The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-03 00:00:00

:qt(stouo,li4c 0115erlItr.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBF,I2 2, 114711.

THE THREATENED SIEGE OF
PARIS.

The news that arrived some time since, that
Paris was declared in is state of siege, was suf-
ficiently startling and alarming, as indicating
the social and political chaos that characterised
the city ; but of far more moment is the news
of the preparations to tamiliard and to defend
the French capital. Paris is universally :Willa
ted to ba one of the most beautiful cities, if not
the most beautiful city, in the world. Here
civilization has been developed to the utmost,
and refinement and luxury have reached their
acme. But as an immense town, crowded with
human beings, the thought of the suffering, the
misery, the slaughter, and the desolation that
its being besieged would cause is painful in the
t xtreme. At present there seems to be little
hope that this calamity will be spared. Prepara-
tions for defending the city against the beleaguer.
hip hosts have been carried on for some time;
the beauty of the suburbs has been ruthlessly
sacrificed to defensive operations ; detached forts
have been strengthened and fully armed ; troops
have been pouring into it till the plaice is strongly
garrisened;; and immense stores of provisions
have been laid in to prepare, it is said, for a
three months' siege ! No wonder that, consider-
ing these circumstances, numbers of families
have made their escape from the threatened city,
and that others unable to leave, wave prepared
stocks of food and drink for their special use,
as though the time might come when provisions
will scarcely be obtainable at any price. The
Government too, is acting with the utmost vigour
towards foreigners in Paris. A proclamation by
General Trochn orders every inhabitant who is
not a naturalised French subject, or who belongs
by birth to " countries at war with France, to
quit Paris, and the department of the Seine
within three days, and either leave the country
or withdraw to the other side of the Loire; and
now a special authorisation to remain is tweets.
sary to obviate the being handed over to the
military tribunals. This is, as we have said, a
rigorous course, but it is by no means wholly
unjustifiable, nor perhaps—it can alone be de.
termined by the event --will the expelled for.
signers suffer so much front this course Its they
might suffer from sharing the horrors of a
siege.
Meanwhile the Prussians are advancing on the
French capital. A Truir.4 telegram front Berlin,
on Sunday last, says, "'Pen German armies are
marching on Paris, 220,000 strong. A portion
of the army opposite Metz is to follow them as
soon as relieved by the Reserve Army of the
Rhine under the Grind Duke of Mecklenburg
Other statements have at the first glance a very
different bearing. It is said that the Prussians
have for a time abandoned the thoughs of march-
ing upon Paris till they hAve disposel of Ma"
Mahon. We need not attempt to fix the moving
and changing evento of the war, but whatever
may be the passing incident of the hour, it is
certain that at the time of writing, there is on
the one hand a determination to besiege Paris
and on the other it desperate determination ti
defend it. In spite of this, howover, we can.
not but indulge the hope that Paris will tot be
besieged. " Can General Trochu,- asks the
Teleyr,Th "gravely hope to hold twenty miles
of Paris wall against 2.20,000 Germans utterly
undisturbed by any mobile forces? We do not
for a moment imagine that a master of war be-
lieves in the possibility of defending such a city
against a storm at night and in many points at
once. As to the prolonged siege apparently
heralded by this vast purchase of stores and pro-
visions, Trochu and 'Moltke would equally laugh
at it, if they met, as we wish they could, over a
friendly bottle of Moselle.- If this view be the
true one—and it seems generally to be thought
that if Paris be besieged it will be taken—there
is some encouragement to be draw it. Suppos.
ing both generals to entertain this view, while
it would on the one hand be an inducement to-
wards the attack, it would certainly on the othe.
be a strong reason why the Parisians, the in.
habitants, should at the supreme moment of trial,
insist on capitulation There are, moreover,
two other reasons for clinging to the hope that
Paris will not be besieged. Supposing the
Prussians reach Paris it is quite on the cards
that they may hesitate at inflicting further
misery upon France, and may allow time for
negotiations for peace ; and it is not improbable
that the neutral Powers, who must for some
time past have been contemplating this eventu-
ality, may consider that the time for mediation
will then have arrived. We are aware that the
two latter grounds for hope are but feeble, and
that not much stronger is the ground for hope
that the citizens of Paris will assert their right
to capitulate, supposing they may desire it, in
face of the enormous preparations for defence
and in spite of military absolutism ; but we
nevertheless cling to these hopes, though it may
be as drowning men catch at straws. France,
it is said, " must fight to the bitter end ; it is
a struggle for national life or death, or at least
bitter humiliation ; and such fierce and desper-
ate passions on both sides are now aroused that
the world stands in awe of the coining event. It '
will be a standing disgrace to the professed
Christianity of Europe, and a lasting blot on
her civilisation and humanity, if united efforts
be not made to aveit this threatened calamity.
Since the above was in type. we have import-
ant news from tee seat of war. Several battles
have been fought with sr tried success, towns
being burnt down, and a vast amount of property
destroyed and human lives lost. While we write
these lines fighting is still going oil.

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