The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-05 00:00:00

EXPECTED ATTACK.

The special correspondent of the Telegraph, , writing
from the Head-quarters of the Prussians, at Versailles,
on the 29th ult., says :—Here in Versailles, and along the
whole southern, south-eastern, and eastern line of the
German attack, we have been on the qui vive for
the last eight-and-forty hours. A presentiment of
evil—a foreshadowing of some great and terrible
struggle—has been and still is upon us. There
is, in fact, good reason to believe that an attack
against lur positions, upon a scale hitherto un-
attempted by the garrison of Prris, is contemplated by
General Trochu; and I cannot better describe the state
of feeling prevalent among all classes, from the King's
immediate surrounding down to the humblest bourgeois
of this town, than by simply saying that we expect it
every hour. Last night so strong was the anticipation
among the higher authorities of the immediate approach
of a conflict, that all the field batteries were kept
horsed and ready throughout the whole night. The civil
officers attached to head-quarters were warned to be in
readiness for immediate departure, and to assemble with
their carriages or horses in the Place d'Armes—before the
Chateau—on the alarm being sounded. The outposts
were strengthened, and supports drawn in; the rein-
forcements on their way from Alsace and Metz were
hurried onwards by telegraphic order; and so rapid, in
consequence, has been their advance, that some 12,090
men are expected to arrive to-morrow morning early—
among them, three battalions of the 2nd Guard Land-
wehr (Berlin, Magdeburg, Kottbus); three battalions,
Ist Grenadier Guard Landwehr (Breslau, Gorlitz, and
Polish Silesia), and three battalions 2nd Grenadier
Guard Landwehr; besides part of the Second
Army Corps (4th Division, Pomeranians), which
distinguished itself splendidly at Gravelotte.
The fact of the King's head-quarters being so perilously
near to what is certainly not the strongest part of the
German lines around Paris seriously increases the anxiety
of the army respecting the possible battle.. It is felt that
his Majesty runs a greater risk than is absolutely neces-
sary. His following, you must remember, is a thousand
strong or more ; and the difficulties of getting so
large and heterogeneous a body of important
personages away to a place of safety at an hour's notice
are very great. Every human precaution against a sur-
prise—which, frankly speaking, I deem now to be im,
possible, though I could not have conscientiously have said
as much a fortnight ago—has been taken, and Versailles
is safe ; but we seem to be on the eve of a fearful
struggle. I entertain the strongest possible conviction
that the bombardment of Paris, about which so much has
lately been talked and written, and the very thought of
which has caused deep emotion throughout Europe, will
never come off at all. Paris will fall without going
through the fiery ordeal. The investing army
will hold its ground, but no more—that, at least,
is my belief ; it will drive back every attempt to
_ _

break through the circle of steel and sinew it has drawn
round the city; it will, perhaps, effect the destruction of
two or three detached forts ; but it will undertake no
regular siege operations, and, above all, it will not bom-
bard Paris. Moreover, I shall not be surprised to see the
King's flag waving over the Tuileries on the 20th of No-
vember.

It is a fact that part of the new French loan has been
taken up by Berlin bankers. .

The first performance at the Com4die FranQaise, for the
benefit of the sick and wounded was conducted by actors
in plain clothes and without scenery.
In Paris a scheme is talked of for forming a neutral
State between France and Germany, by adding Luxem-
burg, Alsace, and Lorraine to Belgium. It is significant
that such ideas should be expressed in the capital.
A balloon from Paris was captured in the neighbour-
hood of Verdun. Some well-directed shots brought it
down, and it was found to contain, besides • numerous
letters and newspapers, two Frenchmen and an English-
man. They were arrested, but will come to no harm, two
of them being merchants, and their object having simply
been to get out of Paris. For £l2O a balloon was pro-
vided for them, and they had been making a rapid passage
for three, hours when their journey was arrested.
Mr. Sullivan, formerly American Minister at Lisbon,
reached Versailles from Paris on the 29th. He states
that the stores of flour are still tolerably large, but the
supply of meat is decidedly diminishing.. Everybody is
now restricted to buying four oumes, and the army re-
ceive these rations gratis. The stores of hams and
preserved meat are not so large as were formerly believed.
The price of meat being fixed by the Government, it can-
not be said to be much dearer than formerly. The people
are by no means despairing, An heroic courage and con-
fidence of victory are expressed.
The horse market is becoming more and more important
in Paris. A Government Commission attends to examine
the animals exposed for sale, and brands those which it
deems fit for human food. The ordinary weight of a
living horse is from 400 to 450 kilogrammes, and the
selling value is from 40 to 50 centimes the kilogramme.
On the 25th October 700 horses were offered at the market
and 400 were slaughtered, most of the remainder having
been retained by the Government for remounts. Asses
and mules are also sold in the market and are in great
demand. Young asses are eagerly sought for, and bring
75 centimes per kilogramme of the living animal.

The Gaulois of Sunday last, refeering to the prolonged
inaction both before and from within Paris, says :—" But
preparations are now being made for a speedy adoption
of energetic measures. Already General Trochu has laid
before his colleagues t.t the Hotel de Ville the plan of
future operations, and from what we have heard of it
we anticipate the happiest results. But is the denouement

at hand ? If we may believe the Francais, which is
usually well-informed, the Governor of Paris, when visit-
ing, the other day, the ambulance at the Palace de
l'lndustrie, stopped before the bed of a sergeant of the
fine and asked, ' How long do you think it will be before
you are ready to resume work, mon brave ?" Not for a
month yet, General." That is too long,' replied the
General, smiling; hi a month's time we shall no longer
have need of you."