WAR ITEMS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 87, 14 October 1870, Page 3

WAR ITEMS.

■*- " 5. < v ' y— — . > !■■■■ [The following as an extra on Saturday last.,;—J

It A I'G

,-iiPy #e^B.s.Tararua u arrived in Hokitika roadstead oh;:tlie morning! ' of the 6th are.in of further English and The Tararua brings a very large -English mail. After'their-defeat at' Worth and Spichern; the entire -Freiich . line commenced to retreait. from ( .the) frontier/ 1 followedj by? the victorious • Prussians, f jvho, advanced jfrom ppints into M l - US/ G-reat dissatisfaction prevails in France at the recenfe defeats, ] ?, q -.; >- w „ >T The. EEQgvess i^suedj^a. nrockmation .callinS oh iU -m -

The Emperor resignefl'tHie command 'bf "th"eH army to Marshal Bazaine, though he remained j -at -Metz. Another defeat "will probably smash ! the Empire.' • *■ i ; i The last news states that ; the Germans have ...invested S trasburg. The garrison is totally inadequate to defend it.> . i] " ' \ The thi*ee bpdies of the Prussians have ef- j fected a junction, and now'form an unbroken I line across ith ! e French frontiers, while the, ad- ! A'ance guard of the Prussian army has pene- I trated forty niiles into French.territory. ! "Various rumors ar6 current as to the where- ! abouts of tlie Prince Imperial, but the general belief is that he is in Paris. A debate place iii the : 'H'ouse of Com*mons on the naval and military defences of the •: Kingdom, .when Ministers assured: the House that everything was in a most satisfactory conedition... . . .. , , The Prince, de Joinville and the Due de Chai'tres volunteered their services® to the "French'ariny. ; ! : A new contract has been inatle by the -Imperial Q-overnment ;with: the 7P.:;aaid O. ComThe subsidy is fixed at £1.50,000, the "service"to be a weekly one, uia l ßrihdisi, <l when the Mont Gems' tunnel ■is completed. Liverpool iriay be substituted for. Southampton as the point of arrival and departure. , The mails from the Colonies, via San Francisco, were delivered on the 25th, in 58 days froin Sydney, and 49 days from Auckland. Mr. Donald M'Leau,' member of the Executive Council of . New Zealand, has been appointed 'an honorary member of the third class of the Companions of the Order of St. Michael and. St. .George.

' LATEST PEOM GALLIC. - ' . London, September, sth. The Bank of England, has reduced the rate of discount to B|-'per cent. <• The following items are given in the order of date: — • - - The Eiing of Prussia addressed a proclamation to the -French ' people, stating that the G-ermans desired to :live in peace with the French; They ; were waging war against the soldiers, not the citizens of France, and if no : hostile atterhpts were made against the German troops, the inhabitants would be protected. 'He < further: issued. -.si proclamation abolishing the conscription in the occupied territory. 'On the loth. August .th e ICiiig telegraphed that the Prussians were victorious in a battle before : Metz. The : First and Seventh ArmyCorps vigorously attacked the French outside Metz, and after a bloody light drove them into the town. The French loss was estimated at 4000. Tii.e garrison of Strasburg made a sortie on the loth, but was repulsed with the loss of three guns. Nancy was occupied by a detachment of Prussian cavnlry on the 14th. Fourteen hundred German families* expelled from Paris, have arrived at Cologne. The Official Gazette of Berlin says the Prussian Government will not expel peaceable French subjects. : The King has appointed Counts Bonin Bismarck and JBohieii Governors - General of Lorraine and Alsace respectively. G-ernmn official accounts, , dated 17th, state ' that, notwithstanding the great superiority of the enemy, the Prussians drove the French Sack iiifo Metz, after a hot fight, which lasted for twelve hours. The loss on both sides was lieavy. : - Two Prussian generals were killed. The Prussians captured 2000 prisoners, two eagles, and seven cannon. The Prussians attacked Phalsbourg on the 18th, but were repulsed with the loss of 1300 men. ' Phalsbourg still holds out. $. The King telegraphed on the 19th instant' that the' French army was completely defeated on the 18th, near Bcauville, and driven back on Metz, being cllt off froiri Paris. The battle lasted hour . The occupied a : position equal in strength to a fortress. The, Prussians attacked them, and by;nightfall had 'stormed, and captured all the heights. 4000 prisoners were taken. The Prussians calculated the French loss at 23,000. ' ; The French losses in the battles of 14th, 16th, arid fßth are estimated at 50,000 killed, wounded, and prisoners, and the G-erman losses lit 40,000.' , The Prussians began to bombard Strasburg on the 19 th from the right bank of the Rhine, near Kelil. The bombardment lasted; -until Tuesday night. Much damage was done to the town. . The. Prussians succeeded in entrenching themselves within 10,000 (? 1000) yards of Strasburg, and captured the railway station outside the town. . 'lhe Prussians have resolutely commenced to march on Paris. A large Prussian force is round Verdun. Their vanguard is between Chalons and Epernay. ; : ■ A fourth G-erman army-under-the Crown Prince of Saxony is being formed. ; Thioriville'is invested, i.. . Liii x " Prince Frederick Charles has - been rein- ' forced by two divisions of landwehr. • •' .. ■ Ahe w foiirth airmy' covers the flank of the Crown Prince.' Three G-enhan armies are in reserve, the Prussian headquarters at St. Dizier. i; The Prussians have .arrived before Rheims. The other forces in the Departments of the Aixbe and : ,Marhe will proceed north towards Rethel and Youziers. ■ They will not continue to march'on -Parisuntil after a-battle with M'Mahon. ••.A FreiicK runibr asserts that 'tlie Prussian King lias dismissed General Steinmetz, whose army will join that of t..e Crown Prince. Vitry has capitulated. The Prussians deny that Marshal Bazaine J 'Metz, 'and say he is still there. The" Prussians continue their movement to- ! \Va^ds l Eeihel and : Vdiiziers in great force; and a great battle is imminent. ' The Ifojlowing is from French' isources Marshal Leboeuf haß resigned the'Major-Gene-ralship, of the Army of the Rhine. : Marshal Bazaine has i been 1; nominated Gommander-in-'Chief of thie second, ttiird, and. fourth corps of the Rhine Army; and General Trocliu 1 ommander'of the 18th Corps at -Chalon...O.;

""""The ■ '"Rappel- '-newspaper has been suppressed. . . - The French squadron before Kiel, where important events are expected, has declared the north-western coast of G-ermany blockaded. The Corps Legislatif and the Senate hsve voted an increase in the war credilJtof 10,000,000,000fr5. and forced currency bank notes have been issued to the. amount millions. . . : ; r ; ; Algeria lia3 been. declared in a akt,fce »£ siege. Toul refuses to surrender, and : mtrdSSos-a, gallant defence. __ ' A French army is being iVl'srshal Bazaine Coihrasndei'-ih'-Ghiof. Bazaine telegraphed on the r7th—that lie fought a battle oSV thW" lf>th all dnv. between Boncourt and Thionvilie, that- the enemy, were repulsed, and that tlije French pte-fed the , ou t^le position gained. Aito, that the French |! won a battle ne;\r Grr-ayellotte. .■ ■■•. f . % Official details of the battle of the ' IGtlv say that the Prussians were repulsed along the vrnole line; Tueir.lo.sd v.as considerable, aud that of the French was also serious. The new loanof;7so,oou 3 o.Uufr. issued on the 21st July, is fully covered. The subscriptions exceed 800,000,OOOfr: The Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne-has notified to the neutral that- France dj£clnu-a mediation whilst a single Prussian, is-in Franc?. The French energetically protested againstfclw .violation, of neutrality in the conveyance of i.liu "Prussian wounded through Belgium and—Lusembourg. J - 150,000 old soldiers are assembling at Lyon?, and 80,000 of a similar class arc &saemblin< r a t Paris. J 3 The Corps Legislatif has passed a Bill calling out all the soldiers between the agiiS bffgO.and 35, officers up to 60, and generals up to "70 years of age.

Measures are being taken for fortifying Parisagainst a siege. Qeneral Trpcnu has ordered the expulsion from Paris cf ali individuals having no ostensible means of; living. He. alsoordered all persons belonging to nationalities at war with. France to leave the while it was iu a state of sieged aha said i/hey had'better quit France or dive. beyond the Loire. . t . f The Committee for Defence'haV decided to burn the crop produced ill .the Departments of the Marne and the advance of the Prussians. " 1 I,;.". »- The French say their loss in the battle on the 16tli was io,uooi Fighting was reported to be going on on the 28th at Stunay, near Belgiuin ;• nnd the Belgian troops to be under orders to proceed to the frontier. • - -.—i r :;:ajxYr The statement made by the ' ? rimes ' frhat the Empress Kngenie had. asked the to mediate has been contradicted. it is rumored that the Emperor is mentally ill and infirm. ' Baron M. Lusseps is gazetted an Honorable K.Gr.C.S.Gv " t, ,-^arfo Italy has called out two more classes for the army, and has asked for a credit of 40 millions to provide for the safety of the kingdom. Mazzini has been arrested ac Paler mo> *io President Grant has issued a proclamation enjoining the strictest neutrality. •, ihe Emperor surrendered to King William, who sent him as a prisoner to .Wilhelnßhoe,. near Cassel. <■ ? The Empress is in Belgium, and the Prince Imperial is ill at Namur. Tiie Parisians are in a state of great excitement, and are determined to defend Paris to the very last. Count Bismarck, accompanied by the Crown Princes of Saxony and Prussia and King William, is now marching direct on Paris. yO,OOO French prisoners hate been sent to Germany. M'Mahon wis again- defeated, undj-driven back into Sed&t, after five days' dfesper&te , fighting j; fearful slaughter occurred j : Sedan capitulated. M'Mahon was mid bis whole army are prisoners of war. Tiie Emperor Napoleon surrendered, and > asked- the King of Prussia to see liixa, and appoint a residence. America is neutral, but shows, strong sympathies with the, Germane. Russia, Austria, and Italy are jealous of Prussia, a > , ' There has been awful carnage dniffig the month's , fighting. , 100,b00qwer«j ]'killed. and 'wounded.at Metz alone. ' 1, *" Two English colliers have been fired ait by French ironclads at Heligoland.! ,;