The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-29 00:00:00

ing to one of NAPOLEON'S earliest and most famous
proclamations. Remembering the jean 7of peace
(but of an a-med peace) that had recently succeeded
. ewh other—remembering the millions that, during
that interval, had been squanderel upon that very
army—remembering that the responsible Mini-
ster, the Minister of War, was there at the
head of that army as virtual Commander-in
Chief, this collapse of the whole system was
nothing less than criminal was nothing less infamous
in its character. "There's something rotten in the
state of Denmark," says Hamlet. There's some-
thing rotten in the state of France, might have been
the instinctive utterance of every Frenchman. The
atrocity of the whole break down admits of no gloss,
of no attempt at palliation or even of explanation.
France will look into the complicated
rascality, thus suddenly revealed to her;
when the war has been terminated. Until then,
she recognises nothing before her in the shape of
duty but the expulsion of the German invader.
During the progress of the Crimean War the Com-
mittee of Inquiry into the State of the British
Army before Sebastopol, the committee moved for
and presided over by Mr. ROEBUCK, sat from day to
day and carried on its laborious and patriotic
investigations. But, unlike France at this moment,
England was not then invaded by the enemy's army,
the hostile forces were not then marching upon
London, the capital was not then threatened with
bombardment. France has something more urgent
now to engage all her attention and to absorb all her
energies. The wrongdoers, this MarshaI:LEBCEUF
and his follows, are seemingly forgotten for the
time being in the clash of arms. But, for them, one
and all, we may be quite certain of this, sooner or
later there will come au inevitable day of reckoning.

THE " mystery of MAcMAHos" remains the
central point of interest in connection with the
war. His secret, so far as the outside public are
concerned, has been well kept. Where he is, what
he is doing or designs to do, are alike matters of
speculation merely. All that we know is that the
Marshal has left Chalons, the most favourable point
of defence, and in consequence does not design at once
to cover the road to Paris by a battle. He must,
therefore, either contemplate retiring on Paris with
the view of harassing the invaders whilst near that
city, or he must have planned a march upo nMetz
for the purpose of relieving BAZAINR. Up to Mon-
day was at Chalons with a tolerably numerous
army, awaiting, according to general expecta-
tioi, the CROWN PRINCE. On that day he
suddenly raised his camp, abandoned the

[acourable position at Chalons, and executed a rapid

march northwards to Rheims. On Tuesday he was
known to be moving in a north-easterly direction
towards Rethel. This is the last we hear of him,
but it is sufficient to j ustify a very strong presumption
that the Second French Army is attempting to form a

junction with that under BAZAINE. In the first place
the utmost celerity has been given this remarkable
movement. But if Illac3kHON proposed to retire on
Paris, he could do so arhis leisure. In the next
place the straight road to the capital is entirely
abandoned by this ItICeSTIM. A glance at Ow

map will slew that the direct route from
Metz to Paris lies through Claims itself; an
army stationed at Rheims woull hold a

ecidedly less favourable position for offering (leo-

tive resistance to an army marching forward. MAC-
MAHoN has voluntarily given up the best line of
defence—nay, more, he is marching away from Paris
for Rethel, where he was last heard of, is further
east than Rheims, to which place he at first retreated.
Above all, an attempt to release BAZAINE is the only
resource left to the French armies. It may
be hazardous, it may even be foolhardy,
as one journal puts it, but it is certainly needfiul. If
BAZAINE be not speedily and efficiently helped, he
must surrender ; and it requires no great effort of
the imagination to conceive the effect of such a
catastrophe on the fortunes of the war, as well as
on the spirit of France. Not only is BAZAINE
shut up in Metz, but the whole fortress is
surrounded by Prussian intrenchments, which the
Marshal is in no position to force.
It is obvious enough that the difficulties which MAC-
MAHON must encounter in the attempt to release his
colleague are most formidable. The German army
left before Metz is very powerful; it is said to be
so powerful (though this is very questionable) as
to be capable of dealing with the combined
forces of MAcMAHoN and BAZAINE. More dangerous
still to the scheme is the close proximity of the great
host composed of the CROWN PRINCE'S army, and
portions of the array that lately fought before Metz.
This army is, or at any rate was a day or two ago,
positively nearer the fortress than MAcMAHoN. The
latter must, if he reach Metz at all, go by a very
circuitous route; the Germans can retire direct
to the fortress. It is not to be supposed that the
Germans have not foreseen the possibility of some
such attempt on the part of MAcMituolv. It is
very likely that they are pretending to march on
Paris only in order to trap the French leader. But on the
other hand, MACMAIION is not a despicable an-
tagonist. He may have means and information
at his disposal which justify this terrible risk : and
the necessity is alone almost justification enough.
In a word, if MAcMattoN has not advanced on Metz,

the French Government virtually confesses its utter
defeat, and the practical end of the war. The only
hope lies in setting BAZAINE free.

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