The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-10 00:00:00

THE FRENCH ON THE SEA.

The correspondent of • the Daily News at Copenhagen
gives some interesting facts concerning the opera-
tions of the French fleet. He writes :—" The first thing
to be done, it is quite evident, was to become masters of
one of the small islands upon the coasts of Holstein
or Schleswig, or one of many which have secure
anchorage, and which are not defended. It would have
been -a basis of operations, a point to retire to, a point
for re-victualling, matters indispensable for a squadron,
especially when, as in the ease of Admiral Bonet,
a fleet cannot cast anchor in safety except by retiring
into territorial waters of a neighbouring neutral Power.
In fact, the French squadron never anchors. It is
subject to continual surprises in the night from the light
Prussian avisos which, coming out of the darkness from
small harbours known only to themselves, dare to come
in the middle of the French vessels, there to reconnioter
or to blow them up by torpedoes, as was near occurring
in the roadstead of Dantzig, where with French daring
Admiral Bonet ventured to anchor under the very cannon
of the forts. Perhaps they hoped that they would
fire upon him, and that they would thus give him the
opportunity of replying vigorously. These Prussian
vessels risk but little themselves. They are of rapid
movement, and have but a small crew, and the taking of
one of them would be an insignificant loss ; whereas if one
of their attempts was crowned with success, it would
be an irreparable lose to the French fleet. It
is, therefore, evident that the occupation of
of one of the isles on the coast would have been of the
greatest maritime importance for France in the Baltic.
In neglecting it the French vessels have been forced to
take in coal on the open sea from vessels which bring it
from France, and only when the weather permits.
Another Inconvenience is the necessity which the
French fleet is under of approaching from time
to time the Danish coast, thus perhaps compromising that
nation, whose devotion to France has been suspected, and
for which Prussia will certainty make it pay sooner or
later, probably as soon as it can. Another fault in
respect to the French expedition is the manner
which they have composed the Squadrons of the North
Sea and the Baltic. The Prussian fleet being shut up at
Jande, it was certainly necessary, on a coast-like this, to
send some iron-plated vessel to oppose a sortie of the
enemy, but it was especially necessary, in order to be able
to effect the blockade in a way less costly and more
active, to have kept also light despatch-boats and gun-
boats of small draught, in order to be able to pursue into
the shallowest waters the small Prussian boats, which
find therein a certain refuge, and who comp out from them
with impunity to harass the French fleet."

THE POLICY OF
.THE NEW GOVERNMENT

OF FRANCE.

A Paris correspondent of the Daily News, commenting
upon the policy of the new French Government, says :
AI. Jules Favre's diplomatic circular is very much admired,
and as a literary composition I think it his best title to

the distinction of an Academician, which he enjoys.
From what I know, and lament to know, of the feeling
of the French people he could not have spoken otherwise
in substance. When he says that France will not
yield an inch of territory or a stone of any fortress he
only e4hoes what every Frenchman says, no matter what
he may think, and what, until more overwhelming calami-
ties than have yet befallen France shaH occur, every
Minister must continue to say. But, unfortunately, the
Circular holds out no reasonable hope of that peace which
M. Jules Favre, I am quite sure, most truly says
is the ardent desiie of the Government in whose name
he speaks. It is not reasonable to expect that
because on one fine Sunday the people of Paris were
enabled to declare, without opposition, that the Emperor
Napoleon 111., then a prisoner of war in the hands of the
King of Prussia, had ceased to reign in France, Prussia
should at once declare herself satisfied, renounce all the
fruits of her victories, and retire to her own
territory, after having ~sacri tied 200,000 men,
drawn the bulk of her agricultural and industrial

population from their peaceful pursuits to their enormous
detriment and against all her frugal principles

and practices, and saddled her subjects with a heavy
debt, without obtaining some very substantial guarantee
' against aggression from France in the future. It is im-
possible for Prussia to forget, and it behoves the Govern-
ment of the National Defence to remember, that only six
weeks ago the Boulevards rung with ferocious cries of
" Vive la Guerre !" and " Let us go to Berlin !" I
knew, as I said at -lhe time, that these cries
were to a great extent factitious. The fuglemen
who provoked and even for the most part
uttered them, were the paid police agents of the
abominable Government which has fallen. But, and sad
it is to say, the people who had not the courage to shake
off this Government till it led the French armies to defeat,
heedlessly and recklessly took a large part in crying
" Vive la Guerre !" not that they knew or cared,
anything about the merits of the diplomatic
dispute between the Duke de Gramont and M.
Benedetti, but because they had an unhealthy
appetite for what is called " glory," which they
fancied might be satisfied at a cheap rate. M.
Jules Favre's Circular implicitly admits that France, so
long as it was represented by the Emperor, was wrong in
the war. But it ignores the terrible responsibility which
the French nation cannot now evade of having tolerated
the Emperor's wrong-doing. M. Jules Favre gives no
hint that France would even be willing to pay a war
indemnity. That, however, I know the Government and
the nation would be only too happy to submit to in princi-
ple. But, then, what a terrible question is inuolved in the
settlement of the figure ! If Prussia yielding to represen-
tations which doubtless will be made by neutral Powers,
should be brought to see that if she seeks to dismember
France, she will sow the seeds of future wars, and excite
distrust in Europe, should be induced to give up her con-
quests, and be content with sending in her bill ; that bill,
owever honestly made out, would be so frightful that the
sacrifice of Alsace would be light in comparison. France
would have not only to pay the immense expenses of the
invading army, but also to take up all the bills which the
conquering Prussians gave to the towns and communes in
Alsace, Lorraine, and Champagne, upon which they levied
war supplies,