Wrexham and Denbighshire Advertiser and Cheshire Shropshire and North Wales Register

THE WAR. THE MARSEILLAISE." The great French revolutionary song has now become nationalised, and is sung as freely throughout France as it was in the days of the great revolution. Its history is little known in this country. It was composed by Rouget de l'lsle, a young artillery officer. The tradition is that he offended his royalist relatives by his republican ten- dencies, and when he became invalided, and retired to Marseilles, he was in great poverty. He attempted to earn money by composing songs, but could find no pur- chasers. At length, in despair, he resolved on suicide, bought charcoal and went to his miserable lodging, lighted the charcoal, and laid himself down to die. In the meantime, however, a distinguished singer, then at the height of her popularity, in Marseilles, and who happened to live next door to the unfortunate musician, had heard him humming the now famous song, and in his ahsence had obtained a copy. On this night, when lie was at the point of death, she, with a brief preface, sang for the first time in public the "Marseillaise." It was caught up with the wildest enthusiasm, and the singer, followed by her audience repeating the glorious song as they went, proceeded to the house of its dying author, and arrived just in time to awaken him to life and fame. Although no correct idea can be given in English of the song in the original, the following may be regarded as a fair rendering:- Come, children of our country, come, New glory dawns upon the world, Our tyrants rushing to their doom, Their bloody standard have nnfurl'd Already on our plains we hear The murmurs of a savage horde They threaten with the nmnlcroiw sword Your comrades and your children dear. Then up, and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand March on—his craven blood must fertilise the land. Those banded serfs—what would they have, By tyrant kings together brought ? Whom are those fetters to enslave Which long ago their hands have wrought ? You Frenchmen, you, they would enchain— Doth not the thought your bosoms lire ? The ancient bondage they desire To force upon your necks again. Then up, and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand; March on-his craven blood must fertilise the land. Those marshalled foreigners—shall they Make laws to reach the Frenchman' hearth? Shall hireling troops who fight for pay Strike down our warriors to the earth ? God I shall we bow beneath the weight Of hands that slavish fetters wear ? Shall ruthless despots once more dare To be the masters of our faje ? Then up, and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand; March on—his craven blood must fertilise the land. Then tremble tyrants—traitors all— Ye whom both friends and foes despise On you shall retribution fall, Your crimes shall gain a worthy prize. Each man opposes might to might! And when our youthful heroes die, Our France can well their place supply We're soldiers all with you to tight. Then up and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand March on-his craven bloocl must fertilise the land. Yet, generous warriors, still forbear To deal on all your vengeful blows; The train of hapless victims spare, Against their will they are our foes. But, oh, those despots stained with blood, Those traitors leagued with base Bouille, Who make their native land their prey; Death to the savage tiger-brood Then up and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand March on—his craven blood must fertilise the land. And when our glorious sires are dead, Their virtues we shall surely find When on the self-same path we tread And track the fame they leave behind. Less to survive them we desire Than to partake their noble grave The proud ambition we shall have To live for vengeance or expire. l'lien up, and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand March on-his craven blood must fertilise the land. Come, love of conn try, guide us now, Endow our vengeful arms with might; And, dearest Liberty, do thou Aid thy defenders in the fight. Unto our flags let victory, Called by thy stirring accents, haste And may thy dying foes at last The triumph of our glory see. Then up, and form your ranks, the hireling foe withstand March on—his craven blood must fertilise the land.

THE WEEK'S HISTORY. I SEVERE DEFEATS OF THE FRENCH, 5000 TAKEN I PRISONERS—MACHAHON SUPERSEDFD-RA pS IN A STATE OF SEIGE—RESIGNATION OF M. OLLIVIEH-RIOTS IN THE FRENCH CAPITAL- I THE MOB CHARGED BY CAVALRY. I Following up the advantages gained at Weissen- bursr. the Crown Prince, advancing from that place on Friday in the direction of the railway leading ,'rom Strasburg to Paris, experienced no check dur- ing his inarch, but found the villages through which he passed full of wounded Frenchmen—evidence of the severity of the Weisseubnrg engagement. On Sa. turday, the Prince came upon the army of McMahon at Woerth, a place from twelve to fifteen miles in a iir,rtii-west,-rly direction from Weisseuburg, and leading directly upon th4 railway communication of the French. Here ensued the ifrst great battle, the whole strength of the Crown Prince being pitted aC) iiii nst that of McMahon. It does not appear at what. hour the battle csmmenced, but at half-past four in the afternoon, the Cruwn Pritice issued a rep ore, auuouning that McMahon, with the greater part of his araiy was completely defeated, and that the French were driven back to Bitsch—n place about twelve mr'es distant, which would be on the way towards the centre of French forces encamped about Metz, and on the banks of the Saar. The victory proved to be of a decisive character. Up- wards Ot four thousand French prisoners, including more than one hundred officers, were captured, and "monO' the spoils which fell into tho hands of the Germans were thirty odd cannon, six maitrailleuses, and two Eagles. It is said that McMahon was among the wounded. While the French were forced hy this defeat t > retire upon the army commanded by the Emperor, tha Crown Prince had on Sunday established IiLS headquarters at Souly, thus lioltling his ground on French territory. Without knowing more tLan has yet transpired as to the French plan of campaign, it is impossible to say uhat effect this battle will have in disarranging i, but it must be obvious thlt the driving of so large a forc as that hl by McMahon upon the other mass of French troops will destroy for the time all strateg-eical com- bination. The battle of Woerth would well reckon as a good day's work for the Germans, but that was not tlnir only victory on Saturday. Taking ad- vantage of the impression created in the French arrnv by the fief, at at Weissenburg, early in tin morning of Saturday General Yon Goben undertook the command, and, u(,er a fiercely-contested struggle the French were driven t) flight, the position oc. cupied by tlie corps of General Frosard being carried by toi m. The losses sustained on both sides in these battles have been very heaxv, I h,,tt of the Fivnch being estimated at about 10,000 or 11,000, including those taken prisoners, and the Prussians at about 600n. The French retreated. The forces Ulld.r the Prince advanced on Sunday from Homburg to Ulie.-cartel. A French Imperial despatch states th it there were several charges of cavalry, and that. PrnsifllH had mitrailleuses, which caused us mueh h.tvm." That part o! the Prus- sian army wli ch on Saturday drove the French from aarbrnek advanced to S. Avoid, within twenty miles of Metz. There are therefore tv o Prussian armies quartered on French soil—one of them, at hast, in close proximity to the main body of wha' we mu-t now designate the defending force. An official accnu: t from t.:e head quarters of the Crown Prince, at Souliz, of som ? incidents of the battle :it Woerth, states ti at while the German lo-s N,v a: tlnee or four ihousnn i men killed or wounded, •lie French lust at least five thousand men, in addi- tion to six thousand prisoners. Fifteen thousand were t herefore either killed, disabled, or c iptured at the engagement. Further, the Prince re- poits army, in their flight, left be- hind them their entire baggage, with many cannons ;ind two ia 1 way trains loa led with provisious. He also states that the German cavalry in their pur- suit came upon many fugitive stragglers who had thrown away their arms. From a Munich account we-earn tli.t lie Turcos sustained the heaviest of the loss on the Frei.ch side, and that the Bavarian troop, took a leading part in the action, showing themselves in overy way worthy companions of the ,Nt iierii soldiers. s -nd iv app ar" to have been parsed by the army on eueh Vi !e a state of re-t, or rather of abstm- cue Mom fight ng, the troops having prebalny had ahull hint oce i,t tioil in s?ttiwg <-b«m»el»e> III order ait. ttie Ull) Poll 0-- the preceding dav The tt).,t, of the Paris press is teat ot a nation who's. who'e idl It is one of self defence. All pro- of invading Germany appears to have vanished. The severe reverses have led to changes in the superior direction ot the French army. Marsha. J3iiznine is appointed to the chief comniau. and C;en(>l'a\ Trochu has reiV.aced Martial lie. cent as Mfjor General. The t o .ps o;' which Uazaine as- sumes com mind are 23-,0f'0 in number, coti.istin.r of hi" own army corps 5'J,0'!0 s?ro:jff, ;.0 0'? ,or Geuenil L:uhn i-?:.? cor;?. 25.<<? t,f Fro?ni-d?, and 25,000 ot" thr Im.-eiTJ Gt-nl. In rJdikon to these, there is M:-cmah in's force of 50_000 at Paverne, and Caurob.:rt' continge.it. numbering 511,000, at Ivincy. Mii.uht this larpe ferce be con- centrated, as the tclej-r.-im reports, am ng til" Vosges passages in the iit ighhoi.rhoo.l of Nancy, it ought to yive a goo,! acc-:u;,t of any Prus-iau army that c in be sens against it. Th" P:ussiar.s are said to be even 8 0.O0O .-t:ong,but we t aveno particular ) enumeration 01 them as we have of the French, aiid the reinforcements being sent off from Paris will tend rapidly to lessen the discrepancy. Among them are the 40,000 troops inten led for the nor- thern shores of Germany by the fleet. That expe- dition being abandoned, now that danger-is supposed to be so pressing at home, an important addition of strength becomes available for the land forces. The Prince Imperial returned to Paris on Tues- day. General Changarnier has arrived, in Paris with the intention, it is believed, of again offering his services tÐ- the Emperor. Several French journalists are said to-have taken part in the fighting at Saarbruck. Two of the cor- respondents of the Opinion Nationals have been wounded, and several of the correspondents are miBsing. Up to Tuesday night the only event reported from the front was the repulse of a reconnoitring party of Prussian Lancers by a squadron of French Hussars but even this favourable incident must show the French that their enemi es are terribly close upon them, and that another battle cannot be long postponed. As the new French commander, Marshal B zaine, has now placed himself at the he td of his troops, which are still concentrated on Metz, we may fairly hope that, if that army is a,ain destined to experience defeat, it will not be-owing to defective generalship. Unlike his predecessor, Lehoeeuf, Marshal Bazaine enjoys a hi1!h reputation for that strategy in which the French Commanders have hith,.rto shown themselves so st.rangely de- ficient, and though no amount of milit irv genius w 11 sufifce for the instantaneous repair of the many blunders previously committed, or th" restoration of numerical strength, the tactics already adopted by the new commander, have gons far, we lenrn, to restore the lost confidence and morale of the French troops. A private letier, received on We luesrlay from Metz, speaks in high terms of the excellent imposition of Marshal Bazaine, who is distinguished as the only general whom Prince Frederick Charles shrunk from attacking after hiving reconnoitred his position. The situation certainly oifers ample scope for the display of any military talent he may possess, seeing that the entire forces at his com matid are only estimated at 230.000 m- n. against, three armies, whose threatened junction he is, to all appearance, quite unable at present to oppose, and whose collective strength cannot fall far short of 800,000 men. With reference to the French fleet, the inactivity o: which has seemed remarkable, it appears to re- quire some nays more of preparation. In order to effect the object which is in contemplation, of con- veying a force of 40,000 troopi to the Baltic, li20 transport ships would be required but up to Friday last, the number collected at Cherbourg was only 22. The authorities were, however, pressing every available vessel into the service, liecent affairs on land may, perhaps, modify the plan but it was in- tended to send a force of soldiers and marines to strike a blow at Hamburg, Stettin, Kiel, or Dant- zig. It will, in any case, be another week before such a flotilla can set sail. The preparation of French gunboats or no tting batteries for service on the Rhine has been conduced at Toulon, from which place of those vessels have been despatched to Stras- burg, ninety workmen having gone to put thein to- g-ether on their arrival. The gunboat invented by M. Farcy has been sent by rivers and canals to the same destination. This structure, properly speaking a floating gun-carriage, is so buift that, although it has a displacement of forty-four tons, it will only draw three feet of water. Had the French generals succeeded in advancing towards the Rhine fortresses of Mayence and Coblentz, these floating batteries would perhaps have rendered good service, but, un- der present circumstances, their use on the river is by no means apparent, seeing that the Rhine is be- coming more and more remote from the scene of active operations. It may he suspected that the order for their launching will have to wait at least until the rate of Macmahon's army is decided. So long as the French have to struggle for the safety of Strasburg, Coblentz and Mayence may safely rely on being uudisturbed by gunboats. In Paris on Saturday great excitement was caused by an announcement that the Fortress of L mdau, in the Palatinate, had been captured by the French, and flags were displayed from the houses in the principal streets in honour of the victory. Much indignation was felt when it was discovered that the news was unfounded. A crowd assembled in the Place Vendome, and called for the Minister of Justice. M. Ollivier appeared on the balcony, as- sured the people that the author of the false report had been arrested, and promised thit all news should be communicated as soon as it arrived, except such as related to the movements of troops. The Council of Ministers afterwards issued a proclama- tion stating that the Government was taking the most energetic measures to prevent a repetitiou of the abominable trick by which the people had been so excited, aad calling upon them to be calm, as disturbance in Paris would be a victory for the Prussians. General Dejean, Minister of War ad interim, in a report to the Empress-Regent enumerating th » measures which have been adopted or are proposed to be taken for securing the defence of Paris and filling up gaps in the army. It states that the forts and enceinte of the capital will soon be capable of sustaining regular seige. Gaps in the army may be immediately filled up by sending to the army 150,000 men taken from various arras of service. These, to- gether with the class of 1869, the National Gard Mobile, and reserves and free corps, will form 2 000,000 defenders. AU the necessary muskets for arming them are ready, and there would remain 1,000,000 in reserve. By decrees published in Sunday's French Official Journal, all able-bodied citizens between 30 and 40 years of age are to be incorporated in the Nationa Guard. The defence of Paris wili be entrusted t j the National Guard. A Bill is to be presented to the Chamber incorporating all citizens under 30 years of age in the Garee Mobile. The deputies of the Left have published an appeal cllling for the immediate arming of the citizens of Paris. The committee of the Opposition journals demand that all i reach citizens should be armed. The French corps legislative assembled on Tues- day after the ministerial statement had been g iven. Jules Favre proposed thut the Emperor should be recalled, has his incapacity to lead the army had been conclusively proved. A tremendous row en- sused. C issagnac said if h" were in the Ministry he would have all members of the Left tried by court martial and shot. It was also proposed to treat the Emperor as the last Napoleon was treated in 1815. The Ministers and Deputies actu illy came to blows. M. Duvernois proposed the following order of the day :—" l'he Chamber being d termined to support a Cabinet capable of organising the defence of the country, passes to the order of the day. M. Ollivier declare that the Government could not accept the motion, which the Chamber nevertheless adopted. At the request of M. Ollivier, the sitting was sus- pended. Immediately afterwards M. Ollivier and his colleagues resigned, and General Montaubnll was entrusted with the formation of a new Cabinet General Montaub n, it will be rememb red, was commander of the French forces in China, where his successes won for him the title of Count of Palikao, and as his reputation is wholly of a millitary charac- ter, his selection for the Premiership would seem to indicate the desire of the French people to put them- selves, for the time, under a strict military regime. On the same day, the Chambers assented to the pro- posal of the Government to take measures for filling up the gaps caused in the army by recent uisastars, and to form a new army of 450,000 men. The mea- sures propo-ed with this object are firstly, to in crease the Mobile National Guard, by summoning to it all unmarried men 25 to 30 years of age; secondly to incorporate the Garde Mobile in the active army; and la-tly to summon all available men of the class of 1370. In enforcing-tbe necessity of these mea- sures, M. Ollivier urged the importance of merging all minor or personal differences in a promp". and united effort to meet the crisis, and expressed the readiness of Ministers to give place to others should the Chamber think them better qualified to fac, events. This appeal does not seem to have had the effect intended, as the interruptions and demon- stations from the party of the Left were through- out very violent and abusive, and eventually, on the motion of M. Duvernois, a vote was carried, of such a character, that the Ministry had no course open to them but to resign and make way for a ne -v Cabi- net. Outside the Council Chamber the feeling of the people found admission in formg still more menacing asd violent. Vast crowds assembled on he Boulevards and blocked the approaches to the Corps Lejjislatif, resisting every effort of the au- thorities to disperse them, and an-wering with ex- cited cries the threats of the soldiery ordered to charge them. Numerous charges were ultimately made by the cavalry, and several of the disaffected persons arrested. The q-iay in front of the French Chambers was occupied by infantry of the Marine, and repeated charges of dragoons wr-re made to clenr the streets leading to the building. The palace of the Tuileries wax closed, and the court. yard occupied by bo,lies of dragoons and lancers, re niy mounted for any emergency. It is alleged that several of tho Garde Nationale refused to ad- vance up -in tiie people. This would indicate that. therebc-Ilioa-; feeliti,)f the mob was shared, or all events sympathised with, by the military to an extent very hazardous to public safety. A, despatch dated, Paris, Wednesday morning, declares, however, that the Gardes de Paris dispersed all assemblages on Tuesday evening, and that at 11 p.m. tranquility was quite restorel.

General Sheridan was one of the passengers who arrived :>t Liverpool by the Cunard steamer Scotia, ion Saturday. It is understood that he will follow the movements of the French army for purpose of furnishing a professional report to the war depart- ment at Washington. The Eastern Budget, in a special edition on Mon- i day, says—General Stephen Turr d clares in the I JVictici" t that Count B smark had repeate dly re'oinmended the Emperor Napoleon, before the battle ot ^adowa. to annex Belgium and Luxemburg to France, but that the latter declined to adopt thi- I suggestion. This statement has produced great sensation here.

DETAILS OF THE BATTLE OF IVISSEM-I BOUKG. The following is a French officer's account of the attack on Wissembourg:—"The Prussians had massed their troops in the small forest which runs near the course of the Lauter, at the foot of the Vosges mountains. They bad numerous regiments echelonnes between Landau and Bellighoim. For several days previously, spies employed to recon- noitre had entered Wissembourg. It was in front of that town that the actioa was fought. The three regiments of the division of General Douay, although very inferior in numbers (being about one to twelve), offered a protracted and heroic re- sistance to the bulk of the Prussian army, whose battalions, decimated bj our bullets, were con- stantly replaced by fresh troops. Not being in sufficient force to repulse them completely, it be- came necessary, after a most fierce conflict, to re- turn gradually towards the Col du Pigeonnier, in order to prevent the enemy from seizing the only passage of the Vosges which leads to Bitche upon the other slopes of those mountains. An impreg- nable citadel stands upon a rock which commands the town of Bitsche. The Prussians besieged it in vain in 1797. I have not sustained even a scratch. I do not yet know the exact number of the killed and wounded. It is, therefore, bptter to say nothing on that subject at present, that I may not exaggerate or diminish the true figures. But we have to dep!ore the loss of our brave General Douay (Abel), which was well revenged, I can assure you, by the heavy losses which the range and accuracy of our chassepots inflicted upon the enemy. It is a curious but sad coincidence that the 5th of the August was the fete day of our general St. Abel. We are told that a cannon was captured by the enemy. The following are the circum- stance :—The French artillerymen serving that piece had all been killed after the horses had been shot down and the wheels of the gun carriage smashed to pieces by a shot. This gun thus abandoned to the enemy was retaken almost immediately after- wards by our soldiers, and by them renderci un- serviceable, but cou'd not be removed because the wheels were broken. We hear, also, unhappily, that some prisoners were made by the Prussians. The moral condition of the troops who were thus engaged in the action is, nevertheless, excellent. They are burning to engage in a real fight, which cannot long be deferred, and to make the Prussians pay dearly for this trifling advantage, which they owe entirely to their greater numerical strength. Let us hope that Marshal Macmahon wi'l obtain a brilliant revenge, and that we shall speeJily re- enter Wissembourg." The Cottrrier du Bas Rhin publishes a let'er dated Hagenau, August 5 (?6), two a.m.:—"The reports which throughout yesterday were current in Strasburg, and in consequence of which I started off at once to Hagdnau, were, unhappily, but toi well founded. Our soldiers, we are told, have been crushed by force of numbers 8000 or 10,OOi) men of our army fought for six hours against 80,000 or, perhaps, 100,000 of the enemy. The 74th and the 50th of the line, the 16th battalion of foot chasseurs, a regiment of Turcos, and a regiment of mounted chasseurs, encamped the previous night in the environs of Wissembourg. Tnc scouts aud tirail- leurs sent to reconnoitre the frontier had not re- ported the presence of an enemy's force, and there was no reason to expect an immediate engagement. This morning at dawn a violent cannonade was hear(l, and the immeuse German army, artillery, cavalry, an I infantry showed itself on the heights of Schweingen, the firFt villnge on the Bavarian froutier, and in the country round about tllem. I The first shells were thrown into Wis-embourg, and set fire to the barracks and othur buddings. The 50th regiment of the line w, re about pre- paring their morning's soup wlvn the ho-, was poure i into the camp. The soldiers immediately abandoned their equipments, throwing down the knaj sacks which they hed begun to fasten on, air! rushed into the fight. Tile French troops had but three guns, while the enemy had a formidable artillery, which threw shot and shell into our ranks. Our men at first took shelter behind the far-n- houses near Wissembourg, but they were soon driven hence by the fire of the enemy. They were crushed by the number of Germans, which increased every moment, and at last attained, as I have said, 80,000 or 100,000 men. The Turcos fought like lions. They attacked the enemy with the havonet. but their ranks were riddled by the ifre. The two line regiments also performed prodigies of valour. but in officers and men we have sustained cruel losses. A drea lful event occurred to sadden our troops. General Douay was killed by a shell, and General de Montmarie was wounded. The Germans continued t) pour a torrent of shot upon our troops with their numerous guns, and also upon the an d a l so upon t?e dwc? l lmij-houses and farai buddings, which were set on fire. In the midst of the battle a detachment of the line arrived by railway, knowing not hinar of the fight, but proceeding to rejoin its regiment. The train was stopped at Hunspach, are) the men, leaping from the carriages, pi-epared their w gt-ons, and at once rushed into the strife. This struggle of one against ten lasted until about two o'clock, when the French retired by the woods and vine- yards, always pursued by the terrible fire of the enemy. The Turcos had captured eight mn s which were retaken by them after a desrmra+i conlfict, in which they suffered severely, but in which they half destroyed a regiment, of Prussian Hns-ars. Tli re wail no time to coIled the arm, or tents, and the wounded were left on the lid-I. I reachei Hagenau at eight o'clo k in the evening Ti:e streets were thronged with pe óp1e disc'iss)^ the events of the day. Then came a m dancboiy spectacle—long files of carts, drawn by ho so. oil I •sen, laden with articles of household furniture an,1 bedding, and accomnauied by men, women, and weeping children. Th'se were the inhabitants of Riedseltz and Sehaevenbnrg, two vi ,s which lay in the route of the enemy's troops, before whom they were fleeing. They were in despair, a stiiey believed that their villages were in lfames. Soon after there entered by the Wissembourg gate the soldiers of our regiments which had been engaged in this unequal contest. They arrived fatigued, ex ha.nsted, not having eaten for 21 hours, an i lamenting a chid, a comrade. I spo? to !0 or 50 of Ui'm. and tbey ?H s nd ?:? ?' e .ont. st wa? :.n impossible one, hut they dc-Wl tha% h <d 'h?y been twenty thousand in number cn!y thet would have renu?ed th" rnemv, f. v ovoa tLci, -.m'tll Columns htd sercrfJ times checked them. A sergeittit major of the line gave me the ace uint of the battle as I have related it. S une wounded wet, came in leaning upon their musk»ts. One Tureo showed us his arm, picrced throndl by a liaj oner,, and another carried the .sword of hi- captain, who had been killed by his side, tfe kissed the a»-ui thai had belonged to his unfortunate chief. At eleven o'clock two cartloads arrive 1, who were tak ui to the ambulances. At one o'elo;k in the mr.rn;n Hw drums were bsaten in the streets of Ha reuau Tin- IJoillpiers were assembled and sen', off to pick U:' the wounded and bury the d* ad." The Daily News c-vre^nndnnc f say? :—VVhilst General Douay's division, composed of the 74th and 50th regiments of the line, the ldth battalion of chasseurs on foot, one regiment of Tureos. and a regiment of mounted chassenrs, were encamped ;n the neighbourhood of Wissembourg, they wt-re startled by a tremendous discharge of artillery. As the patrolles, which bad been posted all a;ong the line of the frontier, had not signalled the presence of any Prussian troops, the men believed for a mo- ment that they were surrounded by the enemy. This was not the case; but the Prussians, in great force and well supplied with artillery, appeared on the heights of Schwergen, occupying the whole of the country near the small Bavarian village. General Douay ordered his troops to advance before the enemy, keeping as much as possible behind Wissembours, which lay between them and the Prussian forces. But tnis precaution proved quite useless, for the guns were pouring a tremendous fire upon them, and the troops were falling in great numbers in the village of Wissembourg itself. The French retired from their former position, and com- menced marching on the right side of the village. The Prussian guns were firing at a tremendous rate, nn!l three rounds fell partly in the town and partly among the troops. Several of the bouses were set oi fire, and a go^d number of soldiers lav dead or wounded. At about elEven o'clock General Voscan's division began to retire. However, a new attack was ordered. The Turcos led the way, and. bayonet in hand, threw themselves oil one of the Prussian batteries of artillery. All proved useless. Hnd t! e French insisted on attacking the en :my anv longer theie would not have been one of them left alive on the ground. As soon as what was left of General Douay's forces began retiring the Prussian artillery was after them. About twelve 'clock General Douav himself fell a victim to the Prussian artillery. The troops commenced runnintr without orler. crossing roads an 1 vineyards nn"jJ they reached tlie farthest part of Wis^emburg. The number of 'lead and wounded must have been very large inde,d. The remaining troops are ever eager to revenge the death of their general. Tiie conntrv people seem to he m great conste-netion. The roads which lead to Haguenau are covered with ea ants carrying their goo,ls and cr.tt'e with them, and lamenting over the sad fate reserved for their humble cottages.

A correspondent says :—There is great lamenta- tion at Metz in consequence of the Prussians having flooded the Saarbi-uck coal mines, whicti j roduca 3,5110,000 ton3 of coal a year, one half of wh ch was con ;umed in France. It is announced from Paris that four foreign bankers have been arrested there for sending money to foreign countries, and that several parcels of specie, amounting in all to fourteen millions of francs, and destined for Italy, Hollan1, England, and Switzerland, have been seized at the railway stations- THE LITTLE DEATH BELL.—A ghastly though very pract ical little order has been published to the Prus.-ian army, Every man of the lvgiuients ordertd into the fight has to wear round h;s neck under- neath his clothes a ticket with a number corre- sponding to the one standing against his name in the list.) in order that this might be asceitaiued. in case of death, without delay while their officers are furnished with diaries containing their designations in French as well as German. Tne soldiers have already found a name of their own fur th- al,ove ap- pendage. The call it The little death bell." ENGLAND AND PRUSSIA.—We (Globe) have rea- son to believe that the North German ambassador has by direction received from Berlin, requested her Muj-sty's Government to institute criminal pro- ceedings against the English pilot who took charg-o of the French fleet on its passage northwards. We are informed, howev r, that the Trinity House au- thorities, to whom the matter was referred, have de- clined to accede to this application and it is feared than the mrtter is likely to give rise to further dip- r5 ONE OF THE CAUSES OF THE FEENCH DE- FEATS.—It is the state of the French commissariat which, amongst other thines (says the Telegraph), has ruined the chances of Napoleon. He ought to have advanced at once into Germany. He intended and desired to advance; but when the armies came into position on the frontier, the condition of the stores compelled him to halt. Tiie meat was putrid and the bread irustf, and it was simply imposible to move untiluc IV supplies should be prepared ani brought to the front. THE AGES OF THE COMMANDERS.—BHOUID the Franco-Prussian war last for more than a sing'e campaign, it is probable that the m-ijoi-ify of the C lm'iiatitiers who are now conspicuous will -ink out ,,f sijrht, aud that new men, whoso names have not yet even be.ird of, will rise into prominence. It is ■1 curijus fact that nearly every officer of 1 ih rank ill b.,th the Prussian and French armies is ovtr f;xty years of age. Marshals Macmahon. Can- robert. and Bazaine, General Lebceuf, and Admiral Jiiuauit de Genouilly are between sixty and sixty- three Marshal Forey is ixty-sevell and Marshals Kan Ion, Bitr;L.:iiay d'Hdiiers, and Vaulant, are all mora than seventy-five. On the Prussian side, General Moltke is seventy, General Momeuffel is six'y-one, a.nd (itneral Van Roon sixty-seven. A TRAP FOUTHE EMPERO the Pall Mall Gazette's cm respondent at the French headquarters, wnt-s on Saturday afternom "Wis- se-nbourg teems to be not only a reprisal but a simple continuation of ti e Saarbriiek affair. It would aopear that the ely victory which t 11" Prus- S'ins, oti the 2nd. instant, all iwvd to tiie division of General B.itaule was merely :t bit of stra'agem. A little behind the forests surrounding Saarbruck, somewhere on the read from L-hach to N^ukirehen, perhaos near the railway function of Ncukirchen it-clf, a corps of 25,000 awaite j the French. If they had taken Saarbruck at one and followed the eueuiy. they would have fallen into an ambuscade from which not a single man would have escaped. And if y<>n take your illap whle reading these. lines and will remember that the Emperor and Pr nee Itu-. erial were present, aul would ueee-.9arily have to I >weil the troops, you will he able to orm a toler- ably pr. ci-e id -a of what mi-lit have b en the result of the further entry of General Fros-ar !'a corps up- on the soil of the L'henish provinces. A movement from Saarlouis and from Zwibrueken would have faken th Fnneh in roar, while the 2- 000 con- fronted them. When it became obvious that the Kreinli w. re aware of the surprise preoared for ?' "\? ?'"? ?'' chances we e Ovpr. the whole of 'TV ?"? a.t, m'ce ent to the frontier i "f rT ^•' P^ alatinate t) suppo-h ? .t.? .?. ??.?y S oi ASS to attack the 1;?),,It division of Abel D"uay,"

THE BATTLES AT WORTH AND SAAR- BRUCK. (Yrom the Morning Post.) Worth is about twelve miles from Weissemburg, seven miles from the railway junction at Haguenau, five miles from Niederbronn. on the Haguenau- Bitsche Railway, seventeen miles as the crow flies from Bitsche, and twenty-five miles from Strasburg. Worth is also about three miles to the west of the Weissemburg-Haguenau Railway, so that Marshal MacMahon must have taken up the position with the double object of covering Haguenau and the passes of the Vosges Mountains, especially that by Niederbronn to Bitsche. Holding this position, there was no alternative for the Crown Prince in advancing but to attach MacMahon. The French army at Worth barred the passage between the Vosges and ths Forest of Haugenau, and covered the railway from Strasburg to Bitsehe, and be defeat of that army was a necessary preliminary movement, either south or west, by the Crown Prince from liia Weissemburg-Lauterburg position. MacMahon seems to have stationed hia army with strategic skill—he was beaten by either superior tactics or superior force. What were the tactical features of the position we have yet to learn but covering Strasburg, Haguenau, the railway, and the 7osgvs, and with railway communication in the rear to Strasburg. and the French army at Sarre- guemines-Bitche, MacMahon had only to hold his ground to neutra!ise the advance of the Prussian army of the S juth. He was unable to hold his ,ttid by retiring beaten on Bitsche he has unquestionably placed the Crown Prince iu a very- favourable position for operating on the right, flank of the great French army on the northern frontier.. Judging from the movements or troops lately recor(led, the primary cause of the French defeat at Worth appears to have been the weakening of the right of the army so as to strengthen the centre, in view of an advance in the line of the Saar or into the Pa.'atinate. Tuis movement on becoming known to the Prussians would very naturally lead them to attaek the weakened flank, so as at once to gain a strategic aud a. uioral :tdvAufcage. A success at this •nd of the line would secure the Vosges and en- courge the South German troops. The French army have been too slow. Had they been able at once to strike out on the offensive, the movement of the Crown Prince would have probably been rendered impossible or undesirable. Theiret'.cally, with an angular frontier base like that betwt-en France and Germany, the advantage must lie with the aide taking the initiative. The Prussians, whom we now seem plainly enough must have been thoroughly well prepared for war, have taken the initiative, and have so far reaped the benefit of it.

(From the Daily Telegraph.) It would appear that the French anticipated no attack from th'j Palatinate, and that General Abel Douay's division of the First Corps was left in observation on the Lauter, while the remainder of MacMahon's force was drawn to the centre, between Bitsch and Saarbruck. Thus at least may we interpret the fact that, while the fighting at YVeissenburg lasted for some hours, the Douay division was left totally unsupported by any con- siderable body of troops, though some battalions from another of MacMahon's divisions had either joined it during the fight or been attached to it previously. When, therefore, the Crown Prince had taken Weissenburg and the castle-crowned height of the Geisberg to the west of that town, he found n) hostile troops immediately in his front; and on Friday he advanced southwards on Soultz, about ten miles south of the Lauter, finding the villages filled with French wounded. Meanwhile Marshal MacMahon was in all haste drawing back his troops from the si<4eof Bitsch, and concentrating them in such a position as to check the advance of the Prussians towards the communications of the French between Metz and Strasburg, at Haguenau. For this purpose he massed his divisions-so far as can be judged from the telegrams and the maps—on the heights south of the Biberbach, a stream which descends from the Vosges mountains to the Rhine, flowing through the considerable vil'age of Worth, and passing to the north of Haguenau. A little to the French right of Worth, the stream divides into two arms, and thick woods extend on bnth banks and in the island while just on the right rise the rugged hills of the Vosges. The space by which the position of worth can be attacked is thus materially narrowed to the advantage of the de ending force; and since it looks across the road leading from Weissenburg to Haguenau. an invader marching southward could not pass it without perilously exposing his right flank to the enemy. Above the village of Worth is a well-marked height of considerable extent, in the centre of which stand the villages of Freschweiler and Elsasshausen and on the reverse of the heights the road which passes from Soultz through Worth, and upwards to Fresch- weiler, descends to the town of lieishoffen and the village of Niederbronn, in the valley of the Zintzel —on which, a few miles further eastward, stands the little fortified town of Haguenau. well known in the wars of the Succession and the Revolution. Through Niederbronii-th- scene of the recent bold cavalry raid—and lieishoffen passes the high road from Birsch to Haguenau; and side by side with it, in the confined gorge of the mountains, runs the roilroad constructed along the frontier for strategical purpo-es. By road and by railroad marshal Mac dahon brought up to the heights of Worth the unbroken divisions of his own corps, and at least a portion of the two corps of General de Failly and Marshal Canrobert—the 5t11 and and the reserve, which had evidently being moved up to the front with a view to support an onward movement of the whole army, concentrated on the Upper Saar. All that MacMahon and his colleagues could do, however, was of no avail against the preponderating strength and the resolute energy of the Prussians. The Emperor Napoleon says that only five divisions —about 60,000 men—could be got together to m"et the assault, of the Crown Prince but the position Wits attacked on Saturday by forces so much superior in number that they more than canc died the advan- tage of position on the side of the French. The battle was protracted and bloody. The Prussians, according to the Emperor Napoleon, employed mitrailleuses, which did hIs troops much harm." Though the defender made, as we cannot doubt, as splendid resistance, yet they were at length forced from their position at half-past four p.m. the Crown Prince tele.'raphed to the King at Mayence that he had won a complete victory over the best of Napoleon's generals. MacMahon, we are told by some accounts, when driving from the heights o' Worth, retreated through Reishoffen and Neider- bronn along the road to Bitsch but in another telegram it is stated by the Emperor that his com- munications with his right wing are interrupted and the statement may prove to be of the most sinister import for the safety of the while army defeated at Worth on Saturday. For on the same day the Prussian army of the centra struck a blow at the French centre around Saarbruck, which was thoroughly successful, and resulted in the retreat of the French from that town. We do not yet know how far the victorious army of Gen'ral Steiametz has pushed forward in pursuit; but hl would have a most powerful motive for proving anew the energy which he showed iu the Bohemian campaign. Beaten at Worth, and headed off from Haguena and Strasburg by the overmastering forces of the Crown Prince, Marshal MneMahon was forced, sis we have said, to retreat on Bit-cli. The road runs upwards into a rugged part of the Vosges; the narrowness of the gorges leaves him but a single route-and that route leads, not south-westward towards the point where the French, driven bic1* from the frontier, would naturally concentrate, but north-westward, right into the teeth of the triumph- ant Prussians of ihe centre and right, advancing along the whole line from Saarlouisto Sarreguemines. We learn that Prince Frederick Charles lias advan- ced from Homburg to Bliescastel, while the bulk of Steinmetz's army "lies between Sultzback and Saarbruck. Both points are equi-distant from Sarreguemines, within the French frontier, from which they are only separated by twelve miles of territory, traversed by several good roads, and totally clear of an enemy. Upon Sarreguemines leads the road from Bitsch by which, on Saturday afternoon, MacMahon's beaten army retreated, But from Worth to S .rreguemines the distance is a*. least '-5 miles, through a broken and difficult hill country and it remains to be seen whether, victors at Saarbruck at nightfall on Saturday, Steiametz and Von Goben pushed forward toward St. Avoid and Sarrealbe in time to cut off Alac -%Iabon's rctri,at, whether he proceeded from Bitsch to Sarreguemines, or struck off at Bitsch due southwards into the mountains upon Phalsbourg, or, choosing a middle course, continued his march pa-t Bitsch to Rohr- back, and there turned south-westward upon Bonqnemont and Marsal. It would be simply preposterous for him to seek to sustain himself in the bleak, rough upland about Bits -h, where he would soon h:tve to surrender to the superior forces pressing him on both sides and by any of the line- of retreat we have indicate-d he would take about three times as long to reach a point of safe commu- ilication with the centre as the Prussians from Saarbruck and Bliescastel would require to antici- pate him. He cannot, in fact, resume communica. tion with the corps retiring from Saarbruck and Forbach save by a march across the front of a victorious, a numerically superior, and an enter- prising enemy and we shall look with much interest for intelligence as to the result of this race again-t time. Meanwhile it is not to be concealed that, on the face of our present advices, the French right wing is in grave jeopardy.* In the light we have just indicated, the battle at Saarbruck on Saturday acquires an imoorrance which in itself, as compared with the Pm«iin triumph at Worth, it does not possess. Yet there can be no doubt that it was a struggle of no ordi-

This correspondent, at the time of writing, evidently was totally unacquainted with the direction in which MacMahon's army bail retreated, as that general made good his retreat to Saverne, and thence per rail to Metz, pursuing a route exactly opposite to that laid out by the above clever writer. nary magnitude and determination. The Emperor Napoleon tells ns-anti the German accounts confirm his statement—that at first the engagement did not promise to be the big thing" it turned out. Little by little the masses of the enemy, drawing across the Saar, not by the broken bridges of Saarbruck. but by the roads leading southward by Werden from Saarlouis, accumulated against the French left, stretching from west of Forbach to the heights of Spicberen, opposite Saarbruck-crowned by the batteries established after the fizht of Friday last. On the west of Forbach, it would appear, part of the Third Corps, under Marshall Bazaine, was en- gaged; on the other side of the railroad, at Spicheren and beyond, the Second Corps, under General Frossard, opposing Prussian divisions that came from the direction of Hombourg. The battle began at one o'clock in the afternoon, and the phe- nomenon remarked by the Emperor is doubtless explained by the fact that the French in position beyond the Saar were attacked by division after division of General Steinmetz's army, as it marched from the direction of Saarlouis and Nouenkirelien to ta.ke the offensive on French territory. About five in the afternoon the.attack of the Prussians fcemei; to the French to waver; but soon afterwards Gen. Steinmetz himself arrived on the fiel,l, took over the command from General Von Uohen, who commanded the Eighth Army Corps, and pushed forward new troops against the French position. The struggle was still prolonged until nightfall; but then tti, French were in full retreat, having left many dead on the field. The Prussians tell us that before the heights of Spicheren, overlooking Sanrbrnck, were abandoned, the French batteries shelled the town anew, and set in on fire in many places. Is may be hoped that this proceedure was necessitated, or at least excused, by the presence of Prussian assailing forces precisely in the same direction but it would seem that the enemy came from the west and the east of the place, and in that case the treatment accorded to Saarbruck, an open town. must be con- demned as barbarou*. We do not yet know what are the trophies of Steinmetz's victory beyond the statement from Cologne that the baggage and encampments of two French divisions wen; captured. From the Crown Prince's army, however, we learn that on Saturday night 4000 prisoners had been made, including 100 officers that 30 guns and 6 of the dreaded and mysterious mitrailleuses had been capturt d; and that-most disgraceful and most significant loss of all-two of the imperial eagles had fallen into the hfllld of the victors. But, as we have sought to inrlieate, the ei tire harvest of Saturday's twin triumphs has not yet been reaped by the Prussians and Paris, already proclaimed in a state of siege, will most assuredly be confronted with some momentous problems beiore the present week is out.

I THE PARIS JOURNALS ov THE PRESENT SITUATION. The Paris papers of Monday evening write in a "onr: scarcely excited than that of the previous day. The Snir writes:- The hours fly nast; they are agea We wa't in vain the acts of the Government. Nothing noth- ing Yes, we deceive ourselves! Troops arrive in Paris, a id remain there Is that their place ? Ye who are in rossession of power, do not exhaust our pitience. We have given yon all, we shall apain take all from you and French bayonets sharpened against the enemy wiil not be directed against our own breasts! Once more, take care! A soldier armed in Paris at this supreme hour is an injury addressed to us, and this injury will be reflected in tears of blood upon your own faces, if our bravp troops h-ive still to yield to numbers. You bave given proof of carelessness Put forth some energy, that we may be able, if not to absolve, at le-t--t to pardon yon. If you are not capable of saving the nation, the nation will save itself. What have you done with our legions?" The same journal ch-tractcrizeq the report of General Dejean to the Flmpress as without energy, without vigour, and showing no comprehension of the immense resources of the n.-tfien." Addressing the members of the Corps Legislatif, it says .— As for you, cieputies of the nation, we shall for- get your official origin, if, forgetting it yourselves, you assume with a firm hand the direction of the a ffairs of the nation: if, to sav all in a word, you inspire yourselves with the glorious traditions of the Committee of Public Sarety." The Liberie, in an article headed £ Courage! Courage writes:—"We have been beaten, it is true. The 6th of August is a pad day but is that to gy that France is lost ? AUons done Ancient France, liberal and valiant France does not thus fall under a single blow, and the Prussians know it. They know it. and at this moment, when they recover themselves before commencing a new action, they ask how many similar victories they would be able to support. One against three, on the Sarre and the Lauter. against whom have Fros-ard and McMahon fought ? Against the elite of the Prussian rrmy; against the old regiments of Sadowa, com- manded by Frederic Charles; against the Royal Guard, commanded by the Crown Prince. They have endured losses; overwhelmed by numbers, they have been obliged to retire, but not without leaving traces of- their blows. The Prussian,, have suffered terrible losses, and their losses are all the greater that all the leading forces of Prussia, everything variant and experienced which they possess, is at the head of the army; behind is the Landwilir; in the fortresses are the Landsturm. S-e how they enter France—by the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, where, as was said in 1814, every bush conceals a soldier; their victory has already decimated the best of their troops. On our side there are 240.000 men who have not yet been engaged, the elitog of our troops and the Guard in eight days these 24^,000 men will be 320,000. We have the Mobile, which bas beeR turned into regi- ments the class of 1869, which arrives; that of 1870, which has been cal'ed out; and, if necessary, France will be under arms! Let us raise our hearls again Yesterday, grave, moved, the heart swelling, we wept, as became patriots, over the defeat of our arms. One day of sadness is enough fOr men; for Frenchmen it is too much! Let us C,)1 nt the forces of tte enemv let us count our own. Confidence and courage The Covstitutionnel amongst other articles has one entitled La Defense"—" Yesterday evening an enormous crowd paraded the streets of Paris, exclaiming, Arms! :ii-ins! c has deferred to this patriotic desire. Rvery capable man will receive a gun, and defend his country, either ia or out of Paris. It is not only our heroic army which the enemy will meet on its route it is the entire country risen and resolved. From all the communes of France a cry of grief and indigna- tion arises. Everyone arms himself, aad holds himself prepared to fly to the succour of the menaced country. In some days, before the enemy his been able to attain his supreme end, two m l ions of breasts will interpose themselves be- tween the capit il a.nd him. Caught between this immense national force and an army. which is still almost cutire, it will be necessary that he should r. tire or succumb. Let us sacrifice ourselves, if necessary, to the interests, and we s hdl be victori- ous and the Prus-ians who impudently advance upon our territory will never more leave it. Prance may be kided, crushed, destroyed she Cflnll"t be conquered In 1814 we bad not 50 0!l0 men cipable of carrying arms. The army no longer existed; all the forces of the country had been s"nt to Spain Russia, Germany; and we held cur own against all Europe. In 1870 we have a considerable army; we have the Mobiles Gardes; we have the (nire people, which reuses itself, and which iL inands arms. Wh it can a foreign army tio ii-itir, -t this irresistible pow'r which one calls the national sentiment ? The army will defend us. Behind the army there is the nation." The Journal des Debars says The entire populati n has arisen it is full of confidence in itself, it is boiling with impatience and anger. In the departments, as in Paris, the inipu'se is unani- mous. and the report s of the prefects announce that everywhere a crowd thrilling with excitement demands to be orLTtriised. that it may march in det'enc • of the country. We knew that it could not be otherwise. The despatches from the interior only tell us what we were sure of beforehand. At t e present moment, one feels the soul of France vibrate from one end of the cmutry to the other: the enthusiasm overflows. A few days, and our disasters will be repaiiel. Victory is due to so much a: dour and patriotism." The Patrie says :—" The people of Paris receive wth enthusiasm the arinfinien1; of the entire National Guard the Chambers w;:1 unanimously vote the measure which will be submitted to them. And we could lose confidence! No; with the Chambers unanimous, with the entire country in arm, we cannot stfe^mb. The safety of France is union it is concord. Now we are united we si all then ba saved

FUEXCII NEWSPAPER, ACCOUNTS OF THE DIS- ASTER AT SAAKBBUCK. — A eel-respond mt of the S'lir savs :—Oar heroes acted as heroes from -lie -xoiu the after- even in -he morning—not from two in the after- noon as the despatch strtted-titl 7'40 in the evening. We have struggled defending foot by foot the ground attacked by forces greatly superior. We have scarcely had 20.000 men engaged, while the Prussians have b, cii ab'e to deploy more than 100,OOfl men. Our soldiers came up regiment hy reg ment not like trool), brought to a battle, but like beasts to a slaugh'er-h use." Another writer, M. <~Vnille PeVetan, thus describes the closing "cell" of this terrible conflict. "Then a horrible scene was presented. Before these fresh enemies, slices of recimui's and scattered bo vies r.fornvd. and the troops of two nations fonglit almost llalld to hail', 6r? ?on <?? anther ? 100 p? wth g'ins w. it-h kil! at 1500. The flashesromg<-d and jo-tl^. Th.. fosil K-le was carried o" at n-i t-Manx. He .trr?-'r-.l—.vG r?I-tn !—?.' wcm crushed. It wa j.np"iKe to hol l 0". We were caught between two Pm-S?ni b?ten. Tt a retreat ? rout, n I fl-rV a d this at night'ail. iu the twilight; men ami ,om"n ?-L t?-r'R"). and lost, ayt!? th 'y knew f' whither. Then Forbach took; tire, ami organ to I .qze. rel. in the niht. Now the enemv were masters of ali. They fired on a pas-ing train the ,11, b 'I 1 1 t 'r' faTi ran in sm ke amidst bads and bullets. Tl e sta'io'i was taken, th- train of trooeg w; captured, and the le,emotive was sent bvek emvty l' 1, 0 1 t) teil the tide of our disaster. On all sides TP3,t indignation is "Xiiressed at the lj 11 generalship whi-di le.i to tin exposure of the French troops tr, -uch unequal chances. "I was at Forbach. under the P-ussian tire," says the correspondent of the Soir. I hea -d our soldiers, while falling, curse those who sent them to a useless death." In par- tic .lar, the folly of breaking up t ee Fri iieh army into so many small division-, whilst the Germans concentrate theirs info three va-t Ariliv Corps, is loudly condemned, and the com d dnts, as will be seen, are net confinct to the s d liers who are the victims of this biun ^r.

I PUBLIC FORM OF PRAYER. The Archbishop of Canterbury writes to tbe Bi-hop of London I have consulted some of those who, with myself, have authority in the matter of advising the Queen to issue, in reference to the present war, a public form of prayer, which accord- ing to usage, would be drawn up by myself, as Arch- bishop of Canterbury, and he sent forth with the sanction o her Majesty's Privy Council. As at pre* sent advised. I find that the precedents are against- the issuing of such a form wiiile the United King- dom and the rest of her Majesty's dominions are mercifully preserved from any participation in the war. In common, however, with yourself and all others with whom I have conferred on the subject, I feel thut in piospect of the miseries now threaten- ing two great nations, with which our country is most intimately connected, the English people are bound to present their supplications to God for the restoration of peace." The Archbishop has consequently drawn up the the following form of prayer :—" O Almighty God, Kuq 01 all Kings, whose power no creature is able to resist, to wlio n it belon^eth justly to punish sin- ners, and to be mere tul to them tmt truly repent, asSU igG, we beseech Thee, the horrors of this war, whicli Tiioi, perliiitte i to breik forth in Furope; restrain the passions of the CJUibataufo inspire the conquerors rfith mercy, nnl the .aiajuished with submission to Thy will; give patience to all who suffer prepare for Thy summons those, who are called to die, and set to this warfare bounds which it m iy not pass. We pray T;.ee, 0 G d. speedily grant peace to the nations, and so over-rule, in Thy good providence, the course of all events, that our present anxieties may el),-( in the spread of righteous- ness, enlightenment, nnd true liberty, and thus Thy kingdom may at last he estahLsl.cd upon earth. And this we pray through the merits ami raeliatioi* of J,sus C' iit our Lord and Saviour, the Prince of Pc ace.—Amou."

BATTLES BETWKKN THE PRUSSIANS AND THE F it C Li. Last week we reprinted from the Daily News a tabli- of the various engagements be w en ihe Prus- sians and Freneli, resetting which the following letter has appeared in the above named newspaper: "Sir,—In your impression of today, under the above title, a corresponde nt, L. S. gives a list of the various I)a' tles which have taken place between. French and Prussians. The writer's partiality, which is very apparent, I 110 not quarrel with, but I stron-ly objee: to his statements. In short, his list is untrustworthy. It is dictated by prejudice, not jnstice, and is distirguished by its b umiers. For in-ta:.ce, L'gny is des r.bed as a battle between on the olle std" the French, and on the other, the Prussians and Iiussians Quatre Bras as a victory gained by the Engh.-h an t Prussians over the trench! Not one Prussian fought at Quatre Bras. Whilst the English were standing firm there, the Prussians were doing the very reverse at Ligny. L. S. in order to swell the list of Piussia's vic- tories, set down battles gained by her allies, whether Prussians were present or not whilst to depreciate the French arms he terms four French victories, Eylau, Bautzen, Dresden, and Ligny, "undecided battles." In the first two cases tha Fiench, alter a. hard day's fighting iemained ma>t3rs of the field of battle (as much as the allies did at Malplaquet, whih L. y." strangely claims as a Prussian vic- tory ) thou- tory), though they did not gain any of the usual trophies of victory—prisoners, guns, or standards. But it is hard to see why Dresden and Ligny should be called undecided. At Dresden (wheie L. S." wronply says no Prussians were present,) the allies lost 13,000 prisoners, 26 cannon, 18 standards, and 130 caissons (vide Alison's History of Europe," Vol, XI., cap. 80). At Ligny the Prussians, in their official account acknowledged a loss of 12,000 men and 21 guns, and the Duke of Wellington speaking of the battle to Captain (now Genera!) Bowles, re- marked that Old blucber had had a d--d good thrashing" (aide "Lord Malmesbury, his Friends," &c., recently published)- Looking at the list of Prussian victories given by L. S." it is rather strange (cousidei-ing the number of Prussians en- gaged) to find among them the name of Malplaquet, and the honours of the day a: Minden are generally considered to belong to i he English contingent. Treating of the War of Lberatiou in Germany in 1813, L.S." claims Grossbc eren, Dennewitz, and Katzbnch (Hagelsberg and Wartenburg are too small to be classed as battles), as solely Prussian, victories, though only the fil.-t can be so described, as at Dennewitz the iiussians and Swedes bore an equal part, and K.Ltzbach was gained entirely by ths- Russians of Sackeu's and Laugeron's corps, serving under Blucher's orders. L. S anoarentiy over- estimates the share ot Prussia in the War of Libera- tion. At the battle of Leir zig, out of 290,000 allies, but 50,000 were Prussians. Though the efforts of Prussia were most heroic during that war, justice demands tbat the largest share of laurels should be given to the Russians. The mtlitarv fame of both Fraace and Prussia nee Is no puffing." The vic- tories gained by the latter under Frederick have only been surpassed by those achieved by the former under Napoleon. Each nation can c'aini to have destroyed, at one blow (at Jena an i S tdowa) the military power of an adversary. If I wished to ,-Iori:y the French as "L. S." evidently wishes to glorify the Prussians, I should say that the "pluck" evinced by the former at Leipzig, where for three days, 175,000 French (netrly all young conscripts) withstood 2^0,000 allies ("including the veteran Rus. sian bands of 1812). renders that defeat as glorious as most victories. Past victories, as L. S." allows are no criterion of future succss, but he seems to think that the cause of Prussia may be stt-engthened by a recapitulation of her triumphs. Well and good only the list should have been an r ccuratc one.-I a,l), &-c., August 4. A. J. O N