The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-08-14
The French Reverse.

At length serious engagement has taken
place between the European contestants,
and France lost the field. 1t is vain now
to attempt attaining any thing like certainty
as to the course and result of the great
conflict. Almost everything is conjecture,
based on a comparison of conflicting state
ments, and the principal thing to be at
tempted without further information is to
draw some inference as to the relative
merits of the contestants and of their
weapons, and hence make a reasonable
augury as to the success of the war.
According to the most probable informa-
ton Gen. Mcmahon had perhaps $1,000
men, while hts oppohents numbered per-
haps twice or thrice as many. It is quite
natural that this disparity should have ex-
listed since the Prussians attacked. They
had the choice Of positions to assault, and
knew exactly where to concentrateN their
strength, while their enemy, on the de-
fensive, had to- maintain the whole line
with respectable force, not knowing
where the assault would fall.
Was the success commensurate with this
DISPARITY 1t would seem not. Mcmahon
was pressed back, but the Prussians have
not dared to follow up their advantage.
From this we must conjecture that they
were badly crippled. They must have lost
three OF four times as heavily as the French
before they succeeded in dislodging them.
In this case it follows that French soldier
ship OF French arms, or both, must have
been superior to those of the enemy.
0 If the Prussians, after picking their oc-
casion, massing their troops, concentra-
ting overwhelming odds, and driving the
French from the field, have not been able
to advance and push their victory for six
days ensuing, we must conclude that the
French soldiers ana French arms proved
themselves relatively the best in the con-
fict, and we may reasonably calculate that
the very next battle will tell a different
tale. London kilograms would have us be
lieve that the whole French force engaged
were eaten up, that the Republicans in
Paris are growing more powerful and more
audacious in fine, that the Empire is dead
But telegraphing is not war. A few days
have passed and we find the all-conquerine
OSFmau SClIl IcSIAnS VI lduTclS
the French soldier and citizen alike, in
stead of being depressed, wild with en-.
thusiasm, the Republicans of Paris, so fal
from becoming more formidable, have had
new prime minister placed over them
Count Palikao-who has no patience with
them, but will crush them with q hand O.
iron; and the Emperor, whom the London
telegraphers SO kindly invitesto abdicate
is more fully in accord with the army and
people than ever.
The war, then, has just begun, and the
New York gold market, which was deceiv.
ed by false reports, is awaking to the truth
Gold is more active and more buoyant
American securities must improve. and
after few good lessons, American specu-
lation will learn to curb their Prussian ar
dor within the bounds of business prudence
and not stake their money on paid reports
of the London telegraph. In this instance,
for example, the great victory showed how
the war would go, when, in all probability,
it only showed that the chassepot was SUI
perior to the needle gun, which was the
great problem, and that the French soldier
was as good as ever, which no one ought
to have doubted. VI