The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-05-03

Progress of tho Work Of Reducing Paris.
The announcement from Versailles that Mar
shall MacMahon has sent twenty-five thousand
men to Choisy le Roi to resist an expected sortie
from Paris in that direction indicates des-
perate movement on the part Of the insurgents.
A mere temporary success could not benefit
them or relieve Forts Issy, Vanvres and Mont
rouge from the fearful storm of shot and shell
the government batteries are pouring into
them. The forts named are situated on the
southwest and southern side Of Paris, and
Choisy lie Roi lies opposite the southeast side
of the city. To relieve the forts by way Of
the latter place it would be necessary for
the insurgents to pierce the right centre of the
Versailles army and drive it back upon the
centre-a feat which the nature of the ground
and the strength Of the government troops
render exceedingly difficult, If not impossible.
On the other hand, the insurgent columns max
ing the sortie would run imminent risk of
being cut off from Paris. 1t is clear, how
ever, that the Communists must make great
effort to beat their opponents or the forts will
shortly be battered to pieces and Paris will
become practically defenceless. We do
not place credeuce in the report that Fort
Issy is completely surrounded, for the reason
that the distance between that stronghold
and Fort Vanvres is too small to admit of
hostile troops holding positions between the
two. Nevertheless, 1t appears certain that
MacMahon's forces have got between that fort
and Paris, destroying all communication
between them, excepting by way of Vanvres,
and as the bombardment to which this latter
fort is subjected must soon destroy its powers
of active resistance we expect in few days
to hear Of the fall of Issy.
MacMahon's plan of reducing Paris seems
comprehensive, and is far holder than that
adopted by the Germans during the recent
siege. Won Moltke permitted famine to do
the work; but MacMahon evidently aims to
conquer the city by hard fighting. The per-
sistent efforts he is making to capture Fort
Issy show that he designs using the guns Of
that fort to destroy the Communist
works on the western side Of Paris. The
guns of Issy would sweep everything
Montmartre, and render completely untenable
the positions held by the insurgents at Neuilly,
the Porte Mailot and the Porto des Ternes, and
in the Champs Elysces. Hence the efforts to
take it, and the determination of the Com
munists to hold it to the last extremity. Issy
is, in fine, the key to Paris. When it falls the
city must surrender; for though there may
be fighting in the streets 1t will not aid the
insurgents in the slightest degree.
One Of our Paris dispatches reports an ex-
pected attack on Neuily, but we doubt If one
will be made A general engagement is far
more likely to take place south of Paris
brought on by the efforts of the Communists
to break through the investing lines. AT pre-
sent, however, if the government forces even
could get possession of Neuilly and advance
to Porte Maillot, they would eject + nothing
decisive unless they were able to sweep
the insurgent positions within the enceinte
from the south. But be that as 1t may, all the
indications point to an early collapse Of the
instruction. Whether or not he borrowed
the guns from the Germans, MacMahon's artil-
lery has been fearfully effective, and has done
more damage Ia few days to the three forts
bombarded than the Germans did to the same
70 rts during their entire period of the invest
ment of Paris