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

PARIS AS IT IS.

If you stroll along the boulevards you no longer en-
counter those seemingly light-hearted pedestrians whom
you commonly associate with the spot. ; but, in place of
them, men more or less grave-looking and not unfre-
quently positively depressed, wearing the eternal and per-
petual red stripes down the sides of their trousers, with
just a few flaneurs and such " bouches inutile s " as man-
aged to elude Prefet Keratry's minute researches, besides
a swarm of beggars and itinerant traders and
musicians. 'With their stalls placed against the shutters
of the closed shops, and by the light of one or more glitter-
ing candles, hawkers of purses . and photographs, songs
and swordsticks, and, above all, of scurrilous pamphlets
and caricatures will importune passers by to purchase
their worthless wares. " Demandez la Plainte de Rata-
poil Badinguet I" " Demandez le Sire de Framboisy,
dont la femme dance le cancan avec tous ses amis I" " De-
mandez la femme Bonaparte, ses crimes et ses orgies !" assail
your ears in succession. Every now and then you find
your progress interrupted by a knot of open-air politicians,
vehemently discussing "the situation," declaiming
against an armistice, and demanding that the sortie in
force be no longer delayed ; or a crowd encircling a group
of juvenile street singers who have endeavoured to illumi-
nate the surrounding obscurity by ends of lighted candles
placed on the ground in front of them ; or gathered
round an old man who professes to imitate the notes
of all the songbirds ; or congregated before a
one-legged player on the accordiau, who, seated on a
can.p-stool, rests his wooden leg on a little mat, while a
couple of comical-looking dogs, one holding a pipe, the
other a tray in his mouth, squat gravely on other mats
in front of him. A row of four wax candles, protected
from the wind by glass shades, light up this singular ex-
hibition which, now that so little suffices to amuse the
Parisians, nightly attracts a considerable crowd. As
may be supposed, the Petite Bourse of the
Passage de l'Opera has entirely suspended its
operations. and the cabinets partieuliers of the Cafe
Anglais and Maison Dor& are dark and deserted—not a
dinner or a supper has been served in "le grand siege"
since the city was first invested. Before the doors of the
theatres there are neither carriages nor noisy touters
nor jostling crowds. A few people will per-
haps stop for a moment when some voiture drives
up at a slow pace and deposits a wounded soldier in
to one or the other ambulance. The weary evening
has at last whiled itself away. At half-past ten the
last lights in the cafes are put out, and the
cafes themselves are closed. You walk home through the
silent and deserted streets, utterly regardless of the mid-
night robber who used to be in wait in gloomy porteco-
cheres ; for you know that armed men are certain to be
within call even in the less frequented thorough-
fares. Suddenly footsteps are heard approaching,
and a sombre mass turns a corner of the Boulevard, and
proves to be a patrol of National Guard de•
filing past in silence. Occasionally they direct their
steps to some lofty house where a light has been seee
moving au cinvMme, and forthwith proceeded to arre
the astonished occupant of the attic on the pretence that
he has been signalling to the Prussians, of whom, although
we see them not, we are incessantly reminded, and more
than ever at this moment, when the distant booming of
the cannon breaks the stillness of the night.—Pall Malt
Gazette Letter from Paris.

At the time of the attack on Evreux, a Prussian rushed
into a jeweller's shop and laid violent hands on the goods.
He filled his pockets with jewels, ear-rings, and other
objects of value. Having accomplished this feat he
hastened away.

Eight or teu IThlans were imprudent enough to come
within eight leagues of Tours Surprised by the free-
shooters not one escaped, and the freeshooters are now
riding about Tours mounted upon the superb horses of
these audacious scouts.

The Staats Anzeiger states that the object of the recent
sortie from Paris, according to the statements of pri-
soners, was to break through the German lines in the
direction of Meaux and Fontainebleau. They were told
to accomplish this in masses, or, if this was impossible, in
battalions.

The Daily New., correspondent at the Saxon Head-
quarters, speaking of the fighting on the 2nd, says :
. "Some inference may be drawn of what the loss was on
the fatal day, when I mention, on the authority of the
Colonel with whom I hale just spoken, that the 107th.
Regiment, which occupied Brie in the morning has lost
in killed and wounded 12 officers and 675 men. The loss
of the 108th Regiment—the other name of which is the
(_l3th Schutzen Regiment—is, I have reason to believe, still
heavier."

The Patrie says the agriculturists of France have been
most severely tried this year. First there was the
drought, which diminished the supplies of forage, of
potatoes, and vegetables for drying. Then came the war,
with all its attendant calamities. Not only have the
inhabitants of the invaded districts been unable to sow
any grain for next year, but all their stores have been
seized, and their flocks and herds have been consumed by
the Prussians. France imported from Germany annually
1,500,000 sheep, which supply, of course, is stopped. The
French cattle had greatly improved of late years, but it
s feared that it will be very long long before the cattle
owners recover from the present disasters, Government
will have to come energetically to their aid.
M. Emile de Girardin has addressed another long
letter to the Liberte, in which he criticises somewhat
severely the conduct of the Government of National
Defence, declares that under the circumstances a Consti-
tuent Assembly would be useless, and renews his arguments
on behalf of a pl6hiscite. He would himself, ho says, oppose
the war a outranee if the army of the Loire could not
save Paris from the tortures of hunger and the miseries
of capitulation endured at Strasburg and Metz. The
Thirty Years' War, even the Seven Years' War do not
belong to our epoch. Our age is an age of iron, but
of iron divided into rails. The honour of a conquered
country never exacted that it should condemn itself
to the powerlessness of taking its revenge, but if misled
by the sound of fine phrases, French honour thought such
an act of heroic madness necessary, M. de Girardin does not
hesitate to declare that in the choice between honona
and common sense he should decide in favour of the
latter.

Prince Plon-Plon, as Prince Napoleon is disrespectfully
termed, is living incognito at his villa at Prangins. It is
difficult, says a Swiss paper, to describe the profound
contempt with which the Vaudois treat him. Were
it not for respect for his wife and children,
he would, it is said, have been forced to leave
his establishment by hostile demonstrations. Re-
cently he was passing through Nyon, hidden
in his vehicle, when he was recognised by some workmen
in the road. One of them opened the door of the carriage
while the others detained the driver, and they apostro-
phised the Prince with such energy that he was afraid to
stir, and crouched in a corner. After hearing his lecture
out he was allowed to continue his route. It is rumoured
that ten million francs of his have been sequestrated at
Paris, and nothing remains to him but his villa at Pran-
gins, which is of great value but difficult to sell.

A letter from Sedan says that in ten days there have
been three funerals of doctors who have lost their lives by
their devotion to the cause of humanity. Dr. Thomas
was exhausted by his energetic efforts to serve the
wounded and the fatigue of constant watching. Dr.
Debaudre was killed at Lafrancheville, although he was
supposed to be safe with the badge of the Geneva Con•
volition. He was an exile of the Empire, but, on the

proclamation of the Republic, he returned to his country
and served under the red cross of Brussels. The third
was an American doctor, who came over on purpose to
assist in the care of the wounded atter the battle of
Sedan.

&letter has been published in the Boulogne papers'
e
suggesting the formation of a compay of boy soldiers, 01
from 16 to 20 years of age, to be termed "La Compagnie

des Pupilles Boulonnais."

The French soldiers in Paris have discovered one svoY
of getting a good meal of fresh meat. After a sortie
has taken place they cut up and cook the horses that rag'

have been killed.

At one of the Paris clubs, says a besieged inhabitant,
there is a lady who sits on the platform. " When anyone
makes what she considers a good speech, she embraces
him on both cheeks. She is by no means ugly, and Iho
serious thoughts of making a few observations myself ir)
view of the reward."

Belgium is about to increase her army of observation.
The burgomasters of the various villages on the French,.
frontier have been desired to inform the War Department
how many soldiers they Can accommodate in the neigh-
bourhood, in the event of warlike occurrences in the
Departement du Nord. ot
The following is a list of the prices of Paris "luxuries •
—Terriners of chicken, 16f.; of rabbit, 13f.; a fowl, 26f.;
a rabbit, 18f.; a turkey, 60f.; a goose, 45f.; one cauli-
flower, 3f.; one cabbage, 4f.; dog is 2f. a lb.; a cat skinned
costs 5f.; a rat, lf.; if fat from the drains, If. 50c. Almost
all the animals in the Jardin des Plantes have been
eaten. They have averaged about 7f. a lb. Kangaroo,
however, has been sold for 12f. the lb.
The Paris Journal insists that rats are not eaten be'
cause food is scarce, but because it is the fashion. " One
of the celebrated restaurateurs has discovered the waY
to make a delicious dish , with these creatures. Efe
dresses them with champag,ne and spices. He cannot
fulfil all the orders he receives. In short, the last chic is,
to eat rat."

The army of Lyons, on the south-east, ig
said to have been organised with great skill, and. to
have been eagerly awaiting the signal to depart .00,
service. In the skirmish at Chateaneuf, when General
Cremer defeated a Prussian column of seven thousand
men, the first legion of Lyons Mobilised Guard had the
honours of the day. The Marseillais are jealous of the
activity displayed by the people of Lyons, and will
shortly be ready to start for the scene of action. 21-•
Vogues, the chief editor of an important journal in
Lyons, has suspended the publication of his paper,
La Reforme Politique, in order to join the army at Matte.
The two theatres of the town give representations to Pro'
mote the purchase of mitrailleuses, and the performance*
have been very successful.
ALSATIAN REGIMENTS.—A. French letter from
Bellegarde exults in the great number of Alsatians who
have gone into the interior of France to join the armiek
The Prussians are, it says, beside themselves. The whole
valid population is emigrating. All Alsatians who
are able to carry a gun escape at every possible opper
tunity across the Swiss frontier, and make their way
to those parts of France which are free from the invader.
According to rough calculations made by one of the chief
Baden officers, there are already 7,000 Alsatians who
have left their province to enrol themselves in the
French army. The same officer, says the writeri
took him for an aide-de-camp of Victor Emmanuel an
,_°•
acknowledned that another such victory as the French
gained near Orleans would determine the inhabitants oft
Alsace and Lorrain.- to emigrate en masse. Very likely
even the women would go. Stratagems of all kinds are
resorted to by the Alsatians to escape the vigilance of the
Prussians.

THE UHLANS.—A German correspondent Bala
that the unfortunate Uhlans who were so triumphen
in the early part of the campaign have now a very
unfortunate time of it :—" Always upon the chase PO
Franc-tireurs and Mobiles, exposed to every bullet which
may be shot from behind a tree or the hedges skirting
the roadway, always the first to march Into
to the towns and villages of the enemy, and ca'
pelled to search the different hamlets and wayside_
houses, they have a hard time of it, and, just
now especially, scarcely a day passes without some
of them being shot down from their -horses. The officer's
of these foreposts are consequently fortunate if they cert.
occasionally get up a little amusement amongst them
selves. There is always one among them who can plat
the piano ; sometimes fiddles and flutes are brought ouV
from some of the houses, and then the fun begins. Our
soldiers have sometimes even dragged out pianos into the
fields and meadows were they were camping in order to,
have a bal champetre. These times are past, it is true,
but still one may indulge in an occasional jollifieatiori
under a rooftree."

PRUSSIAN BRUTALITY.--The Telegraph's corre-
spondent at Tours reports that he has just been
" officiously " examined respecting AL Chaudordfa asser-
tions as to the conduct of the Prussians in France. Ile
adds : " I have replied, as I will now affirm, that in the.
circular which I send you the conduct of the invader is
mildly, very mildly, put. These are not the times, nor is
this the place, in which to argue the case, and to state
facts which have come under my own eye since the dal
I saw the first French defeat at Worth. Truth
is great, and it will prevail. I should be very sorry to
implicate all Prussian officers in the sentence which the
civilised world will, sooner or later, pass upon their army
foi its cowardly treatment of defenceless villages. But
there is anything like justice in this world or in the next,
the sufferings that the French people have undergone at
the hands of their invaders must some day be avenged-
And as regards M. Chaudordy's circular, I could say, if ,
was placed upon oath, that from what I have seen
Alsace, Lorraine, the department of Oise and Ardennes,
and wherever the Prussians have been, he has understated
not overstated his case."

A PARIS ObUB.—A writer to the Nord gives 11
comical account of a meeting which he attended at the
Salle Valentine. "An orator ascended the tribune,
saying that he was about to speak of the siege of;Montvideo, a heroic siege which had lasted.
seven years. For the first year they ate provisions
and animals; in the second year they sold their plate,
and jewels. Money was not to be found. In the third
year they sold the churches and palaces. Here there
were exclamations among the audience, to whom the
prospect of a siege of three years was not agreeable.
If there was no more money,' cried an interrupter,
`they could not have sold the churches. It is too absurd r
A captain of the National Guard said to the orator,
the devil with Montevideo when the Prussians are within
600 metres of the walls, and the National Guard is giving
itself to death.' Here was a loud uproar. Tho
National Guard is not giving itself to death ; where,
then, hast thou given thyself to death, captain ?' Further
disturbance and hooting of the captain concluded the
meeting."
THE GERMAN ESCAPE.—Dr. Russell says that.
considerable uneasiness was felt at times in the German
camp until the last few days. " The Army of the Loire
and the Army of the North, and shadowy legions of many
i
names kept up the hearts of the French, and cause;
anxiety to the Germans. Now all this is change°'.
There is not the smallest gathering to mar the clear'
ness of the sky over the head of the investing aril'
But a few days back, and every one felt he might ve
summoned at a moment's notice to leave his quarter;
on a long campaign, the siege of Paris raised, and the,
swarming populace pressing out behind the army
the Crown Prince. The sound of a gun in an lit;
expected direction, or what sounded like one, raw"'
men look at each other. Baggage was kept WAY;
for a start. D'Aurelles might come round by
_vet
flank of Prince Frederick Charles, or he mg°
break through his centre, where the avarians stood, o'.,
he might turn the Duke of Mecklenburg's right.
Keratry might step, in somewhere between Manteuffe
and the new army—in fact, though ultimate success ff
never for a moment to be assigned to such contingencan A
it was plain that the Crown .Prince's army might be t'd
any moment forced to abandon its sedentary position an
begin an arduous winter campaign."
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BIRTHS.
On the Bth inst., at 6, St. Andrew's-place, Regent's-Ps4'
the wife of Rudolph Ahlers, Esq., of a daughter. t.
On the 9th inst., at 3, Kensington-gate, the wife of Cal 3
`'Prey, of a son.

I.IIARRIAGES.
On the Bth inst., at Thurlstone Church, Major FeHowes'
107th Reg,t., son of the late Admiral Sir Thos. Fellovr P.n.
K.C.8., to Louisa Constance, only daughter of John
Godfrey, Esq., of Thurlstone, Devon.
On the Bth inst., at the Cathedral, Rochester, glolf
Richard Harrison, RE. son of the late Rev. J. Bel'''.
Harrison, M.A., to second daughter of the late
Lieut.-Col. John DoyleO'Brien.

•
DEATHS.
On the Bth inst., at Barton, Staffordshire, Edwd.OalceleY,
Esq., aged 74.
On the Bth inst., Mr. Thomas Rolfe, sen., formerly °f
Great St. Helen's, city, aged 80.
of
London : Printed by GIDEON ACLAND BOYCE, at
No. 112, Strand, Printer, and Published by Win
THE Sus Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of tile
Savoy, in the County of Middlesex.

Monday, December 12, 1870,