The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-12
PARIS.
The Gay Capital During the siege-Street
scenes.

The Gay Capital During the siege-street
Paris would hardly be recognized under its
present aspect by those citizens of the Far West
who are in the habit of regarding 1t as place
where good Americans go when they die. In
the garden of the Tuieries, writes recent cor
respondent, where bonneS used to firt with
guardsmen, there is artillery camp. The
guns, the picket of horses, the tents, the camp
fires, and the soldiers in their shirt-sleeves, have
picturesque effect under the great trees.
On the Place de la Concorde from morning to
evening there is a mob discussing things in
general and watching the regiments as they de-
file with their crowns. before the statue of Stras-
burg. In the morning the guns of the forts can
be heard heavily booming; but the sound has
now lost its novelty, and no one pays more at
tention to it than the miller to the wheel of his
mill. In the Champs Elysees there are no pri-
vate carriages, and few persons sitting on the
chairs. The Palais d'Industrie is the central
ambulance, the Cirque de pImperatrice
barrack. All the cafes chantants are closed.
Some few youthful votaries of pleasure
still patronize the merry-go-rounds; but their
business is not lucrative one. Along the
Quays by the river side there are cavalry and in
fantry regiments with the tentes d'abri. The
Champs dc Mars is camp. In most of the
squares there are sheep and oxen. On the outer
boulevards lines of huts have been built for the
Mobiles, and similar huts are being erected
along the Rue des Ramparts for the Nationals
on duty. Everywhere there are squads of Ma
tionals, some learning the goose step, others
practising skirmshing between the carts aud
facres, Others levelling their guns and snap
ping them off at Imaginary Prussians.
Private carriages are rarely seen. The omni-
buses are crowded; but fear greatly that their
horses will be far from tender when we eat
them. The cabbies, once so naughty and inso-
lent, are humble and conciliatory, for Brutus
and ScRvola have taught them manner aud
usually pay their fares in patriotic speeches.
At the Arc de Triomphe, at the Trocadero, and
at Passy, near the Point du Jour, there are
always crowds trying to see the Prussians on
the distant hills, and in the Avenue de fImpera-
trice (now the Avenue Uhrich) there are always
numerous admirers of Mount Valerien gazing
silently upon the object OF their worship. In
the Faubourg st. Antoine workmen are loung-
ing about doing nothing, aud watching others
drilling. In the outer Faubourgs much the
same thing goes on, except where barricades
are being built. Round each of these there is
always a crowd of men and women, apparently
expecting the enemy to assault them every mo-
ment
At the different gates of the town there are
companies of Mobiles and National Guards who
sternly Tepel every civilian who seeks to get
through them. On an average of every ten
minutes, no matter where one is, one meets
either battalion of Nationals, or Mobiles or
corps marching somewhere. The asphalt of
the Boulevards, that sacred ground of dandies
and smart dresses, is deserted during the day
time. In the evening for about two hours it is
thronged by Nationals with their wives; Mo-
biles, who still ramble along, grinning vaguely,
hand in hand, as though they were in their
villages, and loafers. There and in the princi-
pal streets SPECTATORS have taken advantage OF
the rights of man to stop up the sidewalks with
tables on which their wares are displayed. On
some of them there are kepis, on others oint-
ment for corns, on others statuettes of the two
inseparables of Berlin, William and his little
members of the Government in, gilt ging er-
bread.