The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 1871.

strictly secret, only the presiding officer at the different
centres knowing how votes al e recorded ; consequently
the result of the city election was not known for certain
at night. The university voting commenced at twelve
and concluded at two p.m., with the follow-
ing result, Professor Burrows, Dr. Leighton, and
Mr. Kitchin, elected ; Mr. Bradley not elected.
The papers will be handed to Mr. Ward, the chairman of
the Local Board, who will officially declare the numbers
of the three elected for the university. Professor Burrows
and Dr. Leighton are Conservatives, and Mr. Kitchin
Liberal.

PLYMOUTH SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION.
The result of the Plymouth School Board Election
contest is just made known. Two working men head
the poll, two Wesleyan are next, there are
also four Conservative Churchmen, three Liberal
Nonconformists, one Roman Catholic Canon,
and one Independent Dissenter of Conservative
tendencies. The vicar is sixth on the poll, and
the Mayor last. There were nineteen candidates, of
whom thirteen form the Board. The unsuccessful candi-
dates were four Churchmen and two Dissenters. 3,250
electors voted, 42,000 votes being given.

THE CRISIS IN THE SIEGE.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph, in a letter
dated Versailles, Jan. 28, says—The crisis which has re-
sulted in the conclusion of the siege seems to have oc-
curred in Paris on the 23rd, when the Mayors of the
arrondissements met in the Hotel de Vile, and officially
declared that the civil population had nothing
more to eat—in other terms, that in a few days
the stores of provisions would be entirely consumed.
At the time it was stated that the military bad still
three weeks' rations remaining ; that the very poor
had not yet suffered, having received their two and
a-half francs a day, together with rations of food
and wine ; but that the rich, the middle, and
upper classes, bad already felt most acutely the hard-
ships, and miseries consequent on the siege—their
money having ceased to be exchangeable for food,
and their own private stores having long ago been appro-
priated by the Government. With the exception of the
emeute excited by the failure of the 19th, Paris has been
wonderfully quiet, and has borne privations and bitter
suffering with a degree of fortitude far exceeding
anything that was supposed possible among that light,
pleasure-loving, and tiivial population. The populace has
throughout the siege submitted, and even in a great mea-
sure sacrificed itself, to the military rule. But after
the declaration of the Mayors on the 23rd popular
feeling becnme too strong to be kept in check.
Actual starvation stared them in the face ; and famine
—though, like other evils, it may be treated lightly when
considered as a remote contingency, to prevent the occur-
rence of which many circumstances might arise— is a very
ugly customer when viewed at close quarters. Compelled
by popular feeling, M. Jules Favre sought and obtained
an interview with Count Bismarck on the question of capi-
tulation.

THE OCCUPATION OF MONT VALERfEN.
Writing from the headquarters of the Crown Prince of
Prussia, January 30, the special correspondent of the
Daily News says :—The forward movement commenced
yesterday morning, by which the German circle is tightened
round Paris. From every quarter the Germans advanced
to take possession of the French outworks. All
the forts were occupied except Vincennes, which
the French retain for a time by special stipu-
lation. It is impossible to forsee what tone will be
adopted by the Assembly soon to be called to decide
the fate of France. There are grounds for believing
that the fall of Paris will lead to peace. Paris has
fallen after the best efforts of the provinces to save
her ha've failed. The taking possession of Mont
Valerien was no small event. The Germans bad long
watched it from a distance, and wondered whether they
would ever be there. Yet when the time came to advance
they went to work calmly, though cheerfully; too accus-
tomed to good fortune to be excited by any triumph. You
might have seen them marching through Bougival along
the high road to Rueil in compact order, with every
thing required for a fresh campaign ; baggage, ammu-
nition, and artillery bringing up the rear. It was
curious to pass the limits of death and destruction with-
out risk. The half-burnt village of Bougival, loopholed
and barricaded, was no longer in danger of crashing shells
from the fortress. Above there was a line of rough bar-
Hers, formed by felled trees ; loopholed walls ; earth-
works for field batteries, which the French had
tried so hard to take, and from which they were so
bloodily repulsed; a line stretching by Buzenval, Garches
over the neck of Mont Val4rien ; along the ridge in
• front, from one reach of the Seine to another. There were
the plateaux where the French mustered for two great
efforts against the German position. There were the fields
over which I saw them endeavouring to fight
their way in October, and the rising ground
where their field guns kept up so fierce a fire
in the last wild effort but ten days ago. What
shouts, and groans, and rolling of musketry and mitrail-
lenses, were lately heard on this trampled ground ! The
opposing sentries had watched one another rifle in hand,
and the deadly crack told of many a lad sent
to his last account. Once out of Rueil,
on the hillock near the mill battery, it was
easy to skirt the fort and obtain entrance on the
Garenne side. Small parties of Prussians might be seen
strolling to their new quarters in the rear of strong de-
tachments in the very act of taking possession. The
Prussian infantry filed into the gateway. Presently on
the central flagstaff rose the German tricolor, and then
the music of the Prussian band burst forth, swelling
proudly in the fort. No Frenchmen were to be seen
about—neither dead nor wounded, sick nor prisoners—
but a couple of old crones, who seemed to have lived in
the cottage near the gate, could be seen peeping over the
garden wall, and a female custodian might have been
found comfortably established in the porter's lodge.
Mont Valerien is a splendid stronghold, well
placed for defence, and admirably fortified. Not
having been bombarded, it shews no sign of
damage. It was more noticeable yesterday for its dreary
emptiness than for anything else. Many guns have been
removed. About a dozen heavy pieces are left behind.
There is the huge " Josephine," a ship's gun, which
sent shells so far into the Prussian positions.
Another ship's gun, unchristened, is almost equally large.
Of mitrailleuses, small arms, baggage. &c., not a vestige
was to be seen. The barracks were very dirty ; likewise
the stables for the artillery horses; and scores of Prussians
might be observed diligently beating disinfecting powder
into mattresses which the French had left. There had
been much sickness in the fort.

THE GOVERNMENT DELEGATION AT BOR-

DEAUX

In a letter from the King's Headquarters, Ver-
sailles, the special correspondent of the Standard, com-
menting on the situation in Prance, observes !—What of
the disjecta nzembra of the Government of National
Defence? What of the authorities at Bor-
deaux? What of that' stormy petrel, M. Gam-
betta ? Ask of the winds and the waves. He travels
only by air and water, and things of the earth, earthy,
know him not. I dare say that even now he is preaching
the immortality of the Republic, and demonstrating
the certa:!:l;y of German overthrow. I presume he must
be dealt with. He is the goss-hawk of the fable who had
better not be left out of the calculation. What if he
imitates a statesman of somewhat similar temperament
and calibre, and goes on " a pilgrimage of passion"
through the provinces He has proved his in-
ability to drive the coach ; but it is perhaps not
beyond his powers to upset it. He may undertake
a crusade of continued resistance, and peradven-
ture be listened to. Then will France be scourged with
scorpions. Preparations are already being made here for
a move, and every contingency is being provided for.
Should neither preliminaries of peace nor armistice ac-
company the fall of the capital, then cogent reasons will
at once be given to the centre and south of France why
M. Gambetta should not be listened to. You
remember how quickly the German armies turned
from " capitulated " Sedan, and flooded the valleys 'Which
conduct therefrom to Paris. So quickly will they turn
from capitulated Paris, if in its surrender it do not contrive
to make terms for the members of that body of which it is
the head. The reserve artillery of the sth Corps re-
ceived orders yesterday to be ready to march in three
days. What resistance fresh scouring forces are likely to
meet with all the world knows. "Hell or Connaught"
was not considered much of a choice ; but Bourbaki now
has not even that. Retreat into Switzerland is no longer
open i,o him ; he can but fight or surrender, and the latter
appears the more inviting prospect. Chanzy's army
is now a mere nonzinis umbra; and the gifted com-
panion of the pen with whom - I lately travelled in
Brittany has, I hear this morning, accompanied a flying
column of the Duke of Mecklenburg, and so finds himself,
oddly enough, at Rouen ! The instructions sent from
here to the Grand Duke are, "Do whatever you like."
That is just what every German commander in France is
now doing, and the Frenchman who drives them all out
of the land by the magic blade of peace—he shall be
praised.