Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-03-03

The following letter from Minister WashburnC
to Secretary Fish will be read with great inter
est He expresses himself thankful that he re
manned throughout the siege, and does justice
TO the kindness and courtesy extended by the
French authorities:
LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,
PARIS Feb. 8, 1871.
SIR-During the past week the people OF
Paris have been patiently and quietly awaiting
| revictualment and aeitatng the question of the
| election of members of the national assembly
which is to convene ut Bordeaux on the 18Th
inst.
Small quantities of provisions have COM
menced coming IN to-day. The first train con-
tanned supplies sent by the population of Lon
don to the population of Paris. These supplies
| have been distributed among the twenty arron-
easements in proportion to their respective pop
ulation, and are to be given out only to the most
necesstous. II will be but a snort time, | hope,
| before all can be reasonably supplied. The
| lower classes in the city have, during the last
months of the siege, suffered untold miserles of
| cold and hunger and with patience and forth
tude which does them great credit. Indeed the
| suffering of all classes has been very great, and
il might be said that all classes have sustained
the sutferingS and privations of the siege in
manner that must excite the wonder and admir-
alton of the world.
Now that the siege is over Tam1thankful that
have remained through it all, for believe
have been of some service TO the interests with
which have been charged. II is with pleasure
that l am enabled to stare that have succeeded
in protecting all American property in Paris and
that no harm has come to any of oar Ameri-
cans who have remained here This statement
must be qualified, however, so as not to apply
to the young American, Mr.. Swagar, who lost
his life by having his foot torn to pieces by a
Prussian shell, and to the two young men whose
property was destroyed by the bursting of a
shell in fbpir anartmputc in fhn Iatin
Several attempts were made TO interfere with
American property at different times, but must
do the government of the national defence the
credit to say that they have treated all such
matters as have deemed it necessary to bring
to their attention with the utmost fairness and
consideration. In the first place ii was proposed
to quarter the garde mobile in the American
apartments; but upon an application TO NJ
Gambetta, then minister Of the interior, he gave
an order that ii should not be done. Afterwards
the city authorities proposed a special tax upon
the apartments OF the absent, which bore very
heavily upon our countrymen. had CORE
spond nee with NJ. Jules Favre upon the sub
ject which | had the honor to transmit you,
and by which you will have seen that the CITY
authorities were ovtrruled and the tax not en-
forced. Then it was proposed to put the refu-
gees from the neighboring villages who had come
into Paris into the apartments of some of the
Americans. | resisted that, and the intention
was not carried out, and when the COMMANDMENT
took place, and the people from that part of the
city, exposed to the shells, were driven out, it
was proposed to shelter them in the vacant
apartments IN other parts of the city. Many of
the apartments OF the Americans were threat
ened in This way, but gave orders that in no
case would consent to have furnished apart
ments of Americans occupied in this manner,
and am happy to say that no apartment has
thus been occupied. And, lastly, after the
armistiCe was declared, and all the troops came
iOtO the pitV another gTtnmnf made IN
quarter soldiers and officers also in the vacant
apartments of Americans, but protested against
That, and no apartment has yet been occupied
in thar way. hope, therefore, that when our
country people return to their homes in Paris,
they will find everything in as good condition
as when they left.
Very little damage has been done to the prop
erty of the people of other natOnalitIeS with
whose protection have been charged. AT one
early period the house ola German, Mr.. Hedler,
was invaded by the garde mobile in search of
PruSSian SPIES and some damage was done to
the furniture Upon my representation of the
matter to the government, Count de Keratry,
who was then the project of police, took the
affair promptly in hand, brought the offending
parties TO punishment, and permitted agents Sc
lected by me to assess the damages, which were
promptly paid. Immediately after the breaking
out OF the war ! took under my protection the
magnificent hotel of the Prussan embassy in
the Rue de Lille. All of the persons who had
charge of 1t down to the cOnciergere had been
expelled from France, and as it seemed to be the
objective point of the hostility of the Partisan
population. l had great fears for its safety. l
at once placed 1t under the charge of an Amer-
can friend in Paris, who has exercised most
vigilant guardianship over il and protected it
from all harm.
While there has been a good deal of hostility
against me among certain number of the pop
ulation of Paris during the siege, and while
have been assailed in the clubs and in the news
papers on account of my protection of the Ger
mans, | have no cause, whatever, for complaint
againt the government of the national defense.
have been treated by them with the greatest
kindness and with all the consideration due to
me as the diplomatic representative of our
country.
have the honor 10 be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant, E. b. WAsHBURNE.
To Hon. HAMILTON FISH, secretary of state.