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

LONDON, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1870.

THE great want in France at the present moment
is undoubtedly that of competent, single-minded,
and energetic leaders. The hour is, to use a favour-
ite French phrase, "supreme," but the man is wanting.
When we see the thorough diaorganisation of a great
and populous nation, the want of firmness, of
purpose, of the genius of control and government,we
need not wonder that a revolution so often ends
in a dictatorship. The wildest and least practical
lovers of liberty, it they are lovers of
their country as well, arrive at the conclusion

that is better to sacrifice their cherished theories for
a time in order to secure that respect for authority
without which national welfare is impossible,
and they think when the storm has passed by it
will be easy to relax the tension. It
is this conviction which has favoured the despots
who for so long a period have alternated with the
anarchies in swaying France, but it is morn than
doubtful whether the present crisis will furnish
leaders capable to turn it to account. Even with all

their present revulsion of feeling against Impe-
rialism, the French, leoking back to tho glorious
memories of the days when the young First Consul

led the armies of the Republic to victory in Italy
and Egypt, may well sigh

" Ah, that the present hour might lend
Another despot of the kind."
Within the walls of Paris, however, there seems:to
be one resolute and firm-minded leade . Genera
Tnocirtr, though not stooping to any of the
ordinary devices to flatter the populace,
has contrived to win and to retain their confidence
under the most trying circumstances. The letter
which he has addressed to the Mayor of Paris rela-
tive to the mobilisation of the National
Guard displays characteristics only too rare
among the French leaders in this unhappy war,
whether political or military. When he undertook
to organise the defence of Paris, he says, he found
himself in face of a sentiment very different from
that now preVailing. The defence was looked
upon as hopeless. The strength of the

fortifications was doubted, and it was thought im-
possible that the brilliant and ipleasure-loving
Parisians would reconcile themselves to the inevi-
table hardships of a siege. Now the popular feeling
has altogethez changed, and he finds himself com-
pelled to restrain the eagerness to throw masses of
soldiers beyond the walls, and to attack the Prussian
army.

The General yields to neither mood. When in
July the French army, with all the prestige of
its ancient victories undimmed, poured through
eager and enthusiastic Paris, shouting "A Berlin ! "
General TROCHIT could not share the popular confi-
dence.
..He boldly told "the Marshal-Minister of
War," whose name is now a byeword throughout
Europe, that so: noisy a manner of entering on a
campaign forbode disaster. Now, when depiession has
in many quarters turned to panic, and the fears and
apprehensions of the people are more perilous than
the Prussian guns, General TROCHU declares that,
" impressed with the most complete faith in a return of
fortune, which will be due to the great work of
resistance summed up in the siege of Paris," he will
not cede to the pressure of the Public impatience.
He will carry out the plan he has traced out from
the first, without revealing it, and the confidence
which he demands from the citizens of Paris
will no doubt be all the more readily accorded to
him, because he has proved that he will be the leader
and not the nominee of the eager and excitable
populace.

THE postponement of the elections for the Cons

tuent Assembly which is to decide the future
Government of France, was essentially, a war mea-
' sure on the part of the Republican Ministry. There
could have been little difficulty in getting
through the mechanical operation of poll-
• ing. The Germans could have no interest
in hampering the process of choosing repre-
sentatives; a Constituent Assembly would not con-
contribute to the vigour of the defence, but rather
the reverse, whilst it might facilitate the signing of
a peace, which the Germans desire almost as much
as the French. Indeed it is a known fact that
Count BISMARCK would not have offered', the
smallest opposition to a general election in France.
But the Provisional Government had resolved to go
on with the war. In their estimation the terms
offered by Germany were outrageous, and could not
be accepted. A. Constituent Assembly, therefore,
would be of no service. A deliberative body cannot help
the work of practical administration, and the making
of a constitution and laws is not a suitable occupation
for a time of war. The decision to postpone the
elections was clearly a declaration that peace was for
the time beyond hope. This view is to be regretted
in many respects. Impartial observers have long
been convinced that little good can be expected of
further resistance, and it now transpires that several
of the Ministers hold the same opinion. The Tours
delegation announced the convocation of the Ass im-
bly simply because, after examining the state of
affairs in the departments, its members had given up
hope. The Ministers in Paris saw that the capital
was enthusiastic and determined, and judged
of the whole country by the same standard.
But not all the Republican leaders even
in Paris were in favour of protracting the
war. The statement is well supported that
M. FAVBE, and one or two others inside the capital,
were of one mind with the Delegation at Tours.
It is at least undeniable that the Provisional
Government decided for a longer defence, against
the judgment, not only of impartial neutrals, but of
some of their own body. It does not follow that the
bellicose majority were absolutely wrong. Many
considerations, which we have previously weighed
such as the absolute power now vested in the
armed populace of Paris--had to be considered in
pronouncing for peace. But surely the representa-
tives of the people might have been convened to try
the question.
The events, or reports of events, during the last
few days are much in favour of this view.
It is announced on the one hand that
negotiations have been opened with NAPOLEON for
the conclusion of a peace, the Germans pro-

mising that if the EX-EMPEROR call get rid of the
obnoxious Republic, they will grant him better
terms than M. FAVRE could obtain. On
the other hand, it is said that BAzurrn has come
to regard himself as a sort of dictator, and is
negotiating in that capacity. He will sweep away
the Republic with his army, and summon an Assem-
bly. The substratum of truth in these strange
rumours is probably that overtures of some kind with
a view to peace and the future 'Go-
vernment of France, are passing between
Metz and Versailles, and Versailles and
Wilhelmshohe, or possibly all three head-quarters
are concerned in the matter. From whatever danger
is to be apprehended in these quarters, the Republic
would be strongly guarded by a Constituent As-
sembly. The plea that the Ministry have no
existence save of their own will could no

longer be put forward by Count Bis-
mAncic as a justification of plotting with
other aspirants to power. At present the Germans
have some pretext for objecting that M. FAVRE and
his colleagues can no more claim to govern France

than any other set of politicians. The recognition
of the Constituent Assembly would at once
stigmatise these negotiations with Metz or Willielms-
hob e as tampering with conspiracies. Of

course if the Assembly refused to sanction the Re-
public, it would cease to exist. Nor would it be a
small thing for the Ministry to be relieved of some
part of the vast responsibility which now weighs
.
upon them. Though they are
.not respon-

sible for the declaration of war, they
may be answerable for its injurious continuance.
Should a disastrous peace be finally forced upon
them, whilst unsupported by the national represen-
tatives, such a termination would almost inevitably
involve their own ruin. But with the Assembly at their
back they might justly plead that they assumed
difficulties which were not of their own creating,
strove to rescue the country from a situation of
unparalleled peril, and yet availed themselves of the
first opportunity of submitting to the nation the
decision of its fate.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE CAMBRIA.

A terribly sad story reaches us from Ireland. The
Cambria, one of the large Scottish and American
passenger ships, is reported to have gone down into
the deep, after having struck, in the late stormy
weather, upon Inishtrahull Island, off the Irish coast.
One man only, named Gartlan, has as yet appeared, it
is said, as a survivor of the melancholy wreck. The
Anchor Line of packet steamers usually run
direct from Quebec to Lough Foyle on the coast
of Deny and thence proceed to Glasgow. The packets
are well known as of a superior class, and indeed

they vie with the famous Guion line of Liver-
pool in being chiefly instrumental in taking passen-
gers from our shores to Canadian ports. We believe
we are correct in stating that if this painful announce-
ment, which involves the lais of 170 lives
at least of passengers and seamen, be well founded,
it will be the second large ship of the Anchor

line which has been lost within Vie. past
two years. All will remember the boat's crew that
arrived about eighteen months since on the coast
bearing the tidings of the wreck, with the loss of
many lives, of the Hibernia. In the case of the