The Placer herald., 1871-02-04
PARIS CAPlTULATES.


of capitulation were easy and more liberal
than could have been expected from uni
formlv victorious army. The capitulation
includes an armistice of twenty-one days, or
until the 10Th day of February, during which
time all the armies of both countries remain
in statu quo. In the meantime elections are
to be held in the departments of France on
the Sth inst, for the selection of representa-
tives to a National Assembly, to meet in
Bordeaux on the 10Th inst to consider the
terms of peace and to establish permanent
government for France, or attempt it. The
terms of capitulation are briefly as follows:
The forts around Paris are to be placed in
possession of the Prussian garrisons, and the
Prussan army is to advance to within 500
Yards of the walls Of Paris and there take
up position The French troops in Paris,
with the exception of 1900 picked soldiers
and the National Guard, who are not to sur
render but to remain armed for the peace
and protection of the city, are to surrender
flags, artillery and small arms within four
teen days. The French troops may retire
into Paris. Armed cannons of the forts are
to be delivered up, but the enceinte guns are
to be dismounted and the carriages delivered
to the Prussans, but the guns themselves
are to be left. a line of demarcatlon is
drawn between the enceiDte and the forts.
The French portion extends to the enceinte,
and there ends; the Prussian portion ex-
tends to within five hundred PAGES of
the enceinte, with certain Typographical mod
ifcxtons Fort Nncennes will remain in
the hands of the French Paris remains
completely invested from a military point OF
view, but thirtv-three miles Of the road will
be repaired and permitted to convey suhi-
cient supplies for the daily nourishment of
! the population The Prussans are not to
enter Paris, and this creates dissatisfaction
am ng the Prussian soldiers. This is the
substance of the armistce and articles of
capitulaton told in brief words. The terms
of peace offered by Bismark in the name of
his Government, in connection with the arm
stce, and the election Of National Assem-
bly,, are, as we gather them, as follows:
| The French to surrender Alsace and Ger
man Lorraine, and one colony, not yet named, /,
twenty ships of the French Navy, and to
pay 600 0OO, 600 francs, $500 ,O00, 900 in
our money. This il only about equal to
one-third of our National debt Prussia
guarantees perfect freedom for holding the
French elections in all the territory held by
her, and proposes not to interfere in the form
of Government the French peofe may adopt.
All this would argue strong desire for
, peace on the part of Prussia, and the only
great obstacle that stands in the way of such
a termination of the bloody struggle is tie
question of territory which involves the price
of the French nation. lhe extent of tie
territory demanded is not SO much of an OBJ
ject as the principle involved, and if Franc
could compensate Prussia in some other way
for the provinces demanded we have no
doubt but peace would be at once secured
The interest on the money indemnity would
cost the French people onig about $32, ,00o,-
900 per annum, at European rates Of inter
est and the twenty war ships could be eas:!l,v
I ro,,l, ooI II tn from m 4 n
stand point of the territorial question that
the people of Asace and Lorraine should be
consulted on the matter; but Kings and En-
perors do not often consult the will of their
subjects; indeed if this had been done in the
start by Napoleon and William there would
have been no war, and consequently nc
peace to make. The French provisional
Government at Bordeaux, and the French
people in the provinces talk war yet, and
Gambetta foots up the French resources il
men at the close of the armistice as follows
The Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Nineteenth and
Twenty fifth Corps occupy Neuston, Bow
ages and Nevers. Bourbaki has the Eigh-
teenth, Twentieth and Twenty fourth Corps
at Roulardo and Palarmier. Gambetta is a
Dion, and has 5000 men. Faidherbe has
the Twenty-second and Twenty-third Corp,
at Arras, Doual and Cambria. Saiseta is
in front of IIavro with 10000. The CamI
of Instruction contains 80 600 men, The
conscripts of 1871 number 100000, At the
end of the armistice France will begin the
war with 900 900 men.
This may be earnest Or it may be only al
adjunct of diplomacy to secure better terms
of peace. This is the situation at present
And now will somebody tell us what all th
war, this bloodshed, this starvation and un
told misery and destruction of life and prop
erty was about? Would it all repay for th'
agones of one wounded soldier, the tears o