The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-31 00:00:00

THE WA it

THE FALL OF PARIS.

THE LAST SORTIE.

The sortie was intended to be a great stroke. The
soldiers fought under the belief that Chanzy was only
a few miles off. They were loaded with ammunition and
food. Dr. Russell, writing from Versailles, says they
came out 40,000 strong, with their reserves of the same
strength ; and the National Guards, so far from refusing
to bear their share in the action, as some of the
prisoners affirmed, generally set a very fine example,
and were in the van of the battle. What delusions
may prevail in Paris no one knows. It is not the practice
of Generals to tell their troops the truth when it is not
encouraging. But certainly the officer who came out
with the flag of truce was quite incredulous, contemp-
tuously so, when he was told of the victories of Prince
Frederick Charles, Goeben, and Werder. He seemed to
believe Chanzy had got within five miles of Paris, and was
almost angry when he was assured of the victories of Le
Mans. The dead French were almost packed with bread
inside their coats, and carried three days' supplies of all
kinds, cooking tins, pioneering tools, and all the necessaries
for a great outburst; but they had no transport, and their
artillery was very short indeed. Twice as many field bat-
teries would not have been too many, or even enough, particu-
larly as their guns had no mobility and kept at long ranges.
The abandonment of Montretout was a capital military
crime. A few hours more and their position would have
been most formidable. If all their officers and men were
of the same stuff as those who fell in the midst of the
felled timber along the Prussian position, fighting splen-
didly, the sortie could only have been repulsed by the
best efforts of all the troops on the spot, aided by every
available support.

THE NEGOTIATIONS AT VERSAILLES.
The Versailles correspondent of the Cologne Gazette says
that the bombardment of St. Denis produced a greater
impression on Paris than that of the south faubourgs.
The effect was immense. M. Jules Favre left Paris and
made his way to the headquarters at Versailles. St.

Denis in flames must have induced him an
his colleagues of the Provisional Government to
take this step. It was certainly not the Conference on
the Black Sea which forced the famous tribune to cross
the bridge at Sevres with the traditional flag of truce. In
fact the late events must have made the Parisians
reflect. Since the 20th of January bre a 'had
been .rationed like meat, and to obtain the ration of
four kilometres for three days, it was necessary to join the
line before the bakers' shops as it was before the butchers'.
This bread was composed of wheat, flour, oats, rice, and
potatoes, and seemed to be little to the Parisian taste.
There was a Government decree promising rewards to
those who discovered concealed stores of food, which
was positively encouraging denunciations and all their
consequences. The bombardment set fire to the great
depots of wine at Bercy, and to the immense carpenters'
stores near the Invalides, so that everyone, of all classes,
began to feel the effects of the bombardment.
It was thus that Paris, which had intended
to resist to the last man, consented to
open negotiations. Jules Favre, whether authorised
by the popular assembly of the 22nd, has visited Ver.
sallies. He did not do so with a very good grace, but the
situation of Paris allows no further posponement of pour
parley's. What the conclusion of it all will be, it is diffi.
cult to say. The destruction of the railway bridge
between Toul and Nancy has caused a bad
impression. The material damage is slight, be-
cause we have a second railway line by Mezieres
and Rheims at our disposal. But this act of the
Free Shooters is not without a certain gravity, and
though 150 individuals of the band have been arrested, it is
not less certain that we must keep a vigilant look out on
our railtvay lines, and guard strongly our halting places
on the roads.
The Cross Gazette also describes the visit of Jules Favre
to Versailles. "The Minister of Foreign Affairs was
brought here in one of the Imperial Chancellor's carriages,
which had been sent to meet him at the outposts. He
looked much aged, and bent under the weight of pro-
found sorrow. He went down the Rue de
Provence to the office of the Chancellerie, and had
a long conference with Bismarck. He then dined and
was lodged in the Boulevard du Roi, in the house which
is the office of the police. The news of M. Favre's arrival
spread like lightning; and when he left the Chancellerie,
Bismarck, at eleven at night, went to the King. It is
said that letters from M. Favre were sent from the out-
posts to Bismarck and to the English charge d'affaires,
Odo Russell, that replies were at once sent from
the Chancellor, and his carrine sent to the outposts.
Judging from the short space of time which elapsed
between the sending of the reply and the arrival of the
visitor, he must have awaited the answer at the extreme
outposts.