The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-17 00:00:00

'filE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY OCrOBER 17, 1870.

TIT E WA 11...

THE SIEGE OF PARIS
(BY BALLOON MAIL.)
I'ARIS, OCT. 10th.
The utter dulness of the siege has, during the last few
days, been relieved by some lively political contests. It
has been expected, ever since the beginning of the
investment, that the Reds would sooner or later give
trouble, and a few days ago they seemed disposed to save
us from disappointment in this respect. Their hostility
for the first time became formidable, and at length broke
out into open conflict But the fight, though sharp, has
ended in the triumph of the Government. The regular
authorities had, on their side, the whole, respectable por-
tion of the inhabitants; and even amongst the workmen
the Ultras found few adherents. .
The question of the municipal elections was the chief,
though not the sole point, on which the Ultras joined
issue.

The other day, it will be remembered, Gus-

tave Flourens held an armed demonstration with
10,000 National Guards in front of the Hotel
de Ville. This show of force, however, failed
in its objects, among which the immediate election of the
mayors in the Paris communes was conspicuous. Refused
his demands, M. Flourens gave in his resignation as head
of the National Guard commanding the Ist Legion of
the Seine. This demonstration passed off quietly,
but in the evening a meeting was held on
the 'Boulevard Prince Eugene, at which more
than 3,000 persons were present, and at which Ledru
Rollin spoke with all the fire and passion of earlier days,
calling upon the citizens to demand the immediate for-
mation of the commune in Paris. The agitation' spread
to some extent, and the indecisive attitude of the Govern-
ment favoured the notionthat they wouldultimately yield.
Now, however, they have suddenly arrived at a decision
and seem resolved to maintain it with vigour. On the
evening of the 7th, a meeting of the Mayors and their
subordinates was held, at which a vote was taken, result-
ing in 29 votes against 26 in favour of the immediate
election of the Mayors. However, next morning an
official notice, very firmly worded, appeared in the
Journal - Officiel, intimating that the Government had
thought it consistent with the principles it upheld to
hold the municipal elections, but it had decided
that in presence of an enemy investing the

capital all elections should be postponed, and,

moreover, that it would know how to make the
power which it had been entrusted with by the people
respected by the armed dembnstrations. This decision
had, it appears, been arrived at mainly through the in-
fluence of Jules Favre, who now holds the office of
Minister of the Interior in addition to his own portfolio.
Gambetta is believed to have favoured • the project of
municipal elections, and even to have asked Ledru Rollin
to take up the matter. It is not therefore surprising that
with such conflicting opinions in the Cabinet no decision
could be arrived at until Gambetta had left for Tours.
It was at once apparent from this manifesto of the
Government, that there was some ground for apprehending
a collision, but it was also evident that the authorities
were prepared to resist it. However, the people were
peaceable enough, though on the day on which the
notice appeared in the Journal Officiel,- some 2,500 men,
mostly unarmed, assembled in front of the Hotel de Ville,
in answer to an appeal made by the organ of the extreme
party, the Patrie en Danger. This demonstration passed
off harmlessly however and the arrival of General Trochu
and his staff was the signal for loud cheers. It
was evident that in spite of the persistent
efforts made in some quarters, and of the alarm occasioned
by the beating of the rappel, there was no danger of a
serious emeute. The people were uneasy and troubled,
but nothing like civil war was to be dpprehended. The
majority are disgusted with the small, but noisy party
who are always seeking to create disturbance under some
form or another. The Government have won respect by
their firmness in the matter, and in the present state of
affairs it is a point gained to know they Can be firm in the
exercise of their authority, even if, as some think, they
have been somewhat arbitrary in its display.
The complete and fortunate collapse of this movement
is probably due in a great measure to mutual disagree-
ments among its leaders. There is no love lost between
Blanqui and Ledru Rollin, and neither of them get on
with Felix Pyat. Flourens, who has taken a prominent
part in the m.atter, has withdrawn his resignation, or, as
some say, has been re-elected. In either case, it is to be
hoped he will henceforth have more regard to the serious
necessities of the situation than to keep General
Trochu waiting to receive him for five hours,
as he did on the last occasion, while the
cannon was sounding all the while from the
ramparts. It is no wonder that under these circum-
stances General Trochu should have declared that unless
an immediate stop were put to these armed demonstra-
tions he should resign. He was supported in this by Jules
Favre, and together they carried the day. .
The Reds will have some difficulty in renewing this
battle. The position of the Government has been greatly
strengthened by their victory, and the Ultras are propor-
tionately depressed. The one man in the Government
who might have sympathised with them has, moreover,
gone—up in a balloon—to Tours. Gambetta is, indeed,
too wise to openly aid the Reds even if he were here ; but
his opinions are extreme, and it would not be unnatural
if the men of demonstrations were encouraged by his
presence.'

Gambetta departed on the 7th to infuse some energy
into the very lifeless operations at Tours. After much
anxiety, a pigeon has been received from him, shewing
that he is all safe.

the ground to be attacked is so very much larger and more
broken, and that whereas Strasburg lies on our frontier
, the hdstile capital is at a great distance, from it, and at
the end of our line of operations. We have certainly, by
the fall of Toul, and the restoration of the bridges over
the Aflame, between Meux and La Ferte, re-opened rail-
way communication with the front, and are now in a
position to bring up our heavy guns ; yet there remains
the tough work of transporting the cannon over hill and
dale to the places where they are to be put in battery—
a labour which in front of Duppel, it will be remem-
bered, sometimes required an entire company for a
single gun. When the soil is very uneven, or else
softened by rain, horses frequently cannot be employed for
this purpose. We must not omit mentioning that the
portion of the environs from which a bombardment could
be directed, not alone against the main rampart and
several suburbs, but against the very heart of the city, is
the most hilly and impracticable of all. It is, however,
probable that the bombardment of the city will not be
proceeded with until the fire of several forts has been
silenced. Great as might be the impression made by a
bombardment, it cannot be our object to aim at a partial
result. To secure all we want, and secure it safely, we
require the forts. We may confidently expect that we shall
not be long in conquering some. The formidable power of
some new kinds of guns, as well as the application of
the indirect shot for making a breach, so success-
fully practised at Strasburg, are sure to have the
more effective results the slower and the more
careful the preparations made. The investing army has
the means to protect itself from rain and cold, and as the
winter at Paris is, as a rule, much milder than in Germany,
we may hope to brave the rigours of the season
without any very sensible suffering. Paris, on the other
hand, will get weaker every day the siege lasts. Pro-
visions will become scarcer and scarcer, and the prole
teniat is likely to rise ultimately against the wealthy,—
a contingency hastened on by our hindering any fresh
supplies reaching the beleaguered town. Our numerous
cavalry is quite competent to carry this out. The
French Minister of the Interior, in his latest circular
of the 9th instant, assures his countrymen that Paris
can neither be'taken 'by force, nor surprise, nor famine,
nor rehellion. His self-delusion, it must be admitted, is
complete. He enumerates the very calamities which will
compel surrender, and in his blind confidence draws a
false conclusion. Our task is to possess ourselves of the
French capital with as little loss of time and life as pos-
sible. We are sure to master the uncommonly difficult
probleM, but shall scarcely succeed so very rapidly as the
anxious expectation of our countrymen would desire."