The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-04 00:00:00

THE WAR

INSIDE PARIS.

[BY BALLOON MAIL FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
OF THE " CENTRAL PRESS."]

December 24.

We are very much disappointed with the sorties of the
21st and 22nd. Their failure is unquestionable. Nothing
has been gained by this fresh effusion of blood, and
its only consequence has been to arouse a dangerous
spirit which will give trouble, unless a success be
gained. Not only was no success assured this time, but we
are unable even to comprehend the plan of the assault
upon the German positions. It consisted of an
attack more or less severe all round the northern half of
the circle, the chief effort being in the direction of Le
Bourget. But, whatever was the special object, all the
positions attacked were alike retained by the Germans at
the end of the two days' fighting. The general opinion is
that the sortie was to satisfy the popular clamour against
inaction.

One of the symptoms of uneasiness is the growing dis-
satisfaction against General Trochu. This is assuming
serious proportions. His last sortie wo.,s incomprehensible.
He has professed all through "to have a plan," but more
than three months of the siege have passed, and when
is the plan likely to be developed? The im-
pression gains ground that he has too much to
do. Commanding the army and presiding over
the Government is too much for one man. Trochu
should choose between one function or the other.

There has been more bad behaviour by some of the
troops, and exciting scenes have occurred at Montmartre.
Many of the war battalions of the National Guard were
with the troops on the 21st and 22nd ; but notwithstand-
ing the compliment paid to them in the military report,
some of them failed in their duty, and amongst the number
was the 32nd of Montmartre, which battalion left its post
before the enemy. Two other battalions 'followed, but
did not come farther than Rosny. The 32nd, however,
came straight to Paris. The chef de batailloa is under
arrest, and the men were ordered to return
on the following morning to the outposts under
the command of the senior captain. The
Parisians, however, have determined that they will
have a voice in the matter, and that they will give a warm
reception to the battalions who fly from the battle-field.
When this battalion arrived within the walls on the 22nd,
howls of scorn and indignation greeted it. The troops
were hissed and hooted by the inhabitants of
Montmartre, who went in a body to the Mairie,
to demand explanation. A lieutenant of the 32nd passed
in a carriage; the people took his sword from him, and a
woman struck him in the face with a key. The women
were the most indignant, and cried loudly against the
National Guard. The rappel was beaten to call the men
together; nearly all of them came, but when they passed
they were received with hisses and derisive laughter.
We are in hopes that this treatment will have
some effect upon the decision of battalions who may in
future contemplate " a bolt." Unfortunately, these
flights are not matters to be decided by j udgment. Con-
sideration as to results have no weight. Troops are like
sheep; half a dozen make a start, and the rest imme-
diately follow.
Many holders of corn and flour not having made a
declaration of the same, in conformity with the requisi-
tion of the 28th September last, have been notified for
the last time that unless they make declaration before the
27th instant their premises will be visited by the Custom-
house and Excise authorities on the 28th, and they will be
subjected to the penalties of the law.

The attention of the Government has been called to the
rapid diminution of the firewood stores in consequence of
the excessive cold. The stock of wood in Paris at the
commencement of the siege was less than usual, the dry-
ness of the summer season having prevented the arrival of
wood by the rivers. The stock is nearly expended, but
the remedy can be found in the large number of standing
trees—the thousands of acres of plantation in the Bois de
Boulogne and Vincennes, and the trees on the boulevards,
and on the roads in the environs. Large fellings have been
already ordered, so that the inhabitants may not fear
scarcity of firing. The inhabitants, however, do fear such
scarcity, and they have begun to take measures for their pro-
tection. In some quarters they have cut down railings and the
like, several scaffoldings have unexpectedly disappeared,
and in one case a whole barrack made of wood for housing
some Mobiles disappeared from the face of the earth.
On the 21st, Generals Malroy and Blaise occu-
pied Neuilly sur Marne, Ville-Evrard, and the
Maison Blanche. A small detachment of the enemy
remained in the cellars of Villa-Evrard, which
had not been explored, and at night made a
sudden attack on the French. General Blaise
was warming himself, surrounded by his officers,
at a large fire near the villa about midnight. Suddenly
the sound of a Prussian bugle was heard, followed by a
discharge of rifles. Several officers fell, amongst the
number General Blaise, who was killed on the spot. The
enemy's soldiers, who were concealed in the cellars, had
fired from their hiding-place. The cellars were sur-
rounded by the French, and many of the Prussians were
massacred. Some of them were made prisoners, and thus
escaped with life. The body of the General was brought
to the ambulance of the Grand Hotel. The Government
has decreed that General Blaise shall be buried at the
expense of the State.

December 28th.
The following was published yesterday by the chief of the
staff :—" The enemy has unmasked this morning some
siege batteries against the Eastern forts from Noisy to
Nogent, and against the Northern part of the Avron
plateau. These batteries are composed of pieces of
long range. At this moment, eleven o'clock, the
fire is very brisk against the points indicated, and as this
cannonade may be the prelude to a general bombardment
of our forts, every disposition has been taken with the
view of repelling attack and protecting the defenders.
During the night two loud detonations were
heard from Mont Val6rien, which may give re a-
son for thinking that the enemy has blown up the
bridge of the Rouen Railway. This morning the enemy
blew up the Gare- aux- Bceufs at Choisy. These facts
would tend to prove that the enemy, fatigued by a resist-
ance of more than one hundred days, is preparing to
employ against us the means of attack at a great distance,
which he has prepared long since."
The bombardment of the forts was continued yesterday
with great violence until 5 p.m. The men behaved well with
the exception of a few, who left the trenChes at the
commencement, to which they were taken back to pass
the night, by order of General Vinoy. The French loss
is about 8 killed and 50 wounded. The first day's bom-
bardment has not caused much damage.
The day before yesterday General Vinoy ordered three
battalions of the National Guard to occupy the park of
Maison Blanche, in order to destroy the wall.to the south-
west. They dislodged the advanced post of the enemy,
and made six prisoners. The wall has been destroyed, so
that it can no longer afford shelter to the enemy's sharp-
shooters. The French lost one killed and eight wounded,
one of whom was an officer.

Evening.

The firing has continued during the clay, but less
violently than yesterday. Some of the projectiles
(Prussian) weigh 50 kilogrammes. Occasionally three or
four rounds succeed each other with rapidity ; some-
times single shots with long intervals between
each from the more distant batteries, the guns
of which have a range of 6,000 to 7,000 metres.
The heights of Avron appear to be the principal object of
attack. Several of the enemy's shells found on the
plateau of Avron on the 22nd inst. are French, probably
from Metz.

The Lyons correspondent of the Independence Beige,
writing on the 27th ult., states that the railways in that
neighbourhood have been placed in requisition for 48
hours for the transport of troops.

Herr Wickede, German correspondent with the in-
vading army, says :—" There now prevails in many of the
districts particularly exhausted by our troops a frightful
famine. The people perish by thousands, like flies in the
middle of summer, and this will terribly increase in the
course of this severe winter, when the last remains of the
scanty harvest are entirely consumed."

A German officer who was taken prisoner on the 2nd of
December before Paris says lie is treated with the greatest
respect and consideration. The city, he wrote some days
ago, could hold out for two months. " All the omnibuses
and fiacres are still horsed, and there are enormous stocks
of bread, wine, and rice. There is only a want of beef,
vegetables, wood, and coals."
Some of the French marines who fought in the sortie of
the 21st rushed upon the Prussians and commenced hew-
ing them down with axes. The axe can scarcely, however,
be considered a match for the needle gun, and the too
gallant fellows who wielded it left nearly 260 out of 600
men upon the ground.
According to the statement of a deserter, Ducrot had
been living for some time in Drancy, and was engaged in
strengthening his offensive position and constructing fresh
works, with a view to command Le Bourget, Le Blanc
Mesnil, Aulnay, and Pont Iblon. A correspondent says
that directly these batteries open fire they will be met
in front by metal of quite equal calibre, supported by
field artillery superior to anything inside Paris, They