New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-24

rrFoN OuE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE
p,pYs Feb AIN accordance with the terms
% the Convention. signed on the 2Sh ult an exchange
~ prisoners has taken place between the French ana the
Prnssian military authorities. Our papers have made
very much Of the captures Of Bayarians, Bados and
Pocs-Posorcrs eli, GyallcCedo have been ceeten ~
our Free Corps and troops during the slender military
ocstors OF thy Inst few months hut now learn tat
the total number does not reach 1000. Nine hu'rVu
and fourteen The exact figure officially relorcu. I"e
siege lasted lo5 days We had the affairs oi Chaton' o
lie Bourget OF Cuumpigny, Of la Malmai,on, oil bozeh
val besides intermediate Sklrnlshcs between the out
posts night surprises by free Corps, and Other more
or less smtrt "puut,s" as tLc French style olA
at pos, in advance, got We have taken ohy 'As S'"H
number Of prisoners though, Gt the ume tbey Were It.
ported to be almost legion. Our gulily Is certainly
surprising u a-jouuds me low could have continued
give accounts auhoritayCy circulated know
Ing as We did frat the 81 stem pursuedby the Govern
rnent was continuation OF the one invented 10y uo
fCuctoHares Of lc Empire, expressly 10 mlsieau aho
deceive As time wears on every deU-on We were under
disappears. We first believed in the magnitude anu
strength Of The uy,stm,ut. and in the oYeIpo"eIhs
forces with which hc Prusslaus were stranghg u.s. IL
turns out that wc were invested by on army ca
ceedlng 10000 ilc bulk having been detaeheu "l''n
service in Tie Province. Taat or the 2lst oC'o''I' VIZ
tho sorfit in tc direction, Of Nllmaison was made Only
1000 Prussiaus-.ai.r blttalions and three iesN''
occupied the 60 Versailles andno tatice' "',e.' "
in uos.sor, nos lad the enemy even esI'DAsAc" any
works. When Le TIcurh approached ana we IV','"-
became more and l.Oge distinct every one De''Ou W"
troops were n,ar ud would soon deliver nc Town iU
the cIcUlv NJ se j. -Ira rex and NJ dc MotHe uril'uy
nacl,,l ND tlc.~ .luS aud prepared 10 run ioI IL
Nt.o ro-. Iua 81, side, and the NiclorN rcii'
In our hands h Q. alas! the same want OF VlsuT "I
has vailed ~ t1Ja n This period lea 10 inc SAINT i
suit We withdrew excellent ORDER ana the fiuSs'''
brcatheJ once a..rr- ,,,
on tho I'D tc soops IN Versailles were assembled
ond in presence te multitude loaded theif cannon
At the same SINE proclamation was ISSUE" "
the ri ct that H. town would be bombaTdedn the IN
habitau;s mad, lac slightest attempt to assist 'the
P.i,iags l. as not til the 81 of November that the
prlesals Ic-r 10 construct their batteries ~ the
close Of December tie blockade was complete lhese
ore facts Io~ Csi Is.el and known 10 the populations
hence its iud1lt suppressed it Is true, bnt none
the less intenSeat Tho shameful lnacton Wblch HAS ieu
IN caritulaton after su1eIings endured most nero
ically by an casscs 1t going too far to accuse
Trochu and his coeag CUES Of treason, but the result u
their tim0yOus policy has boon the same as Ihous"
treacbcrv rr dominated in their hearts Early in Octo-
ber Trochu was by Of the most eminent Of our
u,I,u, mon what lie proposed doing. He then enter
tanned the conviction that The defense was hope
less Pressed then 20 explain why PARIS was
not AZ once, under such circumstances eHIeH-
dered into the hands Of the enemy. he replica
that il must resist, gas there existed chahoes
of suooor from without Yet further pressed to dehhe
them he dvelt upon the accidents and cslamiIles
which might oyerta1e the Pr1sSians HIS nterioeu'oI
having repeated words, posed him with the oIect
question: "Then you really depend fer the deAVefanoe
OF Paris upon these contngonceSP The Generals re-
plv was: Absolutely So" vOuch for the anthem
ITCHY OF this narrative Not So however FOO statement
which appears In Dot d Orre, hut which Is Only more
oircumstana relation OF report current FOR some Gays
past. lie had prepared proclamation, which NJ Jues
Favre was prudent enough to suppress II commenced
thus saws NJ. ROchefOrt: "Ciuzens, am Christian.
The neuraine Of Saint GeneVleye commences After
nineteen centuries miracle will be wrought, and
Paris viii be delivered
Surely imecty can 20 to no further extTeme II this
statement DC tTae Trochu misook his vocation when he
entered the army Re should have turned hermit hid
himself in the mountains, and preached Of miracles to
the trees. Every day facts come out Illustrating
tho utter incapscy Of those men upon whom We Fehed
az superior to Trochu Instead Of surrounding them
selves with guides familiar with the precincts OF
Paris they Numbered the ground haphazard. The
ofsoers-chieny from the provinces-weIe quite ig
norant OF the topography OF the 6nyirOns 50 were
the commanders. The Prussan officers, on the con-
trary are acquainted with every inch OF ground,
and are provided with small but excellent
charts which denote every road and bypath.
Only few days before the capituation, an old officer
decorated many orders for acts Of daring courage
offered If allowed to pick out 500 tried men OF
whose desire follow him he had assured himself to 60
and spike guns Of the battery Of Chaton which was
doing such damage the southern quarter Of Paris The
offer was declined upon the plea that would lead TO
useless sacrifice OF The offer made 70 Jules
Fayre aud lie refused after interview with Trochu.
Then we must not omit mention OF Capt Beauepaire,
volunteer soldier in the National Guard though legally
exempt from service account Of his age. He, too is
an old officer Early in October at one Of the clubs he
declared himself ready II he could unite body Of 1900
soldiers to 20 and dispense the Prussian army Of in
vestment, or to so harass as to compel
1t to raise the siege. 1t must be borne
In mind that at this time the Prussian forces
were comparatively few in numbers aud the invest
ment was scarcely commenced. The proposition was
enthusiastically acclaimed and occupied public atten
ton for some two or three weeks The Captain after
considerable difficulty, obtained to Trochu, and
submitted his plan 10 him. OF which the latter expressed
his approval and asented to its being attempted
az the Captain had procured his corps Of volunteers
The 1900 came forward, but an excuse found
for deerrng the proposed operation and thus the time
ran on Again and again did the Captain como forward
ever TO be rebuted His last effort early in Deem
Der, after the affair Of Champguy What he there
learned and saw satisfied him bold movement such
he contemplated would be successful; but again cold
water was thrown upon his plan, Notwithstanding had
been approved by Trochu, and encouraged. We now
know that the French troops had renewed the attack
on the third day, instead Of being brought back in
good order across the Marne." the safety Of the
Prussian army would have been fatally COM
promised The Prince Royal OF saxony fully OK
pectod the attack, ard admitted to member Of
his staff at il IL succeeded-and all the chances were
iD favor OF success-Ee only alternative for the besegng
army was retreat. Experience Of war seems to have
been utterly lost upon our military chiefs Admitting
the necessity Of abandoning the nights Of ChatiOn
Camsrt Mendon and others. when the Prussians took
I'D their positions on the south, they might have been
gradually approached by sap and finally carried Twenty
thousand igatOrsand these were to had within our
walls-furished with picks and shovels, directed by
slfu engineers Of whom there no lack, and aided
Il necessary by detachment Of the line, the Mobiles
OF ({uaTd. would