New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-08-03
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ders who had been TO their homes on conqe or leave
were assembled In order to board our train and Join
| their respective regiments; the men themselves
were CHEEKY enough, and struggled and tonight
for places IN the secOnd-class carriages.
But their parents and friends did not seem. by any
means, so happy They looked several hundred in
| number over the rails which kept them from the
platform and now and then tried to exchange joke
with the soldiers in the cars. But it did not do.
They knew that bot too many Of the merry fellows
who were laughing and joking would never come
back to their native village at all, and these who
did would be cripples. We ran TO Mezieres.
where we received the disagTeeable news that all
trains to our destination, Metz We're stopped for the
day. by order Of the War-Ollice, and that could
only go on tomorrow at 40 m. The rising early
| Is triiie, but the delay though slight, is an
noying.
M6zieres Is what Is called third-class fortified
town. II is perhaps, presumptuous for the citizen
Of country, most of whose towns are only defended
by the of their inhabitants to criticse fort-
| cations which were designed by Vauban, and which,
in 1915, resisted 10000 Prussans successfully, ald
only capituated when the rest Of France had sur
rendered. 1 do not say anything about
Bayard who sustained more than twenty-eight
days siege in Mezieres. The cafe was filed with
soldiers and their friends singing patriotic songs
the "Marseillsise," "Chant du Depart" sc. am
sorry TO say that here again your correspondent WAS
evidently strongly suspected Of being a Prussian.
hear that several "mtrailleusesn have passed
up to the front. A transcription patrotique" haS
been opened in the Department, aud has already
produced some 5000 francs-a good sim Of the
enthusiasm of the neighbors. In spite of This, il
would be wrong not to notice the fact that most of
the respectable inhabitants peaceably inelined
"'"e IFRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
METZ, July 19.-I arrived here this morning after
terribly slow journey, as all the trains ere conf
PEELED to hang about sdings, in order to let trns
laden with troops go by. Metz Is one Of the most
important military positions in France and the resi-
dence of the commandment Of the fifth Of the great
military divisions of the Empire. The town con-
tains "a coo inhabitants and is most thoroughly for
tilted being one of the bulwarks Of France against
invasion from the northeast. 1t viii probably be
base of operations in the approaching campaign In
spite of what we had been told at Mezieres the
night before, we passed the gates without any
questions being asked and for what any one knew 1
might have been spy from Prussia. The town lit
orally swarms with soldiers-the expression is a
hackneyed one but it is that best expresses the
situation There are said to be nearly 10000 men
here CHARTERED in this town encamped Just outside
the walls. Most Of the troops have come on nom
the great camp of Chalons which is about 100 miles
of, midway between Metz and Paris. The streets
are gay with tri-colors, which hang from nearly
every window. Such a tremendous eruption OF the
national flag has seldom been seen, should think
not even in the States a Fourth of July. The
soldiers are all in full campaig ning order, need
hardly say.
Ihave just seen regiment of the line march in
from the railway, the men going with the CHEEKY
auickstep Characteristic of French soldiers, though
each of them must have had 90 pounds
or more TO carry. Several of them carried wreatbs
of laurel on the ends Of the muskets the offerings
of fair well-wishers There is telling but your
provincial Frenchman is somewhat taciturn and re-
served mortal and not nearly so fond OF hearing
himself speak as the excitable Partisan. There is
no doubt however Of the waTlike enthusiasm Of
the inhabitants, and the flags from every window,
which have just mentioned, are {. sufficient proof
of ii, if proof were needed.
The attitude of England is viewed with q good
deal of disGayor and it is said she is only waiting,
she Gel tany did in the Ausro prussan in 49, to
see which side is going to wn in older to give il her
warmest and most sincere sympathy. Everywhere
hear protestations of the honesty of France and Of
her determination not to aggrandze her territory
should she prove victorious. But it is hard not to
remember that Just the same professions were made
before the Italian war; and that after SolfeIino, the
inhabitants of Savoy and Nice soon discovered how
promises made before success keeps by Napoleon
III.
There ia report that the Emperor is coming here
tonight / may as we'll tell the readers of IiIB
TRIBUNE once for all that the talk about Napoleon
commanding his armies in person IS mere bunkrm,
or rs the French would say de Ia bGguo His Majesty
is strictly ordered by his doctors TO abstain from
mounting horse. Only month or 50 ago he really
fell from his charger from pain, and the moment lie
GOT 70 the ground had most alarming fainting-ht,
which lasted for more than 20 minutes. How Is u
man in this state of health TO sit like Wellington az
Waterloo for IL hours without ever getting ont of
the saddle; or like Napoeons own rival in the
coming campagn-Wilam of PTussia--from IN
the morning Till in the aftelno0ni Ii is said
that Eugene has had a wonderfully light
and strong carriage made for her husbands
use: but, even if this be true, how 10 he
10 get across bitches down sharp
stones in order to reach the points of the
field from which general view Of the fight may DO
hest obtanable! No, il is no secret In France, anu
the first officer you meet will laugh II You
ask whether the Emperor is q good leader. lie
cannot ride now" they say, land rs for his abilities
% n Conmander-in-C chief demdSdss hachdAoR."
This means that at Magenta during the Italian cam
naipn Of 80 Napoleon rode in the wrong direction,
and narrowly escaped falling into the hands of the
Austrans being only rescued by a brilliant charge
of cavalry headed by Gen. MaeMahon, who Is now
ON his way back from Algeria TO take the command
of corps daymee
WAR MOVEMENTS in THIS CITY.