New-York tribune., 1870-09-26
WAR TOPICS.

! A new and most serious obstacle IN the
way of peace negotiations between France and
| Prussia must arise from the indefinite post
| ponement of the elections in France, and the
| consequent postpOnement of the meeting of
| the Constituent Assembly. One of the prin-
| cipal objects of cOnyenlng this Assembly was
| to furnish an authoritative representative body
| with which the Prussian Government might
negotiate for terms of peace. The Provisional
| French Government at Paris (Or at TOurs), as
! Jules FavTe himself has admitted, does not
represent the French people, has not authority
| from the French nation, and caunOt bind
France For this reason Bismarck has been
unwilling TO treat with Jules Favre, and has
repeatedly demanded what guarantee he
| could offer that France would uphold his
! government or indOrse his policy. lt was to
obviate this difficulty that the Provisional Gov
ernment made haste to order the elections for
the Constituent Assembly-which is body
possessed of absolute power and fully compe-
tent to regulate the domestic and foreign rela-
tions of France But now that the elections
| for the Assembly have been adjourned" sine
die, the Germans will be unable to find any
duly authorized Government with which they
can carry on negotiations.
The vast superiority of the Prussan artil-
| lcry over that of the French will probably be
even more apparent in the siege of Paris than
| il has been in any of the battles or sieges of
the last two months. The Prussian feld-guns
are steel breech-loaders, while the French still
use the old iron muzzle-loaders. The defen-
| sive works of Paris are also mounted with
| iron muzzle-lOading cannon, while for siege
artillery the Prussians have those tremendous
steel guns manufactured during the last seven
years at the works of Krupp, the great Prus-
| sian cannon founder.
1t is forty-six days since the siege of Stras-
bOurg began. During that time the city has
been wholly isolated by the besieging army,
which has constantly been drawing its lines
closer planting its artillery in more advan-
tageOus positions, and cannOnading the city
itself well as operating directly upon its
defenses. The people of Strasbourg have suf-
| fered terribly during the siege and the damage
done to the city itself has unquestionably been
very great. The siege of Vicksburg, con-
Quoted by Gen. Grant in the Summer of 1863
lasted forty-six days (from May 49, the day
investment, to July 4, the day of surrender), or
just as long as the siege of Strasbourg has now
| lasted. The garrison of Strasbourg-i
the regular troops and the National Guard
numbers about 10000 men, while the besieging
force is about 10000 strong At the siege of
| |icksburg by Grant, the garrison of the place
was about 10000 men, while the besieging
army numbered in June $4,000, about half
of whom remained in the trenches till the
surrender, while the other half formed an
army of observation, watching closely all the
movements of the forces that were gathering
TO relieve the town.
The new Government of France is dis
playing the most remarkable energy in pro-
curing improved rifles for the use of the
troops that have lately been raised. We have
heard OF the immense orders recently sent TO
the gun manufactures of England, and we
have also learned of purchases in Belgium and
Switzerland; but it looks as though the
French military authorities were aware of the
fact that they can obtain the most effective
small arms in this country. The $1,000 breech-
leaders that left this port last week for France
in the Lafayette will go but very small way
toward filling the orders that are now in the
hands of our rifle makers 1t appears by The
Army and Ndry Journal that tho mauufac-