The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-25 00:00:00

REPORTS OF TREASON IN PARIS.

A short time back General Trochu published a notice
in the Journal Officiel protesting against the reports of
treason in high places which were generally current.
These suspicions arose from the belief that. the French
plans were betrayed to the Prussians. One sortie at least
was suddenly countermanded for this reason and several
districts where parks of artillery were to have been sta-
tioned all at once became the special objects of Prussian
attack, the Prussians not knowing apparently the plans
were changed. No suspicions could affect General
Trochu, whose loyalty is above even slander,
but they fell on his immediate coadjutors
and the arrest of General Schmitz was re-
ported. In several staffs there are Bonapartists who
dislike the introduction of the civil element into the army,
and though these do not give treasonable information
themselves, they discourage others, and sow discon-
tent. The ;Prance gave a voice to the various
reports, and demanded that the numerous fo-
reigners in the staffs should be expelled. Those
generals who habitually are pessimists were also
denounced, and General Trochu was advised to look
closely around him, to " put a stop to the manoeuvres
of traitors." The Opinion Nationale asserted posi-
tively that a grand sortie was arranged for the 9th,
but suddenly suspended because the Prussians
were found to be massed at the very spots chosen for
attack, at the moment for beginning action. The
Opinion added that only sour generals were in the secret.
The Siecle, to complete the matter, gave their names—
General Trochu, Ducrot, Vinoy, and Schmidt. Upon
this General Trochu thought it was, time to take decided
action, and published the official denial.

The French have evacuated the railway station a

Arras.
The Germans have cleared the northern country as far
as Cambray.
A. correspondent of the Standard says that Prince
PrederiA Charles lost 18,000 men in the late battles
around Le Mans.
It is proposed to form a large floating hospital in Paris
by means of pontoons upon the Seine, after the model of
the well-known floating baths.

The Electeur Libre says that General d'Aurelles de
Paladine has been appointed to superintend the eleven
camps of instruction formed in the provinces—a task for
which his great organising ability especially qualifies him.

In the last batch of Imperial papers published in Paris
is a letter from M. Fould at the time of the Mexican
Empire, demanding the abdication of Maximilian and

Le return of the French troops.

Unquestionably General von Goeben was heavily rein
forced previously to his attack upon General Faidherbe a
St. Quentin. In one day two regiments left the north
side of Paris for Goeben's army.
M. Pinard has been set at liberty, and, having been
ordered to leave France immediately, has started for
Geneva. It was proved that he had given copies of. the
Drapeau to some of his friends, but the matter was not
thought of sufficient importance to make a case of it.
The mortality in Paris among the civil population
shewed an increase in the second week of this year. The
number of deaths officially reported was 3,982, against
3,080 of the preceding week. Smallpox caused 339 deaths,
an increase of 10 ; typhoid fever 301, against 251; bron-
chitis 457, against 343 ; and pneumonia 390, against 262
shewn in the last return.
Count Donnersmarck, the Prussian Prefect of Lor-
raine, has ordered all Poles to quit Metz and every other
part of that province within eight days. The Poles are
also ordered to leave Alsace. The Ostsee Zeitung justifies
this measure on the ground of their fanatical hatred of
Prussia and Germany, and their chauvinistic influence
on the population.
A correspondent writes :—" The bread which we now
eat in Paris contains, it is asserted, a mixture of grains
in the following proportions : Wheat, 30 kilos. ; barley,
20 ; rice, 30 ; oats 20 ;in all 100 kilos. Barley has been
used in place of rye, but the latter is preferable. The
wheat and barley are ground together, and the rice and
oats are also ground together, in each case a dry grain
being mixed with one containing more dampness."
During the siege of Peronne, it is said that a free-
shooter managed to get through the Prussian lines, dis-
guised as a peasant, and conveyed a letter in his pipe,
which was sent by the sub-prefect of Peronne to the sub-
prefect of Cambrai announcing the speedy surrender of
the town. The Cambrai prefect begged the Peronne
official to have patience and wait three days longer, fo
General Faidherbe would come to the assistance of the
town. Unfortunately, the freeshooter who was to take
this letter back got drunk on the way, and the authorities
at Peronne having no news, grew weary of holding out
any longer, and surrendered the place.
The Carlsrulte Gazette of Saturday says : —" It has ze-
cently been stated in the German press that French soldiers
have been taken with rifles bearing the Enfield mark, and
that consequently the French Government had procured
weapons from the Government gun factory in England.
According to the explanations of the British Government
which have reached us, this supposition is entirety :in-
founded. It has been ascertained that during the Ame-
rican war several thousands of Enfield rifles were sold
to the United States' Government which had been manu-
factured by private industry, and possibly out of mate-
rial sold by the Government. It is probable that these