The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-24 00:00:00

PEACE PROSPECTS.

The Paris correspondent of the Standard, who has now
taken up his quarters at Rouen, thus writes of the situa-
tion of affairs in France :—We have as yet no informa-
tion as to the result of the interview between M. Jules
Favre and Count Bismarck, but though it would be in-
judicious to raise groundless hopes, the very fact of that
interview saving taken place justifies to a certain
extent the opinion of those who hold that as the
statesman at the head of the Cabinet of Berlin is far
too sagacious not to compromise the advantage already
obtained by a wanton prolongation of the war, he will
not object to the conclusion of an armistice, and will
refrain from driving the French to that frenzy of despera-
tion which would rouse the whole country against the
Prussian army. It has been pointed out, and there is
unquestionably some plausibility in the objection, that
the Prussian Government do not consider M. Jules
Favre and his colleagues as " affording sufficient guaran-
tees ;" but it strikes me that, though plausible, this ob-
jection will not bear a rigid examination. Even admitting
that the Provisional Government only represents a
faction, its authority 'z has been recognised throughout
France. With the exceptiOn. of Lyons, where a
band of fanatics have established a parody on the
" Commune Revolutionnairr" cif i'93, ever* town
and village in France acknowledges its authority—
but let that pass. The Prussian Government hold
material guarantees in the shape of the 'provinces
and towns they occupy, and therefore it is not easy
to see on what grounds they can refuse to negotiate
even were the French Government ten times
worse than it is. To persist in the refusal on
the pretext that the origin of the Government
is irregular, would simply be a disingeuous way
of declaring that nothing short of the utter de-
gradation possibly the dismemberment -- of France
4 will satisfy the Prussian Court. I cannot believe that a
statesman of M. de Bismarck's high standing will commit
a blunder so egregious. Neither can I consider as trust-
worthy the report that the Prussians insist on the surren-
der of Metz and Strasburg as a preliminary condition to
the conclusion of a convention for the suspension of
hostilities. In fact, the stout resistances of all the
fortified towns which the Prussians have besieged
affords a strong reason why they should not
display exaggerated pretensions. Strasbourg, in spite
of the severe bombardment to which she has been
subjected, continues to hold out bravely, and according
to the most recent news an attempt to storm the breach
effected in the night from the 17th to the 18th had been
defeated, with heavy loss to the assailants. Toul, Bitsche,
Verdun, Phalsbuig still holds out; no serious attempt
has been made„, against Soissons ; the insignificant
fortress of Marsal is the only one the Prussians hold
besides Sedan. Surely it cannot form part of the plan
of General Moltke to besiege every fortified town in
France in succession, but that is what he will have
to do in the event of the war going on. Paris
can certainly hold out for six months ; but if Paris
falls, there remain Lyons, Toulon, Valenciennes, Lille,
Havre, Cherbourg, Brest, Roohefort, La Rochelle, every
one of which can hold out for months after Paris has
succumbed, and enable the war to be protracted until
sheer exhaustion compels Prussia to grant honourable
terms.