The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-08-17
The situation in France.

" There Is still no turn in the tide Of VIC
tory that has thus far carried the Prns.
stun armies toward Paris, From the day
they set foot over the frontier, the Prus.
sian hosts have moved with steady and re-
sistless momentum towards the heartpt the
Empire. No obstacle, whether Of nature
or arb have thus far arrested their pro-
gress. The French armies, everywhere
beaten and demoralized, have been driven
before them from ono defence to another,
till the question arises, can they make a
stand anywhere short Of Parish
The suppression Of news is 50 rigid that
we only arrive at tho real state Of the case
by fragments Of intelligence and by de-
duCti6n. 1t appears to be certain that the
bulk Of the French army which was
gathered about Metz has fallen back to-
wards the Meuse; that THO entire French
army Is moving in that direction, but
whether with the design Of attempting 70
make o stand short Of the AEarnc,
with Chalons as base, remains
to- rbe seen! .sTt ,2'looks as if a
considerable French force is cut off at
Metz, but the reports are too vague To de-
termne with certainty. Tho advance of
the Prussians on their luIt have reached
the ncighborhood of Commercy, on the
Meuse; and 1t is to bc inferred that
the whole Prussi4n line Is ad.,
yanclng ID the same direction, If
not quite so rapidly, Doubtsarc express
ed whether the MeuSe affords o tepable
line Of defence, and whether the French
will not continue their retreat, without at
tempting stand, to the Marne. At last
report NApoLEoN's headquarters werc at
Verdun, on the Meuse. Where they nre
now, 1t would be interesting to know.
Since writing the foregoing we have
u report from Paris Of great battle said
to have been fought Monday, between
Metz and Vcrlun. An examination Of
the dispatch indicates that it has no better
loundatolthan the battle at Metz, already
reported. The report is sent from Ver-
dun, at which point the cannonading at
Metz could no doubt bO heard, as it was
at Luxemberg, which islapparcntly equal
" distant. II is not surprising that the
alarmed inhabitants east Of Verdun should
come in and tell marvellous stories of a
battle. Il any Prusslans were seen by
them, they were doubtless tho advance Of
the Prussian army. .U ,- r
A still later dispatch from Paris gives
statement made by Minister Palikao in
the corps 1egislaif which looks as II there
may have been a fight on the Mouse; but
If there was French victory, no reason
appears why the French authorities would
not be able tosayso. Woconclude, there
fore, either that there has been no such
fight, or if there was, 1t did not result in
aFrench victory. s @.,o
We get one important fragment Of news
from Palikao's speech; viz: his assertion
that tho French having been checked, had
Srctired on Commercy." Now Commercy
is on the NTcuse river, where IT is crossed
BY The railway leading from Nancy to
Paris, and II the French retired on this
place they must have been west Of the
Meuse or on;the MeusC northward from
FCommcrcy. ~ ,,4 S4 ,r ..+y,
It is evident Paris Is rapidly tending to
crisis. Unless Napoleon can send some
good news soon he will not need to send
any at all. It's apparent from the fact that
sjNcrdun dispatch was sent by the Pre-
feet, that Napoleon is not there. He has
doubtless retired to Chalons, where the last
struggle must be made to keep the Ger
mans from Paris.