The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-11 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE SIEGE.

OCTOBER 5.

The story of the last few days' operations does not
require much telling. Since the sortie of the 30th, the
activity of the Germans, or " the enemy," as it is proper
to call them, has vastly increased. Their earthworks are
pushed forward in all directions. Every commanding
position is occupied by a field battery ; but no attack nor
any sortie has been made. Everything is perfectly quiet—
that is to say, in siege parlance. One fort bangs away
to-day, another cionnera to-morrow, and rifle practice goes
on intermittently on all sides, but this is all. The Ger-

mans make no return. This morning Fort Val6rien was
hard at work, as well as all the five works on the south
side of Paris, throwing shot and shell upon all the points
where it is supposed the Germans are making
entrenchments. We do not know what came of all the
heavy peppering. It is reported that the enemy is en-
trenching himself on the heights of Montfermail, making
use of large blocks of stone for the purpose. This sort of
fort is, without doubt, with the intention of keeping open
his' communications with the Eastern and German rail-
ways.

The blowing up of a torpedo at the Porte de Sablonville

has varied in an unpleasant manner the tedium of the

last few days. When trying a torpedo not charged, the
electricity was communicated by some deviation of
current to the powder of a torpedo 150 metres in advance.
Eight men were severely wounded by the explosion.
More news of trouble amongst the Ministers. There is
a rumour current that a report from M. Cr(Smieux has
been suppressed, but the statement does not meet
with very wide-spread credence. Naturally, enough,
differences will arise between the opinions of
Ministers who are separated from each other, and have
no means of communicating except by letter, conveyed
through the precarious agency of the balloon post. In
this case there can be little question that the Government
at Tours has caused serious discontent in high quarters ;
but the outside world must beware of exaggerating the
effect of such a difference on the general vigour and effici-
ency of the Government. Here the Ministers are in
such accord, that no divergence of opinion escapes from
the Council Chamber.

We hear more about terrible engines of destruction,
capable of working infinite mischief in• the ranks of the
enemy. It is l;dgh time that the work of annihilation by
some of these instruments commenced, for hitherto the
Germans have *lived, moved, and besieged us, with very
little inconvenience from anything that people in Paris
could do. The latest fine thing in the annihilation line is
a rocket, which, at a distance of six kilometres, will burn
everything it touches—wood, war materials, men, horses,
&c.—on a surface of thirty square yards. The fire is
inextinguishable. The experiments have been perfectly
successful—as experiments always are. Ten thousand
were ordered. Four thousand are now ready, but the
Government hesitate to accept them, fearing that such a
destructive engine would not be authorised by the laws of
war.

-The first court-martial was held yesterday. A free-
shooter was charged with breaking his rifle. He was
encamped at one of the advanced posts in the Bois de
Boulogne, asked permission to go to Paris, was refused,
and he broke his rifle. He has been acquitted.
In spite of the orders issued by the Governor, the
National Gardes persist in over zeal. Only a day or two
back an American was arrested in his house, over which
the American flag was flying. This has led to strong re-
monstrances from the United States Minister.

The chief of the staff reports that the prisoners who
have been taken express great astonishment at not being
immediately shot, this idea being spread amongst the
enemy's troops by their officers to prevent desertion.
The navy guns now in battery on the Buttes Mont-
martre were brought to Paris by the Emperor's order at
the commencement of the war, with the intention of
being used at the siege of Mayence. They are becoming
very useful for a different purpose.
Successful experiments have been made to utilise the
blood of beef killed in Paris. 30,0001 b. of aliment will
thus be added daily to the food of Paris.