The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-09
THE HOPES OF FRANCE.
IN ENGLISH VIEW OF THE SITUA-
TTON.
The Lesson of the Seven Years War.

The Lesson of the Seven Years War.
[From the London Spectator, December III
We would recommend those of our readers
who disbeleve in the possibility Of further
French resistance to read the last volume OF Car
lyle's "Frederick," or the short but accurate ac-
count in Macaulay's "Essays" of the last cam
paign of the Seven Years war. Ilere tney
will see how these Prussans, now so indig-
nant because Paris keeps their troops encamp-
ed in the cold, waged war of self-delence;
how, after half their towns had been burnt,
and their fields abandoned to women, and
their very seed.corn. consumed, and their,
horses ali carried of for the guns, and their
police at an end, and their socley reduced,
fought on. defying and wearing out the
armies OF States with twenty times their popu-
lation. Prussia did not perish. There was
mighty gap in her population, but the CHILDREN
had been born before the war, and did not
perish in its course, and, within ten years, the
villages were full and the cities were ,rt reoui
and The crops were abundant, and Prussia was
ready for war to prevent the absorption OF
Bavaria in the Hapsburg dominion, and began
that career which, within ninety-fve years
only three generations-has placed her at the
head of the world. Why is 1t so impossible
That Erenchmen should, under similar Provo. @
cation, fight like Prussians,. go on TO the bitter
end, I'LL this generation. of adult Frenchmen
and Germans have persisted in the field? Be-
cause, most men will say, they have not. the
northern tenacity or endurance; but where, as
yet, is the proof of that? Thousands OF
Frenchmen, no doubt. in every great contest
run away, most discreditablv stricken with
sudden panic as the unseen guns pour shells
into their ranks, and thousands more betray
after every engagement want OF self-respect,
n carelessness of everything save momentary
comfort, which is even more disgusting TO the
less mobile northerners than their fear OF
the shot. But, then, hundreds OF thousands
front, defending Paris, or, halforganized,
half-sficered, and, we fear, halt.fed, main
tanning for seven days hopeless fight With q
victorious army, actually attacking again aud
again and again the finest troops In Europe,
sometimes uselessly. sometimes with such sue
cess that the King OF Prussia excuses himself lor
gaining no ground, but always INJECTING loss
which the Invaders can Ill afford. Week alter
week Paris is to fall, and week after week
there is General TrOchu drilling an army 30
great that 1t takes two-thirdS OF the German
force to hold it in check; now breaking out
and inflicting loss Of $4,000 men, now walt
Ing quietly till he hears OF some movement
from the provinces towards tfs'captal; but
never yielding, never giving way TO lmpa-
tience or to menace, to-day destroying the !
Wurtemburg contingent, 10 morrow trying
Reds by co,lrt-martial for want orsplrt before
the enemy. General Chansey. the man ham
mering away there between Orleans and Tours,
is but one OF six generals, each with large
army at command, now intent upon delivering
France. General Bourbaki has $4,000 men
south OF the Loire; General Faidheroe,
10000 men marching past La Fere,
on Manteuffel's communications; another
general commands the Bretons at LIE
Mans: General Brian forms new army
Mt CherboTg. and in the centre OF all,
ia, by siencing his forts, that he Is coming
abroad. Not counting the armies of Toulouse
and LYONS, not reckoning anything that
France south of Tours, that Is nation Oh
IL. 600. 600 can effect, France has In movement
100000 soldiers whom single CLEAN OF sue
cess. one day Of victory, wonld make the
EQUALS, man for man, of any troops In the
world. and who. for aught any human being
can tell, may have or may find general VINO
can give them, if not victory. some chance OF
an equal held Nothing more than drawn bat
Ties is required, for slowly but irresistibly Tile
nature OF things is fighting against the Ger,
mans. They are invaders, and cannot Afford
even to win forever, The ballot Tor tne:con,
scripton 10 France covers every year 36O, O00
mon. of whom about one-thlrd are physically
untitled for active, ,war. There are therefore
still in Frunce 2,S00,000 men between eighteen
and thirty or allowing ior 60D. 600 OF prisoners,
9 500, 600 ht for fighting of kind. 1t Is not
necessarily good fighting In all ways. The
French never had at the best Oftimes the splen-
did constoncv of the Germans; it would take
gears to give them the same drill, and
US vet they have not generals sufficiently
trusted by the troops to make panic lmposs!-
Bile. But we see that these men at Paris and
Beaugencr can be induced to charge, can be
used as TO produce uneasiness at Versailles,
can be so driven on--N tile crltlcs Oh france
vii, have 1t so-as to give three lives or two
lives and q prisoner Tor one. II they give only
that, and. we have absurdly exaggerated the
case against France, what hope can the Ger
maus have of ultimate victory, OF anything
except to endure with patient heroism and
an overpus of glory the slow, steady whiting
away of their hammer of Thor. They are
aghilnp even now four separate campaigns,
winning three of them, but losing every day,
as every officer who has seen service must
know, from one to two thousand men killed,
wounded, invalided or taken prisoner; and
their loss Is not one of halt-tralned men, OF
.srecruits," or unwilling rascals, as that OF the
French Is said to be, but of good soldiers: the
hard, disciplined men who have carried the
German flu. from the Rhine to the sea: Look
what the Bavarian Corps has DONE and how.
after all its victories, 1t has declined from a
corps to disorganiZed dlris!on-u;erally
"Warred out" debAlatG By batt.e.
Bit Paris viii fall il day or two, and then
all will be over. Why should Paris fall It is
hot weaker, lllIll IL Wdo-stIOuECl
by the huge works which the German generals
pronounce impregnable; stronger by eighty
days of drill and three days OF victorious fight
inS; stronger by the fact that endurance has
settled into habit stronger most Of all In this,
that the patient, sad Breton in command is
undsputed master at last-dare disarm Belle
willie or ration the Faubourg st. Antoine
could, If the necessity arose, as II will not
arise, rain down fire on treacherUus citizens
who advise capitulaton. That Northerners
should not understand Southerners, that Ger
mans should fancy Parisans only pleasure
lovers. should hope for Instructions against
Independence, and believe q defeat on the
Loire sufficient to COW people liable to fits Of
depression and eXultaiion. is natural enough;
but that average Engllshmen should be
unable to recognize the facts before their
ewes Is TO us ineSpllcable. There is just
as much evidence that General Trochn rules
Paris and intends TO keep on fighting, as
there is that King William rules Germany
and that the Germans intend TO keep on
besIeging, while there is absolutely no evil
dence at all that the provinces intend to yield.
The cities very often fight very badly, the ctti-
zens being cowed by the fear which seems to
paralyze Frenchmen out Of Paris, the danger |
OF losing their property; but not one has de-
mauded peace, or protested against war, or
thn cmo1last cvTn r,tom of a (ipSjrp tO