o'clock, however, part of them began to scale the hill immediately before them, while others went round to the south towards Gaulier and Casal, and more marched down from Fleigneux. These troops became so intermixed that no detailed orders could be given; a fierce contest was carried on for a long time with varying fortunes. The French division, attacked on both flanks, and also shelled, at last gave way, and the reserves of the Seventh Corps having already been called off to other parts of the battle-field, the French cavalry once more devoted themselves to the rescue.

General Margueritte, with five regiments of light horse, and two of lancers, charged out of the Bois de Garennes. He fell among the first, severely wounded, and General Galliffet took his place. The charge was over very treacherous ground, and even before they could attack, the ranks were broken by the heavy flanking fire of the Prussian batteries. Still, with thinned numbers, but unflagging determination, the squadrons charged on the Forty-third Infantry Brigade and its reinforcements hurrying along from Fleigneux. Part of the German infantry on the hill-side were lying under cover, others were fully exposed in groups of more or less strength. Their foremost lines were broken through at several points, and a detachment of these brave troops forced their way past eight guns, through a hot fire, but the reserves beyond checked their further progress. A troop of cuirassiers, issuing from Gaulier, fell on the German rear, but encountering the Prussian hussars in the Meuse valley, galloped off northward. Other detachments forced their way through the infantry as far as the narrow way by St. Albert, where the battalions holding it gave them a warm reception; others again entered Floing only to succumb to the Fifth Jägers, who fell on them front and rear. These attacks were repeated by the French, again and again, and the murderous turmoil lasted for half an hour with steadily diminishing success for the French. The volleys of the infantry fired at short range strewed the whole field with dead and wounded. Many fell into the quarries or over the steep precipices, a few may have escaped by swimming the Meuse; and scarcely more than half of these brave troops were left to return to the protection of the fortress. But this

magnificent sacrifice of the splendid French cavalry could not change the fate of the day. The Prussian infantry had lost but few in cut-and-thrust encounters, and at once resumed the attack against Liébert's division. But in this onslaught they sustained heavy losses; for instance, the three battalions of the Sixth Regiment had to be commanded by lieutenants. Casal was stormed, and the French, after a spirited resistance, withdrew at about three o'clock to their last refuge, the Bois de Garennes.

When, between one and two o'clock, the fighting round Bazeilles at first took a favorable turn for his army, General von Wimpffen returned to his original plan of overthrowing the Bavarians, exhausted by a long struggle, and making his way to Carignan with the First, Fifth, and Twelfth Corps; while the Seventh Corps was to cover their rear. But the orders issued to that effect never reached the generals in command, or arrived so late that circumstances forbade their being carried out.

In consequence of his previous orders, Bassoigne's division. with those of Goze and Grandchamp had remained idle. Now, at 3 P.M., the two last-named advanced from Fond-de-Givonne, over the eastern ridge, and the Twenty-third Saxon Division, which was marching in the valley on the left bank of the Givonne, found itself suddenly attacked by the compact French battalions and batteries, but with the aid of the left wing of the Guards and the artillery thundering from the eastern slope, they soon repulsed the French, and even followed them up back to Fond-de-Givonne. The energy of the French appears to have been exhausted, for they allowed themselves to be taken prisoners by hundreds. As soon as the hills on the west of the Givonne had been secured, the German artillery established itself there, and by three o'clock twenty-one batteries stood in line between Bazeilles and Haybés.

Bois de Garennes, where many corps of all arms had found refuge and were wandering about, still remained to be taken. After a short cannonade the First Division of Guards ascended the hills from Givonne, and were joined by the Saxon battalions, the left wing of the Third Army at the same time pressing forward from Illy. A wild turmoil ensued, some of the

French offered violent resistance, others surrendered by thousands at a time, but not until five o'clock were the Germans masters of the fortress.

Meanwhile long columns of French could be seen pouring down on Sedan from all the neighboring hills. Irregular bands of troops were massed in and around the walls of the fortress, and shells from the German batteries on both sides of the Meuse were constantly exploding in their midst. Columns of fire soon began to rise from the city, and the Bavarians, who had gone round to Torcy, were about to climb the palisades at the gate when, at about half-past four, flags of truce were hoisted on the towers.

The Emperor Napoleon had refused to join with General von Wimpffen in his attempt to break through the German lines; he had, on the contrary, desired him to parley with the enemy. On the order being renewed, the French suddenly ceased firing. General Reille now made his appearance in the presence of the King, who had watched the action since early in the day from the hill south of Frénois. He was the bearer of an autograph letter from the Emperor, whose presence in Sedan had till now been unknown. He placed his sword in the hands of the King, but as this was only an act of personal submission, the answer given to his letter demanded that an officer should be dispatched hither, fully empowered to treat with General von Moltke as to the surrender of the French army. This sorrowful duty was imposed on General von Wimpffen, who was in no way responsible for the desperate straits into which the army had been brought.

The negotiations were held at Donchery during the night between the first and second of September. The Germans were forced to consider that they must not forego the advantage gained over so powerful an enemy as France. When it was remembered that the French had regarded the victory of German arms over other nationalities in the light of an insult, any act of untimely generosity might lead them to forget their own defeat. The only course to pursue was to insist upon the disarmament and detention of the entire army, but the officers were to be free on parole. General von Wimpffen declared it impossible to accept such hard conditions; the negotiations

were broken off, and the French officers returned to Sedan at one o'clock. Before their departure they were given to understand that unless these terms were agreed to by nine o'clock next morning, the bombardment would be renewed. Thus the capitulation was signed by General von Wimpffen on the morning of the second, further resistance being obviously impossible.

This splendid victory had cost the Germans 460 officers and 8,500 men. The French losses were far greater; 17,000 were killed, the work principally of the strong force of German artillery. Twenty-one thousand Frenchmen were taken prisoners in the course of the action, 83,000 surrendered; 104,000 in all. With the surrender of this army, Imperialism in France was extinct.-H. B. VON MOLTKE.

VASCO DA GAMA, the celebrated Portuguese navigator and discoverer, was born at Sines, about the year 1460. Hearing of the possibility of reaching the eastern countries by rounding the southern extremity of Africa, the Portuguese king, João II., determined to fit out an expedition to verify the reports. Ill health of the king and affairs of state interfered with the intended expedition, and

it was not till Manoel succeeded to the throne, after a delay of ten years, that the preparations for the voyage were completed.

Command of the fleet of four ships was given to Vasco da Gama, then a gentleman of the king's household, who had gained distinction as a skillful and fearless mariner. On the 8th of July, 1497, the fleet left Lisbon for the Cape Verd islands, whence it sailed, on August 3d, southward along the coast of Africa. In November the Cape of Good Hope was rounded in safety, and in April of the next year they reached Melinda. A pilot, given by the king of Melinda, conducted the fleet across the Indian Ocean. Twenty-three days later they saw the Malabar coast, and on May 20 arrived at Calicut, where Gama erected a marble pillar as a mark of conquest. A cordial reception was extended to Gama by the court, but the Arabian merchants, who foresaw that their trade would eventually be taken from them, incited the Zamorin, or ruler