The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1871-03-18
Wnaehita Telegraph.
MONROE, LA, MARCH Is. 1871.
4 Visit to Paris.

The London Daily News correspon-
lent transmits from Longwy some FUR
her particulars of his flying visit to ,
Paris after the capitulation:
It surprises me to see 80 many well /
appointed vehicles still in the streets of
Paris, with we'll conditioned horses.
Nor were the omnibuses either few OF
far between, and their horses We're in
the best of condition, as were the horses
ridden at break-neck speed through
the streets by officers who looked and
who probably We're transmogrit1ed pc
tits cyeres After visiting the Ameri-
can Legation 1 made my way {" the
Hotel de ST. Honore, to an u'd-faoii-
toned and we'll known house, :.ept by
a worthy Briton of the name Of I'm
thank. Mr.. Unthank had for his
boarder through the siege DIR. Gordon,
our Medical Commissioner in Paris, and
he takes pride in asserting, what be
lieve to be true, that the Doctor, under
his auspices, had lived better than any
other man in Paris. When dinner
came it bore out Mr.. Unthank's boast.
Positively there was fowi-pretty
WELL 1 reckon, the last fowl in Paris.
Mr. Unthank was offered eighty trans
for the biped while yet it had its feath-
ers on, and refused ii, and so we had
him for dinner, l believe this house is
the only one in Paris into which horse
flesh has not been allowed to enter, and
this owing to exceptional circunstan-
ces. I had intended to promenade
Paris all night, to make the most Of
the time, necessarily limited; but by 10
o'clock the promenade became u soil
tary one. BY % the dim lights were
put out in the kiosks, and were waning
in the street lamps. By half-past the
1,,.ftinr fhHi, sh11tfarS-
the red-striped walters looked curious
ly nondescript. By 10 the world of
Paris was left to darkness and to me,
and so I went to bed. The morning
was wet. Would Paris collapse if her
streets were not cleaned: There We're
the scavengers at work in this crisis,
Just as if the Empire was still to the
fore and as if its name was peace; and
the shops open in tho Rue de St. Hon
ore, and ladies tripping about and cabs
plying and beggars cadging, and every
thing as like peace time as could wen
be imagined, except that everybody
was in uniform, that you saw no food
for sale, and did see crowds Of women
waiting outside the bakers and butch
ers'. I was inside Paris, but how was
I to get out? Trotting down the Rue
Rivoli I met DIR. CorMac, who as head
of the English ambulance, supported
by Mr.. Wallace, has been doing very
good work. On my right the gardens
of the Tuilleries were utterly descrated,
plOWed up with innumerable hoof prints
of cattle scored with tracks of provision
wagons. Wooden barracks have been
built where dainty tioWer-pots once
were. The place du Trone has its cas-
tern end blocked by a gigantic barri-
cade, erected, l suppose, pour f,cnsSeJ ie
f<>r is. hi hat - ~
be Of any use for defensive purposes.
Once outside this, the Eiuccnnes gate
stood before me. l pulled up into a
walk, and tried to look as it were do
ing the most ordinary thing in the
world. There was Gordon of soldiers
across the narrow passage just inside
the gate. One made Il half motion for
me to halt. / began to whistle, and
looked the other way. lie forsook his
purpose. In another minute L was in
the broad road outside Nincennes gate,
and was in full trot through the suburb.
Presently | came to a fort on my right,
the only fort still occupied by the
French-a concern of barracks, stone
walls and slated roofs, utterly useless
as a defense. The trees of the Wood Of
Vincennes have suffered terribly. a
little beyond the fort ( came to the
fOrepOst line of the Wurtembergers,
and CHANGING to meet an officer knew,
rode through without as much az be-
ing challenged. Except forts, her gar
risOn and her e'tc'e,ste, it is curious to
notice how much of an open town Par
is has been all through the seige. The
forepost defense line of the French is
hardly worth talking of as obstruc-
ton. Here and there, it is true, it is
formidable. Around the chateau OF
Villanteneuse, for instance, there is a
series of works which are of a regular
fortress character, and of Il construction
which is creditable to those who made
them; but there they stand all alone,
unsupported as French soldiers. Las we'll
as French works, have been SO often
during this war. So the German patrol
were wont quietly to walk round
these Villanteneuse works and do their
business on the further side, utterly
negativing them. Non-continuity is
the striking feature everywhere Of the
French line Of defense. Fort Nogent.
close on the right of which passed in
my ride to-day, has not, to all appear
ance, suffered SO much as the ST. Denis
forts. 1t may, l think, be taken as
granted that there will be no German
occupation of Paris. The Germans
have got the substance, and in Gods
name, say they, let Us leave the poor
devils the empty shadow.
-...-xs-sx..rr.