The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-07 00:00:00

THE FRENCH REINFORCEMENTS.

Writing from Tours on the 2nd inst. the correspondent
of the Telegraph says : A large body of cavalry,
both French and native regiments, arrived last night from
Marseilles and Algeria, and this morning started for the
front. Several battalions of regular troops—where the
French' get their apparently inexhaustible supply of
men is a problem which I cannot solve—also
came into Tours last night and this morn-
ing, and proceeded to join the Army of the
Loire. Of the number of those who arrived I
have no idea, for they made their entrée in the night and
the early morning, whilst it was yet dark. But it must
have been considerable, for the tramp of soldiers, the
clank of arms, and the rattle of scabbards against
stirrups and spurs, did not cease under my windows for
some four hours. This morning some hundreds of
Chasseurs d'Afrique arrived, were marched into
camp, and left again in the afternoon. With
the horses the French are able to procure in Algeria,
they might have with a little care a magnificent body
of light cavalry. But the men are bad horse masters.
They are apparently not taught as our men are to look
after the wants of their horses before looking after their
own. The horses are not badly groomed—they are
really, so far as one can see, never groomed at all, and
are dirty in the extreme. The most irregular of Indian
irregulars are first-rate grooms compared to the
French cavalry. As for belts, bits, saddles, spurs,
scabbards, and all the odds and ends that, when
clean, made up what we call a " smart" soldier, these are
left in the French army to clean themselves. I have seen
—who has not that has served in India 2—the men of an
English regiment, whether cavalry, infantry, or artillery,
turn out as smart and clean for guard in the Punjaub,
after a long weary march under an Indian sun, as if
they were to be paraded in front of the Horse
Guards in St. James's Park, A Frenchman can-
not understand this. The moment he is ordered on ser-
vice he seems to think that in cleaning himself he will
wash off his war paint. He therefore gives up all ideas of
washing and shaving or of cleaning his horse. He then, if
an officer, slings about him some fantastic bag, and puts
on some article of dress which, with the exception of
the buttons, is not uniform. When he has done this,
and, to use an American expression, " skinned his
boots," or pulled them up over his trousers, he begins to
believe himself on the war path. But he cannot under
stand washing and fighting, or shaving and marching, or
campaigning and cleanliness, going together. Again,
the horses are greatly over-weighted, having to carry
besides the soldier and his kit, a Mgt, d'abri,
number of cooking pots, and other incumbrances.
The men have slung round them a long carbine,
which must be useless until they are dismounted, and
even then a revolver would be of much more service in
preserving their lives. But, above all, the French cavalry
ride very badly. Many of them roll and slouch in their
saddles, thereby creating sore backs, and making their
arm of the service more inefficient than it would be other-

wise,

POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW AT THE
CRYSTAL PALACE.

The exhibition of poultry and pigeons at the Crystal
Palace will be thrown open to the public to-day. The
judges were busy fixing their awards yesterday, and their
task was by no means a light one. There are upwards of
2,000 entries, including about 800 pens of pigeons.
Of the 800 pens of pigeons it is not too much to say
that they form the most magnificent show of
the kind ever seen in this country, or in-
deed in any other country. The collection con-
tains carriers, pouters, from all parts of the
world, tumblers, barbs, jacobins, fantails, nuns, trum-
peters, tubbits, and other varieties too numerous
even to mention. Besides the " so-called carriers," there
is a collection of the Antwerps, or r real carriers "—the
birds that are actually employed in flying messages—and
this part of the show therefore possesses a peculiar in-
terest. The heaviest variety of pigeon is the runt, some
of which have been known to weigh 141 b. 15oz. the pair,
although in the present collection there are none quite so
heavy. There are pigeons in this show which £2O or even
£3O a head would ,not purchase, and the whole collection
would probably not change hands for less than £5,000.
Visitors to the show will be admitted each day this
week up to seven o'clock in the evening, and the greater
part of the Palace is to be illuminated for an hour beyond
that time.

THE BOULTON AND PARK CASE.—There is some
misapprehension about the proceedings against Boul-
ton, Park, and others. On the application of the
defendants the case was removed from the Central
Criminal Court to the Queen's Bench, and they were
thereupon bound to plead and give notice of trial in
Michaelmas Term. The three principal defendants
pleaded on the 7th of November, but did not give notice
of trial. At that time the number and character of the
causes entered put it out- of the question (as, indeed, the
result has proved) that the cause could be reached at the
present sittings, which end on Friday next. Three
of the defendants have not as yet been ap-
prehended, although warrants have been issued.
Under these circumstances the Crown did not
attempt to force on the trial, which (if,
against all probability, the case had been reached) would
only have proceeded against those who had pleaded, and a
second trial would have been necessary in the case of those
who might be afterwards arrested. The case will now
stand for the sittings after Hilary Tenn, and all the de-
fendants who may at that time have appeared and pleaded
will be put upon their trial together.
A Havre paper states that it was in contemplation at one
time to defend Rouen to the last, but at a meeting of the
principal inhabitants and the military and civil authorities
it was determined that in consequence of the incomplete
state of the lines of defence, which had been too tardily
commenced, it would be useless to attempt resistance. The
Nouvelliste, of Rouen, appeared on Sunday with one of its
pages blank, which, it was explained, was caused by the
absence of the greater portion of the workmen employed.
The same paper contained the following proclamation
from the municipal authorities to the citizens:—"National
Guards,—The enemy approaches nearer and nearer ; our
forces are being concentrated upon the line of posts the
establishment and defence of which the municipal ad-
ministration has thought it right to intrust to the
military authorities. Our generals have promised us
energetic protection, and we have undertaken to give them
our fullest co-operation. We rely upon the devotion of
To-day, to address the National Guard is to address all
citizens, for henceforth they are all sufnmoned to the
ranks. Your courage and your effortS will be equal to the
sacrifices which the country expects from you.—Rouen,
Dec. 4, 1870." The Nouvell-iste also gives some details re-
specting the engagement at Bachy, which preceded the
occupation of Rouen :—" According to the information we
have received the Prussians had a formidable artillery and
very numerous forces. At five o'clock in the morning
the Mocquatt eelaireurs, who had passed the night at
Buchy, made a reconnaissance towards thd '‘voods of St.
Saens, when the Prussians, who occupied those woods,
suddenly presented themselves. A severe engagement
ensued. The eclaireUrs did their duty bravely, and suf-
fered heavy losses, but, after a stout resistance, were
compelled to retire. The artillery of the National
Guard, under the command of M. Waddington, covered
the retreat. During the morning the National Guard
of Rouen was put in movement, but was obliged to
return to the city in conseqnence of the events which
have occurred, but only to proceed to another point,
where it will prepare for determined resistance."