The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-25


PTussaDs; story Of which there is as yet no
word Of confirmation from the Prussian side.
French kilograms, both dated yesterday
morning and evening, and received in London
simultaneously this morning, place Mcmahon
first at Chalons and then at Rheims. The lat
ter is true, as the above letter shows.
have the highest authority for contradict
ing the statement of the French that the
Prussians had sought permission from the
French to transport their wounded through
Luxemburg. The French insist on this as i'm
piled admission of defeat. What happened
was this: 1, .f.rri la r1.f.ssl.r --7sl 2
The Prussian government applied to know
whether they would consider the transporta-
tion of wounded men through Luxembourg
violation OF its neutrality. The English gov
ernmeDt asked the French authorities whether
they objected and the French replied, eyes,
because it opens the Prussian railway to the
unrestricted transmission of troops and sup
plies" Prussia rejoins: "Three-ffths of the
wounded we want to send are French. If
you object we must attend to our own first
nor are the military trains capable of being
employed for the wounded"
Gladstone favors the Prussian view, but
Hammond, Under Secretary of the Foreign
Office, opposes on technical grounds; and if
the French insist on their view nothing will be
done, and the French wounded will have their
own government to thank for needlessly pro-
longing their sufferings. st-l s... f1 rIa
The reported meeting of foreign ambassa-
dors in Paris, to consider possible terms of
peace is wholly discredited. Prussia would
consider such meeting, held III the enemy's
capital, gross discourtesy. Such initiative
would be regarded as serious if taken in Lon
don or st. Petersburg, but in Paris almost as
violation of neutrality, and Prussia neither
believes the statement nor would listen for a
moment to any proposal so originating.
A special correspondent sends from Ham,
burg on Monday, an account of the first naval
engagement of the war. On the morning of
the 18th, the German dispatch boat Grelle
started out the bay of Rugen, to reconnoitre the
position and strength of the French ships of
war, whose arrival in the neighborhood had
been reported, though nobody had as yet seen
them.
After proceeding at sea until within sight of
the Danish island of MoeD, the Grelle at length
discovered the tall masts of the squadron,
consisting Of seven ironcad frigates and
couple of smaller vessels, and approached
boldly until within three thousand PAGES. The
French then opened fire and directed several
broadsides at the little craft, at the same time
giving chase. Every now and then she laid to
to fire a few shots at her pursuers from her
two ritled twelve-pounders in answer to the
guns of the whole feet. She lured them to
follow her as far as Post-house, at Wilton,
where three gun-boats, the Drache, Blitz and
Salamander, were lying, which,on hearing the
report Of cannonading at sea, Immediately got
up steam and weighed anchor to stand by their
+ consort. 't Ias3 .4eaaf t'la.t .r- ~ 4.
The Commodore Of the little squadron,
Captain Count Won Walderz, made signal for
the commander OF each gunboat to attack the
enemy at his own discretion which produced
loud cheers, aud they all steamed out ready
for action with the superior force of the ene-
my. After running fight of three hours the
gunboats, finding their guns were harmless
against the plated sides of the ron-clads, re-
turned to the protection of their shore bat
teries.
1t is thought that the French fired either too
high or too low, but it was difficult in fresh
breeze to take steady aim at the little gunboat,
lying low in the water and painted gray, so as
to be almost invisible.
Several shots from the gunboats hit their
mark, and shells from the Salamander were
seen to explode on the desk of one of the ships,
and must have done some damage to the men
at their guns.
The German flotilla suffered no losses what
ever, though it might have been very different
had any Of the heavy twenty EIGHT centimere
shells, fired from the French ships, exploded
on the deck of the gunboats. The latter hav-
ing filed up their stock of ammunition and
Goals at Stralsund, returned to their stations
on the outer roads, where they are on outpost
duty.