The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-16 00:00:00

THE RETREAT.

The Standard believes that this rapid abandonment of
French territory must be a fearful blow to the people. To
have been assured that war meant the invasion of Germany
—to have been promised that long as it might last, and
heavy as must be its sacrifices, the war declared so suddenly
would, in the first instance at least, be fought at the
cost of Germany, and to find that in three weeks after
hostilities commenced a large part of France was in the
bands of the enemy, and that the French armylvas driven
to adopt against Germany alone the tactics which Napo-
leon the First used against coalesced Europe; must be
gall and bitterness indeed. Still, if the army can make
its retreat without loss and without defeat fto a posi-
titan in which it is sure to find very large- reinforce.
omits, and in which it may be expected to fight to advan-
*fp, the confidence which has been so sadly shaken
will revive and the new levies will press forward:,
to the combat with all the heroism shown by the men
who, under MacMahop, fought so gallantly against
overwhelming numbers equally brave and determinesi.
In these circumstances the ultimate,issne of the eCy-
fliet may remain doubtful, but no Frenchman will admit:
the slightest question as to the immediate turn affairs ,will-,
take. And indeed there can he hardly any question uperr,
the point. The Germans, as a people, may be more than":
a match for the French. We offer no opinion upon a—
point which no one is in a position to deter/Pine dogmati:
tally. But it must be allowed that the French nation*
arms to defend French soil is at the least strong •enough:,
VI effect that purpose ; whether it can take its revenge for -
the invasion of France by an invasion of Germany is
another question. That the force which the laws
voted last week have placed at the disposition
of the French commander will be sufficient to
repulse the invading armies, and to force them back over
the frontier, we may not doubt if only French parties
will display the patriotism due from them, and the
common duty of defence against the enemy shall not
be postponed to the settlement of private and personal
squabbles.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
His Royal. Highness the Duke of Cambridge arrived at
Portsmouth on Monday afternoon, and proceeded in the
carriage of Lord Templetown, commanding the south
district, to the dockyard, where he met his Royal High-
ness Prince Arthur, who had crossed over from Osborne
in the morning, to pay a visit to the Crocodile, 3, Indian
Iron screw troop-ship, Captain G. H. Parkyn, now
lying alongside the southern jetty of the dockyard. Their
Royal Highnesses afterwards embarked for Osborne.

_ Some extraordinary rumours have been current at
Portsmouth during the last few days. It is stated that
Slr. Robinson, the master shipwright, chief engineer, and
storekeeper, has been "called over the coals" by the Ad-
miralty for the delay which took place in supplying
the stores required by the Channel fleet. Some months
ago, it is stated, the dockyard officials were informed
that the Bellerophon would be sent home from the
Mediterranean for a refit, and that she would require new
boilers. In pursuance of the policy. of " economy," tho
discharge of skilled workmen continued until a recent
date, and the result is that there is not the requisite staff
to construct the boilers, while we hear, also, that there
are no materials for the work in store.

The Woodlark, 3, 160 horse-power nominal, the only
wooden vessel building at Chatham Dockyard, is ordered to
be discontinued for the present, the whole of the ship-
wrights and other hands being withdrawn from her,
and placed on the several iron-clad ships now building
and fitting at Chatham, in order to hasten forward
their completion and equipment. The most forward
A the armour-plated ships now at the port is
the broadside ship Sultan, 12, $,226 tons, 1,200-horse
power, fitting in the harbour alongside the dock-
yard, which has several hundred mechanics and workmen
employed on her in bringing her forward for commission,
the Admiralty being desirous of despatching her to join
the other vessels of the Channel fleet by the earliest pos-
Jible date.
On Monday there was a further entry of workmen at
Ohatham Dockyard, the hands eAgafted being smiths and
a-
iron shipwrights, for employment board the various
Son-clad-clad vessels which are now hail luir , the utarst
dvity being now observable at the dockyard thsrshi;
building department. .

- -
Recruits continue to be sent up to Chatham from the
`various recruiting districts,several hundred recruits having
p.rrived at the garrison during the past few weeks to join
the various British and Indian depots, the Royal Engl.-
- neers, and the Royal Marines Light Infantry.

Mr. Patrick Cumin, barrister-at-law, has been
appointed an assistant-secretary to the Corninit:ee of
D ounoil on Education.

Arrank•ements have been completed under which
tracings on linen of architectural or mechanical designs
will be allowed to pass to Belgium at the book rate of
postage.

METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS.-..Lord Robert
Montagu, M.P., has at the suggestion 9f friends in Lon-
ion, become a cantate for the chairmanship of the
Metropolitan Board o Works. The noble lord, it may be
remembered, acted as chairman of a committee of the
Rouse of Co coons in the question of the profitable uti-
isation of the sewage of the metropolis and of other
:arge towns.

THE Housn OF COMMONS.—Sir Denis Le Mar-
chant, clerk of the House of Commons, will retire before
The
Session. The patronage belongs to the Crown.
salary is two thousand pounds a year. It is believed
:hat Sir Erskine May will certainly succeed Sir Denis
m ,
d that Mr. Palgrave will succeed Sir Erskipe ail_ First
Mork Assistant, with a salary of 21,700. Air, Poetic-
liwaite, Principal Clerk of the Journol
gI,OOP, 541•0 re** jum 3211103,4
'mooed utm,

THE WAR.

BATTLE BEFORE METZ.

DEFEAT OF THE PRUSSIANS.

• A later telegram from Earls states that the Uorps of
Generals Ladmirault and Decaen took part in the battle.
Marshal Bazaine proceeded in person to the spot.

T-lie following telegram hai been received by the
Minn3ter" of the Interior fromthe Prefect of the
Vosges, dated

"EPINAL,_ Aud. 15 (9 A.M.)

" Bitsch is not taken ; the plape holds out."

A telegram from Berlin, however, gives a different
version to this affair. It says's; The Queen has received
the following despatch from the King, dated Herny
" A victorious battle has taken pkce before Metz, in
which our 7th and Ist corps d'armee were engaged. No
details have as yet been received. I proceed immediately
to the battle field."

Another telegram from the same place, dated yesterday
6 p.m., says :—" According to a communication from
Prince Pleiss, the Military Inspector of the Society for
the care of the Sick and Wounded, yesterday's battle was
fought in the direction of the village of Pange, on the
road to Metz. The villages in the neighbourhood are all
abandoned by the inhabitants."
The following is a telegram from the correspondent of
the Daily News

"BERLIN, AUGUST 15.

" A.,victory was gained by the Ist and 7th German
Army Corps at Metz on Sunday. To-day it is expected
that a general battle will take place, or that the French
will retreat. The Xing of Prussia has gone to the
battle-field."

SECOND BATTLE BEFORE METZ.

REPORTED GERMAN DEFEAT.

The correspondent of the Daily News, telegraphing
from Luxemburg yesterday at 6.55 p.m., says :--
" There is a rumour here, the accuracy of
which I have no ' means at present of ' veri-
fying, that a great battle between the French and the
German armies has been going on all day along the entire
line from Metz to Nancy. It is said that at leaSt
100,000 of the Germans have been forced back to the
Moselle.

The Morning Post has the following :—" We understand
that telegrams received in London announce.that yes-
terday a great battle was raging: Whether the
French, on crossing the Moselle after the
engagement of Sunday, drew up and offered
battle to the enemy, or whether the PruSsians
by any new move brought about the conflict, we are not
yet informed, nor have we any tidings of the issue. A
few hours will no doubt dispel all uncertainty."