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

THE NEGOTIATIONS AT VERSAILLES.

Writing from the headquarters of the Crown Prince of
Prussia, January 25, the special correspondent of the
Daily News thus describes M. Favre's visit :—M. Favre
has come and gone, bearing back with him the bitter pill
of unconditional surrender for his countrymen to swallow.
They will not swallow it at first. They will hang back
and struggle hard against their fate ; but that the leaders
of the people should have seen the necessity of ap-
proaching Count Bismarck to learn how much he
would give, as a premium on cutting the matter short,
is an important step. The details of the reception,
the compliments which passed, coldly and formally be-
tween the foes, or the words of regret, sincere enough I
daresay, which they uttered at parting without coming to
terms, can be realised by most of us without the help of
inventive rumour. It was four months since those two
men had met at Ferribres to discuss the position of affairs.
I wonder which of them most regretted that they
had not then arranged a treaty of peace when they
met again at Versailles in the. gloomy winter
weather. Again the Frenchman was the suppliant, and
the great Chancellor of the Bund hail become the Chan-
cellor of the German Empire. But four months of suc-
cess, though covering the German helmets with laurel
wreaths, and filling the German fortresses with prisoners,
had not solved the problem of how Germany was to finish
her task. There was the same antagonism between the
baffled Republican and the victorious servant of the King,
the same stern demand for immediate surrender, and well-
nigh the same refusal to submit by the prostrate foe. But
the refusal comes in faltering tones as far as Paris is con
cerned, for the women and children suffer cruel hardships
with every week's prolongation of the siege. To
hold out another month would entail such misery
on non-combatants as must either madden
or demoralize the National Guard. A month
beyond that would threaten the whole community with
actual starvation, and could only be sustained under the
pressure of wild excitement, with a reign of terror and
with frequent changes of command, to satisfy the hungry
bands who in their agony would think themselves
betrayed. It is, therefore, quite right of the earnest
and patriotic men who have had the direction of
affairs in Paris to recognise their melancholy
prospects, and to try whether something may not
be gained by timely submission. M. Favre has visited
Count Bismarck with the idea of obtaining an honourable
capitulation. It is said, on seemingly good authority,
that the propositions of the French statesman had
reference only to the status quo around the capital,
and not, as in September last, to the conclusion of
peace. It would now be very difficult to arrange a
treaty in Paris which would not have the air of being
done under compulsion. The rest of France might refuse
to accept the result of an intense local pressure, and Count
Bismarck will certainly refuse to relax that pressure for a
moment. All that can be aimed at in any mission to the
German headquarters is to obtain either honourable terms
for the beleaguered city, or an armistice in which
such terms may be discussed. Now it seems that
M. Favre proposed the surrender of Paris on condition
that the garrison should be allowed to march out with
arms and baggage, and to retreat behind the Loire. The
lives of the inhabitants would thus be saved, and the
Germans would achieve their coveted triumph without
an abandonment by the French of all hope of con-
tinuing the struggle. Such a surrender would be
a compromise, but compromises do not suit Count
Bismarck. The same rumour which credits IVI.
Favre with this plan of modified surrender asserts that
the answer was simply this, " Your surrender must be
unconditional. We have not toiled for four months to
let our prey escape us et the end. All the sailors and
soldiers, the Mobiles, and the members of your so-
called Government must go as prisoners to Germany."
It is whispered that Count Bismarck would relax
to some extent the rights of conquest in regard to the
levying of war contributions, and to the disposal of the
objects of art in the NAtional Museums, if no
further resistance were made. It is even said
that be would spare the Parisians the humiliation
of having a foreign police among them, by allow-
ing a certain number of the National Guard armed
with muzzle•loading rifles to keep order in the
streets, but to anything beyond this he will turn a deaf
ear. The last interview was when M. Favre called to
take his leave, and I hear that although the
statesmen parted with outward courtesy, there
Was an air of evident chagrin on the face of M.
Favre as he drove away towards those trouble-
some clients of his behind the ramparts. No cessation of
hostilities had accompanied his visit. He was brought
with a French flag of truce to the German outposts and
sent back with a German flag of truce to the French out-
posts, and all the time there was a dull boom of cannon to
be heard for miles round the city. The French forts
had supported the departure of the envoy by
shewing more vigour than they had done for several days
past, and even Fort Issy was busy on Monday afternoon
against the Germans who were working up to it. The
French batteries on the ramparts were as active as ever,
and the German batteries kept up a steady pounding at
the defences before them, or at the city in the immediate
background.

The Salford County Court judgeship has been
conferred by the Lord Chancellor upon Mr. John Osborne,
Q.C., of the Chancery Bar, who was " called " in 1835.

We are informed that Mr. Mapleson has made
arrangements for the opening of Drury-lane for Italian
opera, and that Sir Michael Costa will be the conductor.

According to the most recent arrangements, it is
probable that the Queen, after the ceremony of opening
tarliament, will pay a visit to Clarement House, near
Esher, Surrey, and reside there for a few days previous
to returning to Windsor.

The Post Office authorities have laid down a new
pneumatic tube from Telegraph-street, City, to the post-
office, near Temple Bar. It is to be used fcr the delivery
of telegrams. The system will be extended to Charing-
cross, and thence to the Houses of Parliament.

At a recent meeting of the Argyll Artillery Volun-
teers, it was unanimously resolved, both by the officers
and men of the brigade, that they should present their
colonel, the Marquis of Lorne, with a handsome wedding
present, on the occasion of his marriage with the Princess
Louise.

The Hereford Journal presents to its readers this
week a supplement containing a fac-simile of a number of
the same paper issued exactly 100 years ago. There are
32 English provincial newspapers more than a century
old, of which 16 are Conservative, 6 neutral, and 10
LiberaL

The 7 imes correspondent at Calcutta says that one
of the Eastern Bengal papers earnestly begs the Govern-
ment to look to the buying up the French Indian settle-
ments, lest the Germans secure them, and strike at
English power, as the French did in bygone times. The
writer is very much in earnest, and argues most zealously
for his object.

The Right llon, the marquis of Hartington, Chief
Secretary for Ireland, and suite arrived in Kingstown by
the mail steamer Connaught, from Holyhead, on Satur-
day, and went to Dublin by the ordinary mail passenger
train. His lordship will be the guest of their Excellencies
the Lord Lieutenant and Countess Spencer at the Castle
until the meeting of Parliament.

THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.—The half-yearly meet-
ing of the Midland Railway Company will be held on the
14th February, when a resolution will be submitted for
the consolidation of the £lB five per cent. preference
shares into capital stock. A special meeting is also
called for the same day, for the purpose of considering
certain bills now pending in Parliament, including one
for the construction of works and the raising of additional
capital.