The Sun. — 1870-07-28 (London, England)

TEE TROUBLES OF SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS.  The Pima's correspondent, writing from Metz, gives up all hope :—I am now reluctantly compelled to abandon my last hope of any chance of describing either battles or even the preparations for war. In answer to my final appeal for a sauf conduit, I yesterday received from Marshal Bazaine a polite letter informing me that it was out of his power to comply with my request after the " formal orders issued by the Emperor," that no journalist whatever, French or foreign, was to be permitted to accompany the army. It is a question how long we shall be permitted to remain anywhere near it. If any of the stray scraps of intelligence about the movements, or guesses more or less ingenious about the plan of the campaign, which find their way into the newspapers are considered by the French Government as likely to he of value to the enemy, all journalists will probably at once be ordered either to cease writing about the army or to retire from the frontier. The publication by a French newspaper of any such information is, as you doubtless know already, treated as a special offence, rendering the culprit liable to imprisonment and a heavy fine. The French press is naturally very angry at this severe treatment, and contrasts M. 011ivier's arbitrary conduct, as they consider it, with that of the Prussian Minister, who respectfully requests" all journalists to observe the utmost possible caution in discussing the movements of their army. As a question of politeness, the Prussians may have the best of it, but, as regards the substance of the order, their journalists are, perhaps, in even a worse position than the French since they are requested, whether "respectfully " or otherwise does not, after all, materially matter, to publish no news whatever about the movements of the force, however harmless and insignificant it may appear to them. This is, I believe, the first campaign since the "War Correspondent " can be, considered to have come into existence in which it has been attempted so strictly to muzzle the Press. In the Crimean, the FrancoAustrian, the Dano-German, the Prusso-Austrian campaigns, correspondents, if not always exactly allowed facilities, were at least tolerated, and hence they have been very hard of belief that the Emperor will really enforce on this occasion the severe restrictions against the representatives of the Press. There are journalists here in Metz who still cling to the hope that at the last moment they will not be prevented from following the army. I can only wish their expectations may be realized, but, owing to information I have received almost direct from the highest source, I have myself renounced all hope. The Emperor feels that the encounter with Prussia will be a " lutte serie-use,"and that he cannot afford to give the enemy even the slightest and apparently most superficial advantage, while he believes that the assistance furnished to the opposite side by a band of correspondents in the French camp, eagerly reporting whatever news they can pick up, would be by no means slight. In the war with Austria, I have his statement on the best authority, he himself more than once obtained valuable intelligence as to the enemy's movements from the German papers. If on these grounds, therefore, the French Government persist in their refusal to recognise War Correspondents, it is not easy to see how one can fairly censure them, and yet the refusal places correspondents near the seat of war in a most embarrassing and unpleasant position. One must either abstain from giving the sort of information which the public at home naturally desire—all local military information about the movements of troops and the progress of the preparations of war—or one must consent to play a 1.41 e which bears a disagreeable resemblance to that of the spy. I have, after due reflection, and with considerable reluctance, resolved to adopt the former course, and henceforth your readers must kindly consider me as in no sense a War Correspondent—uless, of courser the Emperor does at the last moment recognise the Press—but as simply a tourist who happens to be travelling near the seat of war, and who takes advantage of the interest which the war lends to incidents, otherwise, perhaps, commonplace enough, to write occasionally a descriptive letter about them.  MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A YOUNCt