We have received this week full reports from the very
admirable letters of the Times' special correspondent with the Army of the Duke of Mecklenburg, of the nature of the four days' fighting on the Loire, at Beaugency, on the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th December, and of the subsequent march after General Chanzy and his army in the direction of Le Mans. These letters show tlr,t General Chanzy completely puzzled the Duke of Mecklenburg an.ci his staff ; that he fought four days in succession, and so hard that the Germans gained no ground worth talking of, and had to send for heavy reinforcements, to their own great dismay ; that when they expected him to rest he attacked them ; that when they expected him to attack he was gone, no one knew at first whither ; that he marched just whither he pleased, and in excellent order ; that he did please to march north-west towards Le Mans ; and that on the march he turned and fought on the 14th December a severe action at Freteval, in which, in the opinion of the corre- spondent, neither side had gained any advantage at the time his letter left. We know from other sources that General Chanzy evacuated Vendame on the 16th, at his leisure, not under the enemy's fire, though the Germans claim to have captured six guns there, probably left in the narrow streets ; and that in all probability his advanced guard effected a junction with the Breton army of Le Mans last Sunday (18th December). Since then we have had no news of him, and it would almost appear that the Duke of Mecklenburg did not venture to follow him beyond VendOme.
