The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-16 00:00:00

THE PROGRESS OF THE PRUSSIANS.

Communication with Lyons by railway has been
suspended on account of the appearance of a party of
IThlans at Montereau, a town situated at the confluence
of the- Yonne and the Seine, and on the Paris and
Lyons Railway. Montereau is about forty miles
from Paris, in a south-easterly direction. The TJhlans
above mentioned had a skirmish with some Francs-tireurs,
and were 'driven off, with a loss of ten killed and a like
number wounded. The railway bridge at Corbeil, be-
tween Melun and Paris, has been blown up by the French.
Proceeding a little further north from Montereau
we learn that official intelligence has been received
by the French Government to the effect that on the 13th a
second regiment of Uhlans passed through Provins, and
marched towards Nangis, Courtecroux, and Vieux
Champagne, which last two places are villages a little to
the north of the Provins and Melun road. At Melun
and Saguy we learn that Prussian scouts appeared
on the 12th. Telegraphic communication with Meaux is
cut off, probably by the French themselves. The
Prussians are reported to be in force at Coul-
miers, which is about forty miles from Paris
on the Sezanne road. The Prussians are reported
to be advancing by Montreuil, a small place a
little to the south of the Troyes and Bar ser Aube
Railway, and about half-way between these two places ;
by Crespy on the Villers Cotterets and Senlis road, and by
Compiegne on the junction of the roads from La Fere and
Soissons to Clermont, at which latter place a detachment
appeared a few days ago. We also know that they are ad-
vancing by Epernay, Chateau Thierry, an La Pert& We
may, therefore, conclude that their right column will ap-
proach Paris by the road which runs from Compiegne by
Clermont and Beaumont to St. Denis, their left column by
he Montereau and Melun road, the remaining columns
marching by Sezanne, La Ferte, Villiers Cotterets, and
Senlis. Whether they will cross the Seine or not we will
consider presently. Information has arrived to the effect
that 2,500 Bavarians are at Vancoulers, and 2,000 at Void.
Vancoulers is situated on the Meuse, where the road from
Toul to Joinville crosses it, and only a few miles from the
frontier ; and Void is a small place a little to the north of
Vancoulers. From the fact of these troops being Bava-
rians, we imagine that they must be the escort of the siege
train, which we last heard of as close to Toul. That for-
tress still holds out. We were told the other day that this
gallant little town had been attacked furiously for sixteen
hours on the 10th, and that the Prussians suffered a
cost of 10,000 men. A more recent official account
declares that the bombardment lasted only nine
hours, and makes no mention of the 10,000
Prussian casualties, thus confirming our opinion,
expressed at the time, that we might strike off a
cypher from the number of Prussians asserted to be killed
and wounded. Toul has, however, whatever may be the
number of Prussians killed, done her share of the work
by hindering the passage of the Prussian siege train.
It is stated that if the town is not soon captured
a fresh road will have to be constructed or a circuitous
route followed. We may assume from the Bavarians
being at Vaucoulenrs and Void that the siege train
has, in despair of the speedy fall of Toul, been
taken by a circuitous route, and that it
has already reached the Meuse, and is
and this time within 160 miles by road of Paris.
This distance, however, is by no means a measure
of the time required to bring it up, for it is
probable that at Commercy it will be embarked on
the railway. A Prussian siege train consists
ordinarily of 142 pieces, many of them of such
weight that it is doubtful whether they can be transported
by the ordinary rolling stock. Granting, however, that
this difficulty can be overcome, the process of transporting
so many and such heavy guns, with all their appurtenances,
and ammunition, must be a very slow one. We do not be-
lieve that they could proceed at a greater rate than ten
miles an hour, or that the whole of them could reach the
environs of Paris, considering the difficulty of preparing
and loading the trucks, in less than ten days. It will be
necessary, moreover, to echelon strong detachments
of troops all along the railway as guards, and when their
guns have arrived near Paris many thousands of horses and
much time and labour will be required to place them in posi-
tion. If, therefore, even the siege train was at Vaucouleurs
on the 13th, it would be at least a fortnight from that
date before the first lot of heavy guns could be placed
in battery. The fire consequently of anything but field
pieces will not in all human probability be opened on the
forts before the 27th. As to the field guns, they
could do nothing against the heavy pieces mounted on
the ramparts of the forts. We may sum up the progress
of the army of the siege by saying that the different
columns.are closing up, and that by the 16th or 17th they
will be concentrated within sight of the outer defences of
Paris, and that about the 23rd the real business of the
siege will begin.—Standard.