The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-22
A Paris despatch of the 18th noticed the fol-
lowing among the preparations for defense then
mr.


"The beautiful iron gateway at the entrance OF
the Bos de Boougne, at the end Of the Avenue de
llmperatrice, is removed. Blocks of trees nave
finished uniting the two formerly open spaces and
is pierced with loopholes The great ditch Is dug
across the road and drswbrdge is ready to be
thrown across IL. Earthworks are also being thrown
up in front Of what were the gates, and will now be
only entrances guarded by sentinels instead of Gus
tom House officers. The big guns are being mounted
and the little crafty concealed In ugly little
unsuspicious corners. Many Of the barriers are en-
tirely closed"
By this time, however, the danger from within
had become greater for the moment than that
from without. On the afternoon of the 14th a
band of about eighty men, all armed with re-
volvers and poignards similar to weapons which
had been seized on the previous night in an
out. Of the way house near the Notifications
made an attack upon an engine-house in the
Boulevard La Villette, in which one or two Off
cials were killed and several wounded before the
enleute could be suppressed. large number of
arrests were made at once, and every day or
so since persons supposed to have been impli-
Gated in the disturbance have been arrested and
turned over to a military commission for trial.
On the 18th, General Trochu, who had been
appointed lie B9ufs successor as MAJ jor General
of the army, on the fall of the Olivier Ministry
but who had been sent to Chalons as commander
and organizer of the new levies, was ordered
d'Hilliers in command of the city and the forces
for its defense. He was followed by the Garde
Mobilel of the Department of the Seine, which
had manifested signs of 1nsubordination in the
camp of Chalons, and a new impetus was at
once impaired to the preparations for the de-
tense of the capital The entire garrison was
placed at work making cartridges, and several
days ago it was announced that by Sat-
urday the 10th, one thousand guns
would be mounted on the Notifications. De-
spatches of the 10th announced that Trochu had
under his command for the defense of the city
$50, 600 men, one-third of them regulars. 1t was
also stated that an intrenched camp had been
formed outside the walls, between the Marne
and the Seine, and that an entire division of the
regular army had already been placed in it to
give the enemy warm reception before he
reaches the city. Later dispatches, however,
state that the garrison will number SO, 600 men
only, of whom 10000 will be placed in the out
lying forts. Among those who have been rallied
to man the ramparts are several thousand sea-
men, 5000, according to despatch of the Goth,
being already enrolled, while 5000 more are ex-
pected.
On the 10Th orders also went forth for the de-
struction of portion at least of the Bois de
Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, as a ne
cessary precaution in case of a siege. We gave
description of the famous Bois de Boulogne on
Saturday, inadvertently locating it on the north
of the city, its true position being to the west
The Bos de Vincennes which is situated to the
east of the capital, near the confluence of the
Marne with the Seine differs materially in its
character from the Bois de Boulogne. 1t is a
park of considerable extent, covered in
great part by magnificent forest. Some
| years ago the Emperor began to lay it out in
walks and drives, and to adorn it as pleasure
| ground, but the work was discontinued. In
the centre of the wood, and four miles east of
the Barriere du Trone, is the suburban city of
Vincennes, with population of some 10, 600 souls
and famous CASTLE begun by Philip Augustus
and used as a royal residence up to the time of
Louis XIV. The keep of this castle was con-
verted into a state prison by Louis XI, and
several illustrious personages confined in it at
| different times. The castle is now strongly
fortified, and is used as an artillery school and
depot for the garrison of Paris, the open spaces
in the woods being devoted to heavy gun and
| shell practice and other artillery movements.
| The question of sustaining two millions Of
| people during pretracted siege could not be
lost right of, and NJ. Theirs, few days ago,
advocated calling into the city the country
people of thelsurrounding districts, with all the
breadstuffs and provisions they could gather,
after which, if it should become necessary, the
| country could be laid waste to impede the
movements of the enemy. This suggestion has
not been fully acted upon, although the Pre-
| feet of the Seine has advised farmers and grain
merchants to store their supplies in the Govern
ment warehouses, as a resource for the people
to fall back upon in case of need. 1t has been
stated that enormous quantities of provisions
have been stored in the city, while more is
arriving every day; and mills have been esta-
blished capable of furnishing more flour than
the resident population could use. despatch
of last night asserts that the city has been sup
piled with an immense quantity of provisions
and munitions of war, and is now prepared to
stand six months siege.
Meanwhile during the past week Paris has
been in a constant ferment over the battles
around Metz. Great crowds of impatient peo
pie have surrounded the Ministries of War and
of the Interior day and night, clamoring fol
news frem the front, and roaring the "Marseil
laise" on the repeated announcement of French
victories and the complete success attending
Marshal Bazaine's grand strategical movement
on the capital.
But on Saturday afternoon Paris wa
thrown into CONSERVATION by receiving
news of the disastrous defeat sustained
by Bazaine near Metz on the 18TH and
the scenes which followed the announcement
are said to have beggared description. Imme
diately on top of this came another seizure o
arms on Saturday evening, and report that
great conspiracy against the Empire had beel
discovered; and the finishing touch was put upol
the agony of the capital by proclamation iron
General Tr@chu, in which he acknowledged tina
| the peril of his position was eoual To its honor