The Situation in France

I received a letter from Madame le Coat in which she says: ―
“Our situation is very sad now in France. The proclamation of war has called out of the country every man; all we have left is old men, women and children. Le Quere is gone, Omnes also; and Somerville is waiting for the call. The lawyer is gone and our doctor.... We are working very hard to get in the harvest. This will give you an idea of our position. The strictest surveillance is exerted over us; we must get the Mayor’s permission for everything, but the Lord is above all, and will, I am sure, in His own good time bring us through. When you go out of the house everybody you meet is crying. I hope you are not in the same state in England.... I am thankful that my dear husband is at rest; he will not suffer.”
This touching letter was followed by another from Mademoiselle Le Quere in which she says: — “We had a letter from Omnes (the colporteur) today. He is near ―, not far from —, guarding a fort. He does not know how long he will have to stay there. He says there are two hundred and fifty soldiers there, and he is the only Protestant. He finds many opportunities to preach the gospel; he has promised to many of these men the New Testament. My dear brother is still in―; a good number of English soldiers are camping there, and my father says they are so well behaved that it is a pleasure to see them. But what a pity to think of all these precious young lives being sacrificed.”