The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-19 00:00:00

THE TRUE CONDITION OF PARIS.

- -
The correspondent of the Telegraph sends the follow Ir.;;
from Frankfort, dated December 18:—I have just re.
ceived important intelligence concerning the condition of
Paris, ,on which you may place absolute trust. My
information comes from people who have just left the city.
' and who knew the whole facts. Paris is not in any want
whatever. There is plenty of everythin'g save fresh beef,
mutton, poultry, 'eggs, and fish. The salt fish has
scarcely been begun. Of horse there is enough to last r
couple of months; of bread, wine, and all sorts of pro•
duce there is an ample supply to last three or four months.
Everything in the way of comestibles and drinkables has
been taken possession of by General Trochu, who declares
that he considers the whole population to be the " Army
of Paris," and as such to be provided for by the Military
Commissariat. No idea whatever is entertained of
surrender. The reverses sustained both by the Paris
Army and by that of Orleans are looked upon with per-
fect calm and equanimity. As to the Army of Orleans,
• the Parisians say it is doing them the best possible service
by drawing a large German force away from the neigh.
bourhood of the capital. All they ask is to be left to des;
with the investing army, which they feel confident of being
able to vanquish in a short time. They are satisfied with
Ducrot's sortie and its result, for they say it has proved to
them how weak the Germans are, and how easily their lines
may be broken through when th 9 proper time comes.
There are no longer any civilians in Paris. Every man
is armed and undergoing some sort of training. The
regular troops, or what is called the " Army of the
Field," are about two hundred thousand strong, are in
immense spirits, very well fed, and thoroughljecon,
fident in their ability to stand their ground when-
ever they meet the Prussians. Another sortie, on a
larger scale even than the last, maS, be expected very
soon. Of ,course my informant will not even hintin what
direction. Some of the theatres have been opened—it
having been recognised that amusements were desirable
for the morale of the bourgeoise, who found thelongwinter
evenings horribly dull. In the French capital you can get
most things you want with great readiness. You can jump
into a cab and drive wherever you please, and pass your
time infinitely more agreeable than in Versailles. As to
the cab horses having been eaten, that is a fiction. From
the appearance of the minor and personal traffic,-no one
would notice that any diminution -had taken place in'the
number of horses employed within the city for purposes
of transit. I am told that, if there should be no bom-
bardment, Paris can hold out for two or three months
without enduring very great sufferings. The mortality
is large, but nat so much as to create any alarm.
There are no epidemics, and, as for people dying of want,
no case of that kind has occurred. Outside Paris the
French have pushed out their front in every direction,
and made the circle of investment much larger, and
consequently much weaker. Where, two months
ago, in the dim distance there were lines of
outposts under the shadow of the forts, there are
now field works, batteries, and clouds- of marksmen
well forward, commanding roads that a little time ago
were entirely out of range. The Germansahave also
enormously strengthened their positions, and their lines
are now actually a fortified camp, and as nearly as possi-
ble impregnable. The question is whether there are men
enough to hold them. The besieging force is not supposed
to number in all two hundied thousand men.