New-York tribune., 1870-12-21

MENTs FOR A soRTIE.
IPROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT
PARIS Goth Day of Blockade) Nov. N.-Among
the many notable peculares OF this siege there is per
haps none more remarkable than the quality ana aounu
dance OF food considering that there are full 2'oo oi
us eating into our stock for more than two months
Salt meat from Government stores was substituted TINS
last week for the first time for fresh in the butchers
shops then we came back fresh; and 80 are to alter
nate as long the latter holds out How long tna'
will be we shall know better In few days, when the
horse mule, and donkey census Is taken. VI COWS
FIVE days ago there were 4,2l7 thar are :" DC kept
for milk and 172O to go TO the slaughter Nor has OK
beef oue disappeared Dogs, cats, and rats there is
shop for the sale OF this small game In the street next
mine) help little Rabbits at 81 to s. hens. "a 80 to
geese 81 TO @ &c. fancy birds at fancy prices p
also help the rich little Bread-the essenta-conee,
chocolate, wine at old prices; sugar trhe, ana
salad oil somewhat higher than last year tis
time We can hold out till New-fears Day
without much hardship; till md-January cheer
fully II an occasional victory over the enemy
about us here or IN the provinces, keeps us III
heart till February gloriousy, II we reel assured vi
driving him off by that time. The recovery OF orleans
was az helpful months revictuahng' CONTINUOUS
from the departments since then Keep up our
spirits We no longer feel alone deserted OF France
as we did during oppressive silence that lasted from
the 26th Of October TO Nov IL The thousands Ges thou
sands) OF private photOmicroscope kilograms from all
parts OF the country brought in by pigeon post nave
done more perhaps, to lift up peoples hearts thah
the official reports from Tours.
1t was a mistake the part of this Government not
TO publish Immediately on the rupture Of negotiations
simple statement OF what its condition of reyictualng
really was not so much for the sake Of getting 1t before
the foreign world Jas soon Bsmarcks cunning mis-
representations for letting Parislans-a much more
interested and important party-know the uth
a matters SO deeply concerning them. 1t would have
saved great deal Of discussion the tendency OF winch
was 10 weaken the authority OF Government TO distract
attention from the main business Of defense the renova
ton Of the patriotic files But Bismarck himself put all
right again. His circular Of Nov ereached Government bn
the Prussan French paper Of Versaes on the Is and
was printed in the Journal Oete OF the 24d Certainly
no friend OF our has written more efficiently Tor IT,
Since Fayres report of his interview with Bismarck at
Perreres don't recall any French document Speech
or article that has had finer tonic effect on our people
than this Prusan State paper II his special object mad
been 10 encourage Paris prolonged resistance, don't
see how he could have done better doubt even II .
sterner tone-more brutality-wOuld have helped It,
That however, he has kindly added since. His treat-
ment OF Raynal and lie SOurd At versailles ana OF
the wrecked balloon passengers works admirably. On
such matters there be difference Of opinion OF OF
feeling except In degree OF intensity. Has Bismarck
lost his cunning or has his shrewdness been overrated
that he insists compacting and strengthening usf
Why tell France, more than two months ago, thal the
authority represented by that Minister" would be over
thrown by the people Paris were not taken in few
DAYS tQueIqtes jourg-10 OF them so far)f NO
doubt he thought IL; but why say It'll The
utterance Of the prophecy was an appeal to
the vanity PRIDE good of the Parisans to pre-
vent its fufllment had he held his peace, the mani
feaion Of the 9Th and the affair Of the Sls OF Scober
had serious. Again. he got quite wrong about
that OF October affair." IT, as Trochu and FaVre,
who their motives for eIaggerating its III effects
~ 1, Ita v.o1 or
breaking the armstice negotiation or II, as welin-
formed correspondents" have asserted, he thought hs
knew Of " the plot" early as the 2sth
There was no plot. The combined causes or the move
ment OF the 3st the BOTget repuse OF the 5Oh
and the two bills posted in the morning Of the 31s one
announcing the surrender OF Bazaine (which announced
few days before by Pyst on information obtained from
Rochefort by Flourens the Journal Orfee had indig
nantly denied; the other that TLiers was
returned with plan Of armisttce. IL was
an unfortunate set Of condolences for Govern
ment which let a bad matter look than it was by
iedting Of two placards. Had they contained each
ten additional lines Of explanation IN the way of single
statements OF facts and had the order removing Belle
from his command at ST. Denis been posted by the
side Of them Government would probably have spared
itself the modification Of being arrested by our
friend Fourens that night, and a complicated sequel
OF other embarrassments, not all OF which II is yet
rid Of C. g. its prisoners at the Conciergerie whose
rest was very like breach OF faith) whose preventive
Imprisonment there three weeks quite too much in the
Imperial style: whose trial. with without penal con-
demnaton, release without trial. equally the
Government In this damning dilemma. But that was
the era Of bunging OF all kinds-anOther analogy with
our war in its early months.
Nothing could have been more weakly managed by the
Government than the local municipal elections-the
original order for holding them which underwent three
great notifications in many days, and the results of
which added another TO the many proofs that the Peb
scitum was not vote OF confidence, pure and simple.
But lest Government should retain any doubts on that
point nearly all the papers that had urged their readers
TO applied themselves TO dissipate the doubt,
arguing earnestly for an armistce, and elections,
and National Assembly, weakening Government
authority much more effectuay by their censures and
criticisms and arguments than the Red organs did
by brutal abuse In the population this constant dis
cusson Of armisce peace, and National Assembly ac-
cOmpaned with constantly changing rumors Of renewed
negotiations Of anarchy in the provinces, with pressing
calls Oh Government authenticate denycas that
rose TO clamor which Government, at last, mournfuly
sted By declaring that for than fortnight 1t
without authentic news from anywhere outside
the Paris basins inner rim, and was ignorant
whether its agent, NJ Theirs, was or was not
in yersales-all this broke and depressed the
spirit Of the people generally. week more at
this rate and Government would have had either to ap
peal to the Reds for support yield to the pressure Of
the Conservatives Reaconares and order elections
for National Assembly of sort, If not beg Bis
marck for an armstice II had been obliged TO bet
the 18th OF November should have bet that before this
9th OF November the resistance Of Paris to the enemy
would be virtually at end Instead Of which, at this
hour nit p. M, a laundering cannonade is going
The barriers were closed this morning
There is a general expectation that something Is 10
happen this week. There is not general expectation
that it will be great victory The people calmer
and II seems 70 Inc, rmer than before that depressing
fret fortnight in November. The journals so
near wisdom. Blanqus organ is as obstreperous and
yillemessant's almost more than ever; but
prudent pondering Nantyes out for the Republic