The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2378, 15 November 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1870.

The position of affairs in Europe on the date of the last’ advices did not appear to have altered materially, if we may judge by the telegrams. France was still on the losing side, and the Prussians in the main were victorious. But, as we pointed out at the first, every step towards the centre ot France rendered the Prussian position more perilous. The march of an army into an enemy’s country is necessarily a weakening process. Fortresses have to be reduced and occupied, lines of communication to be kept, positions to be secured and held, and attacks in front and on every side repelled. The rapidity of the Prussian advance, and their extraordinary success, seemed to bid defiance to these invariable accompaniments of invasion, and should have pointed to the advisability of securing an advantageous peace when it was offered by Julks Favre. Not having done so, every succeeding day will tend to render their chances of ultimate success less. It becomes, in fact, a mere question of endurance on the part of the French, If they hold out until the whole population is drilled and armed, and if the nation is willing to abide the suffering, nothing but retirement from the country or a miracle can ultimately save the Prussian army. Battle, disease, and weather will diminish their numbers ; and unless recruited by constant supplies from Germany, the advantages already gained cannot be maintained. This exhaustive process will be equally disastrous to both belligerents. The reduction of Paris' is not the conquest of France. The savagery of the resolution on both sides to take no prisoners, because living men eat and drink, is investing this deadly struggle with a ferocity nearly without parallel, and enlisting in the quarrel the fiercest passions of human nature. Chivalry is no more. Its place will be usurped by hatred, revenge, and their accompanying cruelties. The war under such conditions becomes one of extermination. It is no longer a war of dynasties or Governments, but of race against race. For the sake of humanity it is to be hoped the end has come before this ; for when such passions are let loose, they are not satisfied with less than mutual destruction and desolation of territory. Let us hope these horrors are exaggerated. If the telegrams are to be believed, England is threatened by Prussia for an alleged breach of the neutrality laws. We think it hardly likely that such a breach has really been committed. The position of a manufacturing or trading country is always a difficult one in such circumstances. In all probability the breach complained of was the fulfilment of some contract by manufacturing houses, who would have with equal pleasure supplied the Prussians as the French, had they been favored with their orders; and although both Prussians and French have a perfect right to make any regulations they choose as to their own imports and exports, and to seize all arms in transitu—if they can get them—evidently intended to be used offensively against them, we do not know that morally they have any right to interfere with the trade or manufactures of a neutral nation. This seems to be the common-sense view of the affair; but as common sense and war never go together, it seems the shopkeeper is liable to be called to account for selling firearms, by one duellist who wants to be able to shoot the other unarmed. We should have no serious apprehensions as to the result in ordinary times, but such extraordinary things do happen in the way of secret treaties, and other underhand tricks, that it is possible Prussia may be mad enough to bring England into the fray—though we hardly think it likely. The allabsorbing interest of this Prussian war divests the doings of all other nations of importance. From various motives reports arc circulated of probable troubles in other quarters ; but as much faith must be reposed in them as in the reported intentions of Titoko Waku and other Natives in the North. Russia and Austria may have sinister intentions. Heaven knows, very slight provocation would suffice to bring either or both of them down upon any country they could conquer; but Continental thrones have been rickety seats for a century past, and, since the destruction of Prussia would be the exaltation of democracy, we hardly think they will venture upon such an experiment.