tion. he preserved his forces while sacrificing the town, After his entry into Orleans, General von der "French Citizens,-As I wish to alleviate, as far as trary, your Government which, by its way of acting, brings the German armies necessarily into the heart of France, brings ruin thither, and will succeed, if it persists, in really degrading la belle France, which might be the best friend of the very nation whom she has forced to fight her." Victorious generals do not usually condescend to argue the abstract merits of the war they are waging with the people they have subjugated; and perhaps it is as well that they should forbear. What General von der Tann could have hoped to gain by this lecturing it is difficult to conceive. He could hardly have thought to allay national susceptibilities by telling the people that they were not only beaten, but deserved to be. General Schmerling, after the defeat of the French at St. Rémy, in which he took part with his Landwehr division on the 6th of October, marched on Epinal, which was not far distant, and captured it on the 12th. The population is about 15,000, and the citizens defended the place for some time, but were ultimately obliged to retreat, on account of the superior strength of the German artillery. A good many Freeshooters were in the neighbourhood of the town previous to the attack; but on the approach of the enemy they fled, without giving any warning to the people of Epinal. The town was bombarded for a short time, and then thought it prudent to surrender, the National Guard (who seem to have fought well) falling back across the Monts Faucilles, in the direction of Kertigny. Epinal is the prinlies in my power, the fate of the population visited with cipal town and administrative centre of the departthe evils of war, I appeal to their good sense in the ment of the Vosges. The Army of the Rhone was hope that the sincerity of my words will not fail to open their eyes to the existing state of things, and de- again defeated on October 22nd, when General termine them to range themselves on the side of the Cambriels, at the head of two divisions, disputed reasonable party, desirous of making peace. Your late the passage of the river Ognon. The force opposed Government declared war against Germany. Never to him was the 14th Corps, under General Werder. was a declaration of war more frivolous. The German On the march from Vesoul, the capital of the dearmies could do nothing else than reply to it by cross-partment of the Haute Saône, up to the district of ing the frontier. Another Government succeeded. It the Ognon, the Baden division was obliged to was hoped that it would restore peace; but it has done dispute the hilly ground almost step by step; and nothing of the kind. And why? It feared to render in the neighbourhood of the villages of Rioz and itself unpopular, and, under the pretence that the conditions proposed by the German army were not acceptEtuz, General Cambriels energetically opposed the able, it preferred to continue a war which can only lead further advance of the 14th Corps. General Degento the ruin of France. And what are the conditions of feld's vanguard brigade sustained the engagement the victorious army which it was deemed impossible to until Prince William of Baden's and General Keller's accept? The restitution of provinces which belonged infantry brigades came up to its support. The conto Germany, and in which the German language still test was long and obstinate; but in the end the prevails, in the towns as well as in the country-viz., French were driven across the river, compelled to Alsace and German Lorraine. Is this claim an exquit the village of Auxon-dessus, which they had aggerated one? What claims would victorious France have made? You have been told that the aim of the temporarily occupied, and forced back to Besançon. operations of the German armies was to degrade They were pursued by the 3rd Rhenish Infantry France. This is simply a lie, invented in order to Regiment, drawn from the reserve. On the followexcite the passions of the masses. It is, on the con- ing day the Germans made an unsuccessful attack on the positions of Châtillon-le-Duc, to the north of Besançon, which town, the head-quarters of the French General Ernest, had been occupied by the invaders on the 22nd. The Army of the Rhone fell back in consequence; but the Prussians retired from Besançon on the 24th. was a woman. Meyerbeer, the composer, proceeded to the townhall, and held a conference with the municipal authorities, while the Sub-Prefect (M. Dehays) was led under escort to the Prefecture, where the Prussians informed him that they were in possession of circulars which said that a revision of the conscripts was to take place that day in Andelys, and that the young men must be given up to them (the Prussians). M. Dehays, however, what occurred; but he had much trouble in making the Prussians understand this. The latter asked the Sub-Prefect for official maps of the country, but M. Dehays replied that he had burned them. Enraged at this intelligence, and disappointed in not receiving the conscripts, they then told the SubPrefect that they would take him to Gisors, and place him at the disposal of Prince Albrecht, an aide-de-camp of whom, and a nephew of Count Bismarck, had presided over these perquisitions. M. Dehays was accordingly taken to Gisors, and brought before the Prince, by whom he was accused of having made war unfairly. Prince Albrecht represented to the Sub-Prefect that the peasantry had fired on the Prussian soldiers during the fight at Gisors, and that he had organised a body of irregular troops. M. Dehays answered that he was acting under orders, and was therefore merely doing his duty. "Prince Albrecht then said," adds the report, "that he should send the SubPrefect back, under condition that he should tell the Mayors of towns in his district that, if no resistance were made, Prince Albrecht would do no harm, but that if the peasants fired on his troops he would burn the villages. The Sub-Prefect replied that he could not use his influence in such service. 'Your influence!' exclaimed the Prince; let me not find it again opposed to me. You are waging unfair war. Nevertheless, you are free; but remember the warning!'" While these events were going on in the East, the Germans were making equal progress in the North. They continued to occupy the Beauvais district, and to levy requisitions in various direc-had countermanded the meeting in anticipation of tions. Gisors, in the department of the Eure, was taken by the Prussians on the 9th of October, after an engagement in which the National Guards of the town and of Bazencourt gallantly defended the passage of the Epte, while the Mobiles ran away. The French lost eight men killed, and ten prisoners. Five others were shot, "according to the iniquitous system of our enemies," says the report of the Prefect, "who treat as military men only those who are equipped and commanded by a recognised chief." Among those mortally wounded After the surrender of Gisors to the Prussians, General Gudin, commander at Rouen, withdrew his forces, consisting chiefly of Mobile Guards and Francs-tireurs, to the Andelle valley, intending, with the assistance of the National Guards of that locality, to oppose the invaders; but the National Guards of Andelys, only half of whom were armed and equipped, and who had heard of the fate of the non-mobilised National Guards shot by the enemy at Gisors, determined not to defend themselves "under the circumstances of abandonment in which they were placed." Forty Uhlans passed through Andelys on the 14th, with a view to ascertaining if the bridge across the Seine had been destroyed. They found that it had just been blown up by the gendarmes, who, together with fifty men of the 94th Infantry, had retreated, leaving their knapsacks behind them. No requisition was made by the Prussians, who returned disappointed; but five days later, viz., on the 19th, about half-past nine o'clock in the morning, their approach to Andelys was announced. "At ten," says the report, "the vanguard entered the town, and asked for the Sub-Prefect. They wanted the Sub-Prefect and the Mayor to proceed to meet the colonel in command of the detachment. The officials refused to do so, and waited at the entrance of Andėlys. Soon afterwards the surrounding hills were occupied by cavalry, artillery, and infantry (these last troops were in carts, for which requisition had been made in the communes around Gisors); about 600 men altogether." The colonel in command of the detachment, whose name was Baron von Gorf, and who was a son-in-law of Many other towns were threatened and kept on the alert; and, on the 13th, Breteuil, in the department of the Oise, was occupied, after a very slight encounter with the Mobile Guards to whom was entrusted the defence of the place. Requisitions had been made the day before by a body of 2,000 Prussians, who, however, withdrew in the evening towards Beauvais and Clermont. On the following morning they commenced their attack at eleven o'clock. Their numbers are variously stated at 1,500 and 2,500 men, with cavalry, seven guns, and two mitrailleuses. The 4th Battalion of Mobiles of the Somme, who are said to have hardly numbered 1,200 men, advanced to meet the enemy. A skirmish followed; but it seems to have been of the briefest and slightest description, for the Mobiles, perceiving that they had to fight against the Royal Prussian Guards, supported by ten artillery pieces, retreated towards Amiens, still firing on the Prussians. The shots from the German guns fortunately passed over their heads, or probably few would have remained to carry the news of their discomfiture. After some cannon-shots had been fired on the town, the inhabitants sent a flag of truce, and the Prussians entered Breteuil. The National Guards of the town were at once disarmed, and the enemy took possession of all the silver plate and valuables that could be found. A few of the Mobiles were killed and wounded, and thirty-two Mobile and National Guards were made prisoners, and taken to Beauvais. The Prussians themselves hardly suffered at all in the trifling engagement which placed Breteuil at their disposal. On the 21st the Germans took possession of Chartres (south-west of Paris), with 20,000 troops and forty guns, but allowed the French garrison to depart, and refrained from making any requisitions; and on the same day they entered Jargeau, near Orleans, blew up the bridge at Clery, and encamped round Beaugency. Châteaudun, to the north-west of Orleans, was captured on the 18th, after many hours' hard fighting. The officer in command, in a report addressed to the Tours Government, estimated the German force at 6,000 infantry, 1,500 cavalry, and two batteries; but this appears to have been overstated. Opposed to these were the Paris battalion, the National Guards of the place, and a few Freeshooters from Nantes and Cannes. They prolonged the defence at the barricades from noon till seven in the evening, when the Prussians forced their way in. The struggle, however, was continued in the streets until near midnight; but the French were at length overcome by the larger numbers and superior artillery of their adversaries. Many lives were lost on both sides, and the town was shelled and burnt down. Under cover of the darkness the defending force was able to get off, at the same time protecting the flight of the inhabitants. The defence was so gallant that the Tours Government issued a decree with reference to it. "Considering," said this decree, "that, in the attack of the 18th, Châteaudun resisted heroically a considerable body of Prussian troops, who occupied the town only after it had been bombarded and reduced to ashes, and specially acknowledging the energy and patriotism of the Sedentary National Guards and the bravery of the Francs-tireurs of Paris, the Government decrees that Châteaudun has deserved well of the country, and a credit of 100,000f. has been opened to repair the damages." Châteaudun is the chief town of the second arrondissement of the department of Eure-et-Loire, and is situated on a hill above the river, which at that point flows in two branches through a narrow and very beautiful valley, bounded by hills thickly covered with vines and plantations. The town was rebuilt on a regular plan in the year 1723, after a great fire which destroyed nearly the whole place. The streets, which are all straight, end in a spacious square on the summit of the hill. The castle from which the town is named is an ancient and picturesque structure, one of the towers of which was built in 935 by Thibault le Tricheur. A magnificent view of the surrounding country is obtained from this castle, or château, and there are few fairer landscapes in France. The town has about 7,000 inhabitants, and manufactures of blankets and leather are carried on there. To set against these misfortunes, the French obtained some successes. An attempt to surprise Ecouis, in the department of Eure, on the 14th, was a failure. The French had about 200 Francstireurs and Mobiles, and seventy-six Hussars, in the neighbouring woods. These, while retreating from the town, were attacked by four or five squadrons of Uhlans and some infantry, coming from three or four different directions. So good a reply, however, was made, that the French were enabled to get clear off, and the Prussians thought it prudent to retire from the place. On the 22nd there was an engagement in the forest of Hecourt, when some scouts from the battalions of the Ardèche, and a body of Freeshooters, repulsed the enemy. On the 28th a Baden corps was completely defeated between Besançon and Montbeliard, and 300 of the men were compelled to take refuge in Switzerland,* and, on the same day, 1,200 Prussians, who went to Formerie, in the department of the Oise, to cut the rail between Amiens and Rouen, were repulsed after an engagement with Mobiles, and forced to retire upon ongeons, after which the traffic was restored. The occupation of St. Quentin by the Prussians, on the 21st of October, seems to have been merely for the purpose of collecting war contributions. A body of troops presented themselves in the town, and asked for a sum of two million francs, under penalty of the place being pillaged. The members of the Municipal Council were declared prisoners of war; but they succeeded in obtaining a reduction of the original demand. The Prussians said they would be contented with a sum of 900,000 francs and fifty horses; and ultimately, not con* This was denied by the Germans. sidering the horses good enough, they took 950,000 francs. The officers and soldiers were lodged with the inhabitants; and the conditions imposed provided that each man was to be comfortably and substantially fed, and to receive a bottle of wine a day. On the following morning half the garrison left St. Quentin, in order to reinforce the corps which was to besiege La Fère. A thousand Prussians remained at St. Quentin, and five hundred more watched the neighbouring roads. Directly they had obtained possession of the town, the invaders ordered, under penalty of death, that arms of all kinds should be delivered up to them; and the following notices were placarded on the walls: "Very Important Notice. The German military authority informs the public that should a shot be fired on a single German soldier, six inhabitants will be shot. St. Quentin, Oct. 21." in German territory. The former also had been German up to the conquests of Louis XIV. which transferred Alsace to France; and it is now once more a portion of Germany, owing to the victories of 1870 and 1871. The town was strongly fortified by Vauban, and was regarded by France as one of her protecting outposts towards the east. One of the last acts of Marshal Niel, before his death, was to put the fortress in good order. The regular siege of Verdun began on the 13th of October. This fortress stands on the river Meuse, in the department of the same name, at a point where the stream (which flows through the town in five branches, uniting outside the fortifications) begins to be navigable. The town is 145 miles east from Paris, 120 west of the Rhine, and 40 west of Metz, and is defended by a citadel constructed by Vauban, and by ten detached redoubts. It is not a very strong place, however, and is only reckoned as a fortress of the fourth class; for it is commanded by the adjacent hills, which are lofty, and the river is fordable in several parts. The population is 14,000, and the garrison at the time of the siege consisted of 7,000 men of all arms. Verdun was besieged by the Emperor Charles V. of Germany, who was ultimately compelled to retire ; but in 1792 it was taken by the Prussians, after a bombardment of fifteen hours, and subsequently evacuated by them. From 1803 to 1814 the town was often present to English minds as one of the places of detention of our countrymen imprisoned The force occupying St. Quentin was part of the by Buonaparte when the war again broke out in army of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg. By the the former of those years; but from 1814 to 1870 morning of the 23rd the invaders had gone, and, its annals contain no facts of mark. It was now in combination with the small army which had been taken in hand by the Prussians with their usual besieging La Fère, were hurriedly retreating. They energy. On the evening of the 11th of October left behind them at St. Quentin, however, a supe-all obstacles were cleared away from the ground rior official charged with the administration of the town in conjunction with the municipality. "French Republic. - Notice.—The undersigned colonel, commanding the German troops at St. Quentin, makes it known to the inhabitants that the administration of the town will provisionally remain in the hands of the municipal committee. If, however, after the departure of the troops, fresh treacherous demonstrations or disturbances of any kind should take place, so as to necessitate the return of the troops, the most rigorous measures will be resorted to against the town, higher contributions will have to be paid, and every individual compromised or suspected will be punished with death.-St. Quentin, Oct. 22, 1870.-The Colonel commanding the troops, VON KAHLDEN.” The investment of Neu Breisach, which commenced on the 9th of October, was completed by the 13th, when the number of Prussians drawn up before it was about 5,000. Their lines formed a semicircle, of which the extreme points rested on the Rhine; and it was singular to observe the peasantry working calmly in the fields in the midst of all these warlike operations. A sortie of the garrison was attempted early on the morning of the 16th, when 2,000 troops advanced against the besiegers under cover of a dense fog, but were driven back. The place suffered considerably from the bombardment, yet it was not speedily reduced. Neu Breisach is in the department of the Upper Rhine, and is situated about a mile from the west side of the river, opposite Old Breisach, which is lying between the besiegers and the fortress, where the French had collected stores of potatoes, and whence they had been accustomed to reconnoitre the position of the German batteries. The Fusilier Battalion of the 65th Prussian Regiment was ordered to take possession of the various villages and farm-buildings in the immediate neighbourhood of the fortress. A little place called Regret was the first position seized by the attacking force. It was situated between the German outposts and the fortress, and had for some time been an object of contention between the two armies. On the present occasion the French appear to have made no attempt to defend it; but they vigorously disputed the possession of Thierville, and the resistance of the men by whom the village was held was seconded by the great guns on the ramparts. The place, however, was ultimately captured by the Prussians, |