New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-02-22


| P,gIs. Feb Al left London Wednesday evening.
Feb. I. Nobody appeared to know whether IL was
possible to get 10 Paris by what route. nqurers
at the Prussian Embassy were told that the only
sure approach was by Metz but even by way OF Metz
the Embassy had no authority to issue passports or
| uve safe-conducts of any kind. The London ana
brighton COMPANY il was true had advertised tneir
readiness to transport passengers and goods aS lar az
nenne. hut yas assured that at Dieppe there was
not vet q single engine railway carriage, ana u
| was intimnted that / should do well either 10 x"
| through Belgium wait As for CaIals ano po"
logne everybody agreed they were closed doors ioi
the nresent Until heard all this had not thought
very ser,cusly of going. The assurance that tnofe
VIVA still the game want of settled communication, ana
the same chance of adventure, though not OF danger
as during actual hostilities, persuaded me 10 uy.
| Count Bismarck lad telegraphed, knew 10 s'ln
provisions for Paris by Dieppe, and, II they coua
not 90 by Dieppe there still the chance OF zee
ing the starved capital in nearly the same state ~
before its captulation.
There was plenty Of evidence that the Engnsh
were in earnest about sending supplies. Trains were
going down from Londsn TO Newhaven laden WIN
| provisions of all sorts. When got ON board the
| steamer Alexandra. at Kewhayen. found the deck
filled with boxes and barrels, and the boat so heavily
freiQhted that the p&1dle-box guards were nearly
| under water Twoother steamers. loaded ~ heavily,
| left at the same time for Dieppe. There were not
| more than 40 passengers altogether; . medley OF
French electors Americans, with aD eyeto the man
chanca; prudent Englishmen going to Spy our
| the land before riskng ventures In q doubtful
rountry; not % few Jews heard it said with
| kind of despair by of tho last that there was
not much hope of doing anything at Paris
| Immediately because their German brethren had
long since got permission TO forward supplies 70 tho
front of the Prussian lines where they lay waiting
! for the moment whe2 the surrender shonld permit
| them to pour in provisions TO be- sold for price
Nobody else they said would be allowed to send IN
goods till the Germans had disposed OF theirs The
story seems to rae oiOus ard utterly improbable,
but there were people on the steamer who found 1t
credible enough. They were ready to believe any I'LL
Of the Prussans. There was no. Goul on tho boat
who professed to know how he vas to get beyond
Dieppe.
The Journey from London e. Nieppe is not quick
one Ia the best Of times. Tho sea passage is FROM
fye-and- a-haf to seven hours and IL WAS ocl0'k
o. Thursday morning when we 6amo alongside the
quay The town was still III Prussan Bands bus
kind Of mixed authority prevailed. French Custom
House officers waited for on the quay. and there
came forthwith demand for passports-l think the
!
| o. France The men were civil enough, indeed 600
civil. The alertness and prompt tysa naizins to2e
which belongs TO the French official had sunk into
kind Of sleek respectfuness if they had not got
over their last interview with the Prussa1s There
were 10 carriages, few ships, few people. Poor
| Dieppe seemed to have been stIangleA by
| the blockade and the Russians together (;
| and was sorry for IT, for Dieppe IS a
| town like. Here and there q cohee-Shop open,
| about the doors of which hung few ragged com
missionaries, one OF whom jumpedGtmy portlnanteau
IA if it were long since he had had the chance OF
carving one-for pay, that is. The railway station
is half mile Oft One OF two hotel people assured
MS there was no chance of q train, but a certainty
of breakfast at their houses and moss of our pass
cngers went IN for tho certainty Evidently there was
no regular departure and il was al tho more neces-
sarv to 20 for IL chance. Az went past the Fish
Msl et could not sec q sign Of the activity which
usually peryaGes t--nOt emo of the picturesque old
women for which Dieppe is famous-nothins buT q
few sloucEing Prussiaus, the reverse oi picturesque.
GETTING STARTED
The ttatiCn itself was desolatc outside, 20 desoate
that if was d,icnlt 70 believe this was the station
from which two millions of people are to be FRO
visiou.d. The appArition Of stranger With luggage
and views OF cOing forward woke up dozen persons
inside. To my inquiry for train, they responded
in a ch0rns that there no train, wonld be none
to-day; did not know whether there might be to-
morrow Two carriages stood ~ one end of the
track dozen foureOns at the other, engine Wis
ible nywhere. II began to look if the Prussian
Embassy were we'll informed. and as il Count Bis
marcks request to send food by this post was stu
pepdous practical Joke. But on the platform was
Prrssian lieutenant, and squad of men in blue and
red were huddled in a corner. A PrUssian lieutenant
might know more than the railway people, ard
| 70 him ! put my question. What ho knew was
that he had been ordered 20 depart by train a.
o'clock and he supposed therefore that at o'clock
there would be train. had seen something before
now of that PrussiaD organization which has become
so famous in the last six months, and l was con-
WINGED that. if Prussian Lieutenant had been
ordered TO leave Dieppe by train at o'clock. some
bodv else had been ordered to provide the train.
asked for the csf &c care; the sous chef appeared.
| He knew Of TO train. It was now u o'clock.
sought the chef and found him, only to hear that he
! yyas equally ignorant; and he had the goodness 10
add that if there wsrs train could not 90 in it
Next came the chef "a moaremeni, with n uniform.
which / took as ! hopeful sign, since q French
official lays aside his uniform aad bis useful
ness together and when he resumes one re-
sumes the other. ! hoped the uniform might
! have been put on in honor Of the train about to
start. He admitted there would he tram. but NJ
fused absolutely my petition to BIO taken along.
| This was practically my inst blank refusal, and
thought it high time to produco what papers | bad
As journalist, should have had chance, but for
! the moment was travelling in an official character
| and could show and did show a series of official
Documents passports, vis6s, both Prussan and
French, strong enough, hoped, to impress the rail-
way mind. But NO. The truth is, tho district rail-
way from Dieppe to Paris, by Rouen, was not yet
repaired 1t was necessary TO trayet b. the Western
line as far as the Ancns junction at Cleres, and
thence, via Amiens and Chantlly far