The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-19 00:00:00

ISDAV, JANUARY 19, 1871.

THE BOMBARDMENT.

The special correspondent of the Daily News at the
head-quarters of the Crown Prince of Prussia sends the
following by special despatch :

VERSAILLES, January 15.

The progress of the bombardment is slow, but
steady ; disappointing alike those who thought a
few days would finish it, and those who be-
lieved in the superiority of the French guns. It
is clear that the Germans can approach the forts under
cover of the batteries, and do immense mischief to Paris
before the forts are captured. There has been less firing
for the last twenty-four hours on account of the fog, but
sufficient attack kept up to allow the French no rest.
Some surprise is felt that the shells in the city have not
led the terrified inhabitants to insist on the surrender.
VERSAILLES, January 16.

There is a furious southerly wind to-day, and it has
been raining hard. As the snow is melting, the ground
will soon be in a fit state for pushing on approaches
against the forts. As to another sortie, many think that,
in face of the siege batteries now opened, it would be im•
possible for Trochu even to attempt one that he could
succeed in.

There was little or no firing on this side during last
night, and this morning rumours are current of a sum-
mons to Trochu calling him to yield, to avoid further loss.
MARGENcY, January 16th.

There is an unauthenticated report from the out-
posts of a revolution in Paris, depriving General Trochu
of Governorship. The north-eastern and eastern
bombardment presents no new feature. The forts are
silent, but the redoubt de la. Boisserie continues an obsti-
nate reply. The northern side is still dumb as regards
the besiegers. The besieged from the forts of St.
Denis fired heavily on Pierrefitte yesterday and during
the night, and they continue to-day, not so keenly,
but more diffusely, throwing shells into Epinay,
Enghien, &c.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph sends the
following from Versailles, dated January 16th :—The
batteries on the southern line of investment have
now been advanced to within 800 yards of the forts.
On the 14th Montrouge still replied, and yester-
day from one gun on the west front. Issy has also
resumed firing from two guns, but at long intervals:

On Saturday a field battery before Buzanval
opened fire upon some houses on the southern slope of
Mont Valerien. In these houses were stationed French
sharpshooters, who at once abandoned their shelter and
fled. The battery immediately dashed out into
the open, took up a position within two thousand yards
of the fortress, fired three rounds of shell into the
citadel, limbered up, and retired to cover at a
hand-gallop. Infuriated by the daring of the puny little
battery, and stung by the success of its coup,
Valerien and its outlying works, which had been silent
for many hours, opened a furious fire in all directions,
but did not succeed in wounding a man or horse in the
battery in question. In spite of M. Favre's manifesto
respecting his refusal to accept a sauf-conduit
from the Prussian authorities on patriotic grounds,
I am able to assure you that an application to
Count Moltke for a sauf-conduit, in the handwriting
of the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, is at
the present moment in the hands of the French Comman-
mander-in-Chief. The accounts which reach the general
staff here of the results of the bombardment in Peris give a
terrible picture of the damage done and the suf-
fering inflicted in the city. That shells have
fallen within the Ile de Saint Louis is certain.
Yesterday (Sunday), with the exception of a
few shots from Issy and Montrouge in the
morning and evening, a total and unbroken silence
prevailed all day. This is to be accounted for by the fact
that an impenetrable fog hung over the city and its
environs. There has been no sortie, nor any attempt at a
sortie, for the last thirty-six hours. Yesterday and to-day
the ground was too slippery for any movement of troops.
Troops have been sent to reinforce the outside line.
This has been done under cover of the bombard-
, ment. When the fog clears the bombardment will be
resumed with vigour. A French outwork near Villejuif,
which was silenced at the beginning of the bombardment,
has broken out again with four guns of a long range ; and
this morning it is doing some wild shooting over
the batteries, making matters uncomfortable for
travellers on the Route Imp6riale. Rumours
of negotiations are everywhere current ; and
the intermission in the bombardment fer the last
forty-eight hours is by many persons in high positions
attributed to this condition of things. Chanzy gives no
uneasiness here, while Bourbaki does.