The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-11 00:00:00

SUIT, LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 187 C.

niz; tters which during the last autumn or two seemed
of all engrossing importance—but of calamities un-
paralleled in our generation, and a threatened disaster
such as the modern civilised world has never witnessed.
The ordinary disputes and rivalries of parties and
sects fall into insignificance beside the stupendous
narrative of the last four months, an .1 the weight of
the responsibility under which they spoke, taught

linisters more than usual reticence. Mr. GLAD-
ONE, indeed, said that he hoped for an early peace,
e f, .r a peace which should be in its character
s, ii:A:;:ed just ; but though he was but expreftiing
u .an..mens desire of his hearers, he could give
the ~ not the faintest indication of how that desire
t.. be fulfilled.: The PRIME MINISTER was
gla I to turn as quickly as possible from so pain-
ful sad SO dangerous a subject, while Lord GRAN-
VI L wh,kso position compelled him to be, if not
more explicit, at least more communicative, entered
at ,ome leagth upon the question of the armistice.
Ile told us little that was not already known
through the ordinary channels of information ; for
the Government has received no official intelligence
as to the course which the negotiations took, or the
manner in which they were broken off—a lack of
diplomatic courtesy, it may be remarked, at
the headquarters of Versailles. But Lord GRAN-
VILLE, though giving no news, availed himself of
the opportunity to express with characteristic dig-
nity and frankness his sense of satisfaction that the
effort at intervention had been made. The English
Government, be said, desired to see Germany come
out of the war strong in her unity, and would deplore
seeing France unnecessarily humiliated or enfeebled.
They were absolutely without jealousy respecting
the means by which an honourable and permanent
peace may be obtained, though they were ready to
contribute any amount of labour to attain that
object. Lord GItANVILLE, in the course of his
speech, made especial reference to the absence of
party spirit and the unanimous desire to strengthen
the hands of the Government which has been 'mani-
fested in both Houses of Parliament and throughout
the country during this trying crisis. Such feeling,
he remarked, was never wanting in this country
in times of international difficulty ; and though Lord
GRANVILLE could not say so, all who have closely
followed the fortunes of the war must be sensible
that it is the want of this feeling that constitutes
even now the most disastrous difficulty and the most
vivid danger of defeated and invaded France.

siege of Paris shall be acknowledged, if any argu-
ments of, his can bring abort such an end. He
declares in the Times that it would be the height of
injustice to tell the Germans their morality is
unchristian, and that they are not worthy of the title
of a civilised nation, merely because, after
having driven the invader beck across the
frontier, they refuse to simply present their
bill of blood and march home. What
would England have said, be asks, if Germany
had preached in such a tone when the Sikhs ha I re-
crossed the Sutlej, and the Maharajah bad surren-
dered himself a prisoner to Lord Hardinge ? Professor
Muller declines to believe in the plea for merciful
dealing set .up by another correspondent of the
Times; who contended that the I)uc de Gramont de.
dared war, relying on the truth of the insult
alleged through the newspapers to have been
offered by the King of Prussia at Ems
to Benedetti. The business of statesmen, lie holds,
is of too grave a character to be transacted in news-
papers, and a 'declaration of war, in answer to an
article in a periodical, would, according to all laws,
remain absolutely cruel and diabolical. The Oxford
Professor, with his accustomed succinctness, lays
bare a proof that Bismarck's policy since 1860 has
been peace, and he declares although long since
the measure of national wrath in Prussia was
nearly full against France, that statesman held the
vial in his strung and steady hand till the ate de
Gramont dealt it his wanton blow, and the vial
broke. The time has now come when France must
plainly yield to the inevitable as the result of all her
foolhardiness and presumptions dictation, and she
ought to yield to it with dignity, as behoves a great
nation.

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