The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-22 00:00:00

THE GERMANS AT VERSAILLES.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph., in a letter
from Meaux, Oct. 14, says that Paris, according to all
accounts, presents to those confined within its walls a
sorrowful and grim spectaele. Versailles, on the con-
trary, is full of life and movement—gay with an exotic
gaiety of an exclusively military character,- but affording
a vigorous contrast to the melancholy of the neigh-
bouring capital. The hotels are crowded ; the

shops and cafés are all open, and doing a roaring
trade. Groups of splendidly mounted officers may be
seen every fine afternoon "doing their park" in the
shady allies surrounding the Château. Eatables and
drinkables are plentiful and good, although somewhat
dear, as might be expected. The pretty villas and
country houses scattered about so plentifully in the
vicinity of the town, for the most part abandoned by their
owners, are tenanted by the German officers, who, com-
fortably installed in luxuriously furnished apartments,
are enjoying an interval of ease and enjoyment that, by
comparison with the fatigues and sufferings many of
them have undergone, must be all but paradisaical. Good
quarters, good cheer, and easy duty—are not these,
indeed, the elements of a soldier's paradise ? The besieg-
ing army itself is by no means badly, off in the matter of
lodging and creature comforts; although, of course, its
duties are heavy and harassing compared with
those of the more fortunate warriors attached to head-
quarters. The majority of the soldiers are lodged in the
villages comprehended in the military cordon round Paris;
there is but little bivouacking, and, with the exception
of the detachments told off daily for outpost duty,
few of the men are exposed for four-and-twenty
hours at a stretch to' the inclemency of the
weather. Moreover, enormous stores of warm clothing,
cigars, and "schnapps," presented by the German na-
tion to its heroic sons, have come forward lately ; so that
a large proportion of the army is provided with
woollen stockings, flannel shirts, comforters, " bosom
friends," knitted body jackets, and thick winter boots.
Consequently, down to this time at least, the health of
the troops has been all that could be desired ; while their
comrades before Metz, compelled to' camp in the
open, have suffered severely by the cold and
wet which have, for the last week or so, suc-
ceeded the wonderful second summer of this annus
mirabilis, 1870. Mournful accounts reach us even
here —the spot of all spots in the war region, I fancy,
which is the worst informed respecting current events—
about typhus, rheumatism, and lung diseases, too preva-
lent among the gallant fellows gathered round the great
Moselle fortress. On the other hand, glad tidings have
been imparted to me to-day, to the effect that Bazaine
has entered into serious negotiations for the
surrender of Metz, and that in a few days
we may expect to hear of its mighty garrison
departing northward and eastward to swell the already
enormous number—between 120,000 and 140,000 —of
French involuntary colonists settled clown in Germany
until further notice. The news from Orleans, too,ls
highly exhilarating for the besiegers of Paris. General
Von der Tann appears to have completely routed the
Army of the Loire, and driven it back in
utter confusion ; the retreat being terribly harassed by
two divisions of Prussian cavalry. Paris, I imagine,
based her hopes of proximate relief, or at least of an
important diversion in her favour, upon this army ; which
like all the French forces that have encountered the
Germans in the field, has proved unable to withstand their
superior weight and discipline. Should Metz surrender,
the Arm& de la Loire be broken up, and General Von
Werder march triumphantly through the South of France
—all eventualities likely to be shortly realised—surely the
fate of Paris can no longer admit of a doubt; and a
further delay in opening her gates would be suicidal mad-
ness. Heaven forbid that this most terrible of struggles
between two great nations should degenerate into a
guerilla warfare on the part of the French, driven to des-
peration by their misfortunes !

THE RUMOURED INTENDED CAPITU-
LATION OF METZ.

A most important piece of intelligence has been tele-
graphed from Saarbruck, under date Oct. 8, 10 p.m., by
the war correspondent of the Scotsman. He announces
that the French are withdrawing their outposts in all
directions around Metz, and that the Prussian outposts
have been advanced a mile closer to the place. There
can be no doubt as to the fact, as - he, no doubt,
states it on the testimony of his own eyes. As to the
opinion, however, which he gives, to the effect that Metz
is shortly about to yield, that is quite another thing. At
the first glance, and taken in connection with the arrival
of Marshal Bazaine's first aide-de-camp at Versailles, it
might seem that the withdrawal of the French outposts
was significant of surrender. On consideration,
however, we do not recognise this retrograde move-
ment as an indication of an approaching capitulation. On
the theory that a capitulation is being treated about,
what reason is there that there should be the retrogade
movement in question? The Prussians would not gain
by it, for the ground thus abandoned has been
swept bare of provisions, and the villages scattered
over it are in ruins. If one of the gates of the
town or a fort had been handed over to the
Prussians we could understand it. What has, then, been
the motive of the Marshal's action? Several conjectures
may be made on the subject. His army may have become
so demoralised by the repulse of the different sorties
that he can no longer trust it beyond close range
of the guns of the forts and enciente, and he
may be merely concentrating with a view of occupy-
ing his position more strongly. It may, perhaps,
be a case of reculer pour mieux sauter, and
Bazaine may intend, as soon as the Prussians have
occupied the ground abandoned, and before they can
strengthen their position, to make a crushing attack on
them with his whole army. It is obvious that the nearer
the Prussians are to the place the better can the guns of
the forts and enceinte cover a sortie, the less ground will
have to be traversed by the French before coming into
contact with the enemy, and the more easy it
will 'be to surprise the latter. A third conjecture,
and which is, we think, the most likely to be correct, as
it certainly is the least far-fetched, is that, the weather
having been broken up, Bazaine is anxious to place his
army under cover of the houses of the town. If all these
conjectures should be wrong, their incorrectness will soon
be proved, and we shall hear within the next two or three
days that Metz has surrendered. Should a capitulation take
place it will be a sore—almost a fatal—blow to France,
and will probably be the result of some political intrigue,
at which those who know the'Marshal's character will not
be much surprised. There does not, as far as we can
ascertain, seem to be any military necessity as yet for
surrender. It is true that the Marshal must recognise
the fact that any attempt to cut his way through
the investing cordon would be vain, unless with
the aid of a co-operating French army outside.
Neither could he effect anything were he even to succeed
in piercing the enemy's lines. Still by holding out he is
rendering, as we have repeatedly shown, incalculable
services to France. There is a dearth of salt in the
place, and beef and mutton are scarce, still there
is nothing approaching to famine within the
walls. The correspondent of the Scotsman states that
there is a great deal of sickness, and more among the
French than the Prussians ; that the weather is cold,
wet, and very inclement : still, if the marshal has placed
his troops under cover in the town, the equality of disease
between the two armies will probably soon be restored,
for the Prussians are exposed to the full inclemency
of the season. Moreover we do not know
for certain that the sickness in Metz is
really greater than that in the Prussian camp.
The announcement is probably made on the strength of
the deserters, who, we are told in the above quoted tele-
gram, are continually coming in. The reports of deserters
are proverbially untrustworthy, for they generally state
that which they believe. will be acceptable. The fact
of the French soldiers deserted also proves nothing, for
the French, if kept inactive, are peculiarly prone to
desertion, and we need not suppose that because there ere
many deserters there must necessarily be great misery in
Metz.--Standard.