The New York herald., 1870-08-22
Tho Military Situation In France-The
Impending Finale.


AT length official voices have been heard
from the exact seat of conflict, extending
between Metz and Verdun, and they thunder in
upon us through the bewildering clouds OF con.
Trajectory dispatches with no uncertain sound.
King William of Prussia announces, as the
resnlt OF an entire week of manGuvrng and
| hght'ng, the rout, decentralization and COM
pound dissection OF the main French army of
the Rhine, under Marshal Bazaine, and the
"bottling" OF its heaviest fragment in very
bad spirits at Metz. All rumors of the wound
ing OF the Prussian Crown Prince aud of the
death of Prince Adalbert have come to grief,
and Count Bsmarck-the Bluebeard of the
Partisan diplomats-was absent from his regi-
ment OF 'White Dragons, who so obligingly
allowed themselves to be cut to pieces the
other day. The most assured confirmation of
this disastrous turn of fate for the French is
that the envrons of Paris, if our advices be
true, have been utterly cleared of their pic
turesque adornment, to avoid obstructing the
view of the defenders of the capital and the
range of their artillery. Moreover, still fur
ther and quite important symptom is the
tumble Of gold in our New York market-a
very natural accompaniment to the success of
nationality that holds nearly all our bonds
abroad, since the higher their quotations 60 at
Frankfort the more they appreciate in general
value. In fine, the news seems fully sus-
tanned, and all the childish drizzle about
Prussian ''checks' and ''repulses" with which
some of the French journals have besprinkled
their columns, to the misnformation of the
people and the damage of their cause in the
sight OF sensible men, has been thrown away
The facts stand forth simply thus:-In spite
of desperate resistance worthy of their
warike race and their long renown the French
forces acting directly under Bazaine have been
shattered, and, with the exception of some
broken detachmeDts which have strayed north
westward upon Rheims, are 80 surrounded in
Metz as to be exposed to the necessity of
wholesale capitulation. The Emperor is in
full flight from the seat of war, his exact
whereabouts being matter of uncertainty
His name is scarcely mentioned in official pro-
ceedings and General Trochu is virtually die
tator, for the time being, of France. Mean
while there are active efforts put forth at
London, st. Petersburg and Vienna to secure
an armistice preliminary to direct negotiations
for peace, and we should not be surprised to
hear at any time within the present week that
such truce had been secured. We can expect
no less from the enlightenment and humanity
of Europe. The 'last ditch" businessis is literally
''played out" among rational men in our day,
and we have no reason to believe the great
French nation so utterly insane as to invoke
utter ruin upon their country because system
of continual exa2geration has entailed upon
them some reverses which still leave their
military honor untarnished The whole world
can plainly see that France has been misled
with reference to the numerical strength and
condition of her armies but the courage
endurance and spirit Of her troops never
shone forth more splendidly than in the present
unfortunate campaign. To this their antago-
nists bear willing and constant testimony. We
trust that our great and noble ally will display
as much wisdom and dignity as she has shown
unhinching valor. But in the meantime we
nave 10 COuSluer tue HeXL movement IN
the military field, since, although the
march of the invading Prussians may
be arrested by negotiation before they
shall have got within sght Of Paris, further col
taken place, in the vicinity of Chalons
In order to comprehend what these are likely
to be, let us endeavor briefly to extricate
the true plan of the Prussian campaign from
the Confusion worse confounded' that has
been heaped upon it. The Prussian grand
army of the Rhine consists OF three subordi-
nate armies of which the northernmost one
or right wing, of the whole advancing line
comprises the Ninth corps, General Mann
stein, and the Eleventh corps, General Plon-
ski, along with two divisions of landwehr
the whole under the command of General Won
Steinmetz and numbering over 80, 900 men.
The centre or middle army is under the direct
command of Prince Frederic Charles and
General Stiehle, chief Of the general staff,
and consists of the Guards under the Prince
of Wurtemberg, the Second corps, General
Fransecky; the Third corps, General Alvensle-
ben H.. the Fourth corps, General Alvensleben
L.; the Eighth corps General Goeben, an
the Twelfth corps, commanded by the Grown
Prince of Saxony. Total, 10000 men. The
left wing or southern army, operating on the
Upper Rhine, embraces the Sixth corps, Gene
raj Tiimpling, the Thirteenth corps, made up
of the Baden and Hesse Darmstadt contn-
gents, and two Bavarian army corps, along
with the Wurtemberg contingent. This force,
numbering originally l66, 900 men, is COM
manded by the Crown Prince Of Prussia,
whose chief of staff is General Blumenthal.
The grand total of these three armies is
426, 900 men, with reserve of 100000 land
wehr, which has been advanced to the Rhine