THE WAR IN EUROPE.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 844, 18 October 1870, Page 2

THE WAR IN EUROPE.

Paris in a State of Siege. Paris went mad with disappointment, grief, and auger. Three weeks before, her gay and shining boulevards were full of delighted crowds escorting regiments and batteries to the Strasbourg Railway Station. Songs of glory and patriotism echoed from every side ; the soldiers were plied with drink and and dainties to surfeit point; the vivandieres were courted and flattered like princesses; the grim cannon and mysterious mitrailleuses were affectionately patted; even the Ministry was praised for the moment, and the Emperor had become; popular; while the grand hymn of Rouget de l'lsle, the heartshaking " Marseillaise," was pressed into the service of the Imperial arms, and made a war-song—certain verses being, of course conveniently omitted. The journals of the capital were all printed in couleur de rose, and fair Paris was eager to smite the Prussian amies. " La guerre ! la gloire ! " those were the passionate, pitiless cries upon her lips ; and, moreover, she sought by her journalists to sharpen the bayonets of her army with phrases which stuug like filed and whetted steel, such as those knife like verses of Alfred de Musset on the " Rhin Allernand," and all the defiant rhetoric poured forth in the Soir and the Constitutionnel about the "soldiers of Jena." They " came," those " soldiers of Jenna," they "saw" —what? Only silent battalions of the blue-coated men, keeping " die Wacht am ilhein " —the watch upon the Rhine. Against whom ? One small spectacle of victory. A lever de rideau was rehearsed, with the little Prince for a dramatis persona ; a passing farce played while Fate was arranging the stage for a real historical tragedy. And then, suddenly and swiftly, like lightning out of dark clouds, the wrath and burning love of Fatherland burst out from these blue German battalions. Surprised, outwitted, outflanked, out-numbered, out-generalled, these " soldiers of Jena " were sent to be crushed at Weisseubourg, crushed at Woerth, crushed at Saarbruck, till the very telegrams of their conquerors stammered hesitation and incredulity at such prodigious losses. And while the war was thus rolling up to the walls of Metz, what had become of boastful, glorified, song-singing Paris ? Never since history began was such a contrast seen as that between the capital anticipating " glory," and the same capital realising defeat and flagrant denial of the military supremacy in Europe. No Maenad raging, no Niobe all tears, and fury, and despair, was ever so frantic, so passionate, so pathetic as this beautiful city. They had imposed upon her "order" and strong government, and then decked her with grand buildings, and wooed her with luxuries and splendours; yet she was " irreconcilable." Then they engaged to give her, for her fill of " glory," a series of victories over Bismarck, and a march to Berlin. Her fiery heart leaped up at the promise ; for " glory)" is something when freedom is denied. Paris seized the compact, cried at full pitch of her lungs for " glory," and lent to the eagles of her Master the anthem of the barricades for their war-shout. The "Song of the ipine," nevertheless, turned out to be

the tune to which Fate marched; and when the terrible tidings of overthrow after overthrow reached the Place Venddme, th'ey unwisely trifled wjth this fair tigress of a city. She was teased with no news, with false news, and with news cunningly cooked to take the taste of shame away from its sentences; but when she knew all the truth her fury was menacing. The Strength of Paris. On this subject the Sydney Morning Herald, of the 29th September, says:— "Each monarch has left monuments of his rule, and every part of Paris teems with memorials of victory. But all these architectural and engineering achievements would have offered only a richer prize, but for the fortifications erected by Louis Philippe, during the Ministry of M. Thiers. All round Paris there are walls of solid masonry, mounted with artillery. Beyond are forts of great strength, which it is difficult to imagine could be taken by assault. Between the walls and these forts there is a space from one to nearly two miles. Should any of them be captured, there are subterranean passages c?nnected with the city, and chambers for the reception of gunpowder, which would make the possession of these forts very dangerous to the captors. The. Seine runs throughout the centre of Paris, which shows on the map nearly a circular form. The two parts of the city are connected by bridges. We learn that all the intervening land between the city walls and the forts has been cleared away, so as to afford no shelter to an approaching enemy. These walls are manned chiefly by the workmen of Paris. Every Frenchman knows something of war, and the force within is estimated at 300,000 men. No one, after what has been done, would venture to predict the issue of the war. The removal of the Emperor has, however, taken away for the present one cause of division, whatever may be its ultimate consequences, and now the French are able to make peace without the shame of his defeat. No one will pretend to judge of the pru-. deuce of strategical measures by their success. But according to the reports which reach us, the presence of the Emperor was the primary cause of defeat. General M'Mahon could not take those measures which were necessary because he had to take care of the Emperor. It was impossible for him to return with safety to Paris. Thus the Emperor could only await the accidents of the field, or surrender himself to the enemy." The Probable Result. The Sydney Morning Herald also says; —"lt is mere folly to speak of the French as men without courage or mili« tary skill. They have had reverses, as all military empires may expect, and which they certainly deserve, but even their greatest enemies have rarely withheld from them whatever praise may belong to military prowess. It is true, however, that they have had more distinction in attack than in defence ; and it is said that if they meet with defeat they feel it more than some other nations. They have now, however, to fight for their homes, as well as for their prestige, and they have to fight with a power which, though strong and well commanded, is at a distance from its sup-. ports, and dependent upon supplies that have to be brought from a great distance. The opiuion of well-informed persons is,, that the Prussians, seeing all this, will not attempt to conquer Paris, but will be content with the victories already won* and he willing to submit to the mediation of neutral Powers. The Prussian populace will probably protest against mediation in the settlement of the conditions of peace ; but if they are wise men in Prussia, as they are certainly clever one 3, they may prevent the abuse of good fori, tune. It is not to the interest of any existing Government, not certainly of England, that Prussia should become intoxicated by conquest. It is rather to, the interest of all that, having accoin-. plished wonders and gained a high position in the centre of Europe, she should give proof by moderation that she not un*. worthy of tlie position she has acquired." Bismarck on England. It is very difficult to understand the tone of Count Vou Bismarck towards Great Britain, He is, to begin with, very angry because we export horses,, coals, and cartridges to France, and demands that we put a stop to those breaches, o( neutrality. Coals w,e cannot a&

they are protected by treaty; but we have stopped their departure in English storeships, declaring them in that case contrahand of war. Cartridges we can stop, though only by prerogative, and we hope we shall; and horses we cannot stop at all. We might as well stop sheep, because mutton helps to make Freneh soldiers capable of endurance. All this is very natural as belligerents always think neutrals.secret enemies; but what does Count Von Bismarck think to gain by sailing Englishmen old women, taunting us with cowardice, and prophesying our subjugation, all which things he does in the Correspondent? Does he think Englishmen are Continentals, to be driven into a duel by a few hard words? If he does, he totally mistakes the character of the national pride. If the whole world abuses us, we shall tranquilly condemn the stupidity of the whole world. Or is he preparing a state of feeling in Germany which will enable him when the war is over to set England at defiance ? The Secret Treaty. "It is tolerably certain," says the Paris correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, " that the famous Projected Treaty emanated from the French Emperor. Madame Benedetti, but a day or two since, declared openly that her husband was sacrificed, as diplomatists must expect to be when negotiations go wrong, but that, if he could speak, it would be easy for him to prove that he had never said, or hinted one word to Bismarck except on the most explicit instructions from the highest quarter. And this will probably be found to have been the case. Before the Italian campaign the Emperor told Cavour that if Italy became a Confederation he should not ask for an inch of her soil; but that, if she became united into a single monarchy, he should claim the west slope of the Alps. This compact Cavour entered into, and in due time fulfilled his share of it. It is altogether probable that the Emperor, at Biarritz, made a similar bargain with Bismarck, who subsequently protested his inability to fulfil his share of the engagement. The Emperor then may have proposed the famous plan whose divulgation has led to England's action on behalf of Belgium, imagining that England would .accept accomplished facts. It is most improbable that either party contemplated the possibility of England's being willing to fight for the independence of Belgium; and as England has now declared that she will fight for that independence if necessary, it is tolerably certain that it will »ot be assailed."

We learn from the Auckland papers that the annual meeting of the Drury Auxiliary of the U.K.A. was held in the Public Hall Otahuhu, on Thursday evening, 6th instant. There was a large attendance, 70 or 80 persons being Chairman opened the meeting. Br ftayner read the report of the Auxiliary, which showed what money had been collected and expended, and the efforts made during the year. £3B had been obtained, and had .been spent chiefly i.i the circulation of the Alliance News.—Mr W. Morgan proposed, and (he Rev. J. Smith seconded, the adoption of the report. —The Kev. P. H. Cornford, in an eloquent and powerful speech, proposed the following resolution :—" That, encouraged by the position which tbe temperance Reformation in its various aspects now occupies in public esteem, and whilst cordially sympathising with the labors of all who are striving to diminish the evils arising from the intemperance everywhere prevalent this meeting pledges itself, by the use of all lawful and xsonstitutional means, to secure for the entire population of this colony -(European and native) the power to prohibit the sale of intoxicating Jiquors in their rospectiv6 districts, the bestowment of which would bo a most riguteous act, and its possession quite consistent with the principle of local self-govern-ment/'— On heing put to the meeting the resolution was car ieel by acclamation. —On the motion of Mr Morgan seconded by Mr Kerr, a vote of th inks was given to the Chairman and to the s\\e ikers. The model of a sea-going vessel of very original build is now to be seen in the port of Algiers. A general idea of the construction is obtained if we imagine a steamer cut in two, and the several parts made the supports of a bridge four times the length of the original vessel. This bridge has an air chamber in its entire length, eo that if by accident it should become parted from the supports it cannot be submerged. It is destined for the cargo, but cabins in the form of boats are so arranged along the sides of the bridge .that, in case of accident to the latter, they may be navigated separately. Thus there are three chances of safety if the construction goes to pieces, The supposed advantages are, first, great speed (since the larger part of the vessel not being in contact with the water, .the resistance is so much diminished), safety, and great space for cargo. Something of this kind has been pro jected for taking railway trains across the channel, but we do not remember to have seen jt suggested for vessels going a long dMznm

The Wanganui Herald says, " It is reported that the Hon. Julius Vogel, will be requested to allow himself to be put in nomination for tbe Manawatu district."

The Tuapeka Times (Otago) contains the following highly uncomfortable paragraph;— " VYe haVe learned that one out of a few Chinamen who have lately arrived from Victoria is suffering from leprosy—a disease which is loathsome in the extreme, and highly contagious. At the same time we learn with pleasure that the Q-overnment have taken steps to guard against the increase of the evil, t»rs. Stewart and H&lley, accompanied by the Chinese interpreter, Mr A. Blewitt, visited the sufferer at his own quarters. The interpreter, who has saen the disease in India and Victoria, pronounces unhesitatingly and assuredly the case as one of leprosy in an advanced stage." Our South Australian neighbours, we observe, are going to levy a "retributive" duty upon mealy " murphies." Small blame to them after the tax we have imposed upon Adelaide flour. They also intend to tax our beer, our soap, candles, and confectionery, and our slop clothing. Queensland threatens to follow suit, and New Zealand is already doing so. Judging from present appearances, the game of beggar-my-neighbour is about to bo played out to its bitter end. Were it not that an enormous amount of mischief will be inflicted in the meantime upon thousands of persons, including numbers who have been consistently opposed to the folly and wickedness of protection, we should be inclined to rejoice at this intercolonial fiscal strife, since it must eventuate in the final overthrow of the monstrous, irrational, unchristian doctrine in which it takes its rise. When each of the colonies shall have followed the example of our own, and shall have been goarded into the adoption of a retributive tariff, what a fine opportunity will be offered to an artist of genius to paint a grand allegorical picture, representing the actual position and conduct of all the members of the group.—Australasian. The following story of unswerving perseverance has just been made public. About four years ago an eccentric personage, who follows the pursuit of bird-catching, purchased a small plot of land on the eastern side of Nunhead Cemetery. Here he resolved to build a good-sized six-roomed brick house with his own hands. He at once set to work, and strange to say, has nearly finished his stupendous task. He has been his own architect, his own bricklayer, his own labourer, his own joiner, his own plumber and glazier, and what is still more strange, has built the house without one particle of scaffolding, and oven carried his own bricks from the maker by the armful as he was able to afford them. Tne work appears to be very substantial, and does him great credit. During the operations he has been living in a small brick hut, built by himself on the plot at the onset, in company with a little son and a loquacious parrot. As our New Zealand Statute Book absolutely bristles with Acts of Indemnity the fo.bwing decision of the Court of Exchequer, just given in the case of Phillips v. Eyre, will possess some interest to our readers, since it settles authoritatively a long-debated question of lwa. This was the last of a series of suits brought against the late Governor of Jamaica for imprisonment, losses, or injuries during the Jamaica rebellion. The defendant pleaded the Act of Indemnity passed by the Jamaica Legislature, and affirmed by the Queen. To this the plaintiff demurred, on the ground that a right of action existed in England in respect of any acts committed in a Colony, and that this could not be taken away by any act of the Colonial Legislature. The demurrer was argued in the Queen's Bench and overruled by the three judges present. The case was then taken on appeal to the Exchequer Chamber, where judgement was delivered unanimously in favor of the defendant. The great point argued was the capacity of a Colonial Legislature to grant an indemnity for acts committed in the Colony, so as to take away the right of a plaintiff in England ; and the Exchequer Chamber has decided that the Colonial Legislature has this power, and that this Act protects its ex Grovernor. Judging from the following extract from the Moscow Gazette, it would seem that Russia is but waiting a favorable opportunity for renewing the projects which were interrupted, or for a time defeated, by the Crimean war. The present war in Europe may furnish the anxiously looked for chance : —" But where is that fleet which flew so boldly on the waves of the Arehiuoiago ? Where are those famous ships which reminded us at Sinope of the immortal struggle of Cheshme ? The very same Europe whose civilization our grandfathers defended on its eastern boundaries united itself against us for the purpose of avenging the victories which she applauded, and of which she enjoyed the fruits. Sebastopol was the reward for Cheshme and Kagul j but the glory of the victories is the best guarantee that .uussia will not remain in the East in that degrading position which has been created for her by the Sebastopol allies of Turkey. A time must come when Eussia will get rid of the fetters imposed upon her, and will re-establish her influence so dearly purchased in the East. It is impossible that she would remain for ever in the conditions which have been prescribed to her by the Treaty of Paris—with pmpty harbors, with towns unprotected from the smallest gunboat of Turkey, all along the shores of the Black Sea. A great power disarmed in its own waters; a power victorious at Cheshme over the Turks is now undefended against them! Can any one believe in such a thing ? can it be true ? can its history stop at such a fact ? Eussia must re-establish her power in the Black Sea and she will reestablish it. Of this no one doubts, not even her enemies, who exert their best efforts only to postpone the .decisive day as far as they can."