The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-06 00:00:00

AFFAIRS IN PARIS

Among the papers received in Rouen is a number of
the Caulois, of the 26th ult. ;. it is printed on very thin

p:tper ; but it contains nothing, or any interest respecting
statc of affairs in Paris. It describes, however, with a
gaod deal of raciness a "reconnaissance" effected by one of
its reporters in the direction of Montrouge. This gentleman
leil; Paris by the Orleans road, and found his progress
very slow, being, called upon at every successive outpost
to produce his pass. All the houses within range of the
enceinte were do wn, and even the walls surrounding the ceme-
tery of Montrouge had been levelled, the tombstones and
"monuments," however, were left standing. Further on
in the direction of Areueil the houses had not been de-
molished, but had evidently been broken into and plun-
dered. Shutters, windows, and doors were smashed ; the
houses entirely gutted ; broken bottles strewed the ground
in abundanCe, and the wine-which could not be consumed
had evidently been poured out in that spirit of
wanton wastefulness which characterises ill- disciplined
soldiery. The National Guard were busy throw-
ing up barricades all along the road, with earth
and paving stones. The writer says that the skill
displayed in the construction of these imprcmptu
fortifications falls but little short of genius. On
arriving at the foot of Montrouge, lie found that a recon-
nuisance of linesmen and sailors, supported by one gun,
had just left it, and were forming on the crest of the
heights above Bagneux. The candle manufactory, about
900 metres in front of the foot of Montrouge, was
occupied by sailors, and was loopholed. The houses of
Bagneux, right opposite, and divided from the manufac-
tory by a piece of waste ground, were also loopholed,
and held by the Prussians, and a brisk ex-
change of shots was taking, place. The Prussians on no-
ticing the reconnaissance, advanced towardsitsposition, and
Sustained its fire without returning it. When they were
quite close the French fell back, and the enemy then
opened fire, wounding two men ; but two shells from the
Fort of Vanvres induced them to withdraw, carrying away
with them two men killed and five wounded. The
reporter also talks, but vaguely, of another engagement
on the 25th, in which the Prussians were driven back to
the woods of Bourg-la-Reine, with a loss of fifteen hun-
dred men hors de combat, and from four to five hundred
prisoners, but he fails to see that if the Prussians had
been forced back to Bourg la-Reine he could not on the
same day have seen them at Bagneux. I learn that
General Trochu had towards .the close of last month
issued a i eport, in which he stated that the enemy did
not appear to be preparing an attack in any one direc-
tion ; nevertheless, the general opinion in Paris is that
the storm which is impending over the capital will
burst from the hills of Sevres and St. Cloud. By the
way, what can be the meaning of that extraordinary ,
misstatement in a Ferrires telegram, that the Prussians
had not occupied St. Cloud ? It is evident from a
letter in yesterday's Times that they were in pos-
session of the Palace, and that they were either
constructing batteries or digging trenches on the
platform of the " Lanterne" more than a week ago.
It is evident that they will not make an attack on
Paris till they get up their monster siege guns,
and if they can get them up to the Lanterns
the position of the south-west of Paris will become
critical. From the Lanterne to the towers of Notre
Dame (the spot, I may inform your readers unlearned in
such matters, from which all distances from Paris are cal-
culated) is exactly five miles as the crow flies. From this
you can infer what would be the consequence of a battery of
Krupp's monster ordnance beine• planted on this platform.
As regards the state of Paris, I hear from a private source
that the apparent inaction of the enemy was making
people feel very nervous, and that there was very little of _
that feeling which enabled the Athenians of old to celebrate
the Olympian games whilst the Persians were but at
three days' distance. The absence of any news from
abroad was felt to be more irksome than the cutting
off -of even those luxuries which to Parisians are
dearer than the necessaries of life. Gavarni's well-
know motto--it n'y a de necessaire que to superflu,
though written for a very different occasion, is but too
applicable just now to the great city he knew so well.
That favourite meal of Parisians of every age, sex,
and degree, cafe au Tait, has become impossible,
there being 'no milk to be had for love or money. Eggs
fetch the absurd price of 10d. (If. each), and butter is in
demand at 3L a pound. By a curious anomaly meat is,
owing to the Government having prescribed a tax, cheaper
that; it was in time of peace ; but unless some means are
found to introduce cattle this state of things-must change. At
the horsedealing establishment at Beaujou, which is
knowit as the " Tattersall's Francais," horses worth from
1,500 f. to 2,000 f. barely find buyers at from 40f. to 100 f.
The gilded cupola of the Invalides is about to be covered
by a tarpaulin, under the impression that the gilding
would make it a target, and the windows of the Louvre
are being protected by sandbags. On the Boulevards
most cafés shut at nine o'clock, and. by ten the streets
and boulevards are empty and silent. It is amusing , to
find papers like the Figaro and Gaulot%s describing this
awful state of things as "a great change for the better."
Better, no doubt, in one sense, for it calls forth on
the part of some portion at least of the population
virtues such as manliness and self-sacrifice, which
there was not much room for in the days when
Paris was merely the rendezvous- of the votaries
of 'pleasure from all part's of the world ; but that
this ehasio i,s an agrcQablu or an acceptable one fot
the immense majority 91 Parisians is what I utterly

disbelieve. All that made life pleasent in Paris
has ceased to exist. Business is at a standstill. The
streets not being watered, there is a heavy pall of dust
hovering above the city—and drilling, the rattle of the
drum, and the, booming of distant cannon are
the only sounds that disturb the strange
silence of the great city. All honour to the
courage that endures these evils, all honour to
those who cheerfully submit to mental and physical
suffering- but it is an insult to common sense
to pretend that they like it. A private letter from
a friend of mine to his wife (dated the 25th), which
I have been petillitted to see, puts this very vividly.
The writer dwells on the horrible feeling of being
immured in the city without means of knowing where
those who are dear to him may be—holv they are—what
they are doing—and describes this enforced want of news
as by far the greatest trial he has to endure, and at the
time he wrote the blockade had not lasted a week !
Standard Correspondent.