The Sun. — London, England, 1870-11-07 00:00:00

INSURRECTION IN PARIS. (By BALLOON MAIL.) PARIS, Nov, 1. The siege up to the last few days was a very dull affair—a monotonous routine of learning the best way to eat short allowances of indifferent food, and listening to uneventful discharges of cannon from the forts. But for the last five or six days we have had no ennui to complain of. The excitement has been of a very high order, and of thoroughly abundant quantity. Further news of disaster has reached us ; the question of peace has come under serious discus sion for the first time since the investment ; the smoulder ing antagonism between the Reds and the Moderates has broken into fierce flame; Belleville has risen in insurrection; the Reds have made the Government prisoners; the Moderates have discomfited the Reds ; and the Ministers remain again masters of the field. This is pretty fair for a week's work. It seems to have satisfied even the Parisians, who are now as quiet almost as they were before the commencement of the business. PREMATURE TRUTH, The entertainment of the week began on the 27th, with the appearance of Le Combat, This worthy journal is edited by M. Felix Pyat—need one say more ? M. Pyat is a Red Socialist, rather worn out in the business, but still possessing that great proportion of energy and small proportion of sense which are so often found combined in gentlemen of his creed. His history previous to the siege is not much in his favour ; his doings during the siege have been confined chiefly to advocating insurrection and revolutionism in general, and in telling lies. On the 27th he manufactured a gross canard. Metz, said the Combat, had surrendered. You will know well enough that this falsehood was but the presage of the truth, but it wag none the less a falsehood, for by no means could M. Pyat have received any intelligence of the kind. Paris, which imagined that Bazaine and his host were immolating the Germans by degrees, became curious at this news. Freeshooters and National Guards repaired to the office of the paper, but were furnished with very vague information. In the afternoon some of M. Pyat's staff were arrested and taken to the Hotel de Ville. On the Boulevard Sebastopol the irritated crowd wanted to seize them from the National Guards who were surrounding them. At the War Office all the officials left off work in order to go and ascertain whether the news was true. General Trochu replied bluntly that it was false. During the whole evening, on the boulevards, in the suburbs, and in the clubs. disgust was loudly expressed at the " infamous calumny " of the Combat. The people bought up the paper with amazing avidity—in order to publicly burn it. Never. before were the copies of the Combat so rapidly disposed of, in every sense of the phrase, as on the 27th. The incident had no immediate consequences, yet it was not without impor tance, for it agitated men's minds, made the Republicans especially uneasy, and paved the way for the disturbances that were to follow. A NOSTRUM FOR PREMATURE TRUTH. On the 28th the appearance of the Journal ()Aid was looked for with much anxiety. Its contents were reassuring. Not only did it give no confirmation respecting the reported surrender, but it spoke in terms of righteous indigna tion against the print which contained " the odious lines." The Government could, it said, in the name of public safety and the law, suppress or restrain the liberty of the press, which has its inconveniences in a besieged town. But, as the Journal Officiel —probably reflecting that it would not do for the one and indivisible Republic to com mence with the very system of restrictions which had helped to prop up the hated Empire—declared that the Ministry preferred to trust to public opinion. If brought before a court-martial, the libel would expose its author to most severe punishment, but the Government believed that public opinion would be more efficacious. "The Government gives a distinct denial to the accusa tion. Since the 17th August no direct dispatch from Mardchale Bazaine has been able to cross the lines. General Bourbaki having escaped, his relations with the delegation of Tours and acceptance of a command contra dict the assertions of the Combat." With this reassuring notice, Paris became tolerably satisfied. The ordinary routine life was resumed. We heard with the customary resignation that "on and after Tuesday next" gas would be reduced one half, and that in private establishments all lights were to be extinguished by half-past ten. Horse flesh was to be served out the same as butcher's meat, which will shortly be given in rations alternately with salt pork. On the 28th the Germans attempted to retake the village of Bourget, which had been occupied by the French. The account given here is, as usual, very favourable to our side. The enemy, always repulsed, returned again and again to the charge. Repulsed with the bayonet, decimated by the forts of the Briche, Aubervilliers, and the Eastern, the Prussians at night gave up the attempt. The French remained masters ofthe ' position.' " Nevertheless, the post thus won has been since abandoned, ostensibly because it was not worth holding. On the 29th M. Fax Pyat resumed the Metz story by declaring that it was for the government to prove its truth or falsehood. The public laughed at this notion of the Government investigating all the lies that the Combat and kindred papers might choose to tell. Its mirth was destined to be of no great duration. THE TRUTH ITSELF. On the 30th the feeling of agitation bred by Le Combat was intensified a hundred fold. Two great events happened. M. Thiers arrived with proposals for an armistice, and the capitulation of Metz was announced as a positive fact. For the time, the former event was lost and forgotten in the grief caused by the latter. The capitulation was the one topic of conversation. The Parisians for once realised to the full extent the situation of France ; for the whole truth seems to have been told, and no fact of moment held back. At any rate, the following dismal bulletin appears to leave nothing untold :—" The army of Metz has capitulated. Marshal Bazaine, running short of provisions and ammunition, has signed a capitulation in all points resembling that of Sedan. The army placed under his orders, the garrison of the city, and the National Guard, are prisoners of war. The number of the generals, officers, and soldiers who have beeen obliged to lay down their arms, is 171,000 including the National Guard of Metz." An army of 170,000 men ! Such a disaster is unprecedented, as that of Sedan was until the greater calamity of Metz occurred. The blow was acutely felt, but the discouragement was not such as to induce any wavering in the determination to resist, nor has there been so far any outcry against the army which has just been led into cap tivity. But murmurs against the Government speedily arose, and prepared the way for the outbreak that was to come. Instead of denouncing Bazaine, or his troops, or the Government in the pro vinces, the measure of popular indignation was vented the Ministers within the besieged city, who had much share in the surrender of Bazaine - as Bazaine will have in the surrender of Paris, whenever that may happen. Says the .Reveil :—" Every true Frenchman should wear mourning, for to-day the honour of the country flows from every pore, along with the blood of her children. Baza,ine surrendered, Metz given up to the Prussians—what more is left for us to endure ? Shame and curses upon the men who, unable to measure their own weakness of heart or of head, have charged themselves with the national defence, and have conducted it as if they had no other aim than to betray France to the enemy 1 Imbeciles or traitors—there is no other choice ; but as for the people, the result is the same, the crime is the same in the presence of the people—in the presence of humanity, whose rights France is defending within the enceinte of radii." The Revell finished by calling for the Commune. This appeal evidently found many sympathisers. The quarters of Belleville and La Vilette were unusually agitated during the night. Bands of armed men kept moving about in those notori ously Red districts. Flourens and the other Socialist eaders betrayed an activity which boded no good to the cause of order. AN ARMISTICE PROPOSED. M. Thiers arrived on the same day, and it was soon known that he came with proposals for an armistice. It soon became known also that the Government was favourable to the plan, and desired to promote it. Thepublic received the intelligence with mingled feelings. The bourgeoisie were obviously glad. They have had well nigh enough of the war. Incessant drilling and mount ing guard Upon the ramparts these cold wet nights is not lively employment in the eyes of shopkeepers, particu larly when a great falling off or almost total cessation of business is added to other discomforts. The working men, however, were furious at the thought of an armistice. So were other portions of the community, who are really prepared to undergo sacrifices rather than submit to the humiliating peace which it is known Count Bismarck means to impose upon France. The Gazette de France supported the Government in its disposition to accept the armistice. It be ieves that the Gerinans will offer no conditions which France can regard as endurable ; but it holds that the armistice should be agreed to, in order that the respon sibility of continuing the war should be left to the National Assembly. The article mentions important facts which should be given :--" The treaty of peace which the Constituent Assembly shall be called to ratify will involve disarmament, the pledge to maintain on foot only an army of a determi nate strength, a considerable money indemnity, the abandonment definitively of the war material which has already fallen into the hands of the enemy, and finally—bitter draught !—the cession. of Lorraine and Alsace, which are to be joined to the Palatinate of Ba varia, and to form a neutral State like that of Belgium, incorporated between France and Germany. As for Prussia, she will reserve to herself only the right to acquire for ready money from the King of Holland the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg ; for she will not permit the situation of a neutral State to prevent her from having a door open upon France. We are convinced that the Assembly of Representatives of the country, if that Assembly be elected freely and really represents to the country, will never consent to place its signature at the foot of such a treaty. And yet—we say it with death in our soul—the duty of the Government of the Hotel de Ville is to accept the armistice which is proposed to it, to bear the test that is imposed. It has not the right to refuse ; the-responsibility of the resolutions which must be taken, let them be what they may, is too great for that Government to assume. It is for the nation to deliberate, to decide, to pronounce. If the nation recog-. nise that there is no possibility of protracting the resist ance, it will be necessary that we should bend, with rage in our hearts, until the hour shall strike for revenge— that we should bend under the Caudine Forks of King William. But if, as we hope, France decides that she must conquer or die, then it is herself who will take in hand her own destinies, and her salvation will be sure." ATTACK ON THE HOTEL DE VILLE. The next morning (yesterday) showed that the Reds were determined to make the most of their opportunity. There were great gatherings of people in all directions and tremendous uproar. Troops of men dressed as National Guards, but for the most part without arms, marched about crying for the Commune. Soon they got into the square of the Hotel de Ville, and there raised more uproar. This unarmed demonstration resulted in nothing, but it was the prelude to a more serious performance. It ought to have put the Govern ment on their guard. But no precautions seem to have been taken. At one o'clock the old revolutionary tumult resounded in different parts of the city; the rappel was beaten, and battalions of guards, this time fully armed and equipped, trooped into the square. Then commenced a stormy afternoon's work. The battalions sang the Marseillaise, and shouted for the Commune. More men came up. After an hour or two an entrance was effected, and the armed soldier-citizens poured into the Hotel do Ville, up its staircases, and through its various chambers. Nothing seemed capable of stopping the tide of mischief. The rain fell heavily, and yet the crowds gathered. At half-past one General Trochu appeared at one of the windows. He tried to reassure the mob, but spoke somewhat despond. ingly and therefore did not succeed. Ho said he had fortified Paris, and if he had not been able to defeat the enemy in the open, it was through the want of artillery. His life was at the service of his country. The mob, however, appreciated no talk of this kind : Trochu was so roughly handled that he had to retire. M. Jules Simon had no bettor success. No armed men ap peared at this juncture on the side of the Government. And so the mob did what they liked in the Hotel de Ville. Yet they did nothing in any regular way, and for some hours had no object. Indeed at present nobody knows what they did, except raise a fearful uproar and go generally "on the rampage." At five o'clock the revolutionary daredevil, Flourens, who had been seen there before, put in a formal and official appearance, and the business of making a Revolution began in good earnest. ONE GOVERNMENT GOETH AND ANOTHER COMETH. Flourens came in with several soldiers of his battalions, and took his stand on the bend of the crowded staircase. He there announced that a meeting of citizens who had deliberated in the picture hall (deliberated 1) not willing to content themselves with promises, but, demanding acts, had charged him to formulate the following resolutions :-Ist. Within the next forty-eight hours a Committee of Defence be elected. 2nd. Until that time provision shall be made for the nomination of a Provisional Committee, whose first course shall be to make the Hotel de Vile to be guarded no longer by Mobiles or Bretons, but by National Guards, who represent really the rights and interests of the city. Afterwards that committee must immediately send delegates into the forts to preserve them from all treason. For, adde'd the orator, from the commencement of the campaign until now we have been betrayed—constantly 'betrayed. 3rd. The citizens united propose the following list for the Pro visional Committee : Flourens, Fdlix Pyat, Ranvier, Mottu, Blanqui, Avrial, Delescluze, Milliere. Flourens then asked if any names were to be added to this collec tion of political rubbish. Victor Hugo was called for, and carried with acclamation. Then came Raspail and Gambon, and finally Rochefort, whose efforts, however, to preserve order caused him a multitude of enemies. However, he was added to the list at length. All this was done upon the great staircase, which became crowded to excess with its living freight. All the while detail business was pro ceeding in other parts of the great establishment, but na . interruption was experienced. The members of the Government were sitting in the hall where their delibera-: tions were usually held. Now, if a new Government, composed of the admirable gentlemen whose names I have just recounted, were to take the reins of power, it was evident that the actual possessors must retire. Accordingly a crowd proceeded to invade the antechamber where Trochu and his colleagues were seated. Their resignations were demanded. Unfortu nately, however, they did not exactly " see it." They refused. A DEPOSITION. The negative answer was straightway carried upstairs to the Revolutionists, who considered what should be done. Some of the National Guards from Belleville, who understood a great deal more about upsetting govern ments than about beating the Germans, cried, "We must arrest it." Just the thing. "We must arrest it," echoed on all sides, and one gentleman, more enterprising than the rest, quietly hinted at certain consequences which ought to follow arrest. The crowd went to the meeting hall, which was immediately invaded, and filled with Na tional Guards and roughs without uniform, who shouted and gesticulated at eaeh other without any defined object. MM. Trochu, Jules Favre, Ernest Picard, Simon, and two other Ministers were seated round a little table. The crowd surrounded them, hustled them, and overwhelmed them with recriminations and reproaches. M. Dorian was mounted on a chair and delivered a speech which it was impossible to catch. After having descended from the improvised tribune, Dorian retired under the direction of two National Guards,who cleared a passage for him. Floruens next got upon the chair. This is the man who, wild revolutionist as he is, has the greatest com mand over the Paris mob. He is a mis guided Ultra, but his determination and bravery are such as few men can equal. No sooner had he got upon the chair than perfect silence prevailed. He invited with calmness, but with much decision, each mem ber of the Government to give in his resignation. Jules Favre replied in the name of his colleagues, that, holding his mandate from the whole people, he would retire only in presence of a Government regularly elected ; till then he would not budge. General Trochu energetically supported his colleagues, and the other members followed in the same sense. The crowd did not ease clamouring for the immediate arrest of the members of the Provisional Government, and demanded that they should be sent to Vincennes. The explanations which Flourens endeavoured to give were interrupted by cries of " L'arrestation." "You may arrest me," said Jules Favre, "but you will not change myresolution." After a very con fused discussion, which was prolonged till seven in the evening. M. Flourens declared that, as a measure of public safety, the members of the Provisional oovernment should be kept in sight (scrota gardes a vu). He then in vited the crowd to evacuate the Hotel de Ville, and ordered tne National Guard to watch all the issues. The crowd persisted in demanding the arrest of the Govern ment. Some cries of " Death " even were heard ; but a speech from Flourens, who declared that he placed the members of the Government under his safe-guard, appeased those present. Mil, SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1876. A RESTORATION. And so the Government was deposed. It was soon set on its legs again, however. The National Guards managed to get the people out of the Hotel'de Ville, but they did not do their guarding very well, for General Trochu slipped out and reached his hotel, under escort of some provincial Mobile Guards. The struggle for supremacy went on all night. The Revolutionists named a commission of twenty members, of whom ten set off to the various forts, whilst ten others remained to enact divers revolutionary deeds. They issued a proclamation, declaring that the armistice wasrefused, the Government of Defence dissolved, and that the election to the Commune would take place within 48 hours. Both sides mustered their forces. Two battalions of National Guards, from the choicest region of Belleville, mustered round the Hotel de Ville in the interest of the new "rulers," whilst 2,000 Mobiles encamped round the hotel of Trochu. Any odds on the Mobiles. The provincials are far superior in every respect to tho S4dentaire battalions of Paris, and there could be little doubt that if it came to blows, the Belle ville hordes would find themselves unequal in skill, though not in courage, to the Mobiles. But Trochu, when once he had got at liberty, meant to settle the question with out blows. The appeal to arms beat in all quarters, and armed men, and the frightened crowd poured in all direc tions through the fearful storm of rain. More Mobiles were gathered, and regular troops came in from without the enceinte. It was all up with the revolution. No force that Flourens could command would avail against such an array. The Revolutionary Government ruled with great ability and vigour until nearly midnight, when the Re publican Ministry again ascended the throne. M Jules Ferry had the honour of settling the whole affair. Soon after ten o'clock the square was full of troops, who had declared for Trochu, and Ferry, trusting in these, presented himself at the gate of the Hotel de Ville, and demanded admission in the name of the Repub lic. He did not get in at first, but attempts were made to force the gate, and it appears they ultimately succeeded. T cannot yet learn in what manner the affair ended, but the collection of troops on behalf of the Republic was so great that the revolutionary forces gradually melted away before them, leaving the field clear. As for Flourens, nobody knows what has become of him. This morning the Government are again in full possession, and everything is tolerably quiet, though much excitement prevails. The Ministry have taken energetic measures to prevent a repetition of thew scenes. No blood has been shed. THE SIEGE.-PREPARATIONS FOR THE BOMBARDMENT. The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from the headquarters of the Prussian army at Versailles on the 29th October, says :—Groups Of soldiers are busy in the woods making faggots, which are called " fascines," and baskets without bottoms, which are known as "gabions." Logs of timber are being sawn up into pieces of convenient length to build the platform whereon the guns will work. The bottomless baskets are being filled with earth, and the faggots are being covered with earth as they take their place in the batteries. Banks are spaded up by night, behind which the besiegers can shelter, and those banks presently con ceal waggon loads of bottomless baskets. Everything is finished off neatly inside, though every thing remains rough and unpretending towards the front. Platforms are made for the great siege guns to rest on. Holes are dug out near the batteries, and prepared to receive ammunition. They are thickly covered over with earth and timber, until there is little chance of a shell getting through, whilst every possible precaution is taken against damp, Then the ammunition is stored up ready for use. It is in fact a raising of forts against forts. The original engineer has said, " Here is my notion of defence." He has made his m.,ve, and must wait the result. The new corner, the besieger, picks out every weak point in the line, and sets to work to outfortify his foe. Look along the German line of attack, from Bougival, by St. Cloud, Meudon, and Chittillon, to opposite Villejuif, and you will see cannon bristling against the whole south-west of the French posi tion. The villas round Paris are held by riflemen, who watch one another with restless vigilance. The gardens are trampled clown or hastily turned over with spades, to form breastworks in their midst. Loop holes are knocked in the high garden walls, and trees are felled,' which were their owner's pride. Siege opera tions in the suburbs of a great city are fearfully destruc tive of property. If there are not guns enough already mounted to satisfy you of the strength of the attack, come out with me a little further from Paris, and see the park of artillery waiting to be brought forward. Beyond the crest of the ridge, out of all possible range of the French forts, is a little impromptu arsenal in a field near the road. These huge pieces are very slow in getting into position, but will do mischief when once they are placed, you may depend. See how the mad from Nogent is blocked with waggons. The calculated number of 28 or 30 of these to bring up the ammunition of each battery gun is enough to account for a good deal of blocking on the road. But, further than this, there is a quantity of food to be brought to the front, and other traffic of every sort to carry on. They ought to be thankful to have hard roads in place of the quagmires of other historical sieges. A REVIEW OF BAZAINE'S CAMPAIGN. An officer of high rank has furnished a general review of the campaign, so far as Bazaine's army took part in it. He maintains that the battle of the 14th, before the blockade in Metz commenced, was a French victory, and so was the fight on the 16th at Mars a la-Tour. The battle of the 18th (Gravelotte) was, however, a defeat, caused largely by a movement on the part of Canrobert, who allowed too wide a gap to be left unfilled in one part of the lino. By the battle of the 18th August the investment of Metz was complete, and the town was cut off from all communication with the outside. The Marshal discouraged, in fact almost forbade, any attempt to send messages. When he allowed the balloons to be sent later, it was only on condition that they should con tain nothing but private news. A delay of some days was necessary to restore order in the corps defeated on the 18th, but this was soon done, and everyone impatiently awaited orders that never came. This delay was the more to be regretted i as the Prussians lost no time, and erected batteries on all the surrounding heights, no attempt being made to stop them. At last, on the 26th, the impatient army set out on the march, but no longer in the direction of Verdun. It recrossed the bridges, and was massed on the narrow space near Fort St. Julien, destroying the vineyards, &c., as it had already done on the other side. It was said that the object of this march was to procure from Thionville food and munitions, which were lacking at Metz, but the state of the munitions surrendered to the Prussians is the best answer to this. Still the start was not made. The rain fell, the march was declared impossible, and the troops re entered their old quarters, despite the reflections of those who observe that the rain wets everybody alike but does not seem to hinder the works of the Prussians. On the 31st of August the army made another movement, at the moment when Mar shal MacMahon was fighting on the Meuse. Was Bazaine informed of the efforts made to join him? This is not known, but in any case it was then too late to endea vour to effect a junction, which would have been possible some days earlier. From eight o'clock in the morning the majority of the troops were massed in their several positions. The Prussians were taken by surprise, and made signal after signal to summon their reinforcements to the point where they were threatened, and where their inferiority was evident. But Marshal Bazaine possibly did not care to make a serious attack since he remained where he was until four o'clock. Then at last a violent firing of artillery was commenced, which after about two hours, ended in the retreat or destruction of the Prussian batteries. Towards six o'clock General Changarnier, who was watching the movements of the 3rd Corps as a simple amateur, grew impatient of the prolonged inaction, sounded the charge, and sent forward the Monteaudun. division. The village of Nouilly was 'rapidly passed, and Noisseville, defended by a formidable barricade, was rapidly taken at the point of the bayonet, while other regiments took possession of the village of Servigny. If this attack had taken place earlier, if General Frossard had been less prudent, and had seconded the manoeuvre by turning the left of the Prussians, a disastrous defeat would have been inflicted on the enemy. But it was late, the men were wearied with long and useless waiting, and it seemed simpler to rest satisfied with what had been done. Marshal Bazaine went quietly back to St. Julien, leaving his troops without direction, and scarcely a battalion to guard the advanced posts. Twenty-four cannon having fallen into our hands, an artillery officer having some gun car riages available proposed to remove them. We shall have time to-morrow, was the answer. During the night, however, we were attacked by superior forces, and the advanced posts were lost. A fight ensued, which ended by leaving both parties much where they were. From that time down to the end of the month the army was perfectly quiet. About the 9th of September, when there was an exchange of prisoners, we had the first news of the catastrophe of Sedan. We had returned Prince Charles a thousand prisoners, captured in the different fights, and he had not been able to fulfil his part of the exchange all in one. Some of the men he sent had been captured near Givone, and their accounts seemed so extraordinary that we took them for deserters. The optimism and self deception. -were so strong that they were scarcely believed. Later on fresh prisoners gave us details we were obliged to be lieve, and brought a copy of the Figaro of the •6th, in which the sad news was told. The im pression made was most painful. A proclamation by the Marshal, almost the only :communication he had with the army and the town, told the population they had nothing to fear as he had decided not to leave Metz to prevent the enemy from interfering with them. As might be thought, such intelligence created consternation in the town, far from reassuring it. Why should he remain? Would not a garrison to defend the ramparts be sufficient. Was not the work of the army of France to fight, and not 'to wait till the exhaustion of provisions should surrender `town and army alike to the mercy of the enemy. This is what officers and soldiers, officials, and civilians repeated 'on every side. The Marshal remained immovable. To leave became every day more difficult and more dangerous, every day the enemy's blitteries grew more formidable, or appeared to do so, for at Ladouchamp a much dreaded battery turned out to be composed of barrels and pans mounted on ploughshares"! There was in any case plenty of artillery, and plenty of troops; but we • never knew whether the corps of investment was in reality as for midable as it was represented to be. Many doubted it, Always expecting an attack of this innumerable army, and fearing that the forts and the town, notwithstanding the deep fosses, and walls from eight to ten metres high, should b'e carried by the enemy ; fearing, too, that our camps should be taken off forcibly, the generals covered their front with defensive works, which were sometimes judicious, sometimes contemptible. It mattered little after all whether these defensive works were good or bad. It was clear to the dullest that the enemy, without a park of artillery, could not dream of a regular attack. A frustrated attack . would have been his ruin, and he did not contemplate it. THE OCCUPATION OF DIJON. The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Amange on October 28th, says :—There is no longer any doubt as to the occupation of Dijon, which is a far more serious matter than may at first appear, for it leaves the road to Lyons open to the enemy. The German troops having extended their line to Dijon, it seems to me that their next move will be from their left upon the forces that General Garibaldi has con centrated.in the Forest of Serre. Dijon having given way our only hope of defending Dole, and consequently our selves, from an advance from their extreme right, is to defend the passage of the Saone in the neighbourhood of Auxonne. If, on the other hand, and I should not be at all surprised if this were to happen—seeing that the passage of the Saone would be extremely difficult on account of the inundation on the western side—the enemy should make a move from its extreme left, we have the troops at Besancon, who would be bound to help us, and a magnificent position in the Forest of Serre. Taking account of the Free Corps which have arrived here during the last fow days, the troops under the command of Garibaldi must number, .I should think, at least seven or eight thousand ready to go into action. It is 'true that the Mobile Guard are armed with muzzle-loading guns ; but "on the other hand, the whole of the Free Corps, which aro very numerous, are provided with Chassepots. Whatever may happen, I feel sure that the whole of the troops here have perfect confidence in their general, who on hip side seems determined not to retreat unless we are tho;oughly beaten. THE SIEGE OF CHATEAUDUN. The special correspondent of the Telegraph, in his letter dated Paris October 30, gives the following account of that affair :—" The accounts that have reached us of the Cha teaudun affair are very meagre ; but sufficient is known to shew that the little town has deserved well of the country. According to what we hear, the inhabitants, 6,000 in all, made a most heroic resistance for upwards of nine hours, and, insufficiently armed as they were, inflicted terrible losses on the enemy. This is not the first time that the town has been entirely destroyed. In 1723 it was reduced to a heap of ruins. It appears that the inhabitants have lost none of their ancestors' bravery We hear from Tours that 100,000 f. has been appropriated to the relief of the distressed residents ; and a sub scription to rebuild the town, which is almost entirely destroyed, has been opened here, headed by I,ooofr. from the former Prefet of Chateaudun. In its honour also, the Rue Cardinal Fesch, one of the finest streets in Paris, has been re-christened Rue des Chateau dun. As the admiration of the Parisians has been excited by the conduct of the inhabitants of Chateaudun, so has their indignation been raised by accounts which reach us from Reuil, a little town near Paris, which has been the scene of several combats. The towns people, it appears, fraternise with the Prussians in a most unpatriotic manner ; and as Chateaudun is surnamed " the glorious," so Reuil is called " the traitorous." A striking example of the way in which life and liberty are lightly risked for trifles is afforded by the following incident :—During the early days of the siege a well-to-do maitre blanchisseur, a native of Thiais, a village some miles distant from Paris, took refuge with his wife and children in the capital. Having, however, deferred so doing until the last moment, they were unable to bring more than a few small articles of value with them, con tenting themselves with placing what was left under lock and key. For some time they were too thankful at find ing themselves in safe quarters to feel anxiety about their belongings at Thiais ; but latterly an increasing desire was manifested by the head of the family to re visit his household goods, and transport them to Paris. Vainly did wife and children endeavour to dissuade him from the dangerous enterprise— to Thiais he must go, and to Thiais he went. After con' siderable difficulty he obtained permission to pass the French lines, but he was not a quarter of a mile beyond them when he ran neatly into the midst of a little group of Prussian soldiers. All efforts at explanation were ren dered fruitless by their inability to understand each other ; but, by signs too terribly significant, the prisoner comprehended that he would be shot as a spy before the stroke of twelve—and already it was half-past eleven. With the comfortable reflection that in less than thirty minutes he would perform the office of target for Prussian bullets, he was conducted into the presence of the officer, who, luckily for our friend, under stood a little French; and, half- convinced of the truth of the prisoner's account of himself, he consented to put his veracity to the following test : "If the key which you have in your hand opens without difficulty the house door, you shall be allowed to return to Paris ; if not, you will be shot as a spy." Escorted by four soldiers, the prisoner set out for 'Phials with an easy mind ; hut, arrived before the well known door, his heart misgave- him. The weather had been continuously bad,' the lock was rusty, and the key might refuse its office. Well might the poor wretch tremble, for his life hung upon the turn of a key. The denouement is not tragical, but the blame does not rest with your correspondent, for I am writing fact, and not fiction. The key did turn ; and our hero returned in safety to Paris, and since that time he repeats incessantly his determination not to stir beyond the walls whilst there is the shadow of a Prussian remaining. ENGLISH MEMBERS ON THE WAR. It is curious to study the out-of-town speeches, as the Times has wisely rechristened what it used to call " extra- Parliamentary utterances," on the subject of the war, and see whether any classification of the sympathies in rela tion to the general politics of the speakers is possible. Sir Charles Adderley (dry official Conservative) is decidedly German; Mr. Cawley, M.P. (Pro testant Conservative member for Salford) is de cidedly German, and regrets the blind folly of the French. The Hon. Wilbraham Egerton (aristocratic Conservative Member for Mid-Cheshire) pities the Emperor, "who was not only beaten by the enemy, but neglected by his people." "He (the Emperor) had known the secret of making France happy, and had encouraged her commerce and agriculture in every way.'' Mr. Cunliffe - Brooks (M.P. for East Cheshire, Conser vative and Protectionist) thinks the fault of the war pretty equally divided. Mr. Bais (Liberal M.P. for Derby), who has been speaking chiefly on the Army question) is known by a'previous speech to have taken a French turn since Sedan ; Mr. Osborne Morgan (Liberal M.P., for Den bighshire), who was completely German at first, thinks Germany "is now fighting for territory and France for existence, and he must be an Unfeeling man who did not . sympathise with a people under such circumstances." Mr. Kay-Shuttleworth (Liberal M.P. for Hastings) is calmly impartial or too cautious to indicate a leaning; Mr. H. C. Lopes (Conservative M.P. for Launceston) does not think the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany would secure a permanent peace ; Lord H. Thynne (Conserva tive M.P. for South Wilts) thinks the policy of Prussia for the last fifteen years has been one not of conciliation, but aggression, and though the war was " partly" brought about by France, he does not wish to see France utterly' humbled and subdued; Mr. Beaumont (Liberal M.P. for South-West Riding) is partly French, and does not think the .Emperor entirely responsible for the war, while Mr. George Glyn (Liberal Whip, and M.P. for Shaftesbury), is very nearly as Prusssian as " W. R. G.," wishes to have a few shells thrown into Paris as a sort of lesson, and hopes Prussia will take full securities. He thinks Prussia has knocked France down and ` ,` licked her,"— Mr. Glyn is still schoolboYish in his oratory—and has a sort of loathing against licking her any more. It will be seen, we think, by this resume of the drift of the speeches of the week, that there is no' kind of relation to Liberal or Conservative politics in the sympathies of honourable members. The sentiment which leads some men to side with adversity and others with success, the scorn which some feel for weakness, the aversion which others feel towards imperiousness, the principle which makes a few dislike conquest, are all or any of them sufficient to turn the balance of sympathy, but ordinary Liberal or Conser vative principles are at fault in the matter. We may add :that a great deal more attention is devoted by these members out of town to our own Army question than to the rights or wrongs of the war. —Spectator. It is noticed that all the French sorties of importance have been made on Fridays. In the last fortnight six villages near Orleans, whose inhabitants made common cause with Francs-tireurs, were burned. General Boyer, who surrendered Chartres to the Ger mans, has been arrested at Toulouse by order of the Provisional Government and sent on to Tours. 'TIE CAPITULATION OF METZ. MORE PROOF AGAINST BAZAINE. All doubt respecting the conduct of Bazaine during the siege of Metz must now be considered as settled. Colonel Valcourt, an officer of the staff attached to the Metz army has drawn up a report upon the capitulation, which he has presented to the French War Ministry. In the following portion of this document the most serious charges are formulated against the French Marshal. " The reactionary conduct of Marshal Bazaine induced him to send a great number of agents through the camps and among the soldiers, telling them of the honour able capitulations throughout France, and espe cially that of Tours. On the 18th General Boyer having returned from Versailles, announced officially to the council of the marshals that not only Orleans, but also Tours, Chatelherault, Bourges, St. Etienne, Rouen, Havre, and Lille, were in the hands of the Prussians— that no vestige of a Government existed any longer in France—that in all the important cities most frightful disturbances existed en permanency, and that among other places, Lille and Rouen, plundered by the Socialists, had called in garrisons of Prussians. In a word it was necessary for the safety of France that the Emperor or Empress Regent should conclude peace with King William, and that the army of the Rhine should thereafter move towards the interior of the country to *re-establish order and reinstate everywhere the Imperial regime. All the time General Coffiniere knew, by a letter he had received, of the existence of the Government of the National Defence. " On the 28th October, an order of the day was read to the officers, announcing that the treaty of peace had been concluded between France and Prussia by the Empress Regent, who was about to re-establish herself, and would come to rejoin the army with her son. That then the army would move towards the rebel cities, subdue them, and proceed to settle affairs under the direction of Bazaine. " There was not since the 18th of August a serious sor tie, and those that were made were intended only to ex cuse Bazaine to his country and to history. In the second place he would not make a supreme effort; which would have thoroughly disorganised his army, and would not have left him supreme arbiter of the destinies of France. In the third place, as soon as he was convinced that he could not bring France and Prussia to entertain the idea of the. restoration of the Bonapartes, he hastened the moment of surrender as early as the commencement of October. "In the army itself a committee had, from the 12th of October, a certainty that the capitulation was about to be signed by Bazaine. Marshal Canrobert was very frank about the matter to the officers of his staff, telling them to prepare to make a stay of some weeks in Germany ; after which (added he) we shall return to our old position under the Bonaparte dynasty. " The Committee of Defence then tried to find some devoted citizens who would accept the role of delegates from the Government of National Defence. These citizens prepared warrants of arrests against Bazaine, Lebceuf, and Frossard, naming General Ladmirault com mander-in-chief. Many officers, both of the Staff and Engineers, formed a strategic plan which would reunite in a few hours around Metz the Tegiments opposed to all thought of capitulation. The officers replied that they had 20,000 resolute men, and it was a question of action sooner or later against the act of capitulation. This plan, having excited great en thusiasm in the army, gained adherents little by little; but a groat many felt the foolishness of these efforts, and deplored the inexpressible demoralisation with which the whole army appeared to be possessed, from the generals to the soldiers. The absolute inaction in which Bazaine had left the greater port of his troops since the engagements of August 31st and September Ist had brought into the camps untold vagabondage prostitutes promenading with impunity among the bivouacs on the arms of officers." ANOTHER FRENCH OFFICER'S NARRATIVE. A French officer, writing from Brussels to the Indepen dance Beige, gives a summary of Bazaine's career from the time he assumed the command of the Army of the Rhine. His Mexican campaign had borne testimony to his mili tary qualities, and the army placed full confidence in him. The retreat, commenced at Forbach, was continued beyond the Moselle. On the 18th •of August the forces sustained a severe loss, and from thence commenced the period of inaction which ruined the army. During the whole term of his military operations, Bazaine, like the other generals, had never been the master of bis army. He was badly seconded, and being unable to get rid of his incompetent advisers, he gave up the command to a great extent. He relied on help from without, and waited for the ar rival of MacMahon ; but by the beginning of September it became known that MacMahon was lost. With respect to the political situation at that time, the army waited for orders, which did not come, and it was then that Bazaine commenced that course of intrigue with the Prussian diplomatists in which • he was so deservedly beaten. Had he possessed ability equal to his position, he would have sent away the old and incapable, and kept his army up to the mark, so that he might have escaped from the blockade of Metz, and even if defeated he could have been the most powerful man in France. It was reported that Marshal Bazaine received papers every day, and it is certain that the- Prussians took charge of his private correspondence and that of his staff. During the month of September, the army began to despair, and bad news was spread abroad with suspicious haste. The reports concerning the food were characterised by a strange inconsistency. One day it was declared that the flour supply was nearly exhausted, and another that salt was becoming scarce. Marshal Bazaine and General Coffinires kept the inhabitants in a constant state of suspense. About the 20th of September Bazaine thought the pear was getting ripe, and the officers of the. Guard began to use strange language, and inveighed against the Parisians, who did not send to their assistance declaring that they would like to destroy that Chamber which had lost the Empire. The town, notwithstanding the threats of bombardment which were held out would not fall into the trap which was laid for it. A great battle was talked of, and on the Ist of October it would yet have been possible to fight, but by the 15th the cavalry and artillery were ruined by the scarcity of forage., General Boyer went to Vorsailles:Ao_ make advantageous terms, but his equivocal propositiqns did not deceive the army. Bazaine was ialked . of as Regent, he was to restore order and peace to his country. General Boyer's reports of the unsatisfactory state of France created great distress in the army. Marshal Bazaine spread them abroad without putting his signature to them. One general making the communication to his officers, said "Do not hold prejudices about military honour," Up till then there had been no talk of giving up arms, but only of returning to France and preserving neutrality. On the 25th the unfortunate General Chan gamier went to Ars, to negotiate a capitulation. The party of surrender, which may be styled the party of the generals, made the soldiers` believe that they would send them to their homes, but on the 28th the arms were given up. In this disgraceful history, adds the correspondent the part which the chiefs played was con siderable. 'lt was they who, step by step, conducted the army to famine and to dishonour. But the city and the army were also to blame in the affair; they were wanting in political and in moral sense. It is unfortunate for nations to be misled by false ambition, and' for armies to despair of their country. 1703 AND 1870. The Daily News compares the position of France to-day with its position in 1793. In some respects France was worse off under the First Republic than it is under the Third. She had then all. Europe against her, while now she has only Germany. Then, too, she had the emigres plotting against her at Coblentz. Whereas the Bonapart ists at Wilhelmshohe are comparatively harmless, Worse than that she had the Vend4ans up in arins endeavouring to force the Royal Family back upon France ; whereas now the only turbulent party is that which finds fault with the Republic for not being Republican enough. But in all other respects France is worse off now than she was then. She has made a supreme. effort with her finest armies and has failed, whereas then she fought only with raw levies— " flights of long-necked. cranes in moulting time," as Carlyle calls them—and yet won. Moreover, France is temporarily decapitated by the isolation of her chief city. Never was Paris more necessary to France than it is now, yet, unless Bisni r arck chooses, Paris can give no aid to France. Altogether,' the Daily Neu considers the position far worse in 1870 than it wa:; in 1793. An American who has just arrived in London from Paris, says that the capit r al - Cannot hold out for more than a fortnight for want of food. The capture of Le Bourget on the 30th was a bloody business. The Augusta Iteg,hnent of Guards lost Colonel Waldersee, and twenty-nine officers and GOO men were put hors de combat. They took thirty officers and 1,100 prisoners. CACAOINE. —Cacoa nibs on the removal of the oil fall nto powder, and this powder is cactioine. Cacaoine contains neither sugar nor any other. admixtum whatever. Cacaoine makes one of the lightest, thinnest of warm drinks, and is the most de sirable of all for use in the later hours of the day. Caeloine, by reason of the ingenious method by which the oil is removed, pre serves all thellne natural flavour of ,cacao nibs.—Prepared only by James Epps and Co., floinceopathic Chemists, 112, Great 11,us sell-street ; 170, Piccadilly ,• and 48,Threadneedle-si,reet ; at their Works for Dietetic Preparations, Euston-road.—Anvi. • TERMS OF PEACE.. The correspondent of the Manchester Guardian, waling from _ Paris on Tuesday, says .—" The Governmen t, an official communication, informs the public tha as far as they are concerned, they are deter' mined not to sign any pea c e exce pti ng on the condiw ° proposed to M. Bismarck by Jules Favre—that 15, n(4 to R concede to the Prussians one foot of territory or one st ep. of the fortresses. This is the outward expressed deter' mination of the Government, but I have reason to kn evi that every member of the Government is c onvinced a large majority of the newly-to-be formed legislative " stituency will unhesitatingly acccept th e a bandonmen_ ar t Alsace and Lorraine, and give to Prussia a ;,,, indemnity. I have freque n tly t o ld- y ou that l'" f provinces of - France will not come to the relief of the capital. The Government this day officiallY cc 6. firms all I have said to you. I quote the article tex t ally :—` The news which the Governme n t of the Nati o n Defence has received from Tours gives an account of th e arming of the provinces, but at the same time they 31. ! informed (and this merits the greatest attention, it prove' that Paris cannot accept any succour f rom the provinc es) that all the provinces are determined to protect them selves.' " • TuE IMPERIAL PAPERS.—Another detachment °I the papers found in the Imperial Cabinet includes a c °ll ,l deutial letter from M. de Verdibre, the attache of Gen e o Fleury, to'M. Amiot " on' domestic and foreign affair': dated February 9th, 1870., M. Verdiere thanks friend for the fidelity with which he keeps him au cour ag of events. They have just received his, account of Roc he ' fort's. arrest. "Our cypher," he says, "is very c °il. venient, and in case of need might be extremely useful , We do not often use the one we have with the EnoPer °t 9 and, between you and me, I may say we ar e little little saddened to have no sign of life 11.° 0 that quarter ; you do not tell us whether 3' A) stiffer from the same annihilation, (excuse the Nv„.°T e of one. who has ruled our destinies for twenty years. i s ld so much, aged ?, Is he torpid? or is it only that lie is ee o and indifferent to his true friends. I understand that e l does not wish to wound the susceptibilities of. his n ° l. ministers by himself corresponding with an ambassn' ,, e : whose offence is that he was an old servant of his prine But if he does not wish to discuss foreign politics, he mk t) send a simple friendly message." The' writer looks w i o suspicion on Pietri and. Conti, whom he acs for of being jealous of their master ' s favour. As politics, the French Embassy in St. Petersen looks on , the new regime in Paris with gi g suspicion. The policy of the reign of Louis PhilliPr nc e reappearing in a strongly marked form. They expenDarend it even at that distance. Each dispatch of Count ties them hand and foot, and they can hardly derive 31i " 8 advantage from the excellent position attained by ,i, -General. The whole foreign 'policy seems summed up in the extreme desire to avoid all difficulties—a pra i se worth intention, no doubt, but one likely, if carried too far, too produce the very evils it dreads. lf Bismarck," Wr it j the attache, " knew that we were determined to do al:o say nothing, who and what would restrain linn "it When General Fleury was sent to R u ssia was with.' the object of re-establishing relati ° interrupted since the Polish affair, but all his actions Impeded by the reiterated orders to do nothing, to sn m nothing, which are sent in answer to every d e spatch sin i ,"; the advent of the new Minist r y. M. d e V er dibre, tells his friend all this in strict confidence, finds increasing cold disagreeable, and th oug h h e cannot Avi' for an immediate return, as that w ou ld be b a d f o r Fian ce ` he hopes that he and his chief will not pass anothet winter at St. Petersburg. He little thought Nvh 3 changes France would see before that next winter canl ° ' REFLECTIONS FROM ROUEN. The 110 11e ' . correspondent of the Standard, in a letter t i t ' n % date November 3rd, writes : Opinion contirin i divided as to the conduct •of Bazaine. The ktilk fo ° t the community, the fanatics and the fools, take 0 granted all that has fallen from M. Gambetta pen in- his - last fit of - political hysteria. 1311 f rational people, who have formed a proper estimato.er the Tours would-be dictator, without any partiality IS, nazaine, cannot get 'over the fact that in a Frew': army,. of all others, where discipline and respect f°', superiors are unknoWn virtues, Bazaine could ite, ve n f have capitulated against the advice of his coune_it," war. So that if Bazaine be " a traitor," as M. (-0,,; betta would have us believe, we must extend the sae'a accusation not only to Marshal Canrobert Marshal Lebceuf, but to General Ladmirault every division.' general .in the- service. Now the ta is unquestionably some mystery respecting the negel; tions which preceded the surrender that requires to r cleared up; but there is nothing in M. Ganibetti'a past present career that could justify an impartial observeri in accepting his version of the story. We have li, proofs within the past month that he does not scruple ti distort facts, or even resort to fiction, for the pur f m p o se---', will nor say of deceiving the • public—but oaki' l ' them believe that things are better than theyare in reality' He is not the man who would be likely to be deterred fro ° bringing a damaging accusation against one whom he con: sidered as a political opponent by a scrupulous regard 0 ' truth. :Mils, however, is a characteristic of the school r which he belongs', and therefore,: until M. Gatabetl', 3 shall have satisfactorily proved—first, that Bazni fiv, was not driven to surrender by sheer starvatio n, . and, sceondly, that he' did not know early in October that 'Bazaine's stock of food and ammunition could not last be' yond the month—all those who refuse to accept as condo' sive evidence mere unfounded assertions will shrink frolli endorsingthe sentence pa,ssed bythe ignorant, low-mind' i and cruel multitude against an army which composed th e very elite of France. At the same time, it is quite as inwer,n; tive.on Marshal Bazaine, or some of the commanders nil him—say General Changarnier, for instance , ' to give full, true, and particular account of what took place. 'cletailed.report by the gallant veteran would be cone.S, sive '; but as he himself took part in the negotiations vv l 7 Prince Frederick Charles, and as no accusation of treachery launched by M. Gambetta can possibly ag e ' hith, we may infer that the charge of treason rests on n ° better evidence than the famous sorties from Paris by th ° National,Guard which filled M. Gambetta with speakable joy . ,'' and wnich have long since been prove d never to have taken place. RELIGIOVS TOLERATION IN TURKEY.—A no? Bible House is to be erected by the American Bible ' Society, at Constantinople, at a cost of about $100,0o v • (Permission to build , has already been obtained<froua tho Turkish authorities, and the largest part of the fun a4 havb 134 n raised. —Rock. - • - --- The Kensington News states that Mr. E a stwicif f ! 1V1.P., Dr. Lyon Playfair, M.P., and Mr. Carlton 7: 11 nell, who were candidates for the Chelsea seats at the Education Board, have resolved not to go to the poll. THE PROPOSAL FROM THE LADY'S POINT of VIEW. —Until woman's, rights are put upon an a dvance' , : footing it is evident that a matrimonial engagemen t mot constitute a more supreme and pre-eminent event ins woman's life than in a man's. The time may come when' engrossed in business or professional affairs, a w oma n ralv , class her marriage among the minor episodes of her caree r its higher and more memorable interests clu s tering roan s successes and trials of a public nature—her great cause, M first operation; her maiden speech. But hitherto it not so, and therefore all that concerns this central event 4 woman's life is recognised by the female novelist as e especial spbere. We know this from the mode in which th e proposal, with all that gathers round it andleads up to stimulates her powers. Every student of these scenes fee ,1 it, naturally, tore of less import that the hero shot% acquit himself with 'distinction than the heroine. is her opportunity ; her words, her actions, everl; thing that evidences her emotions should prove th presence of feminine perfections, if timidity p vents their dikinct expression. In the man If tolerate awkwardness, audacity, even bad taste ; but in her we can endure nothing that outrages the ideal. It is her ,„ hour.; she must not come short of its demands. And the demands of the occasion the female novelist is especialu alive. We perceive a collecting of all her powers, concentration of the spirits, a quickening sympathy the proposal nears the keen encounter. The touch of mind -with mind, of heart with heart, is teresting to her in a particular sense. It is th e heroine's hour ; she recognizes it also as her own' She feels that she holds the clue in her hands; it is th e momentwhen her thoughts are stronger, her perception more sensitive, her instincts acuter than in her rival—mom the author.—The Saturday .Review. [ADVEnnsEmENT.]—Holloway's Ointment and Pills."' Scrofulous ulcers and sores of every kind, however old or inveterate, can be oared by this wonderfully powerfu l Ointment. The most ghastly and unsightly objects hate been . restored to . health and comeliness, and the ni o9 ,. miserable cripples have been able to w a lk or run w itholil fatigue or pain by this extraordinary curative. The effe7, is magical. If it were not for the countless cases" in which' its potency has been .tried, this statement might see° incredible, but it is hi no degree exaggerated, and is coo; firmed by unnumbered testimonies of - unquestionab l l i authenticity. While the Ointment is applied to ex&ern. l sores, the Pills should be taken to purify the blood confirm the cure. 811:7'11S. On the 2d inst., at Meanwood Park, Leeds, the Hon. W. Beckett Denison, of a son. On the 3d inst., at the British Museum, the wife of Wi ll ' B. Rye, Esq., of a daughter. AIARRIAGES.I On the 3cl inst., at St. Mary's, Waltharnstow, the Be lt ' Charlet, John 'Jardine, third son of Sir Wm: Jardine Bart., of Applegarth. to Martha, eldest daughter of P . l',wining,•Esq. of Walthamstow. On the 3d inst., at St. Barnabas, Pimlico, Arthur 11 „' Batht h il-, Esq., of ' Redhouse, Roehampton, S.W., t j Caroline, younger daughter of the late .Lieut.-Colon el John Bent'narn. DEATHS. On the 2d tad., at- 9, Orme-square, Kensington-garde Charles E. Labilliere, Esq„ aged 69. On the 2a inst., at the Charterhouso, Mr. Bonj."Bonsle3' aged W. , • London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, ° t No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by hial TilE-Sti-Office, No. 112, Strand, in the P rec inct of th Savoy, in the Co.nntypf.igidOlesex. . Monday, November . 7, 1870.,