The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-01 00:00:00

PRINCE CHARLES'S PROCLAMATION.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph, writing
from Frascati, before Metz, October 28th, says :—The
conditions are the same as those made at Sedan. At
twelve o'clock to-day the French soldiers are to place
their arms in the arsenal of Metz, and at the same hour
to-morrow the troops are to march out to the following
places without arms—one division to Grigy, one to the
farm of Thibault, one to Amanvilliers, one to the village
of Bellecroix ; the Corps of the French Guard, with the
artillery reserve, to Tournebrido, close to Frascati; and
one Corps to Ladonchamps. The fortress will be surren-
dered at the same hour ; two battalions of Prussian
infantry, with two field guns, will take possession of each
of the forts, and display the Prussian standard
upon them. The French officers will surrender them-
selves as prisoners to the Prussian officers, handing over
there swords; the soldiers will remain here for a few days,
their being still rations sufficient for six days.
Such are the conditions of the surrender and capitula-
tion; and this morning Prince Frederick Charles has
issued a proclamation to the First Army, with a copy of
which Icl :so my despatch. As regards the officers, I
cau only say that, if heartfelt sympathy for their
unhappy position, a desire to make that posi-
tion as little hurtful to their feelings as the cus-
toms of war will permit, and sincere admiration
fur their conduct, can apply only salve to that
wound that must now be so keenly felt by the officers of
Marshal Bazaine's, army—they have it most cordially
from every Officer of the victorious forces. As regards the
men, I can only say that the same feeling is universally
entertained. Prince Frederick Charles's proclamation is
as follows

GENERAL ORDER. f
Headquarters, Corny-before-Metz,
Oct. 27, 1870.

Soldiers of the First and Second Armies—You have
fought battles, and you have invested the enemy con-
quered by you, for seventy days—seventy long days—of
which the most, however, made your regiments richer in
honour and glory, and none of which left them in those
things poorer. You allowed to your brave enemy no.
escape until he laid down his arms. To-day at last has
this army capitulated—this army which consisted of fully
173,000 men, the best in France, of more than five entire
Army Corps, among them the Imperial Guard, with three
Marshals of France and upwards of 50;Generals andabove
6,000 officers, and with them has Metz surrendered,which
was never taken before. While we present this com-
pleted work to Germany, we at the same time give
her the immense stores in cannons, arms, and
war material, which have fallen into the hands of the
conqueror. These bloody laurels you have gained
by your bravery in the battle which lasted for
two days at NoisseviLle, and in the conflicts around
Metz, which weee more numerous than those which
have taken place in the surrounding districts after which
you have called them. I acknowledge gladly and
and gratefully your bravery, but. not it alone. I rank
almost higher your obedience and your resignation, your
cheerfulness, your devotion in bearing difficulties of all
kinds. These are the qualities which characterise the
good soldier. The great victory of. to-day, for which we
ought to be so thankful, was prepared by the battles
we fought before we invested Metz ; and let
us remember it with thankfulness, also by the King
himself, by the Army Corps which he marched hither,
and by all those dear comrades who met their death on
the battle-fields, or who succumbed to the sufferings
prevalent here. These events it was which rendered
possible the great work which you this day, with God's
help, see completed—namely, the annihilation of France's
power. The wide influence of this event of to-day is
inestimable. But you, soldiers, who, for this end, were
united before Metz under my command, you now proceed
to different occupations. Bid farewell, then, to the
general officers and soldiers of the Ist Army, and to the
Division von Kummer, and my wishes for their further
success. (Signed)

FREDERICK CHARLES, General of Cavalry.

THE eIGNING OF THE CAPITULATION

Punctually at five p.m., says the correspondent of ths
Telegraph, General Stiehlo, the Chief of Prince Frede-
rick William's staff, arrived at the place of rendezvous,
accompanied by Captain Stephan and Premier Lieutenant
Dieskau. There were two rooms prepared, one for the
staff officers, and an inner room for the Generals. In
the outer room the Prussian officers had prepared
a supper for the Franch representatives, and everything
was in readiness—down to the fatal pens, whose few hasty
strokes were about to consign 4.000 officers and 150,000
unhurt soldiers as prisoners of war. Slowly the moments
dragged on ;we spoke to one another in whispers. Half-
past five came, and no signs of the Frenchmen. Their
approach was to be announced by a mounted orderly.
Would they alter their minds? Had they repented of
their resolve, and would they endure misery and starva-
tion for a few days longer in that den of typhus
called Metz ? The hasty entry of a staff
officer charged to announce their approach soon
put all doubts at rest. A carriage stops before
the doors of the chateau for a few seconds,
and then the door of the room is thrown open. Escorted
by Major Bag,enski, of the 54th, Lieutenant Von Frier of
the Lancers of the Guard, and Lieutenant Von Gorz, ad-
jutant of the 3rd battalion 54th Regiment, the three re-
presentatives of the only army that la grandc nation
still possesses in the field enter the room. It was a
moment never to be forgotten—the calm demeanour main-
tained by the Frenchmen, the perfect good breeding
of the Prussians ; the flickering, uncertain light of
a wood fire and two indifferent candles, reveal-
ing the careworn but still haughty bearing of
the one side, the pity and genuine fellow-feel-
ing for their position cherished by the other.
To General Charras had fallen the unhappy lot of com-
pleting the final arrangements already agreed to. He was
accompanied by Colonel Fay and Captain Samuelle. The
two Generals retired to the inner room, while the officers
entered into conversation with one another. After about an
hour's conference, the staffs of the respective Generals
were called in, the scratching of the busy pens told that
all had been arranged, and then General Stiehle came out
and despatched two aides to his Royal Highness, inform-
ing him that all had been signed.

THE EFFECTS OF THE SURRENDER ON

THE WAR.

The correspondent of the Segudard, writing from Havre
on the subject of the capitulation of Metz, observes :
"As to the effect of this fresh disaster ou the course of
the war, I can Dilly speak with diffidence. Logically it
ought to favour the speedy termination of hostilities, but
logic, and indeed common sense, do not appear just
now to have any influence on the Tours Government. We
must above all take into account the peculiar temper of
the French people, and the first movement will be a re-
crudescence of rage and indignation ; there will be—nay
there is already—a repetition of the solemn oaths taken
after Sedan, to bury themselves under the ruins
of their country,' &c. I trust, however, that that first
movement once over, a calmer and more sensible
view of the state of affairs will he taken, and that

disinterested negotiations opened by England and the
other neutrals will be entertained more favourably than
has hitherto been the case. The one point which causes
me the greatest uneasiness is the effect the news
will produce in Paris, where, we may be
assured, Count Bismarck will take means of
making it known. If the capitulation of Sedan
with 80,000 men caused a revolution, what will be
the result of the capitulation of Metz with 130,000?
This question is one that naturally suggests itself, but
which is not so easy to answer. Practically the release of
the army round Metz still further increases the great dis-

proportion existing previously between the French and the
Germans, and 130,000 men are now available to carry on
the system of occupation and depredation aitherto not
unsuccessfully pursued by small detached corps:and we
may now look forward to a regular invasion of Normandy.
Never has the future looked more black and cheerless, and
we can only hope that some military genius may
arise among the ' French, to compensate in
some measure the tremendous accession of force
Nithich the Prussians have received. An oppor-
tunity is also afforded the neutral Powers to make
another and I hope more successful effort to bring about a
cessation of hostilities. However much her military
success may have inflated the pride of Germany, she
would hardly care to venture on resisting the decision of
combined Europe, provided combined Europe causes itto
be understood that in case of need she will enforce that
decision. With the fall of Metz, even more than after
the fall of Sedan, Prussia has attained the object of the
war ; and the fact that the whole of the Frencn army are
now prisoners of war in Germany practically refutes Count
Bismarck's imaginary fears of future aggression on the
part of France."

OUR COTEMPORARIES---This Morning

TEM SURRENDER OF METZ.
cne reiegraph, to commenting on the event, says it is
auestion for evidence and for history to decide, whether
Bazaine ought to have held out longer at Dietz. The
charge fulminated against him will soon produce some
interesting answers ; but we need not wait for
those answers to pronounce that the conduct of
a Minister who publishes such a judgment
without testimony or proof is undignified, inde-
cent, and inspired by - a too obvious self-interest.
It was the duty, and it would have been the truest policy,
of the Tours Government to thank the garrison army
for its defence, and to bear up, with manly and truthful
words, against this immense catastrophe. The Mar-
}hal may be all that is alleged. He is known for au
Imperialist. His career in Mexico was hardly one to
admire. He was not likely to be much in love
with the Gambetta-Kdratry Government ; and, as a
soldier, he would doubtless feel that the chances of
France were pretty well at an end. But he can still
answer the intolerable charge now made by pointing to
:Vionville, Courcelles, Gravelotte, and Panges as

specimens of his leadership —to the daring sorties
which he made, ending only a few days ago, and
to the fact, that when he gave up most of his
horses were eaten, and his soldiers too starved to fight.
bf course we cannot assume it as impossible that Marshal
Bazaine _could have intrigued for terms apart from the
programme of the Government of Defend ; but, even in
that case he might obviously plead, that he owed no
allegiance to that Government. He was shut
6,p in Metz, under orders as a soldier of the
(Empire; and if the Tours Delegates laid claims upon
him as their captain, why did they not send an army to
his relief during the seventy days through which
he kept 223,000 Germans nailed to the spot,
tustead of expending their energies in windy
announcements of coming aid? That was a mighty
service to Paris and the Republic, yet the General
kvho rendered it is now condemned without a hear-

In. Heaven help the man who serves masters like
these gentlemen at Tours ! Changarnier's silver
pairs, Canrobert's noble reputation, the fame of
a renowned French Marshal, and the opinion of
the .world upon such hasty and heinous charges are
nothing apparently to the trio of Ministers. France
must be coddled in the superstition that she cannot pos-
Sibly be beaten except by treachery, and they must keep
their hold Ilion her perfas aut nefas. Such is the de-
plorable appearance which this official yell of denunci-
ation cannot but present to the watch:rig world.
The Manchester Examiner strongly condemns Gam -
betta's proclamation, and says that Bazaine may not
have done all that could rigidly be expected of him at
Metz. He might have made a more desperate attempt to
escape, or ho might in the final resort have sold his
own life and lives of half his troops to purchase
one last desperate chance of saving part of his forces.
But to suppose that he capitulated from traitorous
Motives or that he deliberately preferred from my motive
whatsoever figuring in the history of his country
'CO a hugely magnified mack to overthrowing the
enemy and leading his victorious troops to the
rescue of the nation, is a notion too wild for lunacy, yet
this is what the three gentlemen at Tours deliberately
affirm, and on the assumption of this universal
treason they call upon their country to exalt
their souls. France labours under te-rible mis-
fortunes. But not least, just now, is to be

represented by such champions. The inference intended
to bo drawn is that France has not been conquered by
force of arms, but by the treason of its chiefs, a fatal de-
lusion which Count Bismarck will feel bound to dispel. 3