NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Southland Times, Issue 1344, 6 December 1870, Page 2

NEWS BY THE MAIL.

, THE WAR E& EtQJtQBE. kail was^broupj; .^(M^^S; Which left' Port Phill^^Wfepn^e? 9 .f ult/wd^^ved afesthe^luftab&iitt^idday on Sunday. The information conveyed is meagre and unsatisfactory, the.fact-that, for . some time Paris had been so isolated as to be unable 'to^ommunicate with the coast. To that ■causeT only^can we attribute the non-ari^ valofour Paris letter, so that we are -entirely indebted to our files and supplementary telegrams^ the former down- to. the 7th October, and the latter to the 31st. The dates referred to jn the subjoined extracts all refer to the month' of October. — • ,- rr :y ry 7~ T f{ The Times urges a peace on the basis of the dismantlin-jof the Alsace and Lorraine fortresses, and. a treaty with^ England similar to the recent' Belgian triple treaty. -— A circular from the Tours Government denies that Liberal 'Frauce desired conquest, and says that it -is not-- opposed' ta -efrprmaux mxitj, wv. y»w»—fcH At .Bismarck., wishes to reduce France vo a second-rate power. Negoeiations for peace are rumored to have been, commenced on the basis of the" cession of Alsace and Luxembourg to > (Jermany. '''■ ":": • I" ; . Bismarck is reported to insist on, the following" conditions -—That France shall pay to Germany an indemnity of 80 millions sterling, and that Alsace and Lorraine shall be declared neutral territory, with a plebiscite ten years, afterwards, atid that the signatures to the peace shall •be made at Paris: 1 The rejection ! drthese conditions is reported, though Jules Fa vre i considered them acceptable. -• i A circular issued by the I French Government repudiates the responsibility of the war, and states that France is desirous ofj a durable- peace. . -. „ ... „ - ) . •. " ' Great warlike preparations are in progress throughout Russia.' Field' telegraphs and medical reserves are being organised . Troops are being massed on thel frontier, and the.demdnstrations are supposed to threaten Turkey. ;.: .-. >^.[-...:z : England proposes an armistice, .to^allow t^e French Assembly to meet. / Austria and Italy support this proposal;.' Russia similarly acted, but separately, and not in conjunction with th£ otker : pWera .named. Prussia has signified its : Willingness to agree to the armistice, provided the principle of the cession n o§ the territories is admitted. Government are supposed to be favorable, but the Paris officials are opposed" to the cession of any territory. Berlin ministerial journals -do nb't anticipate'a'favorable result' to' the> negotiations for an armistice, - Thtex-cpn^ider^ the first coudition of peace should be the -~^~. u^tio, a _ojLA-JiO-aatitiiant Assembly, and that the! "territorial ;'deman(nshould not be abandoned. ■■- - The French fleet suddenly returned to watch the Elbe. • . . , . /■ The Francs-tireurs are harras3ing the German rear and' their line of communication. ' The German forces •in V. . Frauce are estimated at 650,000, more than half of whom are round.Pari.s. ... -, ..,■■. . : , The Tours Government are receiving encouraging intelligeacfr -relative to-the-energy of the population in re-organising the army. ..:..': . ; ./ . .i '■ : i Garibaldi arrived at Marseilles, on the Bth, and was warmly received by the Government' at Tours on the 9fch. He was appointed commander of all the vol.unteers of France. 0 , He arrived at Besan9on on the 16th, $n : route for , the Vosges to command the irregulars'. i; It is reported that Turkey and -Greece have concluded- an offensive andi defensive allianceagainst any power threatening the conquest of the Bast. - : : :The Germans threaten 'the departments ; with- armed; bands, enforcing . in each department a : contribution of a million franies: : • Thß Prussians are inykding isTormandy and Southern France. J ~ Fighting is proceeding at Epernon,. Bambouillet^nd . Tou^yAwith- varying •The Frencli Were ? dfefeaied'ai'Artenay,' Josing 1000 prisoners J ' --'■) - ' On the. 13th the Prussians occupied Orleans,' driving the French' across the :JiP>re. I General Delamotteris^ superseded by Greneral Palardine, ;On the 18th the Prussians destroyed the bridge at Beaugency, and were preparing to cross the Loire. The Frericn- being 'reinJorce'd, a grea£baftleiis T expected. ./. i . : . . /. : r .7 .< /. . ; ;. * '■■ A contribution of- 600^000 francs was "levied on Orleans.- 1 — j* -/ -1 M ! In tjie i; north-west the Prussians .have advanced to near iiouen, . . ' Soiasons capitulated on the. 15th, after /four .days' pbstiriate defence. '4000 prisoderai knd' 132 guns' were^ taken.' 1 .! . '' ; Siont ■'A. contribution of 50,000 fraoics: was. ,im> : poßed. ■'*■ •;'■• ■''■ :■::'■:■'!■: l .'■ .i.-.-.-ij.j. uur; '{■ [ ChateaudW, Gha'rtres/ind St; Q,ul?ntin : 'we're "taken bh If the r^SlstJ^ Obtober, When 2iooo,ooofr. were levied." " a •- •- «•:■- --i Latterly the Prussians -in the north .have been retiring,; and; concentrating on Laon.- „ .......';.. r S , , r ... ..-• ...,.-, j In ihe south, they threaten- ah advance * on Bourges. " j The 1 Baden -troops routed the Francs-' tfreurs in the -! Vosges; taking 60 officers and 600 men. — .• , ;:::^ „:, „-^ \ \ Active, preparations , are, made . for. the^ cje^ence' i of * Besancpn and Lyons.'' - j Th i on ville 'is vigorously besieged. | Sickness-in— the-teoops-and -riuderpestajmongst the horses eiist round Metz. i .Gteiieraljßpurbaki MtMeJgKwitihji^e. ; Prussian consent on a secret mission to' -tpe Emp^ess, l 'bWarrrVeli'at2Tours ] on the l:2fch,'aud\was .aQpoioted^ to. ;i the command o-f the forces in the north, with neadc[uarfcers at Lillg, :;^£ « vr

Th? emir? eownv*^ is ?W ?■-.'< to B?x»tt de Polhc* T Ti- w*i.q:a':Ta > t Bourses The ?rM ia^>!^G-l-'>>:bc.:4«n*.r>-command of Gen. CambnelfhaiMl^uarteri being at^B.esanc^on.,' 1 The, garrison of Montane" dyraade a sortie onthea4tih^nd|icaptured : the Prussian garrison at 'Stenay " • - The siege of - on • the ISth^Tfie doai>na^at defelared oa^? : the26bnH^^V^||W%a 1; t0 th»dast. ' The municipality isNEaisiiig a corps of artillery and engineers. - The armistice-granted to-Mezieres~ ex- * pirea on the 22nd. The garrison numbers 5000. "The bombardment will commence'shortly. . Forty-eight thousand Germans, with siege artillery, are investing Bitsche. _ • STeufßrisace is invested by. 5000 Badeners. A sortie made on the 16th was repnlsed. In a Bucceß9fttl sortie on the 20th, 200 Germans were, killed, and 2,400 . prisoners and 120 guns 'were taken with Bhelstadtonthe*24fch: . • ? "jAn army corps occupied Epinal on the 10th, and advanced to Vesdul on the 18th. Severe fighting -took- place- on the 22nd, when the French were driven back to Besariijon; 18 officers and 200 men captured. Lyons is provisioned for a two months* siege, but the extreme party there ia giting trouble.- •. vl W •■"- ir . General Boyer rarrived; at the beadquarters of Prince Frederick Charles from Metz on the 16th, and afterwards proceeded to Versailles to negotiate a capitulation. ( He toad two interviews* witb/* Bismarck, and returned with the terms agreed upon on the 20th. French desertions from Metz "nave increased largely,---1 through hunger. Marshal .Bazaihe ipro- . ■< p^sed that th« original garrison, saonld be. *. left at Metz, and that-his own army ahotild' leave under a promisja "not to fight for 3, months., The^p.roposal !vrai refused.' " The 1 Prusattna , have j prepared provisions for MetZ.' /.-.:-: .-:t •: T.-.":j-:f -O . ] The .^Busaians pfogndsticate terrible consequences by famine, Paris and the country r roi^n4 J?eing Restitute , of fj^ii\\ visions. ' * i Several Prussian -earthworks were -de--Btroyed;dn-thel3th.:i"'• :nrp - J 6^iT- K , \ The French sheUed and destroyed Plalace at St. Cldud. Their soi^e^raf , a r^pulispf tf>yO .the> Prugßi^, . iwho/, aremaintaining the r defensiye tijl -|he bom. bard ment commences. The .investing. army is" receiving rteinfbrcem^n^s/"' 1 A> "'' " ■ The French reporr-^~l)rilliant .sortie r from Basneux on'the'-13th? 3 -"i T> i; '^- v "-^ ': The Prussians l a tta&toft?tii& idutlyin? positions on the night" '6f itheT.lSth, but were .repulsed. ■The: >are resolute. --■ :_ r . , r , On the 19th a heavy J eannonadd" and: sorEie~fdok""place tOnrards" ehevilly: ~ Ori<thej2lst a sjwtier wag re.pulsedifrpar ; ; Mont Valerien in powerful force. For three hours the fighting continued, and hundreds of-prisonera and twa gunSjWera captured. by the Prussians'. s ''^ .-'■ -■>T... The botnbarcimfent is delayed Jbyne-; gotiation. _^i__ ■ \_i : '• All the s Prussian press express peaceful sentiments. „ „ \ • ■.. • ' ! " The surrender^of Metz is unconditional. The officers are qri parole. The G^rmins" having evaeuated'Vesoul, and, proceeding westward, had some skirmishing, between ' that - place "and, Amiens^ .'Heavy firing was heardrj n one quarter of Paris on the 25thv _The English press counsel tg_ France the necessity of submission. Six thousand officers' were -'taken "at Metz. The official Gazette ~of -Berlin sa^s that - -both from a 1 military and' strategetic point ' of view it is necessary -. to ;firmly retain , Metz as a defensive -bulwark. ' The correct account of prisoners .taken at Metz is given at a total of 173,000. The Prussians are now at Granvilliers, , near Amiens. 1 ' V J ./;_ ..;.. _'.;/.-;,..'/ A .'French^ decree' orders ij^eimayors, . organise a complete system of observation r of the movements of the enemyv • -. ., - f ;The Gardes Mobiles, repulsed ' 1,200 Prussians ,wnile r attempting to v cut the Amien's^'audE'ouen i Railway." ! ' r V - Prtrssia; — Bussiar-and — Austria— ha»e — agreed to the Jcandidaturo/ of rthß. rPrince Amadeus, second son-of-the King of Italy, to the throne of ' Spain.- • ; A flying , column of captured GOO.Franc-tireurs and Mobiles with ; mitrailleuses . between Nangis and I\Tnnl^rftfl.n.- -_^ ■■•■ . . , . ... ■:-,;':;,: The circular of Gambetta : denounces < the "surrender of ; Metis as iacrimei and byauthority- beyond pale of law. Advices fr.om Versailles state that the French~di*ove~ the— Prussian -outposts -oa- - the 28th to St;- Denis^ pccupying the position a' considerable force. The Prussjans retook it, on ,,.the 3Qth, . after, a _ r brilliant fight; in which tliey captured 30 i_ officers *n.cL J,,2D0 prispners.^ The losses on both' sides .were' heavy. "