New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-13
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
LAST DAYS OF THE SIEGE.
GRADUAL FAILURE OF PROVISIONS, FUEL, AND
NOpE-rNE EXIGENCI.S OF SuNRT RATLONS

lFE0M An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT
PARIS, Jan. fS.-Lying economically late in bed
This morning, meditating the shortness Of wood.
surprised by the concierge with your lettcr-the
second that has reached from outside the lines
since thcv hcve been drawn abOnt Paris Your note OF
the eth january 10 me, the Of Mrs. l. and
her portrait and your W., all from the lat
ter under envelope. So as was dressed l
went 20 q Rue Ladte noticed marks Of dog paws on the
stlircase-1tila CcStgd Understandings dog-whch,
however, turned of first landing. /. B. lives on the
second. he has not the eating OF him. l. B. was de
lighted gct his letters only reeretng that they were
without dates-whch we supplied cOnjecturally from
the dates OF yours, far possible. He VIII write you
and tell you his thanks. How shall | express mine!
What would You say three onions, such as gave Mrs
T. the other day in recognition Of courtesy shown me by
her husband the which she received graciOusly and
grateilly-not TO say with tears in her eyes. They
nuc oncs nearly Of the diameter Of "a hveiranc
piece and cost 10 apiece. To-day suppose they
would sell FOR The eggs you ate for breakfast
this morning (yOu stll faithful to that dishD
are worth here five francs, the sugar for your tea Be
sous a pound, the gTillcd bacon and the butter-Dut
hold fond imagination BY the way, You are not to pity
the undersigned his sufcring He has not any ON the
of diet Good horse is better than poor beei-soe
times really excellent mcat-Ind when bit Of mar
substituted why the twoounce ration or SO goes
all the further This have never yet wanted, helped
with rice and bread for solids, ana plenty OF Wihe'
beer, coffee. These at the family table oil my goou
landlord. Chas. Jas Fox, sometime keeper oil 'apo
d'h6te and anteohsdional victuacr Then in my own
right. have for evening MUNICH and lunch eauHS WIN
u p. M canned peas ana Deans ana
OYSTERS ana STILL pint Of OIL and-but this not TO De
mentioned out-hco borcs Of SqTdHeS! Besides, L. has
NE % dinner SuudaysL who hath cheese and lobster
with tin shells bread latery is getting to be poor
rs moor as salisbury or other English brcad-thouSh for
different reason, being mixed now OF rice oats, ana
what uot with the wheat; in the management of
which new clements the TOutine-bOund French |
bakcrmcn are not skilled What is grayer, II Is |
getting s-ar.h. rare to be in any baker-shop
after 9 o'clock or so in the neutrality-suspicious.
many mucl. earlier, that poor folks at the
tail end OF tie queues, after hour or two Of waiting
in the cruC cold 60 away empty TO cold empty homes
biscuit other farnaceous sueccdaneum to be had
at the occs for love mOney-supposing the groeers
oyu.or tie poor folks opulent Potatoes 20 francs the
Joisseat. ('scarc, ]. peck) In ACCOMPLISHMENTS
bread already virtually ratiOLcd, and is likely soon
be universally by ordinance from the central author
ity it ought have been and urged OH cen
trail authority that it should he two months Meat
ration is in this and most EMBELLISHMENTS 100
erammes three days-hOTse OF course. How long will
il ast-the bread and meatf am done prophesying |
and for calculation the elements are wanting One Is
inclined to doubt whether Minister OF Commerce and
Central Mayor in much fuller possession OF the ele-
ments than the rest of have sort Of
persuason which it might be difficult to pos
sess another Of, that we can rub on yet Tor 80
days. What makes think so! Why because we
enough TO get with Tor ~ days more any
time since nid-NOvcmber which, in September was
about our hunger limit What makes Phil think the
SUI I'll tomorrow Because its blessed light has
always some TO him with the daily morning bread. His
Il tucr an has grown old, wicked ard scientific, and
knows that it w set, too SURELY one thing must be
rememberrd-we all eating less wasting nothing,
and consuming for food reat valety and quantity of
matter hitherto thrown away -"rned to other uses.
Note, for instance all the blood. bones-in fine every
part of all animals except the skin horny parts, and
feathers. had good breakfast, the other Sunday, on
opene crOquettes fried in horse fat Again all greasy,
oeaginous unctuous-nOt TO say apOnaceOus-maer If
it be only primarily slippery becomes edible and
eaten instead OF being worked up into soap ana per-
fumery and such like vanitics or consumed in manu-
featuring processes. More sustaining than all this
miraculous hatof the lOaves and shesare the strong
will and the patience Of this greater muttude-an hun
gered not for a day, but for long weeks now WibOut
the fishes and without Sa1iOr. don't speak now OF
fermentng wrath, likely to feel the bottle one OF
these days and burst wasteully and wastingblowing
Trochu corks and Conservative sealing and tape into
outer darkness At present and 10 the present the
attitude of the 100000 is andEias been-I won't say
admirable because that epithet has been Overvorked
and eneebled by the proelamaory and Govern
ment who treat the people 10 abby rhetorical batteries
as nurses DO children ullabes-the condemnation of
the men who accepted the Office Of guiding them four
months ago and have led them thus far tO-nOwhere
what worse have let themselves he pushed even
but hafas far forward the peoples will desired, and
force was ready TO back.
Sitting here in the gallery 10 years, have never
seen nearly such unanimy expresses itself any time
these last weeks on the Paris stage the call for Of
fensive action. Except side few crazy reyO
utonary zealot the other extreme few as insaDey
blind conservatives, glOd- nid hidebOund oUI
voters helped out by surviving dregs and adventurous
scum Of NapOeonists-and the great body Of the two
millions only of the Government TO oftbe mill
tary authorities TO be militant and authoritative not for
Republic but for the country for France as though
they believed in IT, They do MT nsst,that this the
other offensive plan Of action Of their suggestion be pur
sued but that plan Of offensive activity be pursued
And the only they get is silent obstruction. prom
issOry proclamaons fallen 10 lamentabe discount
the mpas stOch resistance of routine and through
all this visible and less audible intimation Of the
courteousy tcontempuous Sort sthat civilian views Of
the military situation when not fatally erroneous
necessarily anticipated by the Etat Major.
l9th-Trochu is at last The only trustworthy
"a good as far goes but goes only to lO this
ing and the taking Of MOntretOut, which, wei as
ChatilOn and BrimbOrOD, would never have been in
Prussian possession if Government and TrOchu had
needed the warnings ohe press, used the numberless
arms abundant time at their command between the
4th and 18th September and made these positions mex
pugnable II rulers and military chiefs here, in
SO many other instances had had faith the cause
and the people, thepeOpe had in it and themselves,
with respect for routine, the Prussian muscle would
have been strained well nigh to breaking to hold 30
long its far wider circle of iron embrace. Military
airs are not mine From this day forth the bread is
rationed 800 g1ammes TO full grown persons 80 to chill
dren under I've years. To mccoy person, bringing
bread ticket the fifth Of Hre quart plus of wine is
also TO be given at the bakers one III four
COCOON Of all the populations of the city is
on the mayOral list Of the needy now, some !
OF them utterly without resource, all needing |
so,e aid In si,tain life After four months experience,