THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

D um v o b i s g r a t u l a m u r , a n i m o s e t i a m a d d i m u s u t i n i n c c e p t i s v e s t r i s c o n s t a n t e r m a n e a t i s . F rom the B r i e f o f H i s H o lin ess to T he T ablet, f u n e 4, 1870.

V o l . 3 6 . N o . 1 5 8 3 . L o n d o n , A u g u s t 1 3 , 1 8 7 0 .

Pr,“ s

'C hronicle of th e W e e k : The

First Defeat.—The Second Defeat. — Yet another Desperate Fight.— Strasbourg Besieged.— The Lion’s Skin Again.— At the Seat of.W ar.— The Situation at Paris.— Help for the Wounded.— War Correspondents. — The Evacuation of Papal States.— Cardinal Bonaparte.— Close of the Session.—The Treaty about Belgium.— Brussels Address to Queen Victoria.— &c., &c. . . '' 189 Leaders: The W a r ....................................193

French Policy towards Rome . 193 Who will Join the Papal Zouaves? 194 Dramatis Persona;— IV . . 195 Peter’s Pence . . . . 193 English Administrations and Catho

CONTENTS.

lie Interests ;— II. George I and George I I ....................................195 T he A nglican M ovem ent :

Ritualist Views of Anglican

Ecclesiastical Courts.— Protests against the Protestant Communion in Westminster Abbey. —Anglican Chaplains Abroad . 198 R eview s :

History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France . . 199 The “ Dublin Review ” . . 200 S hort N otices : A Manual of the Ancient History of the East from the commencement of the Median Wars.— Quarterly Review.— The Irish Ecclesiastical Record.— Nicholas ; or, The Reward of a Good Action, &c., &c. 201

C orrespondence:

The Defence of Rome. . . 202 Memorial Church to the late

Bishop of Southwark . . 202 P a r l ia m en t a r y S ummary . . 202 L e t t e r from R ome ; The Pope.

—The Poor Clares.— Recall of the French Troops.—Views of the Liberals. — Italy. — The Volunteers. — Spanish Affairs. — The Defence of Rome.—The Papal Army. — Italian Parliament. — Russia, Prussia, and Austria.— Diplomatic.— The British Consulate.— Movements of the Sect . 205 R ecord of th e C ouncil . . 206 D io cesan N ews : Westminster........................................ 207

S o u th w a rk ........................................207 Beverley . . . . . 207

D io cesan N ews (continued) :

Clifton ...... Northampton . Salford............................................. Shrewsbury . . _ . Ecclesiastical Intelligence . I reland ................................................. F oreign N ews :

Spain : Personal. — Politics. —

The Priests Starving.— State o f Society.................................... France ............................................ T he W a r ........................................ M em oranda :

R e l i g i o u s .................................... Educational.................................... Literary ..... Fine A r t s .................................... G en er a l N ews ....

207 208 208 208 20S 208

209 209 209 212 212 213 213 213

CH R O N IC L E O F THE W EEK .

DEFEAT. T

THE FIRST

'H E mythic time o f the battles o f giants seems to have returned. Since our last publication, the news o f two battles have

•convulsed the French nation, and, through France, all Europe. In all, the Emperor’s arms have sustained three •crushing defeats. Too true in itself, and o f deadly presage as forerunning still greater losses, was the report we hastily inserted last week o f the disaster sustained by the detachment o f Marshal MacMahon’s army at Weissenburg. The •meagre and confused accounts that have reached us amidst the din of the succeeding events represent that engagement, frightful though it was in slaughter, yet as honourable to the French army and as disgraceful only to the command. One gun was taken, the horses being shot down, and the carriage broken. The French were allowed to be surprised, and to be outnumbered as at least three to one. They stood their ground with all the heroism o f their nation, and inflicted even greater losses on the enemy than those they themselves ■ suffered ; and when, after many hours desperate fighting, they had to give ground with decimated ranks, their artillery was able to cover their retreat with a heavy fire which prevented pursuit, and proved that although driven back they were by no means routed. General MacMahon does not seem to have been present at the batde of Weissenburg. General Abel Douay (there are two of the name) was in command .and was left dead on the field. The Prussians were commanded by the Crown Prince. The news was not fully known in Paris till Saturday, and then its effect was like a thunderclap, producing general depression and dismay. As i f to augment the blow, the populace had just before been abandoning themselves to the intoxication o f jo y and triumph at the announcement o f a great victory, falsely spread by some scoundrel for purposes o f gambling in the funds. The surging crowds marched in triumph through Paris carrying tricoloured flags, singing the Marseillaise, shouting V ic to ry ! V ive la France ! and congratulating each other that France had asserted her supremacy over the world. How soon was that triumph destined to be turned, first into disappointment, then into consternation, and finally into rage 1

THE SECOND DEFEAT. o f sad and France. It

The worst still remains behind. Woerth, Reichshofen, Froschweiler, all names referring to thesamebattle, will go down to history linked with the 6th of August as a name and a date disastrous, but not dishonouring, import for was there and then that General MacMahon with about 30,000 men, the portion of his army that had remained unbroken from Weissenburg, received the shock of 150,000 of the best Prussian troops, the flower o f the army,

New Series. No. 92.

under the Crown Prince and the Prussian Generals Goeben and Steinmetz. The French commander seems to have advanced, eager to avenge the slaughter and retrieve the fortunes o f the 4th, and to have advanced incautiously or in reliance on supports that were not forthcoming ; every hour brought fresh reinforcements for the Prussians but none for him. His line was soon overlapped by that o f the enemy, and at last he found himself surrounded by a hedge of fire and steel from which the Prussian Prince probably expected that he could not escape. He did cut his way through but at a fearful expense of the lines o f his soldiers. Ten thousand French remained upon the ground killed and wounded, but the enemy’s loss was as great, probabably much greater. The French accountsmake it more than double, Here too no honour was lost by the French arms. Again they were outnumbered and out generalled ; again they inflicted terrific loss in return for that which they suffered ; and they were not pursued. In this case also they protected their retreat by a heavy cannonade. On the French side General Colson is known to have been killed, and General Raoull is said to be missing. The Prussians lost General François killed. An immense number of prisoners were taken from the French, and, by the accounts from the other side, seem to have been kindly treated by their captors. There is policy in this as well as humanity. H odie m ih i, eras iib i, is the rule in campaigning. The consequences of this victory, so dearly purchased by the Prussians, are most important. They are established at S. Avoid, late a French post, strongly fortified ; the)' have the command of the province o f Alsace, a rich and fertile country, that will afford them abundant supplies for their troops ; they are enabled to co-operate with the other army corps, said to be hovering ready for another invasion o f France somewhere between Strasburg and Basle. The necessity for keeping thereabouts a sufficient force to hold such a movement in check is one of the most serious embarrassments which the French plan, o f operations is at present subject to. The situation mus*: be still more seriously complicated should the Prussia:. ■ attempt crossing the Rhine in force anywhere south o 1' Strasburg.

Besides the action at Woerth, there was also vet another on § a (;Urc]ay another important battle fought at f ight Specheren, called in some o f the despatches

Styring-Wendel, between Forbach and Saarbrücken. General Frossard was in command on the French side, and the Royal Frince Frederick Charles on that o f Prussia. There were two French regiments and a battalion against forest, where they

20,000 Prussians protected by a dense lay concealed from the sight o f the

French. After nine hours o f hard fighting they retreated ; the superiority of numbers was too great. On the following day the Prince evacuated his position, leaving behind him the