. ...... , .........,.,., - o ' , . : j ' " r 0 ; : . VOL. XIY NO. 48. FIRST. EDITION ' -' i THE WAR IH EUROPE. The Latest Situation. r Deputy Gambetta. OMOOMOBMOOOOMOaBOOWOBBa " Tlie ( Rising1 Radical Leader. k Sketch of his Career. The SiegG of Strasburg! i i t : French and German Unity. Their Origin and Progress. f 4.J 8,.' Thiers on the War. His Arraignment of Napoleon, Death of Frinco Salm-Salm. V.-,f - - Germany and America. Etc. - Ivtc, Etc., Etc., lilO. H 1 : T11E SITUATION. No Trustworthy Cine from Last Night' Dc epatcheo The Severing of Another ttallroad Communication with Paris The Fresh Ku--mn of Bottles. ' Lost night's despatches throw no light upon the precise position and movements of the hoe tile armies, bat they indicate that MacMahon baa abandoned both Chalons and Rhelms. Some reports state that he has done so in the hope of protecting Paris, while others lend credit to the supposition that a portion at least of his command has taken a northeast direction, with the ; presumed object of rein forcing Bazaine. There are no advices which tend to discredit the reports we published yes terday, from both French and Prussian sources, of the advance of the Crown Prince's army west of Chalons towards Paris, i Meanwhile, the French are busy preparing to obstruct the Prus sian advance by laving waste the country be tween the Seine and tho Marne. ' It Is said in reports from Paris that orders have been given to evacuate Epernay to-day. This place is 70 miles E. N. E. of Paris, 19 miles W. N. W. of Chalons, and .14 miles S. 8..W. of Rheima. w The trains going east on the railroad to Epernay, at which point the road branches off to the N. N. E. to Rhelms, and to the E. S. E. Xo Chalons,' are, now stopped at Chateau Thierry, which is but 45 miles E. N. E. of Paris. The road, which is the direct line to Strasburg, baa V' for ' some been useless to the French,', . beyond Chalons. ' Now that the eastern terminus is fixed at Chateau-Thierry, the: only means of communication by rail between Paris and Mezieres, and thence east ward towards Thionvllle, Is by the route still further to the north, through Solssons; and even by this route it Is necessary to pass through Rhelms. ' If Rhelms should fall into the hands of the Prussians, there would be no railroad communication ' whatever between Paris and the armies of MacMahon and Bazaine, and all supplies and reinforcements would have to be picked up as best they might. . Frpin the i neighborhood of Metz there was nothing in last night's despatches giving any clue to the recent movements of either army in that locality, and the situation there is probably . unchanged since the battle f Gravelotte, on the 18th. ' Some of the Paris papers still insist that there was an engagement near, MeU on Sunday, the 21st, in which the rnssians were defeated; but tho absence of any pretended details tends to discredit the report. There was still another report of an engage nt between Verdun and Chalons on Wednes- lay, commencing at 3 o'clock In the morning and ending in the flight of the army of Prince Frederick Charles. MA person who arrived from the vicinity of Epernay" brought the news, ind its receipt was followed by the order for e evacuation of Epernay, which puts a fair valuation on Its reliability. - ' 4 III DEPUTY GAMBETTA. i eo RMbk Yooost . Heoablleaa Leader of I iPraaee ills Career, aod n bat It Preutlsea la I f tho Near at ore. - ' I aTAartw vrv A aw rm oa tj m nim. a. ff mbetta as figuring conspicuously in the pro- ingt of the French Corps Leglslatif. lie is e youngest as well as the newest of the Repub- n leaders of France, and, although he has en before the people less than two years, he Ibas already attained, a place by the side of rVare, Ferry, and Simon, as an acknowledged V dictator of the Radical policy and programme. . Leon Gambetta is of Italian descent, his pa rents . having been Genoese, and was born at Cahois, in the south of France, in the year 1831, being therefore but thirty-five years of age. He entered upon the study of the law, and con tinned to practice it with success, but without attracting -general attention, until he was re tained as counsel for the persons implicated in the Baudin affair durlag the winter of Ibti8-C9. At the beginning of the trial, be was known only to the circle of lawyers as an able and earnest advocate. , Before the trial , was concluded, be was one of the beet known - and - 1 most ' popular mala France, The speech which, be delivered tm this occasion was bla first political speech, but it created an immense sensation. "For twenty years," wrote a Paris correspondent soon after, "no such speech has been heard at the Paris bar.". It was characterized by great dignity of manner, energy of diction, and irre sistible argument, and was delivered In a voice of thunder. The young advocate displayed the possession of a wonderful command of words, an extraordinary fertility of imagination, a deep nd thorough culture, a profound knowledge of political philosophy, and above all a marvellous mastery of the art of oratory, which, added to bis stentorian tones, swept everything before it. At the end of , M. Gambetta's first great politi cal speech, bo was a tlangerous man to the cause of imperialism. The first proof of it was in his return from two different districts as a member of the Corps Leglslatif at the elections of May, 1809. In one of the circumscriptions of the populous city of Marseilles be was elected a deputy; in the seventh circumscription of Paris he was urged to present his name; and in the first circumscription of the latter city he re ceived nearly 22,000 votes out of a total of 33,000. no preferred to sit in the Chamber for Marseilles, and Rochcfort the "irreconcilable," a Republican of a far different type, who was elected in November to represent the first cir cumscription of Paris, received but 18,000 votes in a total poll of 32,000. ' In the exciting events which preceded and fol lowed the ascent of M. Ollivior to power, M. Gambetta took a prominent part, and on tho reassembling of the Corps Leglslatif on the 0th of August, after the outbreak of the present war, was at once recognized as a leader of the opposition to the late Prime Minister. On the 10th of August he signalized his devotion to the country in the hour of its peril by insisting that the discussion of the proposition to arm the people against the invader should not be post poned, and, although the names of the new Ministers had just been announced, was unwill ing, In his excessive zeal, to give them any time for deliberation on a question which, as a French man, he thought needed no deliberation. In common with Thiers, the veteran statesman aud Orleanist leader, he joined hands with Count de Palikao, the new Premier, in the crisis, but urged with all his eloquence that the new Ministry ehould prove itself worthy the confi dence of the nation. "It would be singular," he sld, "for a Ministry which owes its existence to the necessity of acting with promptitude to be the cause of fresh obstruc tions. You have been brought to power by a pre dominant Idea; I beg you to remain faithful to it, and not betray the authority reposed in you. A uni versal arming is a question of public safety. We have opposed to us the entire German nation, which has een preparing since 1850, and France also must be armed. You ask if the country has dege iterated vine 1792, and tha people of Paris answer by a demand for arms. On such a question the Government ought already to have formed an opinion." Vken, on the 13th, M. Jules Favre made a proposition for the appointment by tho Cham bers of a Committee of Defense, to be entrusted with supreme power, M. Gambetta made an earnest speech in its support, but it received only fifty or sixty votes, and was therefore lost. On this occasion, his enmity to the Bonaparte dynasty cropped out side by side with his devo tion to France, and he declared unhesitatingly, in the midst of great confusion, that "on such a subject there must be no trickery; the Cham bers must pronounce between the safety of the State and that of a dynasty." On account of the manifestations of approval with which bis assaults on the empire were received, it was found necessary to clear the galleries and pro ceed in secret session. r , Within a day or two past M. Gambetta has given a clearer evidence of his spirit. On the 24th be boldly assailed the majority as having been the cause of the war, and such was the .indignation manifested by the men who have heretofore been the servile tools of Napoleon,' that bis harsh indictment developed an uproar sufficient to drown his voice and bring the ses sion to a close in even a greater tumult than usual. M. Gambetta's conduct on this occasion, according to the despatches which are permit ted to be sent from Paris, is generally blamed on account cf Its indiscretion, and denounced by the press generally as "ill-timed." But M. Gambetta doubtless knows what he is about, and, while devoting all his energies to the promotion of the national cause and the repulsion of the invaders, is not disposed to euffer the men who by their servility are re sponsible for the war to escape the rebuke they so richly merit. A recent Paris letter says that, ' young as be is, M. Gambetta shows more of the quality of a political leader than any other mem ber of the Corps Leglslatif except the veteran Thiers. With him be has of late fairly divided the leadership of the movement for a universal arming against the Prussian invaders, and the salvation of the country, without regard to the fate'of the Bonaparte dynasty, at the cost of any and every sacrifice. .... ' Thus far be has apparently reposed the ut most confidence in the present ministry, or, at leas', in Count de Palikao, its head. A few days ago, it Is said that, at a meeting of a dozen prominent Republicans, he was asked if Count de Palikao deserved all the trust he seemed to place in him, to which he is reported to have answered: "lea, because he is a traitor!" An alliance based on no stronger foundation can not long endure. In the turbulent and momen tous scenes which are in xtore for Paris, the youDg advocate with the stentorian voice is des tined to play a lending, perchance a paramount, role. THE SIEGE OF STHASBUKU. 1 bo blow Prearete .Hade-Too City aad Ite lieleaaea Immediately after the battle of Woerth, Au gust (5, a Prussian force laid siege to Strasburg, and 6lnce that time the city baa been Invested by a force sufficiently large to sever its com municatioua generally, although it has been claimed that the French have succeeded in re inforcing aud provisioning the garrison. On August 10, the city was bombarded by the Prus sians from a point near Kehl, on the eastern shore of the Rhine, for several hours, bet appa rency without much effect on the works. The return fire of "the garrison is said to have been quite as harmless as that of the besiegers. About the same time the lines of the besiegers were drawn closer about the city, a Baden division occupying the town of SchulU beim, a mile distant on the north, Koenigshafen on the west, and RuprechUln on the northeast. After the bombardment on the 19th, according to dubious French accounts, a Prussian officer, with a flag of truce, approached the 'city and demanded its surrender. .The populace are said to Lave received tim wjib ftf about, "We ph&U PHILADELPHIA, FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1870. never surrender," wherenpon the commander of the garrison dismissed him with the words, "The people have given you my reply." A day or two later, according to reports from Paris, the course of the river III, oi both sides of which the city is built, was changed near Ernsteln, a town some distance abjve, in order to stop the supply of water. The latest news we had was to the; effect that the gar rison bombarded and destroyed Kohl a f dw days ago, and with that item the history of tLe siege of Strasburg is brought to a clow fjrtte time. The following account of the. city and Its defenses Is interesting, embodying, as it does, facts based upon the latest intelligence: Strasburg is the centre of the dcrense of the Rhine frontier, and is usually ppoken of as one of the strongest fortresses la Europe. It has figured in military history from the days of Julius Cxsar. It was Louis XIV, however, who first gave it the im portance ana rank it has so long heldamong the for tlQed places of Europe, after he had got possession of It when It was a free city of the German empire, by a lawless stuck during the time of peace. Nearly fioo years after Its union with Franco, Strasburg still retains the appearance of a Prussian town. The situation of htrasburg, at a distance of about one and a half miles fr6m the Rhine, on the river 111, is flat. The town, which Is Irregular In form, has a circuit of six miles. It Is surrounded by a wall, strengthened by bastions, ditches, and bul warks, and has at its eastern extremity, towards the Rhine, a citadel of five bastions, constructed by Vauban, the outworks of which reach to the river. Its defensive system is completed by a sluice, by means of which the surrounding country can be inundated. For the defense of the town and citadel 600 guns are required, so that if tho besiegers are pertinacious Hie alleged weakness of the garrison may prove serious. Ihe ordinary garrison of Stras burg is 6000, but there is a civil population of 84.ooo, and In case of a blockade every one of them will be doing the work of the besiegers by his dally consumption of the strictly limited store of pro visions. The only side .of tho fortress wtiijh can not be laid nnder water by means of the sluices where the 111 enters the town is the Forte des Mines, and on that side the glacis is mined. The safety of the place depends too much upon water to satisfy those who wish to see it hold out. After four months' drouth the river Is now low; at the landing place of the destroyed boat bridge the standard post showed a week or two ago but 70 centimetres or two feet of water.'whlle it is constructed to reach 19 feet. The works are of a somewhat antiquated type. The old-fashioned bastion enceinte which engirdles the town is in many points approached by woods, by villas, by pleasure-gardens, and by breweries, which would probably airord excellent cover to a besieging forces; while, as its works were planned long before rifled cannon were tho Jght of. Its siege would afford an excellent exemplifica tion of the relative values of old engineering and of modern artillery. The Germans before Strasourg have the advantage, denied to some besiegers, of knowing well what obstacles they have to overcome. Hundreds of their countrymen have bad to leave the place within the last five weeks, after living and working there for years. They evidently also kno .v precisely the number of troops within. Since with this knowledge they have undertaken to capture the place, it Is probable that they see their way to doing so without loss of time. FJtEXClI ASP GERMAN UNITY. The OHkIo of the French and German Nr. tlonallttea, and Gradual Development Into their Present Htatua. - In an article on "French and German Unity," the London Saturday Review says: ' Let us look at things from We beginning. What is Germany ? What is France ? Germany is an an cient kingdom which gradually lost Its unity, which gradually split up into various independent States, and several of whose frontier pro inces have been swallowed up by France itself. It is now accom plishing, wemay a'most say that it has accomplished, the restoration of its internal unity. We have yet to see whether the restoration of its unity will be followed by any conquest at the expense of France Itself, or even by tho milder process of win ning back what France has conquered from Ger many. What, on the other hand, is France? On the most favorable view, a view of courtesy rather than of truth, It is a sister kingdom of Germany, called into being at the same time, which ran the same course with swifter steps, which fell asunder sooner than Germany, which reunited itself sooner than Germany, and which, as soon as the process of re union was done, began, perhaps through an un avoidable impulse of human nature, to extend its borders at the expense of Its neighbors. This, we say, Is the view most favorable to France. It places the two kingdoms side by side. It gives each a perfectly parallel career, and If It is ominous f futuro wrongs to be done by Germany to France, It at least shows that they will be only an "eye for an eye and a tooth" that the wrongs which may pos sibly be some day done by Germany will only be a strict return for the wrongs that have been already done by France. In this view we take them as sister klnKdoms, springing out of the divisions of the great FranklBh Empire in the ninth century. No earlier origin can possibly be given to modern France. We do not feel quite comfortable in not insisting on an origin a hundred years later. Dreams about France representing Roman Gaul, dreams about France representing the Carol ingian empire, must of course be laid aside. They are dreams and nothing more. The conquered Gaul can have no right to give him self out as the heir either of his Koman or of his German conqueror. It is enough that he has suc cessively niched the name of beth. . It was as a Roman that the Frank conquered him, and it is now as a Frenchman that he goes forth against the real representative of the ancient Frank. Nothing In any way answering to the modern French country or nation existed before the divisions of the ninth century. Roman Gaul, as we have already said, was an artificial division, including Germans, Celts, and iberlans,and it is only oneof these three that modern France can have the slightest claim to represent. Ihe German kingdom of toe Franks, sometimes united,' sometimes divided into several under its Merovingian kings, answers to nothing in earlier or later geography. Tne immediate Prankish dominion tw it in a large part both of Northern Germany and of Northern Gaul, and held neighboring States, like Aqultalne, Brittany, and Bavaria, in such degrees of precarious dependence as Its fluctuating strength from time to time contrived. It left it name equally on Gaulish and on German grouml. There was a Franeia Teutonic as well as a t'rancia Latvia, an OiiidaU& as well as an Oeeidentalis, and at this day if there are FrancaU there are also I 'ranken, But to this earlier Franeia, a Francia which indeed took in both farts and Mainz, but which did uot take in Bordeaux and Toulouse, modern France has nothing in common but the name. With the lesser Franeia tho Weetrm or Latin fraicia that is, roughly, the land between the 1-otr and the Maes modern France has so much to do that it has gra dually grown out of it, but we can hardly suppose the great nation to be so enamored of antiquity as to wish to withdraw from these narrow limit. . The plain fact is that the duchy of Fiance grew into the kingdom, and the kingdom thinks good to call itself an empire. But we suppose we must be a little more civil than this. Some sort of foreshadow ing of modern France did for the first time come into the world in the course of the ninth century. H came Into the world by an accident. Lewis the Pious bad given his favorite son Charles the king dom of Neustria, that is, roughly speaking, Usui north of the Loire ; next, when ho had the chance, he gave rum the kingdom of Aqultaino also, and the two together, which had never before obeyed the same immediate ruler, formed something which may be called a dim foreshadowing of modern France. A State arose a great iea'. smaller than modern France, whose natural frontiers to the east were the Rhone, the Saoue, and the Maes, but which stretched further than modern France to the north and south in the parts of Flanders and Barcelona. Like other kingdoms at .the time, It had no fixed name; it was "Hi gnuin Occidentale'' aud the like, but it also showed a tendency, like some other king doms, to take the uame of its first King, As Lothar gave his same to Lotharingia,, Lothringen, Lor raine, it seemed at first as if Charles the Bald was going to give his name to Caro lingia, Karhugen, Uliarlaiu. . But for another accident, is might have been the great and glorious Empire of Charlalne. But the lux Karolorui or Jiarlenttuvt, was, of all contemporary Kings, the one who displayed the least power of keeping his do minions together. Ho was of course a Ht tYeji- euruin. one Of the Sever! Ktme b'mumruM amiuiir whom the great Franklsh dominion had split up. Chance combined In two ways to make him the 8'n-' bio jirx eraneotuin, auu to give bis land the distiuc-' uyo umur oi rraoce. Tne otner Hut rrau-ru,k merged that title lu a higher one ; Impel ator Untr Augustas Sad no need to commemorate his Frank IhIi' title, on the other band the Lake of the Latin France, tho most powerful vastials of the Western Kingdom, strove for and at last won the Weutern crown. The land lost all enanoe of being any longer CharUin., and by some caprioe of furiaae it nover H;aeuyvwan. l&e .4it of the i Duchy gradually spiral itself over the kingdom, of whicn dukes had become kings. In ages long after the honse of France had risen to royalty men would still have been amazed at the Idea of a France which spread itself beyond the Loire or thj Rhone. But It gradually maoe its way. The kingdom gradually swallowed op all the Hers It held of It. Three alone have escaped Barcelona, cut off by the Pyrenees ; Flanders, which passed into the hands or a mightier master; and that Insular Normandy which is still held by the heir of Kolf and William. Then France, originally a single duchy, became coextensive with the kingdom of which it formed a part. It grew in Gaul as Wessex grew lu England, as Castile grew in Spain, as Prussia has grown In Germany; and when the fiefs which had been held of the kingdom had been incorporated, the next step was for the newly-formed power to stretch forth Its hands to seize such neighboring territories as lay temptingly within Its grasp. The successive stealings of six centuries at tne expense of the three of the three Imperial kingdoms, from Lyons in the thirteenth century to Savoy in the nine teenth, mark how .truly the unity of France has been a standing menace, a stand ing wrong, to its neightws. At last the tables seem to be turned, we do not suppose that the German conqueror will proclaim the lode, pendence of Normandy or Gasoony, or that he ex pects to be welcomed as a deliverer by discontented Normans and Gascons. But such a proclamation, such a hope, would not be a wblt more unjust, not a whit more chimerical than the dream which Prance cherished a few days back, that Westphallans. Saxons, or Bwabians would fall away from the cause Of Germany at her bidding. GERMANY AND AMERICA. The Principles Kepreeented by Fraueo and Prnssla An Appeal to the People of the Totted States. The convention of delegates representing the German Patriotic Aid Society, held lately in Chicago, have prepared an address to the American people, from which the following passages are extracted: When Louis Bonaparte strangled the French Re public, be found it necessary to call upon the people for the ratification of his eoup d'etat. The President became Emperor "through the mercy of Divine Providence and the will of the people of France." "Divine Providence," he asserted, approved his Jerjurv, and the French nation desired that hencc orth the will of the perjurer should be the will of France. Thus the second Empire begau with a shame'ess lie, and thereby proved itself at once the legitimate successor of tho first, for the entire history of the Napoleouic race Is a continual proof that the Napoleonic system is but an im measurable lie. The first Napoleon proclaimed himself the banner-bearer of the French Republic, which pretended to draw the sword but In Its own defense. Napoleon III says "The Empire is peace !'' During the reign of Napoleon I, as well as that or Nanoleon III, the history of France, how ever, is an uninterrupted array of aggressive wars. With soldiers they erected the throne, and bayonets have ever been their sole foundation. The Empire is war military glory la the only basis upon which the Napoleonic dynasty can rest. The world-wide power of Napoleon I succumbed when the German people arose, aud against the tottering throne of Napoleon 111 united Germauy now stands arraigned under a strong aud powerful leader. 1 he final result canuot be doubtful. Napo leon himself has proclaimed "A great peoplo, battling for a just cause, cannot be conquered." France, however, is torn within itself; it is the Em peror who goes to battle, and his cause is aocarsed, for he wages a most groundless and aggressive war simply and solely for the purpose of patching up his crumbling throne for his son with the blood of the German nation. Upon tho German side alone battles a people a people united and determined and its cause is Just, for it defends its honor and its soil. In this war the King of Prussia is merely the leader, the unanimously recognized leader of the nation. Ever since Napoleon's declaration of war, united German? sprung into life, recosrnizlnar but one nartr In this cause. 4ie German party." The United'bcates first proclaimed the two prin ciples that the source of sovereignty is not in the minces, but in the peoplo, and that no nation has the right to Interfere with the internal affairs of another. These two principles are the foundation of modern politics, and Germany defends them in this war. Napoleon has presumed to dictate to Spain to whom she shall offer her crown, and to the King of Prussia whom ho shall forbid to aooept it. With the same right ho commanded tho Mexicans to accept a ruler chosen by himself. In Mexico the United States put in their veto, because they would not tolerate a violent infringement of these two principles upon the American continent. Can they now, without being inconsistent and false to their principles, sanction Napoleon's demands re garding the Spanish question 1 But the question of the SpanlBh crown was only an empty pretext for the war. The real cause lies in the results of the battle of Sadowa. FYance was no longer the first power in Europe, and Napoleon feared the increas ing power of Prussia. His fears were well founded, for the suiMequent conduct of the southern Ger mans has shown that, to them, the transformation of Prussia Into Germany is not the most terrible of tenors. In Germany the mechanic and laborer gathered together the scanty savings of a lifetime for Investment in American securities, for he always cherished the faith that, in the end, lustice and liberty would triumph. If there are those who are still unconvinced, perhaps their own interest may Induce them to grant their sympathy to the German cause. The agricultural and commercial Interests of the United tttates demand a speedy and complete sni!cess of the German arms. Germany has sent us until now about 100,000 emigrants per year. This immigration, which was principally Instrumental in transforming the wilds of the West into a blooming landscape, ceases entirely during the war. What an immense capital In money and labor is withheld from the ignited States simply because Napoleon saw fit to Interrupt the natural progress of events! And only If Germany is victorious will this capi tal again direct Its steady now to this republic. If she is conquered and beaten In this struggle, then for many, many years but a meagre stream or German money and of German labor - will tend toward these shores. Thus the identity of po litical principles, consanguinity, and the friendship of a hundred years, and, at last, commercial and agricultural interests, naturally engage the sympa thies of the American people In favor of the German cause. ' We do not expect or desire tnat you should meddle in the strife. We would be the first to counsel strict neutrality, and. In the mode and manner of assistance which we ourselves render to our brethren, we will, in the future, as we have In the past, circumscribe our action strictly by the laws of the country. But as we can demonstrate our active sympathy without violating the neutrality laws, so may the nativo-born American. If the decision of America is emphatically in favor of the German cause, then the decision of ntstory is settled in advance. But if you believe that our brothers are bletdiog for your cause as well as for their own, then, we implore you, let your aets de monstrate your conviction. Do not now close your hand, which heretofore has always been generously open wherever Buttering was to be appeased orteara to be dried. Yon yourself have experienced with what different emotions the soldier faces the enemv's tire when he knows that the suifercr in the hospital and the widows and orphans at home will meet with kind hearts and compassionate handa The oonsct Mis nets to have joined bands wiih us in assisting bleed ing Germany wiil ever bi blensiog tu you, and it is in the nature of things tnat the moral and mate rial assistance which America extends to Germany will be returned a thoiuaudfold, for this war can only terminate with the O'linplete annihilation of all "Napoleonic ideas," and with the permanent creation of a united Germany, a result whioli, for years and score of years, will secure the peae of Europe. . THIERS OS THE WAR. 9e Uooernnieot orund mf loraparliy It, e A coe franco wao Not Heady for the ;oalllei. la the session of the Corps Leglslatif on the 11th inst., as briefly summarized by cable, M. Keraty demanded a parliamentary inquiry on the war, which was not conceded, aud M. Guyot Montpayroax inquired who was in eommand of the army. Count Palikao answered Marshal Bazaine, and then M. Thiers rose. His speech, which is now of special significance, as he has been since Wednesday a member of the Com mittee of Defense, was as jollows: I apologize to the Chamber for intervening in this discussion 1 do so only to calm the emotion of all by defining the question at Issue. The Minister of War, in telling the Chamber who commands the army, nas recoguued a right belonging to the Chamber, always lu eon testable, and which It 14 1 urgently necessary to exercise at present. (ZVm , rrui bien.) lex, tne oouniry nii.tt know tnat the Obaniber is a cilug with vigilance, and that it re nounces no part of the power which it desires It should liberally command. (Waru approval from tuo Left) I have rejected the propos:uon of M. Koratry ; . first, because in Ui agitation of the moment we cannot . be -. jui tr lin, trt$ v ' fc.ct), au J net, because fcattiU Lcbttuf, wttflD J roepeci jrottUjt U.i DOUBLE SHEET THREE CENTS. whose blindness I deplore. Is no longer Major-General ; he is in the Held, and wo should be silent tor the moment. (Renewed appprobatlon.) But it must not be concluded from our attitude that we are in dulgent toward the blindness which gave ns war. The world is surprised at our t Has torn, a fact at once ciuel and consoling for ns. When we were fighting against the coalition, we were exposed to defeat, but the greatness of the conflict preserved the national honor. Vo-day we are contending onlr with one power, and the world is astonished at our reverses. What is the explanation of this? France was not ready I Cet vraU Tret bin! trr bien !) Fifteen Says ago I did not say all (interrup tion) I could not say all. I bad formal proof that France was not ready! (Noise.) I never did a more patriotic act in my life than on that day. (Applause on the Left.) No! France was not ready, and- it Is Important that it should be known. It is the only explanation of our reverses. It was the strongest motive I had for opposing the war. Not we were not ready. I told the Ministers so, and that is why I deplored the vote for war. Well, gentlemen, I pray you, I supplicate you, that your attitude now shall mean only this ; we are not calm enough to bo Just; we do not desire to withdraw a single brave soldier from the field, but we do not convey that France was In our opinion ready. Count De la Tour She was not, but she is going to be. M. Thiers What other explanation can be given for receBt events than this: France was not ready, and the Government was Incapable? (Interruptloa) If you wish to shield these men, you compromise the country. (Tree bien, tree bien.) I do not cer tainly desire to overwhelm unfortunate men, and add to the sorrow which must fill their hearts; but men must not be defended at the expense of the country. (Applause on several benches.) M. Ilaentjcns No one defends them. M. Jonrdaln This is not a time for recrimina tions ; it is a time for action. (Noise.) M. Thiers Once more I ask the Chamber not to make the world believe that France was ready. France and all nations see the heroism of our sol diers; but there was absolute Incapacity in the management of affairs. Let ns not weaken an ex planation which shields us In the eyes of the world. (Renewed applause on the Left) The President The incident Is closed. The Chamber proceeded to consider the question of arming the National Guard. OBITUARY. Prlneo Fella Balm-Halm. ' Prince Felix Salm-Salm, who fell at the battle of Gravelotte, belonged to the Austrian house of Saltn Salm, the head of which is Prince Alfred, who holds many titles. He is a member of the Prussian House of Lords, and also has an honorary position among the Knights of Malta. The deceased prince was his brother, and was born December SS, 1828. He mar ried m New York the daughter of Colonel LeClerq, on the 31th of August, 1862, an alliance which proved distasteful to his family, and caused his exclusion from the Austrian Court The Prince served la our array during part of the late war. bavlug been at one time In command of a regiment of the aita Corps and pos t commander at Alalanta towards tho end of the war. On the occa sion of Maximilian's accession to the throne he ap pointed him bis aide-de-camp and chief of his house hold. During the checkered career of the Emperor Prince Felix remained devoted to his interests, and was baptured with him at Queretaro. The Princess was indefatigable in her exertions en the downfall of the Emperor to mitigate his fate, and arranged tho interview at queretaro on the Slst of May. 1867, In which Maxi milian and Prince Felix conferred with Escobedo. The oiler to abdicate and leave the country made at that conference was rejected, and Prince Felix seemed destined for the same late as the Emperor. He was, however, released soon after the Empe ror's execution, aud returned to Europe, where he enicrea tne Trussian service as major Of the 4tu Regiment of Grenadiers of the Prussian Royal Guard. ... . HIGHWAYMEN ON THE PLAINS. How Wells, Farto A S3o.n Mtasre Vaa Robbed A PaftMonaer'a (Story. A paeeCDger on Wells, Fargo & Co.'s coach writes from Corinne, Utah, to the Helena Herald, under date of August 6lh: Reaching Pleasant Valley about 9 P. M., Thursday, I saw indications of Borne anxiety on the part of the driver and guard, both of whom were armed with shot guns and revolvers. We passed the first station south of Pleasant Valley safely, but it was betweon this and the next that we expected ' tho fun. Lieutenant Hamilton, of Fort Ellis, was with me, and the three Chinamen. I only had one weapon of de fense. We were all now watchful, and as the coach aacendedfroui the bed of Dry creek -this is what caught our ears: Click I click 1 click I Halt ! I and like an apparition the road agents sprang from the rocks a few feet irotn the coach. One drew his Henry rifle n the leaders, the next on the driver, and the third paid his compliments to the lieutenant and myself by placing the muzzle of his needle-gun . in rather uncomfortable proximity to our ears, and as the driver pithily remarked, "the muzzles of them rifles appeared as large as a nine-inch stove-pipe !" I instantly seized my "navy" but a touch of caution from Hamilton advised patience. Not knowing what the issue of the affair might be, I concealed my money in the cushion of my seat by cutting a bole in the leather; my companion bad pre viously placed his in the band of bis drawers. The Chinamen bad by this time awoke and began their gibberish. I silenced them, and then noted the progress of affairs outside. The driver put on the brake the moment they chal lenged him. 11c asked what they wanted. "The treasure boxes," said they. . "All right," said the driver, "here they are," and threw out the light one (from Virginia City, I believe). "You have another of these fish f " said the leader. i "Yes, M was the reply. ; "Throw it out," was the command. This was done, and stepping aside he picked up an axe and b chopping the light one open. It took him Vhitcen ron. tpW, aud hard work at that. He emptied its contents. "There's nothing In that box," he said, evi dently mnch enraged. He next attacked the Helena box, which con tained about ttJOOO, I believe. He remarked to the driver during the progress of opening the boxes that he was sorry to detain us so long, but it could not be helped; that these things would occur in the best regulated families! "Are there any passengers aboard," he said, when he got through with the boxes. "Yes, said the driver, "three Chinamen and two white men." "Get out, John," in a voice that could not be mistaken. We told the boys to get out. They were very unwilling to go but they finally turned out. The leader held his rifle to their heads and demanded their money. With many protestations of poverty they said they had none one said, ''two dollars hap allee, no more,." They would not be satisfied, but with fearful imprecations they told them that they would shoot tberu where they stood If they did not disgorge. Una by one ho stripped off their tunics aud boots and took what they had. The third and last, w ho bad tho large-1 amount of money (fSOO), strung around his neck or in a belt, he bandied very roughly, lie took tils long knife (about twelve inches) and ripped shirt, vest, and coat from top to bottom, and the gold fell out with a heavy "thud" to the ground. Having fioialied, they ordered them Into the coach and told the driver to "go on," much to our relief indeed, for I fully expected that we would bo next we can not explain their partiality lu our favor, but think that they, were afraid to attempt to force us out. . , . I could easily have killed two of them, but it would have been at tbo expense of the life of one of the utea on the box, an Issue which I did not like tt force. The hind curUins being down, none of them could observe our move ments hence. I bad the "drop" ou auy oue of them except tne man who covered the driver,, who was a little too fjr. Thus ended my ex perience with the Road Agents of Montana, of whom I have heard and read so much. ( A young lady of Pittsburg, Pa.,' who bad been grievously wroaged by her lover, reluct antly kept op a correspondence until she suc ceeded in involving him in a dltliculty which has culminated in bis arrest and imprisonment. tilt cow prtiesttA to be satisfied. ADMiJtAL DAVID D. POHTSR.' v It is announced that Vice-Admiral Porter has been appointed Admiral in the United states navy, to mi the vacancy occasioned by the death of Admiral Farragut His commission Is dated August 80. This naval officer was the son of Oommodoad David Tortcr, who was a distinguished officer in the war of lm, at which time he commanded the frigate) Essex. The son David D. was bora In Pennsylva nia at tho beginning of the war, and afterward served with his father in the West Indies. He tt eelved a rudimentary education, and in 1829 entered the navy as midshipman from his native State. . Ia 1880 De went to the Mediterranean, attached to the frigate Constellation, and served In the Medl terra nean squadron until 1836, be.ng successive! with the frigate United States and the llne-of battle ship Delaware. Hebeeams passed midshipman in 18;is. and was then oMered to the coast survey." A lieutenant's commission was given him in 1R41, and in 1W3 he was again ordered to the Mediterranean with the frigate Congress. In the Mexican war he did active service both at sea and on land, aud took part in all the Important naval operations and seve ral of the land attacks. When the war was con cluded he was again ordered to the coast survey, and afterwards commanded the United States man steamer Georgia, running to Panama, in which posl. tion he became very well known. In 1861, at the beginning of the late war, he ob tained the rank of 'commander, and took charge of the frigate Powhatan in the expedition to relnforoo Sumter. Arter the fall of that fort, he disembarked troops at Fort Pickens, who wero able to re tain the possession of the stronghold to the Govern ment - On being ordered North, he took charge of the mortar flotilla then fitting out to aid Admiral Farra gut in the attack on New Orleans. He began the bombardment of Forts Jackson and St Philip, which, with the Iron-clad fleet, con stituted the defenses of the city of New Orleans, on the 11th of April, 1863. For six days and six nights . the fleet kept up a continuous and steady fire, when the powerful forts were so weakened that It was thought possible for the vessels to pass. These forts, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel nigglna, and the coast defenses, nnder Brigadier-General Duncan, surrendered to Porter on the 88th of the same April. The capture of New Orleans was effected with terrlflo lighting with the iron-dads, rams, and gunboats. Forter remained In charge of the mortar flotilla until July, 1863, co-operating with Admiral FarraguS In all the operations on the Mississippi from New Orleans to Vicksburg. At about this time he obtained the rank of acting Bear-Admiral and took charge of the Mississippi squadron. This squadron he hlmsea created, and formed into a good fighting body. He had here command of one hundred and twenty-five vessels,, which were before but river steamboats, but which were made good war vessels by means of plating, and by their armament pud equipment in this fleet there were thirteen hundred officers, of whom not more than twenty-five belonged to the regular navy. The rest were mostly Western steamboat men,' with no knowledge whatever of naval tactics and disci pline. . , . - By dint of hard labor these all became, In a short time, valuable and trustworthy. This fleet captured Arkansas post and destroyed the batteries at Grand Gulf; it also greatly assisted at the capture of Ticks burg by General Giant oa July 4, 1863. During the siege of this place, the fleet shelled the city and the works beyond for fo.ty successive days. Heavy guns also wero landed from the fleet and manned by men from Porter's command. These naval land batteries, the mortar boatf, and tho gunboats com bined, threw about sixteen thousand shells into the ; city and works previous to the surrender. , , The fleet co-operated in the Ohio river In the chase , or five hundred miles and the recapture of Morgan the raider. They also cleared the Yazoo river, and ascended the Red river to Springfield Landing, where the news of the disaster of General Banks' army " compelled them to draw back.' At Grand Eoore the ' safety of the vessels was Imperilled by the falling of the water in the river, but by the device of one of the officers thsy were all gotten safely over the bar.' ' By means of the fleet the Mississippi was kept open A to its mouth during the whole of this tlme. -.' ' In 1864 Rear-Admiral Porter was ordered to the -North to command the North. Atlantic Squadron, which bad been greatly enlarged both, for the pur-' poses of blockade and the attack on Fort Fisher, . with the object of obtaining command . of the -port . of Wilmington. The fleet consisted of all the avail- i able vessels commanded by the best officers.'. It u sailed In December from Hampton Roads for Bean-., fort, N. C. Thirty vessels, five lron-clads, and a reserve of nineteen other vessels, were made ready , v for the attack on the works at the mouth of the Cape " Fear river. These were silenced, but the failure Of General Butler to cooperate,' and bla withdrawal, lost the advantage for a time. Subsequently the '! arrival ol 8800. fresh men under General Terry" caused the operations to bo recommenced; iOar' the 15th of January an increased ' number" of '' vessels forty-four and a reserve of fourteen ;'' poured an Incessant fire upon the works. Fourteen ' hundred soldiers and marines were landed, who " took part in the assault. After desperate lighting, the works were taken at 10 o'clock at night. . The capture embraced that of seventy-five guns, many ; of them the finest of rifled pieces, and nineteen t hundred prisoners. For services here rendered, Rear-Admiral Porter received the thanks ef Goo- . grfrss and the promotion to the rank of Vlce-Admiral , . la place of Farragut, who was then made Admiral. From 1866 to 1S6 Vlce-Admlral Porter has been In charge of the Naval Academy at Annapolis. On tiie inauguration of President Grant he was called to Washington to act as adviser in the Navy De- ' partmeut. Bere be has remained until the present . time, and is now called from duty in that capacity to . bis labors as Admiral. i nAKCL AMU COMMEItUC. Eykniho Teuobapb OrncaJ , FruUr, Ad. 3d, IWU. The main features of the money market are uuiiiabged. There is a steady demand for car- rency, but the supply, especially at the banks, is chort and likely to be more scarce as the sea- . eoBwearsou. Very few of them are discount-. , ing except for their best customers, and even. . then only short date paper is taken np, which , for purposes of business is little better than a ' demand loan. Rates are very steady but not ' materially higher, though the tendency is nu iDittak ably in that direction. , Gold was active aud steady, with sales rang. lngfromllr)X110M closing at Govern ment are dull but a fraction stronger. The stock market continues, quiet but firm.. Sales of tho war loan at 104 g and State sixes, 1st series, at 104 6; City sixes, new, sold at ' 101?;(a , and Lehigh gold loaa atS8. ' - Reading Railroad was quiet but Steady; sales - 1 at 47. i'ennsj lvanla was weak; solos at 58. .. Small sales of Oil Creek and Allegheny at 44. .. In canal stocks the only sales were In Schuyl- , kill preferred at 16. The balance of the list , was neglected. " "' , PHILADELPHIA STOCK EXCHANGE BALES.'' T ". Reported by De Haven Bro., No. 40 S. Third street. ' r I KST BOAKIX 1100 City 6S, New.lul :-wo do ls.101 . fiou Pass W LCp.l04,'j . $HKK) Read 6s, 4S-80 86 tiocuN l'cuiia 1U8..11 iJOOoLeh Gold L... " Monday.... 84 25 sh Penna Itla.sS wv ahEPeunaH..; 100 so Read K...1S. 47Jf - Nibk a Ladnkk, Brokers, finld Quotations as follows : report this morning 10-ttlA.M. llS'i 10 45 A M. . 116' ..ni ..ii 10-4!0 10-iJ .116 11 na .11,UT1 116. -I - MKHf Bt. WirxiAU Fainter k Co., No. 36 9. Third street, report tho following quotations : U. 4. 4s of 181. 1 14 j 4114.; 6-osoflSJi,Ul',,4n8r do, 164, llli$lll.!,: do. 1800, lll'jniuj do., July, laor 11tX,lUV ! do., JU!y, lbOT, 1104ll0 ; do. J lb8,110,ailit": DO.Vi-SO. 105,vil0t; U. H. P" Kit ty. tfs. 1UXU& Gold. 116i4UX.