The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-18 00:00:00

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•RICE 4D. STAMPED, SD,

A FRENCH OFFICER'S OPINION OF

THE WAR.

The writer of a letter, dated 'Turin, May 14

says :--

I very recently had a long and interesting con-
versation with a highly intelligent and unprejudiced
French officer, certainly a most favourable speci-
men of the body to which he belongs, and who,
in the confidence of a tete-a-tete, gave his opinion
with great frankness on various subjects of interest
at the present moment. He declared his con-
viction that the war would be limited to the
expulsion of the Austrians from Italy, and said, as
his reason for this belief, that the French nation
would not stand a long war. The idea of the pre-
sent contest, he added, had been highly unpopular
in France until Austria sent her ultimatum to Sar-
dinia. But for that false step, he believed the
French Emperor would not have ventured to make
war, knowing how averse from it was the people he
ruled. The ultimatum, however, had changed the
feelings of many in that respect. It had been
looked upon as a sort of defiance, if not an insult to
Napoleon and the people, who had placed him
in his high position, resented the affront to
the work of their hands. The Emperor, more-
over, owed something to the army, which had
ever shown itself faithful to him. He owed
them the soldier's dearest reward—action, namely,
and an opportunity of distinction and promo-
tion. This would be afforded by a six months'
campaign against Austria, which my inter-
locutor, although no Gascon, evidently thought
would suffice to accomplish the work in hand, and
achieve the independence of Italy. Another of the
Emperor's stimulants to war was, he believed, a
desire of military renown, as a means of consoli-
dating his throne and his dynasty. He has already,
said my military acquaintance, shown himself a
most able politician and statesman—let him prove
himself also a great commander, and his position is
secure inFrance. If, on the other hand, he should
fail—if disasters instead of triumphs await him—
naa said the speaker, with a significant shrug, it
will be very unfortunate for him. While discussing
the Emperor's character and qualities, his skill in
availing himself of every advantage and means of
popularity came upon the tapis, and in proof of it
the following circumstances were adduced. After
the reserve of the army was recently called out in
France, it was discovered that the whole of it was
not required, and accordingly a large number of
soldiers, married men, and men who had only three
or four months to serve, were allowed to return to
their homes. In the army, or at least by those
military men who are in the habit of looking a
little further than the point of their sword, this was
appreciated as a most judicious move. The Govern-
ment knew perfectly well beforehand what men
would be required, and might have at once signified
the exemptions afterwards made. But the Emperor
preferred having all called out, and then, when
there was lamentation in the land, he suddenly re-
stored those who could least be spared. "In the
town (a large provincial city) where I was in gar-
rison," said the officer, " about 300 men thus came
back to families and friends who had bid them fare-
well with heavy doubts whether they should ever
see them again. You should have seen the joy and
heard the blessings on the Emperor, and you would
have judged, as I do, that by that single move,
seemingly unimportant,, and which would pass un-
noticed elsewhere than on the spot, he wou no des-
picable amount of popularity." I had been told
at Genoa, a very few days before, that an idea pre-
vailed among the French that the war with Austria
was but a prelude to one with England, but the
officer whose ideas I have quoted was evidently
not of that opinion. He thought that if England
would leave the Emperor alone, and allow him to
fulfil his self-allotted task of ridding Italy of
the Austrians he would then be extremely glad
to revert to a state of peace, and, indeed, that
it would be perilous to himself to attempt a
war of conquest and aggrandisement, for which
France has now no taste or desire. My acquaint-
ance had seen a good deal of service, and had been
through the whole Crimean campaign, not without
wounds and honours, and he expressed himself
frankly, but very. fairly, about the English army,
stigmatising as" ignoble" the null-administration at
the commencement of the war, blaming the plan of
giving the soldiers money in a place where nothing
but drink was procurable for it, instead of taking
means to supply them with nourishing food, and
seeing that they ate it, and did not make away with
it—bartering it for spirits, as he said ho had often
known them to do in the Crimea. While thus criti-
cising the faults of our system, he did full justice
to the merits of our soldiers, and he made one re-
mark which, although it has nothing to do with the
circumstances of the present time, struck me so
much as to induce me to repeat it here. " The
English troops," he said, " are incomparable for
tenacity of resistance. I was convinced of that at
Inliermann, when the enemy were literally among
their tents, and when they defended themselves to
the death, some of them with no better weapons
than picks and shovels. Our men would not have
done what the English did there. They would have
given way. But, if you have that great military
virtue, you have also one grievous military defect,
which costs you many men and some reverses. You
are too slow in attack. You march up at a steady
pace and in perfect order while the enemy thins
your ranks. You give them time to reload, which
it is our principle never to do. I believe that to
have been the cause of your repulse at the Redan,
but, whether it was so or not, that defect in your
system of attack is one which we French are all
agreed about, and which you cannot too soon
amend." These remarks, proceeding from an ex-
perienced French officer, who had learnt to respect
our army while fighting by its side, appear to me
well worthy of attention. The main and guiding
principles of French officers appear to be to render
the men under their orders intelligent, self-reliant,
and individually able to help themselves under all
emergencies, and to obtain rapidity of rnoveme.nt in
thesemasse objects j eAnd
that itis
etndhee is the
constant'
Ir cant; fist: soldier e rP paid
ex-
cellento
a campaigner and so formidable an oppo-
nent.

THAMES GRITTING DbCK COMPANY.

The report of the directors states that they are
able to announce the successful completion of the
undertaking for which the company was formed in
April, 1857, and that Mr. Edwin Clark's patent
machinery and arrangements have fully realised
the expectations entertained of their efficiency. Up
to the end of last month eight ships, varying in
burden from 500 to 1,800 tons, of wood and iron,
sailing ships, paddlewheel, and screw steamers,
have been raised, floated, examined, and repaired,
with a degree of celerity, security, and ease utterly
unknown under the old system of graving docks.
The pontoon recently launched has been employed
in raising and floating several ships, and fully
answers all the uses for which it was intended.
Another will shortly be launched, and four more
are in course of construction. During their experi•
mental operations the directors experienced the
want of a permanent establishment in the docks,
ready to repair the ships sent to them to be lifted
and examined. They have met this difficulty by
letting one slip and the one available pontoon to
the shipbuilding firm of Messrs. W. Rose and Co.,
of Wapping. From the success that has hitherto
attended all the operations no difficulty is appre-
hended in placing the unallotted shares. When
that is done the whole capital of the company will
amount to £140,000, for which there will have
been provided the docks and six pontoons, with
machinery capable of working, if necessary, at least
double that number. The directors propose to take
powers to convert the shares from their present
denomination of £l,OOO each into stock, and to
increase the capital of the company by converting
all or any part of the debentures into shares.
The report of Mr. E. Clark, the engineer, states
that the works are now in a complete state in
every respect • the capstans are all fixtehde, lainftd
.
a temporary office has been erected near
The experimental pontoon has been ussteedm,arntdessptaetinhgtde.
practically the working of the sy
result has been most satisfactory in
hal Itoi ever
timber,
screw docks
Ten vessels have been raised and reepearyirelde ,ne
tmhaantypuorfpothsee.m
Tflhoias tedinto the s
number
includesand paddle steamers of various descrieptaiomnicsno,
envdtaerbmyy--
vary-
ing in weight from 500 to 1,800 tons. The opera.
tionplat contem-
plated, a has not occupied
havingur rbeeteinmieaitsheadn was
x,
Lloyd's surveyors, and again launched in one hour
subjected a quarter. In no case has any vessel been
to the slightest degree of unequal strain,
and all the shipowners have expressed themselves
highly satisfied with the facilities afforded them.
The action of the lift has been perfect, no alteration
of the original design being found necessary. The
capital account shows that £95,400 had been
received, and £92,899 expended, leaving a balance
of X 2,011.