The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-14 00:00:00

THE TATE ALEXANDRE DUMAS.

The remains of the distinguished dramatist, and author,
whose death we announced yesterday, have been interred
at Puy, until a favourable opportunity allows of the will n
being removed to Paris, At the burial of Dumas, besides
the family of the deceased, there were present a dozen
ladies, as many gentlemen, and about a score of villagers
and peasant children: 'The death of the famous author was
the result of a paralytic seizure, and ho wanted two or
three years of attaining the allotted three score years and
ten, Born on the 24th of June, 1803, at Villiers, Cotto-
rots, Alexandre Dumas was brought up, if not in the
school of poverty, at all events, in narrow circumstances,
for his mother applied, though in vain, for a military
pension in return for her hitsband's services. The son's
education, therefore, vas rather of a haphazard kind ; on
applying for employment through the Interest of his
father's friendS, he found bus little chance of aid ; and
he might have staeved or died of hunger if it
had not been for the kindness of General Foy, who re-
solved to befriend hini. Finding that young Dumas wrote
. neat hand, the General recommended him to the
pCst of supernumerary clerk in the office of the secretary
of the Duke of Orleans (afterwards King of the .French).
His scanty income of £5O was then a fortune to him who
afterwards conceived that dream of exhaustless wealth—
"Monte Chritso." In 1857 M. Dumas visited England
during the General Election. Taken, collectively, the
catalogue of his writings is scarcely conceivable for its
extent, numbering, it is said, from first to last more than
1,200 Volumea
A writer in a London contemporary some years ago
gives the following description of M. Dumas ;—" If you
should ever go to Paris, and chance in seine of the streets
to meet a great boy, about Mt. 4in. in height, having a
physiognomy resembling that of a negro, with frizzled
hair, broad nose, and an olive complexion, his costume
also being distinguished by some peculiarity, such as light
yellow tinder waistcoat, or a riband of an infinite variety
of colours, depending' froth his button hole ; speaking
loudly and gesticulating fiercely, as if he was quarrelling
instead of conversing with a friend—you may go boldly up
to him, and say, without fear of being deceived, Good
day, M. Dumas." Be assured it is the man himself ; for
there are not two such physiognomies to be found in Paris
at least, though there may be in the colonies, among melt
of colour, He will receive you very civilly, converse with
you, and in a few moments you will feel, as it wore,
almost instinctively, that you are confronted with the
greatest, or, at all events, the most prolific writer of
modern times."

Mr. Dumas's pen during the hey-day of his popularity
was in constant and well-paid employment; and it is said
that at one time his literary earnings amounted to an
average of betweeki 700,0001, and 800,000 f.. a-year ; in
other words about £28,000 or £32,000. • But, notwith-
standing this princely income, ...so great was his reck-
lessness and improyidence, that he was constantly hi
pecuniary difficulties. Ilia contributions ,to the French
fewilletolo were at the bottom •or this success ;
sent such 0 popularity, lit France at last, was
the high road to wealth. The temptation* held out to
him by rival journalists ta write for their papers were
abundant. and irresistible; and at last, we are told, he
entered into agreements to write five romances at once
for as many papers, an instalment of each appearing
At one time, indeed, about a quarta of a century ago, so
great a farorc was r: ii-sed about his name as a contributor,
and so fierce. was the contest as to who should have the
Pre-emption of his pen, that -the question came before a
court of law at Paris, and Ito had to sustain a prods against
several (we believe five) of the great literary capitalists of
Paris, who sued him for brelich of literary contract.
It must not,
,of course, be supposed that M. Dumas wrote
out all these'romances word for word and lino for lino for
the publishers. On the contrary, he kept in constant em-
ployment a school of disciples, a corps of "underwriters,"
who worked out the ideas which ho sketched in the rough,
and brought their labours back to him to be retouched by
the hand of the great master whoth they served. M.
Alexandre Dumas the younger, is well known both as a
novelist and as one of the most popular dramatic writers
in France.

In the late sorties the French artilorists showed great
skill in aiming the shells from the forts, so that they fell
amongst the German troops whilst these were engaged in
pretty close quarters with the garrison.
" An official report from Versailles s4ys that the roads
along the French line of retreat of the Loire are strewn
for miles with rifles and other articles of equipment, as
was .the case after the battle of \Voerth. This informa-
tion is sent by the Berlin correspondent of the Tint 3. The
Pall Mall Gazette says it is not true,
The Prussian army is said to have procured a great deal
of corn from Hungary, and to have kept the 'waggons
which carried it. In consequence of this'strange proceed-
ing the Austrian Government has issued a decree forbid-
ding the export of cereals and all other provisions from
tho empire until the thousand waggons which tho Prus-
sians have kept are returned to the Austrian Railway
Companies.

Herr von Brandt, the German representative in Japan,
addressed a letter to the Japan herald in referencato the
difficulty about the neutrality of Japanese waters., • The
Herald had stated that Von Bandt threatened in case his
demands were not complied with to employ force, and to
destroy the French hospital and barracks on shore. This
statement the German envoy categorically denies. He
has written on the subject to Teresima Tynski, the
.Tapanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, who confirms his
denial, and declarers the report in the papers to •be alto-
gether inaccurate.
An Englishman in Paris, who saw the French troopi
march out for the late sortie, says they were not smart,
but in very good condition. "And most.remarkable, be-
cause most unusual of all, there were now to be seen
filing past in interminable succession batteries upon
batteries of the new guns, all thoroUghly equipped. I
could not help, however, smiling at the horses which
drew these trains c they are about the worst in raris. It
was the more curious as Psris is full of good horses in ex'
cellent condition. It seemed as if the French Generals
intended to bring their worst horses into action in order
that the enemy may he deluded into the meanest idea of
the equine resources of Paris.*

AFTER THE BATTLE.—What he experienced
after the battle of Artenay, fought an December 3, la
thus told by the corresPoutlent of the Cologne Gazette
" heartrending scenes surrounded me upon my taking
possession of the stable, and when I had made the neces-
sary arrangements for passing the night there. In a corner
lay half a dozen wounded French officers, with smashed
legs and arms, which had only been hastily bound up.
They cried for water, while the surgeon and I helped them
as well as we could. The poor women from the burning
village of Loigny, carrying their little one's in their arms.
poured into the -warm spacions stables by dozens, crying
and yet trying to slippress their sobs, through fear of
being scolded. They collected together in close groups,
and dull sobs issued from all aides ; whilst the wounded
men groaned, the horses .bit at their cribs,. and outside
in the courtyard and on the road, the llimmel-kreuzdon-
nerwetter' of the commanding officers resounded, as
they endeavoured in vain to restore order among the
different batteries and companies, which were crowded
together in helpless confusion.. When I quitted .my
stable at last, and steered my way at night in the bitter
cold among the semi-girdle of burning villages, I. came
back again to Loigny to. view once more the . field of
corpses. The flames rose high up' in the midnight air,
and the thick black smoke was wafted towards the south.
Silent men stepped ACTOEt9 my path bearing still more
silent men upon their shoulders, whilst the calm moon
looked down' upon their work. Here and there these un-
tiring men with the red ereSS picked up the corpses and
placed them on their biers. 'Never lcis that cry of despair,
• Kill me, for I cannot live r.struck deeper into my heart
than upon that moonlit ni4t. And every now and again
the silent men'stepped over those who, relieved from all
earthly pain, had sent forth front their pale lips and with
their 'ireA breath the name of some loved one into the
cold, air. I see that I have missed my Ale, and have
become sentimental. The reason is that I have not
scm so many corpses for a long time. But it may not
be out of place to confess that we have had enough of
blood- Milling, of course presuMing that 010 NU price has
heenpaid.'l

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