The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-09-08
How Il WAS,
cles.

The utter want OF preparation Of France
| for the war has amazed the world. The
| bold and confident air of the Emperor and
| Ministry led everybody to suppose that
| France was amply ready, and that the war
| would be upon Prussian soil. The hesita-
ton Of the French army upon the Rhine
was un%accountable, and the final advance
of the Prussians, the surprise of the French,
md the advantages gained By the Prussians'
puzzled and astounded the nations. The
| cause has been gradually developing itself.
Louis NAPOLEON was deceived, ana
when he reached the Rhine he Disco
vered that he was not in q condltlon 10
| cross it. He had been deluded both
with reference to men and the munitions OF
| war. Where there should have been nun
| dreds of thousands, there were not more
| than a fourth of the hundreds OF thou
| sands. Where there should have been huh
| dreds of chassepots, there were not much
above tens.
A correspondent of the New York Times
| makes the following statement, which as
| sists to solve the mystery but it does not
| help to relieve the Emperor and his Minis
| try from their great responsibility for not
! kno,cinq the condition Of the natlonto make
| offensive as we'll as defensive war. Their
| delinquency has involved France in calamity
| and humiliation
"It Is very easy to comprehend how
France comes to be in mourning when we
| hear of a million of dollars granted to a
! general of high renown ut Court, now am
Sassador to a great nation, for the purchase
| of horses. The money has been spent, but
| in the ranks of cavalry and artillery regi,
| ments the horses are missing. a special
! messenger has been dispatched to the gene
raj ambassador, with a requesG tnae ne
will be pleased to indicate the where
abouts of either the money or the horses
belonging to the Government. Within
the past week a colonel of artillery in a
northern province received an order to
send his artillery wagons to Paris. HE re-
plied that he had plenty of wagons, but no
horses. He is telegraphed to purchase
horses. but when they are bought from the
peasants it comes to pass that there are no
harness. Another kilograms with the reply
from the Ministry Of War that there
must be harness somewhere, as hundreos
of suits Lave been charged ON the
DOCKS OF Tic icSluloIl' NN
mel refers to the books of his pre-
decessor, and finds entries of harness,
bought and paid for. but no harness is to be
found in the stores. The artillery wagons
were sent to their destination, drawn by
horses harnessed with rope rs compactly as
possible under the circumstances. with
these claring incidents Of maladministratlon
occurring iii over France, Marshal LebGuf
undertook to make war. This is the con-
versation certified by good authority to have
taken place in the committeeman before
the declaration Of war:
IN. de Keratry Marshal, are we
ready?
"Marshal Lebnuf: Entirely ready.
IN. de Keratry You give us your WORD
of honor? Consider what q crime 1t would
he to engage France in war without having
provided for every possible contingency.
"Lcbruf: l give you my word OF honor
that we are completely prepared.
M. de CasSagnac One word more {:
what do you understand by these words
: Being reddy?'
M. Lebpuf with authority : I under
stand by that to say that if the erdr should
last a year, zee would not haze eren so much
as q button to bug.
"These are solemnly declared to be the
exact words of Marshal LcLGuf.'