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

'would only provoke the mob. The Ministry thereupon'
deemed themselves bound to accompany him to the out-
posts, in order to protect him from insult. M. Thiers
Made no secret of these circumstances to several persons
who visited him at Versailles.

Le Bourget, the village near Paris which was recently
the scene of the gallant but unfortunate fight on the part
of the French Garde Mobile, is a place of some historical
celebrity. It was there that Napoleon I. halted after the
battle of Waterloo. He arrived in Le Bourget at noon on
the 19th of July, 1815, and remained there some hours in
order to enter the city at night.
The Daily News Paris correspondent says that public
opinion in the capital at the time of the armistice nego-
tiations was disposed to accept a cessation of the siege on
almost any terms. " General Trochu, however, and his
colleagues had not the civic courage to attach their names
to a document which would afterwards have been cast in
their teeth. A friend of mine, a military man, saw
Trochu late last night. He strongly urged him to accept
the armistice, but in vain. ' What do you expect will
occur? You must know that the position is hopeless,'
said my friend. ' I will not sign a capitulation,' was all
he could get from Trochu."
The " Besieged Resident " who contributes to the Daily
News says ;—" Both among soldiers and officers General
Vinoy is far more popular than any other general ; he is a
sort of French Lord Clyde. Until now he had a co-
ordinate command with Ducrot. That he should be called
upon to serve under him is regarded as an injustice, more
particularly because Ducrot is an intimate personal friend
of Trochu. Ducrot and Trochu believe in themselves,
and believe in each other, but no one else believes
in them.. They certainly have not yet given the
slightest evidence of military capacity, except by criticis-
ing what has been done by others. Now, at last, how-
ever, Trochu will have an opportunity to carry out his
famous plan, by which he asserts that he will raise the
blockade in fourteen days, and of which he has given the
fullest details in his will. Ridicule kills in France—and
since this eminent General, as an evidence that he had a
plan, appealed to the will which he had deposited with his
lawyer, he lost all influence. 1 need not say that his in-
fluence has not been restored by the absurd arrest
to which he has been subjected by Messrs Flourens and
Blanqui."

ANARCHY AT MARSEILLES.

MARSEILLES, November 6.

Full particulars are now given of the arrival of M. Gent
in this city, and the incideats which attended it. When
the carriage containing the newly-appointed prefect
arrived at the door of the Prefecture, the assembled crowd
was astonished not to see him enter under, the great por-
tico leading to the grand staircase. Those who were
nearest the carriage observed that the civil guard, who
were gathered in great numbers by the door, refused
leave to enter, and turned their bayonets against the crowd
who applauded the new governor. M. Gent
sprung from his carriage and went in with one or
two of the colonels who accompanied him. Another was
forced to go in at the side door. An hour-later M. Gent
received a pistol shot in the side from a revolver, whose
muzzle was close to him. The evidence at the examina-
tian shewed that M. Gent, on his arrival, went to the
private "cabinet " of M. Esquiros, the ex-governor, with
whom he conversed some little time, while ,the
bystanders discussed the state of affairs. All agreed that
M. Esquiros ought not to be deposed, but that M.
Gent might accept him as a coadjutor, and
thus appease the popular excitement. Presently
M. Gent came out, and declared with clear-
ness and decision that he would exercise the civil
and military powers which he held from the Tours Govern-
ment without sharing them with any one. A delegate of
the revolutionary committee of the Hotel de Ville stepped
forward and asked M. Gent. whether he would recognise
the dissolution of the former municipal council and the
establishment of the commission appointed by popular
acclamation. M. Gent replied, " I do not know what
you mean by revolutionary commune; I am just arrived ;
I am altogether ignorant of what has occurred until now ;
but if you wish to know my opinion, I
will tell you very plainly that I do not
recognise in any way the revolutionary, municipal
commission." Consternation spread through the assembly '
on hearing those words, and they protested the conduct of
the Tours Government would produce civil war. M.
Dupont, a member of the Departmental Council, tried to
induce M. Gent to adopt conciliatory measures, and ex-
plained to him that the majority favoured M. Esquiros,
and that the responsibility of civil war would rest on him
if he persisted. M. Gent then spoke of his own Republi-
can sentiments, declaring he would always be opposed to
the state of siege, but said that M. Esquires having three
times sent in his resignation, he had not thought it right
to refuse a third time the trust offered to him by the
Tours government. He had refused it twice previously
on account of his friendship for Esquiros. Having ac-
cepted the office of governor of the department des
Bouches du Rhone, with full civil and military power, ,
he could not share his authority with any person what-
ever. The people broke up into groups again, all discus-
sing the dreaded civil war. Some advised the arrest of
M. Gent, to prevent his taking any action. A cry of
" Aux armes 1" was raised, and several citizens, hurry-
ing into the salle, found M. Gent and a crowd of persons.
There were loud protests raised against the presence of
any person with arms, and some degree of tumult arose.
The leading citizens went from one to another endeavour-
ing to restore calmness, and had partially succeeded,when
a loud report was heard, and M. Gent was found to be
wounded. The consternation was general, and amounted
to stupor. However, the matter proved to be less serious
than was at first thought, and M. Gent was able to receive
his relations and friends in the evening.. His assailant
escaped undetected.

Towards ten o'clock shots were heardin. the streets,
and a fusillade, resulting in the injury, if not
death, of several persons took place. It origi-
nated in a dispute between the civil and the
National Guard. On the day after great anxiety and un-
easiness prevailed in the town. It was feared a collision
was inevitable, and the absence of the General of the
National Guard, who was illegally detained by the Revo-
lutionary party, left the force without orders ; while M.
Gent himself was kept virtually a prisoner in the Hotel
of the Prefecture. The Civil Guard during the
night had seized the armourers stores to obtain
powder and projectiles, but, happily, cartridges
were wanting. General Cluseret had removed the
stock of munitions provided for the National
Guard, but soon fresh supplies were brought to them
and a vigorous effort was resolved upon. The people
learning the state of affairs, assembled in the streets in
throngs, calling on the National Guard to repress disorder,
and promising to support them. At two o'clock the bat-
talion commanded by Colonel Nicolas went to the prison,
and succeeded in releasing its chief without employing
force, and the citizens lending their assistance in other
quarters, a reconciliation was effected between the two
rival forces, the dissolution of the Civil Guard and its
enrolment in the National Guard agreed upon, and M.
Gent was able to telegraph to Tours that he was " master
of the situation."

LETTER FROM GENERAL COFFINIERES.
General Coffinieres has written to the Independance
Beige, from Hamburg, as follows :—" I have been pain-
fully surprised on arriving here to read, in the
Ind4endance, the serious accusations which have been
made against me. Whenever I was called upon to give
my opinion I always said that the place of Metz had
distinct interests from those of the Army of the
Rhine, and that all > political preoccupotion should
be put aside, in order to provide means for the defence.
I only yielded at last to the opinion which prevailed in
the Council of War before' the complete exhaustion of
our food supplies, and before the general order of the
General-in Chief but I 'did not do so until some ani-
mated discussions had taken place, in which I stood alone
in my opinion. With regard to the provisions, it will
suffice to prove that they were sufficient, to say that the
place of Metz, which was originally intended to hold from
90,000 to 100,000 men, garrison included, was able to feed
nearly 240,000 men during two months anda-half. I feel sure
that I shall be able to prove hereafter in the most satis-
factory manner that X have loyally fulfilled my duty as a
soldier and a citizen, and in awaiting this I beg you will
abstain from any injurious comments."