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VOL. XIV NO. 47;!
PHIL ADELFHf" THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1870.
DOUBLE ; SHEET THREE CENTS.
!' i . ' ' i "J'' ' 1 1 t -i ; it.'--. ' '
FIRST EDITION
THE WAR ; III EUROPE.
The Latest Situation.
Probabilities and Doubts.
The Advance on Paris I
Affairs Around Metz.
The Latest Advices ty Mail.
YiEtesenburg, Forbach and Woerth.
Further I ails of the Battles.
French Prisoners at Berlin.
THE SITUATION.
Affairs Around Metz Ne Satisfactory Arfvlee.,
u4 the Exact Conditio or Thine Still la
Deobt Bazaine Still Near Metz. I -.
The despatches -which we published ' in our
later editions yesterday, and those which were
received last ni -ht, afford no definite and satis
factory clue to .the actual positions of .the belli
gerent armies between the Moselle and the
Mease. It would still appear, that Marshal
.Bazaine . has succeeded in ' reopening his
communications with the capital, -but
It would' seem that he ' 'has
not succeeded In effecting: the withdrawal of any
considerable portion of his army from the neigh
borhood of Metz. A report from Rheims, dated
as far back as Monday, states that Bazaine, with
part of his army, was retreating by way of
Vouzieres, on the Aisue, but it was thought that
this force was that portion of the main army
near Metz which is supposed to have escaped to
the west of Gravelotte before the road was
seized by the Prussians in the battle of the
18th. The latest reports from Paris lay no more
stress upon Bazaine's alleged escape to the
northwest, but generally acknowledge that he
is etill hemmed in by the -Prussians at Metz.
One report even states that Metz is completely
isolated, and that the Prussians have' cut off all
communications between that point and Thion
ville and Montmedy, and then, in the face of
this acknowledgment, insists that Bazaine aad
MacMahon are in dally communication. The
Minister of the Interior claims to have
favorable advices from the armies in the field,
which he withholds because some of the jour
nals Indiscreetly make public details which
fchould be kept back. If there were any truth in
this statement, the ministry could easily fur
nish the public with such details as would not
' benefit the enemy, and withhold from the indis
creet journals the rest; and if favorable news
bad been received, tney would not be slow to
j Adopt this course. "
The despatches received this morning np to
the time at which we write state that the Paris
papers are persuading themselves that Bazaige
is realizing some deep-laid strategical plan. Ad
vices from Montmedy, by way of which place
Bazaine was said to have effected his escape,
dated Tuesday, the 23d, mention nothing what
ever of his alleged movements In that direction.
Adair Near Parte-The Pru.slaaa Still Ad
. vanclnc
Concerning the position and movements of
MacMahon and the Crown Prince, the reports
of last night were as unsatisfactory as those
from the valley of the Moselle. According to
them, however, the Crown Prince would appear
to have progressed as far as St. Dizler, 35
' miles southeast of Chalons, and 115 miles
' ' east-southeast of Paris. There were reports
. that he had halted here to reinforce the Prus
sian right and centre, under Prince Frederick
Charles and General Von Stela metz.
The despatches which we have received this
morning, however, lead to the belief that the
Crown Prince Is steadily advancing on the capi
tal. An official despatch from Prussian sources
states that Chalons has been evacuated by the
French, and that a Prussian column is west of
that point, advancing rapidly on Paris; while a
Paris despatch, dated midnight, gives a
report that the Prussian . advance
, had reached Sezanne, a town about 30 milei S.
W. of Chalons and but 65 miles . S. K. from
. Paris. Prussian detachments are also reported
at Brienne, on the Aube, 40 miles S. . of
' Sezanne, and at Chaumont, near the Marne, 30
miles further to the S. . These reports indi
cate that the Crown Prince's army is advancing
on the capital by way of the Valley of the Aube,
as stated a day or two ago, avoiding the army
of MacMahon in the neighborhood of Chalons.
As to MacMahon, according to some of last
night's reports he was Etill at Chalons, while
others insisted that the camp there had been
abandoned, the army being posted on the plains
immediately east, with the advance as far as
Ste. Menehouid, on the Alsne, twenty-five miles
- to the northeast. The official Prussian report of
the evacuation of . Chalons, and the movement
. of the Prussians to tha west of that point, tend
to strengthen the credit of these reports.
The Naval ReconneUaaace ef the 19th.
The unimportant naval encounter which took
place on the 17th, and of which the details have
just been received, is of little significance. The
Bay of Kuegen, from which the German do-
tpatch-bo.it Grille started out on its recon
noitring expedition, divides the island of
Ruecen from the mainland, and is situ
ated almott directly noith of Berlin.
On the narrow portion ol it the strong
sea-fortress of ctralsund is situated, at a dis
tance of 120 miles from the Prussian capital.
The Danish island of Moen, near which the
French squadron was encountered, is located
northwest of the Bay of Ruegen, the arm of the
Bailie which interposes being here about 0
miles in width. The French fleet in the Baltic
is apparently inactive, and manifested on this
occasion no disposition to do anything more
than repel the audacity of the Prussians.
THE BATTLE OF WEISSENBURG. 1
A Preech Aeconnt et the Enaaaewieat The
Conflict aa Vaeqaal One Deeperatlea et the.
Tnrcee-IIew the Germane Fight. j ,
The correspondent of the Courrier tin Bat
Khln gives the following description of the bat-"
tie of Weissenburg, writing from Haguenau,
under date of August 6: .-.. i ...-..- it j '
The rumors current yesterday In Strasburg, and
upon hearing which 1 Instantly sent out for Hague
nan, were unfortunately but too well founded. Let
me hasten to say. our soldiers were overwhelmed by
nurrbers; 8000 or 10,000 men of our army fought for
six hours against 80,000 men may be against 100,000
men. The 74th and 60th Regiments of Infantry, the
16th Hcglroent of Foot Riflemen, one regiment of
Turcos, and one regiment of mounted riflemen en-
cam pea last night in tne neignoornooa oi weisscn
bnrg. Skirmishers and patrols, sent on reconnois
sances towards the frontier, reported no enemy
vislole, and our men were far from suspecting aa
engngement imminent. This morning at daybreak
a vigorous cannonade was 1 4ieard, and an
Immense - German army artillery, cavalry,
and infantry appeared on . Schwelgen heights
(Sehweigen Is the name Of the first Bavarian village
on the other side of the frontier), and on all sides
around lu The first bombs feu on weissenburg,
and almost Instantly set Ore te the barracks and
other buildings. The 60th Regiment of Infantry
was making tne morning soup wnen trie bans begaa
to fall In the camp. - General Douay, who Com
manded the division, thereupon ordered a forward
march ; the soldiers quitted all their accoutrements,
inrew aown meir Knapsack., wiucn tney were Be
ginning to buckle, and darted forward. The
French division had only three guns, the enemy
had a formidable artillery, which threw bombs
and shells into our ranks. Our soldiers sheltered
themselves behind some farm-houses near Weis
senburg, from whence they were soon dislodged by
the enemy's cannon. They were overwhelmed by
the number of Germans, which momentarily in
creased. The Turcos fought like lions ; they charged
the enemy with the bajonet, but they were riddled
with grapeshot. The two regiments of infantry
likewise displayed prodigies of valor; ofllcers and
men met distressing losses. Our soldiers were soon
disturbed by terrible Intelligence General Douay
was killed by a bomb and. General de Montmarle
was wounded. The Germans continued to fire with
their numerous artillery upon our men, houses, and
farms, burning everything within their range. At
the height of the battle a detachment of Infantry
came by railway. It was ignorant or that which
was taking place, and was on Its way to join Its
reglmet t. The train was stopped at Hunspaoh (a
station live miles from Weissenburg), our soldiers
quitted the carriages, loaded their muskets and
leaped into tne ngnu rnis oatue oi one against ten
lasted until 3 P. M. The French retreated through
the woods and the vines, pursued for the last time
by the enemy's grapeshot. The Turccs had posses
sion of eight cannon, which were retaken from them
after an obstinate and most sanguinany eontest,
during which they nad destroyed a Prussian hussar
regiment. We bad no time to plok up our arms and
tents; most of the wounded were left on the battle
field. I reached Haguenau at 8 P. M. Numerous
groups were In the streets talking with animation of
the day's events. Then came a mournful sight.
namely long lines or veuicie., arawn oy oxen or
horses, containing some furniture and bedding, and
filled with men, women, and little children, sobbing.
They were inhabitants of Reldsellft, Schoenburg, and
other neighboring villages, who were flying before
the enemy. They established themselves under the
trees in the stieets, ana townspeople nocked around
them. They sobbed, and Imagined their villages
were all on tire. By and by came through Weissen
burg gate the soldiers ef our regiments which had
been eDgaged In the morning's unequal conflict.
They came worn out, exhauaed, having tasted no
food lor twenty-iour nours, weeping mis one an
officer, that one a comrade." 1 questioned forty or
fifty of them. They all said the strife was Impos
sible, and . declared that If they had been merely
80,000 strong they would have repelled the enemy,
for their small columns had repeatedly held the
enemy In check. 1 A sergeant-major of Infantry nar
rated tne inciuents oi me Duuie as i nave aoove
given them to you. Some wounded soldiers came
up, leaning on tneir uiuskbu. a i urco snowed us
his arm traversed by a bayonet. Another Turco
brought ns bis captain's sword ; the officer had been
killed by his side: ne kissed the weapon of his un
happy leader. All these things were mournful, and In
the silence of the night produced an ex'.raordlnary
eneou At u r. m... two veiucie nuea wun wounaea
soldiers came up; they were carried to the ambu
lances. At IS P. M., I could Bee Slaters of Charity
running in every airecuou,seeK.ing meuicines,ana as
sistance, and discarding their do ties with exem
plary zeal. At 1 A. M the drums beat in the streets
of Uagueaau to onng tne local nremen together,
They were sent down the road towards Wois&en.
burg to bring in the wounded and to help bury the
dead. Another remark to the lnnorof our regi
ments should be made, namely they lost neither a
Dig nor a cannon. I write under a vivid Impression
produced by the events told by me and by the scenes
1 witness.
THE BATTLE OF FORBACH.
Another American Account Terrible Heenee
of Meuaere The Complete Hout ef the
French.
The correspondent of the New York Times,
writing from Metz under date of August 7, gives
the following description of the battle of For
bach:
The following Is an account of the battle at For-
bach,which 1 heard from the officer who brought the
news to me jtmperor ana ms stair, ana wno reached
Metz In a railway tender after General Frossard s
flight from tne scene or action, to those of my
readers who remember what took place at Saarbruck,
It will be easy to form an idea of the position held by
the French troops after the advance of the 3d Au
gust, on Friday evening a report was spread in
the renon camp to tne enect mat the Prussians
were advancing upon Sarreguemines a French
frontier town of nearly seven .thousand Inhabi
tants, situated at a distance of about ten miles,
as tne crow uiea, buuui oi BuarorucK, ana at tne
same distance southeast of Forbach. General Fros-
sard, on learning this, abandoned his position on the
hill wnicn masks me town oi saarDruck, as well as
that which he held upon the hill of Arneval, and
withdrew the whole of bis forces to the heights of
Bpikeren and to the Auberge de la Breme d'Or,
wnicn is a roaasiue inn, eiauuing in me vauey to the
west of Spikeren, and built half on French aad half
on Prussian soil. I believe that I have mentioned
In a previous letter that Saarbruck Is protected
on the way by a range cf hills, and in order to
understand thoroughly the Prussian advance,
it will be necessary to state that these
bills had never been reconnoitred by the French
army. They extend from Saarbruck as far as Merle-ba-ih,
which Is a small village about two miles from
Fo' bach, on the road to Metz, and are covered as
far as Htlrlng Wendel, a large iron foundry, less
than a mile across the frontier, by immense woods
Into which the French have nevei penetrated. This
t&ct Is very Important, as in the opinion of French
military men it is almost solely on account of the
woods not having been properly reconnoitred that
the troops under General Frossard s coaimand ex
perienced such a disastrous defeat on the 6th of
August.
OFKNIKG OP THK BNOltiEMKNT.
Karly on Saturday morning a reconnoitring party
was sent out by General Frossard In the di
rection of 8aarbracka.but 1 am told by the person
from whom I got my tnf jrmatlon that not a single
man ever returned to the French camp. At 11
o'clock the Prussians, leaving their position on the
heights behind Saarbruck, quietly took possession
of the bill of Arneval, and of that which masks the
town of Saarbruck. A large body of Prussian artil
lery then descended Into the valley and commenced
shelling the French position on the
heights of Splkeren, from which the French
were forced to retire, after a brilliant resist
ance, at 8 o'clock In the afternoon- The
French artillery retreated behind the hill, leaving a
number of guns, among which were several mitrail
leuses, behind them ; but on joining the troops sta
tioned at the Auberge de la Breme d'ur, commenced
an orderly retreat along the high road in the direc
tion of Forbach. They bad, however, only just
reached the road which lies in the valley at the foot
of gpikeren, when a large number of Prussians sud
denly came out of the woods on the hill to the west,
and bringing their mitrailleuses to bear upon the re
treating regiments, kept op a murderous Ore upon
thent aa they advanced along the high road. At a
short dlotance past Miring Wendel, the point
where the woods finish, the French were
joined by reinforcements from St. Avoid, at between
P.H and 4 o'clock, lu the meanwhile a large bo4y of
Prussians bad descended to the road from the hills
on either side, and attacked the Krench in the rear.
The French army, encouraged by fresh troops,
turned upon the enemy, and during three hour a
most bloody battle was fought on the big! road be
tween the Iron foundry of Htirlng Wendel and the
entrance to Forbach. It has been reported by the
French Government that the Prussians ha4 Bred
npon tne hotltajt at Forbach, but I am told that
this ts feis and that If ball' struck the bnlldlsf rt
was purely by accident. . , , .
The fight en the high road appears to have beeh ft
regular munwwey hundreds and handred Of men
falling eith-,ii-ftler mortally .wounded, on either
side. After three boors' uninterrupted ngntlng the
French were forced to beat a second retreat, whk-h
was accomplished In the greatest disorder. They, -
However, made a snort stand -at Fotoacn, ana aid
their ntmost to bold It against the advancing enemy,
but valor was of no avail, or,' although every inch
of groend was obstinately, contested, there was no
.disguising the fact that the Prussians advanced
surely, thoegh slowly. i M-. '.- - v .
- . ' COMPlIrl JLOVV OF TDK FRENCH.
At the eitxeme end of Forbach. that Is tosavat
the southern extremity, Is the railway station, built
at the very foot of the range ef hills which I have
already mentioned. That portion of the hills which
Is Immediately beyond the station la crowned by a
thick wood, which had been occupied by the Prus
sians during the battle, and as the French passed
out of Forbaoh on the road to St. Avoid, In a tole-i
rably orderly though hurried retreat, thyencoun-
tered such a terrible Ore from the Prussian mitrail
leuses, placed on the very verge of the wood, that
they were completely routed, and fled in every direc
tion unoooupiea oy tne rrussians, Hinging away
their arms and cursing their Generals as the real
cause of their dishonorable defeat. At first every
retreat seemed to be cut off. There were Prussians
behind them, Prussians on their right, and . Prus
sians In front of them, for a large portion of the
enemy descended from the heights to the high road,"
and thus cut off all escape in that direction. The
remnants Of General Frossard s corps succeeded
with some difficulty, in escaping over the hills on the
eastern side of the road, to Pnttelanire. where the
still remaln.The person who brought me thlsinforma
matlon, and who escaped over the hill facing that on
which the Prussian mitrailleuses were planted, tells
me that the slaughter of the French troops, aa they '
moved along the high road, after leaving Forbach,
is beyond all description. An attempt was made to i
answer the fire from the opposite hill, but it was
found that the French shots produoed no effect
whatever on the Prussians, who stood sheltered by
the wood. It was now past 8 o'clock, and aa nlo-ht
set in the remnants of the 2d Corps of the Army
of the Rhine were able to escape ao.'oss the hill and
MBih Pnfrtelftnora .... .... v.
- THE BATTLE OF W0EBTII. 1
Farther Particular by Mall of MaeHIahon'e
Great Defeat The Forces Unequal, or
Course, ,,.) . j . . r-. ,
The following la from a French account of the
battle of Woerth by an eye-witness: .; o '
General Douay 's division of the 1st Corns had heen
surprised and decimated by the Prussian army under
tne urown rnnce, ana oau etiectea its retreat upon
Bitche by the Col du Pigeonnler. Marshal Mac
Mshon, learning what had occurred, pushed forward
rapidly to a point between the Vosgesand Haguenau,
with three divisions of infantry and two brigades of
cavalry. During the interval the Crown Prince had
descended the Valley of the Rhine in order to in
vade our territory on that side. Between the foot
of the Vo.ges Mountains and the coarse of the
Rhine, the valley is broken and hilly.' MacMahon,'
not being able to prevent the enemy entering
the valley, desired to rally and collect ' his
2d Division, ana - at tne same ' time to.
cover tne voegee ana oaverne. rie advanced,'
consequently; from Haguenau towardsWelssenburg,
believing that he was- la a position ' where h
could be supported by the corps of DeFallly and '
Li Aamirauib no buuucuit iuiiuu oimseir engaged
with the entire forces of the Crown 'Prince on the
road from Bitche to Haguenau.-: The field of bat
tle was Inclosed on the east by the forest, and on the
west by the lower spur of the Vosges Mountains.
The country near the mountains Is broken and
woody. - MacMahon commenced the action with
vigor, and his cavalry, attempting to turn the left
flank of the Prussians, advanced as far aSFrosch
wilier. But his force, notwithstanding heroic de
votion and prodigies of valor, could only Inflict onl
the enemy a greater loss than itself sustained. It
was at last compelled to give way before an over
whelming superiority of numbers.' Where we had a
battalion, the Prussians sent forward ten ; we had
sixteen squadrons of cavalry, the Prussians brought
sixty into line; and their artillery bore the same
proportion to ours. The greater part of our p'ects
were dismounted by the concentrated fire of the
enemy's batteries: it became Inevitable that a retreat -should
be effected : and we fell' bade leaving the
field covered with the slain. The enemy was too'
mucn exnauBiea Dy tne struggle to pursas; and
MacMahon, with the remains of his corps, fell back
nnon Saverne. ...
Marshal MacMahon had not more than 40,000 men '
to resist iorces lour times mat nuraDerand con
tinually reinforced. All went well-tUl middav.
The Prussians were losing ground-,-ftoischwUler
bad been retaken; the Turcos charged with the
bayonet ana carriea au oeiore mem. . iiut fresh
masses of-the enemy now debouched upon us in
compact order from the woods; the Prussian artil
lery took np a position' on the edge of (he woods,
and poured their fire upon us without intermission,
and thelr-dhells set fire to the village. About i
o'clock some regiments began to waver; our losses
became very heavy; and a rumor spread about that
our artillery was short ef ammunition, and that our
soldiers had exhausted their cartridges. The rnv.
alrv made a last effort, but were repulsed, and then
began the rout. Night began to fall as the retreat
commenced, adding darkness to the other causes
of the disorder, and the Haguenau road was covered
with fugitives.
An America Aeceunt The Ferocity ef the
Pru.alaa Oeoet Tribulation and Terror of
a New York Correspondent. -
From the account ofthe battle of Woerth by
the New York Herald's correspondent we take
the following vivid extracts. He writes from
Woerth under date of August 6:
I am far from being a rich man, nor am I a person
of very sensitive feelings, aBd I believe, without
boasting, that wlthoat being a hero I have a fair '
amount of animal courage. But I would not go
through again what I have since I wrote the fore
going paragraph I would not have my very soul
disgusted with the sight (and the deadly sickening
smell) of human carnage and butchery which I have
witnessed since I put down my pen last, not to be
made the wealthiest man In New York. -
How to relate what I have seen how to depict In
language which shall bring facts home to your read
ers, as if they themselves saw what I have seen is
my great difficulty. About eleven A. M. yesterday
the whole nature of the battle seemed to change.
The Prussians became the attacking party, and,
much to the surprise of every one, the French gave
way and retired to the rising ground behind Woerth.
For three long hours the vUlage was the scene of the
hardest struggle of the day. A Prussian division
occupied Hand the French tried hard to dislodge
them, but without effect, by firing from above with
shells, and by repeated advances of the French out
posts. The house lu which I was, the hotel of the
Cheval Ulano, was in the very centre of the town,
and, of course, was very soon riddled with balls. At
flj st the host and his family tried to keep out the
unwelcome missiles by shutting all the doors and
windows, but the Prussian light Infantry with the
ends of their muskets smashed all the Venetians aud
glass so as to prevent any one tiring at them from
the Inside of the houses.
A party of about twenty, drunk with excitement
of the fight, rushed at the house, broke open the
ioor, and prepared to fire a volley Into the room. 1
am not ashamed to say that with the family of my
host the latter being infinitely more, afraid than
eithtr his wife or sister, mother or daughter I fled
to an inner room, a kind of cellar, a little below the
ground floor, where we all remained for about two
hours until the worst of the danger was past. Dur
ing that time it seemed as If hell bad been let loose
among us. Right and left, front and rear, the street
firing ef infantry and the mitrailleuses of the French
artillery continued to vomit forth destruction aud
death. The cries of- the wounded were fearful, but
no one dared go to help them, for even to show your
face at the window was to receive a well-aimed bul
let from a needle-gun. ' '
The Prussians had got Into their heads that some
one had fired at them from the houses of Woerth, an
idea which was without any foundation whatever.
But the balls from the French C'hassepots on tne
rising ground carried so far that the Prussians posi
tively believed they had been tired at from the
town, and were furious in consequence. .The mis
take was one which cost several Innocent persons,
gentlemen who bad gone to the top of the tower of
the hospital, in order to see the battle better than
from where we were. Fortunately for myself I did
not accompany them, although much pressed to do
so. I am quite cenalo that they had no arms with
thein. One of them had a revolver, but he left it at
the hotel ; the other had no arms whatever. Moraover
they were both far too prudent and judicious ever to
commit so wicked a foliy aa firing upon troops ad.
vauciug into a town. Hut the Prussian soldiers
from all I can learn btlieved that they, had done
so, and rushing up to the tower took them prisoners
and marched them to the rear.' At least after many
hours spent in inquiries that is all I can learn of
thein. 1 ne Prussian officers like all officers in the
world so long as the heat of batue lasts-are too
prone to believe what their men ten them, and at
once rnsbed to the conclusion that they baO been
fired upon by the people of Woerth, Upon the bare
assertion of these men several of the most respec
table persons In the town were arrested and carried
to the rear. ' i -
Presently the battle began to rage hotter and
hotter In the nnner part of the town. Knowlnrr aa I
did the position of the French, army, I felt certain
that MacMahon had drawn en the enemy In order to
give them battle In the position be had himseif
chosen. For a time the Prussian infantry continued
to pour into the town by the little bridge just before
the Inn. By companies, by battalions, by regiments,
by brigades, and by divisions, they passed, all in ex
cellent order, all looking wonderfully clean after
having passed the night under heavy rains In the
open fields. ' -
I never saw finer, stouter, better dressed or better
drilled men. But what astonished me was their
number. They must have taken at least an hour
and a half to pass at a smart pace, the drummer of
each company btatlng a w U charge in front of
his company. I saw at once that 1t would take to
use a vulgar expression "all that MacMahon knew"
to beat these men, if only from their number and
their freshness from fatigue. Half an hour later.
long before the greater part of these troops would
have reached the French position on the rising
? rouna, me souna oi cannon waxea rainier and
artheron.
;, Presently it could hardly be heard at all, and then
as I saw thePniSBian cavalry and light artillery nush
through the town and make for tholPrenchosltioa
I instinctively felt that MacMahon had fallen baok.
and the star of France was on the wane for the
, And i was ngnu ine rrusmana commenced to
enter the town, not to pass through It, but to re-
main and estaunan tneir nospiiam. The hotel In
which I lodged was quickly filled up With the
wounded, the dead, and the dying. It has been my
lot to see not a utiie service iu me east, nut such
fearfully ghastly wounds as those 1 have seen this
day it nev.r entered Into the mind of man to
Imagine. Men seemed literally-to be: mashed Into.
niooay, snnpeiesB masses oi gore, . in many in
stances the poor creatures couia not be recog
nized, all their . features Rein? utterly de
stroyed, in others, after cutting off their bloody
clothes the most awful tearings away to the very
bare bones of flesh and muscle were made visible.
Dozens were brought in but to die. What became of
the French wounded I could not find out, bnt long,
long train of French prisoners being escorted to the
rear, and consisting of more than six thousand men.
mixed np with about eighty ofllcers of their own,'
connrmea wimi i uearu iruiu a wounoeo enruvmir a '
pied, that nearly the whole of General Ducrot a
aivisioD. cuiiBiHuiiii oi tne laiu vnasHeurs. tneisui..
46th, Sisth of the line, and his pet Zouaves, had been
surronnaea ana cnpiurea py me I'ruMians. "
" ' THE FREMH AT BEELI5.
The Arrive Ilefore the 13th ef'Aeca.t,
bat
A correspondent writing from-Berlin, August
8. says: - i'otf "' !
"They have come, and such a scene of excitement
nas never Dcen wnuesaeu in uenin. , jrrom an early
hour this morning people have been waiting at the
Anhalt station to see them arrive. All through the
day fresh people moved In the same direction, until
at 6 o'clock the Ascan Platz, at the- corner of . the
Anhalt and Koeniggratzen strassen, was blocked
with hum (in beines and vehicles of everv clnaArin-
tlon. The quiet Berliners were beside themselves
with joy. a tan young leiiow oesiaa. me, after
shoutlnir till he was hoarse, said to me. 'Tbev said
they would be here on the 18th, and they are here In;
rood time.' . At 6 o'clock the tram moved' out of the
Anhalt station to shunt on to the line to take thet
Eriaoners to FranKiort-on-tne-uaer, aoout two hours
y rail from here. In Berlin the junctions between'
the different railways are in the open streets instead '
of being outside the town. The train containing the-
Frenchmen therefore moved slowly out of the sta-, 1
tlon Into the Koeniggratzen Plats, across the Ascan
tju.b and thmnnn r.na lortcsi nrnord i.ia ta-aa i
met bv the Frankfort engine, and taken about two '
miles and a half to the Frankfort station. The scene-
waa HiucBcriunimT. iircm ncm vwruij-two car-
riages filled with Frenchmen, each carriage guarded'
Dy rrusBiau lomieri witu uxea uayoneis. Tne
prisoners seemed all to belong to the 60th Regiment
oi tne line, iutAeu wmi i urwn xw people cneereu
the Prussian soldiers vociferously, bat there were
no Insults to the Frenchmen, who took matters very
coolly. One tall lnrantry man smoking a eigarette
smiled and bowed, and a powerful, grave-looking
'Tnrco calmly but Ironically appropriated some of
the cheers, ana in tea ma cap to me crowd. ,
. The maiority of the prisoners were cheerful
enough, bat there were some bandaged heads and
arms among them, and some sad face One or two
were mere boys, but they all looked as U the would
have liked to have another try for superiority ; but
being beaten ana capturea mere was an end of It,
and thev had to put the best ace on the matter.
The train passed very slowly alongUie erewded
streets, with the clanging bell of the enclne warning
the foot passengers out of the way ; and ao the drat
Invasion of Berlin by the 1670 Army of the Rhine
passed off. The crowd slowly separated, but the
accumulation was so great that twenty mounted
police could not, for a quarter of an hour,. clear the
way for the post office van, which became blocked
up in the Platz."
NOTES OF THE WAR.
The Disadvantages of Prussia on the Oceaa.
- A correspondent of the New York Tribune
in describing the navy of Prussia, says:
To sum up the whole Prussian strength In a brief
paragraph, we find : First. That her gunboats are
so slow as to be practically useless except for police
duty. Second. That her sailing-sloops and frigates
are worthless as a means oi onense or defense
Third. That her iron-clads are too lightly armored
and armed to enable her to measure strength with
France. Fourth. That her mailed champion ship,
the King William, would be pretty sure to be rammed
and captured with a half hour In a general engage
ment; that she is so long as to be unhandy; nas
but one screw, and hence cannot be easi y turned
and manoeuvred, and mounts too many guns of too
small a calibre, too high above the water-line. In a
fight between this ship and the Kocham'teau (Dun
derberg) there would be advantages on both sides.
The French ship has one gun the 18-inch that If
properly bandied ought to crush the other's plating :
both ships are at the great disadvantage of having
but one screw; the plating on the Frenchman being
only about five Inches (on the angle), as compared
with the Prussian's eight inches, the latter would
have a decieed advantage in this respect. The bat
tle would be a tolerably even one between them.
provided that both are equally well manoeuvred:
but, after all, there is this important Hem to be
taken into the calculation or chances, viz. : That,
whereas the French ship has but one gun that will,
in all probabuity, ne able tu penetrate her antago
nist's shield, the Prussian can count on every gun
in her battery piercing the five-Inch skin that is the
sole protection or tne men ana guns or the much
vaunted Rochambeau.
And yet, the King William must after all be counted
rather as a great bugbear than as the impregnable
floating castle that the governments of our times
have a right to demand from their naval archi
tects. Her heaviest gun is a Krupp 10-incb, the ball
of which weighs something like 300 pounds not
enougn to penetrate a 10-incu cuirass; ana it is een
doubtful if in a heavy seaway she could open her
Sorts to fire them at all, although she la built C) feet
i beam to give her the requisite steadiness. II er
casemate, bulkheads, apd battery are so far above
the centre of oscillation that the natural roll of the
ship, which ought not to be more than 14 degrees, is
increased to sometning line -ft or uegiees. and 1
for one would not like to be around when a broad
side of 10-lnch Krupp guns was cast loose for action,
wiin sucn a rou as mat in tne snip.
Aa Official Prayer for Peace.
The Bishop of London, as provincial dean of
Canterbury, has forwarded to tne uisnops ot the
province of Canterbury a form of prayer which
he and the Archbishop of Canterbury have
agreed to recommend as a help to private devo
tion darln" the continuance of the present war.
The Archbishop, in a letter to the Bishop of
London, states that he found that precedents
were against the issuing of a public form of
traver while his own country is not engaged In
the war. The form recommended is as follows:
"O Almighty God, King of all kings, whose power
no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth
jastly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to them
that truly repent; assuage, we beseech Thee, the
horrors of tola war, which Thou hast permitted te
break forth tn Europe ; restrain the passions ot the
combatants; Inspire the conquerers with mercy,
and the vanquished with submission to Tny
will; give panenoe to all who suffer;
nrenare for ffle summons those who are
called to die; and set to this warfare bounds whim
it mav not nass. We pray Thee, O (iod, speedily
grant peace to the nations, and so overrule, in Thy
good providence, me course uj on eieuia, iut out
present anxieties may end in Uie spread of righteous
ness, enlightenment, and true liberty, and thua 1 by
kingdom may at last be esUDilsbed on earth. And
this we pray through the merits and mediation of
Jeans Chnat, our Lord and Baviour, Prince of
Peace. Amen."
SECOND EDITION
CABLE WAR NEWS.
Bazaine's Escape a Canard.
. t , , ;
.- , . -
The Sieee of Metz.
j i ... ' f '.!'. -
r . T-r : 1
The French Evacuate Chalons.
The Advance on Parish
Thet Bpnbardment of tStrasburg.
Xaovements of Z&acX&ahon.
Belgium's ' Violated Neutrality.
) I i 1 . '-; , i .'i
, France aad Beldam,
Paris, Aug. 25. The journals of last night
demand to know what action will be taken
by the French Government, now that Bel
gium has permitted a violation of her neu
trality by the Prussians, , . L. , j . v
The Slece of Mete
London, Aug. 25. Preparations for the
siege of Metz seem formidable, and the en
trenchments proceed with great activity;
liazalae'e Strategy. '
The Paris papers are persuading them
selves that Bazaine is realizing some deep-
laid strategy. , ,
T he Parle Ceaacll.
Pabib, Aug. 25, At the council of .minis
ters held yesterday, General Wirupfen, who
has recently ' been operating against the
rebels in Algeria, was appointed to the com
mand of the corps formerly commanded by
General Failly, The council is now composed
of .vthe ministers and liouher, Schneider,
Persigny,' Baroohe, and Troohn. - i f '
,v The PrasaJaas betweea Chaloaa aad Pawla.
"UXohdon, Aug. 25. The following official
despatch from Berlin has just been received.'
The Government has received a despatch
. -r, i n " .
,0ted Bar-1-Dac, last evening, to the eftct
that Chalons has ' been . evactuated bv the
-' er
French, and that a Prussian column is west
f rhklons. advancing raoidlv. '
. , ,7, , ,
jtabib, Aug. 2 iuiuuiKUb. xii ia reported
that the Prussians are at Sezanne to-day,
'."(Note Sezanne ia a town of , 5000, people,'
25 miles southwest of Epernay, and about 65
miles east from Paris. ) "
The Prince Boyal
of Prussia is reported at Nancy. ' Nothing
has been received from ' Metz or from the
armies of MacMahon and Bazaine to-day. '
Alaenahea'e Movements.
London, Aug. 25 Noon. The entire com
mand of juaranai Mao&ianon lett lineims on
Monday, hoping to protect Paris.
Prussian scouting parries are near Chalons
and Troyes.
' Mentnaedv Advleee
to August 23, Tuesday, mention nothing
whatever of Bazaine s iunstion with Mac
Mahon. . .
Bazaine's reports find no credit.
Prussian detachments are reported at Chau
mont and Brienne. '
Laying Waete the Coontry Aronad Pari
The Paris Committee of Defense has given
an order for the destruction of the crops and
food in the Departments of Marne and Seine
as the Prussians approach.
' The above probably Is intended for the De-
partmems oi iuarne ana oeine-ei-juarne. ine
former ia the one in which Chalons Is situated,
and extends east to ste. Menehouid, north to
Rheims and south to St. Dizler; the latter is
situated immediately west, between the Seine
and the Marne. Ld. ve. Iil.
The Empreaa Ilopeleaa
The Empress is still at the Tuileries, hope
less and dejected. It is said she has beoonie
very unpopular on account of her bigotry.'
Chance la the Mllltnry Situation.
Spinal to the Courrier de Ktat-lrni.
Pahis, Aug. 24. A decided change is ap
parent in our military situation within the
last forty-eight hours. We look back upon
ourselves after three months of disappoint
ment and defeat, and to-morrow perhaps we
shall take the offensive. Such at least is the
opinion which prevails at the War Depart
ment and throughout official circles,
The Hetreat oa Chalons.
This is the intelligence which I have ob
tained after the defeat of Froschweiftr: The
dtbrW of the corps engaged retreated in
pretty good order upon Saverne and Nancy,
whence they were transported to Chalons by
the Strasburg Railway as rapidly as the dis
organized service of that line would permit,
Other Concentrations at Chaloaa.
On the other hand, part of tne troops en
camped in (Jenterbaa, soutn or , Alsaoe, as
well as the large garrison of Belfort, were
sent forward to Chalons by the Paris and
Muhlhouse Railway. At the same time an ex
peditionary force concentrated at Cherbourg,
in order to operate on the shores of the Bal
tic, and nearly forty thousand troops of the
line were also despatched to Chalons, where
they arrived in five days.
The Total Forcea.
These forces, added to fifteen thousand
regulars from Paris and the frontier towns
near Belgium, made up an effective army of
one hundred thousand men. Thirty-five
thousand of the Garde Mobile were also
added to them, and under the able direction
of General Trocbu these forces, lately en
tirely distinct, have not been slow to con
solidate into an army homogeneous and inured
to war, and provided with all necessary mate
rial fer a campaign.
aaother Army at Pails.
After completing the formation of this
army General Trochu went to Paris to orga
feize and create another new army.
Baaaaaary ml fflaeinahoa'a Movement,
Af tet having rallied with considerable loss
tha last detachments of the corps beaten ia
the battle of August 6, MacMahon arrived at
Chalons, and has been placed at the head of
the amy raised by Trochu. JJis first care
was to ' secure his communications with Ba
zaine, who had been almost hemmed in around
Metz by the Prussians. - -
lie arueoeeded, I am assured, and his ad
vanced post extends as far as Mezieres
and Montmedy, and cover the Ardennes Rail
way and a line parallel with the frontier. A
fact which proves that communications with
Metz; are intact . is the arrival yesterday at
Soisson of a great number of Prussians
made prisoners at Gravelotte, another con
voy being also on its way. This fact rrovea
that this J day, so fieroely disputed, was not
without glory for us, since we have leisure
to make and guard prisoners. :-
!' i1' Fotnre Plana.
As for the plans of MacMahon nothing ia
publicly known here, but I will take care that
you ' shall be ' promptly Informed. Tha
Ministry is inflexible on the point, and you
.would not receive a despatch which I should
send. n v. a . . : .
i i Parle Reaay lor the Prlace Royal.
The Prince Royal of Prussia seems to
realize the risks which he was running and
will try eventually to go the aid of his con
federates, in the campaign, for it is affirmed
here that he has retraced his steps and re
treated on St. Michael.4 It may be true, how
ever, according to another report, that he
continues his march on ' Paris by the Valley
of. the Aube. In any case we are ready to
receive him. . .
-, ... Work oa the Fortlfleatlona -,
is almost finished, and yesterday the erection
of drawbridges at the crossings of the prin
cipal roads was completed. Bastions have
been constructed at each entrance, and
posterns whose . batteries will deliver an
effective cross-fire.' The armament of St.
Denis i and of Mont Valerian is really formi
dable" : : - i . .
'Another Battle at Diets Reported.
Another battle occurred at Metz on Sunday.
and ended in our favor. ' Something decisive
is preparing in that quarter. . ' , .
The Bombard in eat ef8trasbnra-.
I London, Aug. 25. Strasburg is well de
fended, according to the TeUgraph't corres
pondent. The defensive fire has destroyed
'all property within range of the guns.
'. The French Armies Well Supplied.
' The French armies are now, well supplied
with provisions of all kinds. .
' What the Parisians Fear. :
Paris letters say the great fear of the Pari
sians is that some success of the French arms
may enable the Emperor to regain Paris.
When France will Treat Tor Peaee.
Correspondents of London newspapers
concur that the French authorities will only
treat for peace Deyona tne iinine.
Dense fogs still cover the battle-fields.
Bazaine aad the Mala Army.
It is believed in Strasburg that Bazaine
has been severed from the main French army
and his power completely paralyzed.
The Advance aa Parle.
Chalons has been abandoned. It is said
that the forces of the Crown Prince will
to-day enter that city as well as Rheims,
meeting with no resistance, while Prince
Frederick Charles moves on Paris direct.
A Mlece Improbable.
La Liberie of to-day, referring to informa
tion received from private sources, says that a
siege of Paris is altogether improbable now.
The Battle oa Sunday.
The Fatrie repeats formally that the Prus
sians were defeated in the battle of . Sunday.
A Cheerfal Freach View.
Pabib, Aug. 25. The Journal Officid to
day publishes an article, of which the follow
ing is an extract: "Our ports are free. Our
fleet will strike boldly in the North and Baltic
Seas. Our commerce and industry are aotive.
Our credit is good. There' can be no com
parison of our finances with those of the
enemy. Prussia looked for treachery and
discouragement here, and uneasily wonders
at the promptitude of the nation in arming
and organizing, and understands by this time
the more the struggle is prolonged tha better
is our situation. Our resources in men and
money are inexhaustible.
"Though invaded, France arms the entire
nation. Neutral powers remain friendly, but
comprehend that there cannot now be any
question of mediation."
A baa l'Emperenr !
The Siede this morning, commenting on
the item of news that the Imperial headquar
ters are at Rheims, says: "Who cares? Mao
Mahon can only have one headquarters the
centre of operations. The Imperial head
quarters can only be a superfluity, an em
barrassment, pretext for losing battles. The
crisis is too dangerous to talk of Imperial
headquarters anywhere near those of the
Commander-in-Chief." .
FnalUh Dlacouat Kate A gala Retfaeea.
London, Aug. 251 '30 P. M The Bank
of England has reduced its rate of disoount to
four per cent.
Alacfflahee'n Ariay.
It is reported here that the whole of Mae
Mahon's army left Rheims on Monday.
Pru.tlaa Conceal ratloa.
It is believed that the Crown Prince will
join the armies in front of Metz. There are
strong detachments of Prussians at Chaumont
and Brienne. ...
Horile at Teal.
The garrison of Toul made a sortie yester
day, and seven hundred Prussians were killed
and wounded in the action that followed. ,
Thla Merntac'a Quotation.
London, Aug. S5 ll-ao A. M Consols opened at
91 1, for money and account. American securities
flat. United States 6-a of 1&63, sj ; ef 1xA Old,
&o; and of lbtiT, b5; KM'is, 8i luilways heavy;
Krie, IT; Illinois Centra), 110; Atlantic and Great
Western, VI
Livbhpool, Ang. . 11-3') A. M. Cotton
opened dull; apland. V4'.d. ; Orleans, 9V4.Vd.
bales tc-daj estimated at booo ba.es.