27 AUGUST 1870, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE WAR.

THE melancholy monotony of French disaster has been unbroken through the week, though at its close there has come, as we read the situation, one faint streak of light.

The battle of the 18th inst., now called the battle of Rezon- vile, ended, as was believed, in the defeat of Marshal Bazaine, the King, after terrible sacrifices of men, driving him off his ground and under the guns of Metz; where he has entrenched himself, not in the fortress, but outside it, and awaits help from a quarter we hope to indicate below. He has lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners 50,000 men ; but he has, as we calculate, still 80,000 men with him, "the nucleus of the Army of France ;" and by keeping his troops on half-rations of bread, and starving the citizens, and eating his baggage-horses, of which he must have thousands, he may keep his army in strength at least till the end of the month, by which time he will be released or will be destroyed. For five days Baron von Moltke occupied himself in posting an army, defended by trenches, completely round Metz and the Marshal's camp, thus compelling him either to capitulate or attack the Germans in position ; and then, at last relieved from fear of the Army of the Rhine, the King "resolutely commenced his march for Paris." On the 25th he was at Bar-le-Duc, and from the telegrams forwarded to Paris, appeared to be about to take the lower and shorter route upon the capital. How many men he has with him, or how many he has left at Metz, it is impossible to state with any precision ; but it is known that the "second line" of German reserves has been rolling forwards toward him day and night, even Munich having forwarded her quota, and correspondents in Germany assert, with a confidence which impresses, if it does not convince us, that every vacant place has been refilled. If that is the case, and the original German statistics were true, the King may have withdrawn Steinmetz's Army of 70,000 and 100,000 men from that of the Red Prince, and still leave 150,000 men in position around Metz. We, however, though we quote these numbers as official, admit that they overtax our credulity, and prefer to believe that the King, leaving about four corps or 120,000 round Metz, has with him an army somewhat less than that.,of the Crown Prince, by whose side, at a distance of thirty miles, but in full com- munication, he is marching upon Paris. The Crown Prince himself, with his army, allowed on all hands to approach 150,000 men, passed Chalons on the evening of the 24th, moving apparently northward through the Camp, distant about eighteen miles,

His direction cannot as yet be clearly ascertained, for it must depend upon another movement, about which all autho- rities have throughout the week been ardently disputing. It appears to be certain that Comte de Palikao and General Trochu, while forming a camp at Lyons composed of the old soldiers of the South, and arming the citizens and Gardes Mobiles of Paris, have been urging forward all troops not in- dispensable to hold down Paris, all old soldiers from the North, and a regiment or two of Volunteer Sharpshooters, with all provisions obtainable, to Chalons, where Marshal MacMahon had collected a very considerable army. It was believed that the Marshal intended to fight here, where the Prussians would have no advantage of woods or position or, it might be, numbers ; but on the 22nd the Marshal suddenly raised his camp, and marched at immense speed to Rheims, and thence on the 23rd inst., as reported by the able correspondent of the Daily News, towards Bethel. It was believed at first that this movement was a mere retreat, more especially as M. Jeannerod, the experienced correspondent of the Temps, had reported that the Emperor and the Army as proceeding towards Laon. M. Jeannerod, however, is evidently on the best of terms with Marshal MacMahon, or he dare not say the things he does about the injury inflicted on the troops by the presence of the Em- peror; he may have published this report under an arrangement with head-quarters ; the English evidence points to a different plan, and there are considerations not strictly strategical which sometimes govern Generals. A31 France would regard another retreat as evidence of the irresistible strength of the Germans, and the Army of France would never cease to revile the Marshal of France who, when relief was even possible, suffered a beleaguered French army to pass under the Caudine Forks. Bazaine's capitulation would break the very heart of France, which has since the Revolution but once witnessed such a humiliation as the surrender of an army in the field. With the march of the King to Bar-le-Duc a possibility of relieving Metz opened itself before MacMahon, and may have seemed far more flattering than it is. He probably does not believe that Paris is defensible ; he has no means of knowing the extent of the German reinforcements ; and he probably hopes that if by possibility he can reach Montmedy, so as to make from thence a furious attack upon the Prussians, whilst Bazaine breaks out towards him from his entrenchments, he may save the Army of the Rhine. The at- tempt is nearly hopeless, for the game has to be played against a player who forgets nothing—the terrible Baron who, it is said, explained to the Crown Prince before the frontier was crossed every event that has yet occurred—that is, of course, who has resolved to carry out his fixed plans, be the losses what they may. The Marshal must move at his highest speed, or the Crown Prince may strike him down, and speed means loss of men and means; he has to pass right through Prussian outposts announced on Friday to extend from Stenay to Varennes,. and able even if they are only cavalry, to inform Prince- Frederick Charles of the approaching foe; and even if he reaches his object in time, he may well find his enemy too strong for both himself and Bazaine. His own men are evidently in bad order ; the commissariat, as usual, has. gone wrong—else why the scene reported by M. Jeannerod, the men plundering their own officers f—and his first enemy may be a most dangerous one, General von Falkenstein, the stern, officer who crushed Hanover, who till recently commanded oir the coast, but who, when the Baltic expedition was abandoned; was ordered to the front with two corps, and was seen by correspondent of the Scotsman moving forward "upon Thion- ville," that is, as we presume, towards Verdun. Nevertheless, the attempt, though almost rash amidst so many difficulties, has about it a certain grandeur of audacity with which it is as impossible not to sympathize as it is not to admire the- " Cavalry officer" who at Phalsburg, with his town in flames, and his communications cut off, and surrounded by German troops, coolly declares that he shall surrender when he cannot fire, and not one moment before. If MacMahon succeeds he will rouse France to a frenzy of enthusiasm, and make peace lighter ; and if he fails,--n ell, a Marshal of France will have

in the saddle instead of capitulating. Marshals of France should die so, and the terms of peace will not be the heavier for that.

For the rest, the outlook is dark indeed. General Trochu is said to be putting Paris in a state of defence, ordering out dangerous persons and persons without means, repairing forti- fications, and bidding Gardes Mobiles (by general order of Thursday) bear their present sufferings and expect more ; but it is clear that Paris is not provisioned—else why the mad threat to burn three departments unless the farmers bring in their stocks f—clear that Paris is doubtful of its power ; clear, above all, that the Chamber obeys a double purpose,—wishes

to be a Convention, but hesitates to decree a cleche'ance ; desires to resist, but fears to arm the people ; dreads the Germans, but dreads almost more the outbreak of a social,

war and a massacre of the rich. Should MacMahon rescue Bazaine, there may be a burst of enthusiasm which will make all Paris not indeed defend itself against a siege—for that we maintain to be an impossibility,—but risk one more battle in the open, try, probably for the last time in history, whether or no courage and enthusiasm can compensate for want of organization. Should MacMahon, however, miss his aim, and the regular army collapse, as in that case it must do, while King William and his forces roll slowly but irresistibly up to the walls of Paris, we expect to see the substratum of acute practical sense never wanting to a French mind come to the top, and the Parisians prepare to obtain the best terms pro- curable for their country. They will accept the inevitable before instead of after a useless and wasteful pouring-out of life.