New-York tribune., 1870-09-14
THE FRENCH CAPITAL AND COUNTRY.
,sT GLIMPsEs OF PARIs-FRENCH wORKMEN-
THE MISERIEs OF PEASANTS.
TIE MINLNIEo UT H1R'1l1'I''
rPRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE

PRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
AIx-LEs-BAINs, SavOie, France, Aug. 3D.
The cry To arms has stirred up France everywhere
to its foundations One has only to take the route "ch
has brought this little mountain village TO De CON
vinced of how thoroughly the people are excited by te
war Certainly | have not come willingly. IL could
have had my way should have stayed in Paris, where
the intensest interest Of the struggle is ana 10 oe
But sickness is as ineXorable and when the med
ical man had declared that my invalldc must DC to
moved from Paris, that recovery was lmpossloio III 'o
midst OF that atmosphere at exciting and depress
ing, there choice but to obey 3d. ny $40" stages
we made our way hither.
The glimpse had OF Paris was OF the forhcauohs
by the Port de Berey, where about $50 worken were
engaged IN digging and levelng. There was no moro
activity displayed than is usually seen where Paris
wormen are busy-if busy be not too strong word to
apply to their operations These were paid as for
any similar labor and they seemed to take the same inter
est in il that they would in any oher-that is, no inter
est at ALL No Frenchman who has work to do Is ever In
a hurry with it, He does not consider that anything ne
can be called on to worth the getting heated over
lie is to make haste at all, 1t must be slowly; and work
gets on here only by being greatly subdivdedby being
distributed among a great number OF hands Thus the
at work on the forti6cations-andl had hai-
hour TO watch them indid in that hafh0ur just about
what half the number OF Irish labOrers would have
accomplished pile OF stones was TO be moved across
the road and men ranged in q from the point
were to be carried standing as close to-
gether "a was convenient. Then the stones
were passed along from hand to hand, no one man
making than merely nominal exertion, until the
pile had transferred from side of the road 10
the other The group then broke up, some Of the men
down the ground two three slipped over To the
wneshop which is always close at hand, threw him
self down on heap of sand and in jfy seemed fast
asleep Presently they all called 70 work again,
and group slowly dragged itself together and took
up task. had been at several points on the
forfcatons to how the work was getting on and 1t
was everywhere the same. The flaming appeals to the
peOpen the newspapersto rush to the defense OF the
city and work in the trenches, seems TO be more read
than followed. II is not the French way Here and
there an enthusiastic gentleman has dccared-in the
ewspapers-his intention to play at ouvrier priest
wrtesto the newspapers-asking how he shall 90 about
to begin digging, saying he is ready any and every
morning after mass but il you go the Notifications
themselves you Just what have described, few
hundred real Ouvriers working at job set them by engi
neers and about hundred idle people looking on with
that curiosity characteristic OF Parsan ana
which Is excited equally by dog swimming after stick
in the Seine and the Emperor taking an airing Oh his
Tuileres terrace
suppose that people cannot, could not at
the time persuade themselves that Paris is in real dan
ger For long time after the word had gone forth that
the works to be armed it seemed as nothing were
being dOne and even as late as last sunday DeneVe
As you know however, Paris does not rely for her de-
fense merely upon the wall Of fortfcatiOn that
rounds her. which has hitherto, stood TO the bour
geos mind much more in the light OF stone wall beyond
which cheap and inside Of which was dear,
than in the light OF defense-there are the outlying
WELL and necessary TO put these in condi
ton resist attack before thinking of the forthca-
ton proper. But where there has been negligence so
widespread and disastrous s known TO have ex
listed in every department OF the SERVICE may he ex
cused for taking the evidence Of my eyes and believing
that the defense of Paris long time getting under
| way.
The truth is that for a long while the authorities
acted as If they were afraid of the Parsians
than OF the Prussians There great deal of indig
nation felt and uttered that the Teries were so care
fully guarded and that many soldiers were stationed
in Paris The remOnstrances seem TO have had their
effect for the greater part Of these troops have now
Joined the army But it will be long before Paris will as
sumo its usual peaceful aspect gave you in Of my
recent letters picture of peasant-e, drawn by the
peasants own rude hand. To-day send you two others,
but this time will translate the rough French The one
comes to me from Paris the other is from near Metz
81 went TO my brother Tuesday. In crossing Paris
groups everywhere Near the Hotelde-Nie there were
people enough to hn the Place far as the Tour 81.
Jacques all this crowd waiting TO hear the dispatches
Going up the Rue du Temple and theFaubourg du Tenn
pie, poor young women, with their little children
| accompanying their husbands, who were setting
|
| poor young women, not able to tear them
selves away from their husbands and their little chill
dren huggng and cngng to their fathers to keep them
from going! Continuing 10 Belevie. always the same
groups but pedcedble and sad If HeyWere all d10itng
death. 1t easy TO in all this Quarter that the
workmen are without work, nearly all the workshops
shut up send you a short letter coming from my coun
try from friend who writes TO my brother II will give
you idea OF these poor people who about to meet
the Prussans My brother is always at work on the for
ticaons. He is at the head of 200 men, to direct the
works He begins at o'clock in the morning and does
not finish till night They work by the aid of Ian
terms which give them light At the Porte Maillo 1t is
the same thing. They building very high walls, and
making another rampant Oh but all this is sad TO see
At night hardly any sleeps for they are singing the
Marseillaise' everywhere in the streets"
The letter from Lory (near Metz is very short and
only few words Of it concern your readers you could
great nursery there is in Metz could never give
you idea of the crowd of people that has come TO the
town. II must be to be believed but IL is enough 10
draw tears from the heart of the hardest man. IL ap
pears that the Prusans take every that carry
a gun and put them at the head OF their regiments
( Does she that the Prussans force the French
into their ranks All the young men are running away
All the people this side Pctre Bouay Sarreguemine,
Magny, HOmbOurg this peasantspeling is troublesome,
and can't be responsible for these Of towns) in
short from all this countryside the people coming in
without baggage, others with cows and horses behind
their wagons. My poor Victor sick, myself, with
fear. would like go Metz but am afraid TO leave
Louis alone We have already linen TO Metz.
We may have to minute. lie Berry has returned
from Remilly; he obliged 10 leave his wife, who
in labor you may judge of the misery there is every
where in country Where the Prussans pass they
leave nothing you may Judge what the suffering will
! be this Winter"
And just word from English letter. which shows
how things looking in another circle "There il
very divided feeling in England Many take the French
side, but the popular sympathy with the Prus-