
subjected to a course of experiments' at the camp
at Chalons, very recently. It is a breech-loader,
and can be fired forty shots at a time. The Paris journal,
La Prase, says it is constructed on the system revolving'
pistols applied to artillery, with the very great difference,
however, that the projectiles do not follow the same line,
but, on the contrary, they form a semi-circle. This gun
is divided into four parts, and each of these parts may
easily be carried by a man. They are put together by
means of bolts and screws in three or four
minutes. It is easy to perceive what advantages
may be derived from such a weapon in a pitched
battle. The Prussians also have their revolving
guns and their held mitrailleurs. It has been stated in
the Prussian papers that these guns have been experi-
mented upon with the most profound secrecy. The place
where the experiments were made was surrounded by
chain of troops, having the strictest orders to drive awaY
indiscreet spectators. One of these is called " Kugel-
spitzen," and this, or some form of "mitrailleuse," seems
to have done deadly work at Weissembourg and iroerth•
The English, too are not behind their neighbours ill
their artillery. Some months ago, experiments were
tried at Woolwich arsenal with Montigny's mitrail
leuse, and they are to be immediately resumed. The ar-
tillerymen have been drilled in the use of this weapon.
-a-
variety of guns made on new plans have for a long time
been in process of production in England ; these are of all
kinds—for sea service, battering guns, field-pieces, and de-
fensive warfare, rifled, revolving, smooth-bore, breech-
loading, muzzle-loading, portable, flying, &c., &c. The
English also claim to have a rifle which beats needle-gun,
Chassepot, Enfield, or Snider, and that is the Martini'
Henry, and if the accounts given of it in the London
papers can be relied upon it must be a most deadlY
weapon. At a recent prize shooting match at Wimbledon
four competitors stood up with this rifles and the closeness
and constancy of the fire resembled the file firing of a conk
pany ; in three minuses the target became almost invisible
owing to the smoke. One of the men fired fifty-five times
in the three minutes, or rather more than eighteen times
a minute, and he hit the target every time. The target,
too, was so defaced as to be useless. This is undeniably
good shooting.—Philadelphia Ledger.

THE W ORKING PEOPLE.—The strike of the conk'
positors in San Francisco, Sacramento, and other towns of
California was for an advance from 60 cents in gold to 75
cents per thousand ems. At the lower rate it is alleged
that compositors in California earn from $3O t $35 a"
week on morning papers, and from $26 to $3O on evening
papers. The San Francisco Bulletin says that 60 cents in
gold per thousand ems is a larger compensation than can
be obtained in any Eastern city, and that at Chicago,
where the rates are the highest, compositors received 50
cents. in currency per thousand ems for night work, and
44 cents. for day work. The San Francisco Bulletin claims
that it has now no difficulty in obtaining all the compo-
sitors it can employ at the old rates. The contract
entered into with the Chinese shoemakers now work-
ing at North Adams, Marsachusetts, has recently
been published. The chief points of this docu-
ment are as follow : The Chinese contrac-
tors agree to furnish seventy-three steady and active and
intelligent Chinamen, such as are quick to learn a trade,
that is seventy-two workmen one foreman and two cooks-
The commission paid to the contractors is one dollar for
procuring each man. The wages paid are as follows :
Wages of foreman, $6O a month for overseering seventy-
five men, and if more men are added 50 cents. additional
per man. The workmen and cooks are to receive $23 per
month for the first year ; $26 per month for the second
and third years, and $2B per month for the fourth and
succeeding years. The wages are to be paid in gold coin,
and house wood and water are to be furnished free of
expense. The time for working is eleven hours, from
March 20th to September 20th, and ten and a half hours
during the rest of the year. The employer is authorised
to retain $25 from the first six months wages of each man,
as security for the fulfilment of his contract.—Philadelphia
Ledger.