The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-05 00:00:00

114 i SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, DEC E:Viligß 1870.

fact, viewed from opposite sides, has been described
quite differently. Each witness has no doubt spoken,
or written rather, in perfect good faith. But
accordingly as the news has come vid
Tours or vid Versailles, it has, in passing
through each medium been warped or distorted—it
may be unintentionally, it:may even be unconsciously.
No more startling evidence of this has been afforded
from first to last than the completely contradictory
announcements made in regard to the last grand sortie
from Paris, here by the telegrams of King WILLIAM
to Queen AUGUSTA, here by M. GANBETTA'S pen and
lips, through his speech and through his proclama-
tion. The. event is the same—with a difference.
General TnocHu and General DUCROT, at the head
of from 80,000 to 100,000—some say 120,000--
men, burst forth from the beleaguered capital and
hurl themselves upon the serried ranks of the Prus-
sians and Wurtemburgers. According to the German
authorities, the Parisians are repulsed and driven back
along the whole line. According to the French account
they are, all along the line, successful, Between the
two records there is a flagrant inconsistency. The
statements are, strictly speaking, irreconcileable. Yet,
when they come to be looked into, they arel for all
that, perfectly comprehensible. Both parties had reason
to exult over an undoubted advantage gained
at the close of the four hours' fighting on the 30th
November. The Germans naturally rejoiced over
the fact that the sortie had utterly failed to break a
way through the army of investment. The
French, on the other hand, wore exultant
—and no wonder—at having so far tri-
umphed that they had taken !up a position
on the Marne, that they had not only taken,
but had held to the last as their own, the foughten
field between Champigny-sur-Marne and Brie-sur-
Marne. The symmetrical circle, bristling with the
spiked helmets of the invading soldiery from all parts
of the German Fatherland, is symmetrical now
no longer., There is an unsightly protube-
rance at one portion of it, shewing how
nearly it had been broken through by DUCROT and
his almost desperate followers. The leader of the
sortie is in one sense a suitable leader enough of a
forlorn hope. He fights, himself, in sheer despair—
perfectly prepared to sacrifice his life rather than
succumb before his antagonists. He is one of the
officers of the Imperial army who is openly
declared by the military authorities of Prussia
to have broken his word of honour. Released at
Metz on his parole—that is, after he had solemnly
pledged himself not to take arms against the
Germans during the continuance of the present war
—he is there leading the Parisians forth in their
first furious attempt at their own deliver-
ance. Conscious that his life, if captured,
is not worthy of an hour's purchase, General
DUCROT closes his address to his troops,
immediately before emerging at their head from
within the shelter of the fortifications, with a decla-
mation that he will never re-enter Paris otherwise
than as either " dead or victorious." A more illustrious
personage than General;Duc ROT, more now than three
months ago, made, in those very same words, the
same solemn declaration. Failure came of the heroic
phrase, when it fell.from the lips of NAPOLEON 111.
It remains to be seen whether a soldier whose per-
sonal heroism is, according to the Prussians, already
flawed, can yet anticipate the EMPEROR, by enter-
ing Paris, once more, either "dead or vic-
torious." Before the history of this amazing
campaign can be written with anything like accu-
racy, time must be allowed for the subsidence of the
heaving sea of passions raised by so stupendous a
series of collapses and capitulations, of political and
military bouleversements.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

occurred in reference to the late Newport election,
where Mr. Clifford began his communications with
the National Association for the repeal of the
Contagious Diseases Act, by sayirig—" It would be
premature on my part to give a pledge one way or
the other," and ended by addressing to the con-
stituents the following note :—" Gentlemen,—ln
deference to the-very strong feeling expressed by the
inhabitants of Newport, I will vote for the repeal of
the Contagious Diseases Act."