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Show THE SITUATION I.V PHAS'CE. There is little doubt that the march of the Prussians on Paris has been arrested, ar-rested, and that the vast army lately moving in that direction has gone northward. The dispatches state so explicitly, yet, as but little reliance can be placed on such announcements until confirmed by results, the inference infer-ence that it is correct must he drawn from the fact that no further news has been received since yesterday, of their scouts being noticed in the direction of Paris. This alteration in the movement move-ment of the Crown Prince proves' that McMahon's strategy has been in part, at least, successful, and that the Prussians Prus-sians have seen danger in his move-moHU. move-moHU. This would account for the sudden change in the Prussian march, and their moving to bring on an engagement en-gagement with him, to cripple him, if ; possible, and not risk irretrievable ruin by a defeat before Paris with a threatening threat-ening army in their rear. This, too, accounts tor the jubilant statement of yesterday, made by the French, that when Trochu 'would clutch the Crown Princa, McMahon would grind his army finer than powder, for evidently the design of the French has been to .allow his march on Paris, where there .are over 300,000 men, while McMahon kept at striking distance behind, and thus envelope him between two great armies. But the Crown Prince is undoubtedly a wary commander, and too good a general to be thus caught napping; so he turns off to the north, keeping scouting parties in every direction, and seeks the old French Marshal to give him battle. - '. Meantime, Paris ' wisely does not slacken its preparations for defense. In attacking Paris the vitality of France is attacked. This the Prussians Prus-sians know; this the French recognize. And provisions, arms and munitions of war continue 'to be stored up in the capital, while volunteers from different parts of the empire pour into Paris for its defense. I . But a great battle is imminent, one. of the greatest on record. The point of action is eon.-iderably. narrowed ; and the vast belligerent armies are concentrated within a comparatively com-paratively limited space. . The numbers num-bers must be more nearly equal than the dispatches state ; and it is pro-bableitbat pro-bableitbat three-quai ters of a million of men are within short distance, ready for conflict. Thionville is north of Metz, where large forces must necessarily ne-cessarily be, while the former fortress is invested by the Prussians. Lon-guyon Lon-guyon and Montmedy are mirth-west of Thionville, and at each place it is admitted the French are in f'mve. Sedan is nnrth-west of Montmedy, and Mezieres still further in the r-uin.-; eii-rection. eii-rection. . Tn the former place Napoleon Napo-leon was said to be late la;t week ; now it is affirmed lie i. at tin- latter, where McMahon'e headquarters are reported. South-west from Mczierc.s is Bethel, and further on in the same line Ls Rheims. and at the latter place, as well as in the neighborhood of Bethel, the Prussians are said to be in force. These towns form almo.it a triangle, with Mezieres in the apex., which throws McMahon's headquar ters at a point where time may deter mine the result of the conflict. If he .and Bazaine can strike Prince Frederick Frede-rick Charles and Steinmetz the one from the neighborhood of Metz moving north-west, the other from Mezieres moving south-east before the Crown Prince's forces arrive, then the odds would be with the French. But if Steinmetz, who is said to be near c Montmedy, and the Crown Prince moving up by Kheims, can strike McMahon Mc-Mahon unitedly, he will be outnumbered outnum-bered and outgeneraled, and can only expect to inflict heavy losses on the enemy without the hope of winning a victory; while lie may suffer a crushing defeat It is mo.it difficult to arrive at correct cor-rect conclusions from the iia-s of contradictory con-tradictory and confused telegrams published pub-lished ; but a few days will give un-irii.itakca.blc un-irii.itakca.blc fads to go upon. |