, 1874-01-25
HOW | "SAVED FRANCE" !"


From ST. Panrs.
These he big words, my masters can only
cay they are not mine-l am far too modest to
utter any such high-aounding phrase on my
own 1esponsibiity,-b they aro the exact
terms. used by + high municipal dignitary in
characterizng the result Of Whist he was pleased
to term my chivaltous conduct" MY sardonc
chum, on the contrary,-an individual wholly
abandoned to the iGnoble vice Of punnlng,-as-
serts that my conduct was simply a 'barbarous."
It will be for the reader to judge.
ST. MEUsE-
lot us cali it st. Meuse-is town of what is
still French Lorraine and to st. Meuse I came
drifting up the hIarne Valley, over the fiat e1-
pense OF the plain OF Uhalons. and BY st. Meme
hou1d, the proud stronghold Of picked pigs
feet, in the second week Of last September. st.
Meuse was one Of abe Inst OF the French
cities held in pawn by the Cor
mans for the payment of the milliards.
The last installment of the blood-monoY had
been paid, and the plckeLlaubes were about to
eyacuate St. Meuse, as soon us the cash had
been methodically counted, and after thoy
should have leigurcy filled their baggago-tFains
and packed their portmanteaus. alg intention
in going to st. Meuse was to witness this eyac-
uatop scene. and to be spectator Of the re-
turn OF Hght-heartedness to the French popula-
ton on tho withdrawal OF tho Teuton incubus
which for three years had lain upon the Eafoty
valve Of their constitutional sprightliness.
had been little out Of my reckoning Of time,
and, whom reached St. Meuse, found that
had week to stay before the event should oc-
cur which had come to witness; but the inter
val could not DO regarded as lost time, Tor st.
$1ifxr
which were soon to terminate, presented most
interesting field Of study.
You must know that st. aleuse
1sA FORTRESS
It has citadel, or at lcaat such fragments OF
citadel rs bombardlnent has Loft, aud the
quaint old town il surrounded with bastlons
which arc linked by curtains, and danked by
luuettcs, the whole being girdled by ditch,
beyond tho counterscarp Of which spreads
slopiug glacis. which makes very pleasant
promenade. The defensive strength Of the
place il reduced to zero in those days Of far
reaching riled siege artillery, for it lies in q
cup. and is surrounded on al sides by bills: the
submits Of which easily command the fortlflca-
tions, But the consciousness that 1t ID
obsolete as o fortress has not yet come
home to st. Meuse. It has, IN truth,
a very good opinion OF itself as q
valorous, not to say heroic place; nor can it be
denied that its title to this self-cnnplacency has
boon fairy earned. Spite OF its defects, it stood
siege OF over two months, and succumbed only
nfter severe bonbardneut which 1asted for SOW
eral days. And while as ret it WAS not wholly
beleaguered, it Was very active in making itself
disagreeable to the foreign invader: 1t was .
:he courier on the battle-held OF Sedan to Ger
many, carrying the hurried lines to his wife
| which the Grown Prince OF Germany scsawled ON
the Ay-ieat Of an orderly book while as yet
tue last shots t, OF TIE eomDas were
too tho notes Of the battle which
William Howard Russell had jottcd down IL the
heat Of action, and took tue first opportunity OF
dispatching. st. Meuae: then. haa bafked tho
Princess Of the first tidings Of her husbands
safety, and the great English newspaper OF tho
earliest details Of the most sensational battle Of
the age. It had fallen at last,
But NOT 1EuIonIoUsLY,
and tho iron Of defeat had not entered so deeply
into its soul "a had been tha casa with sone
French fortresses, OF which it could not we'll be
said that they had dono their honest best to re-
| sist their fate. It's seH-respect, at least, was
left to it, aud it was something to know that
when the German garrison shoula march away
it was bound 10 leave to st. Meuse the artillery
| and munitions Of war OF tha fortress, just rs
tncy had been found Oh the day of the sur-
render.
I came to like st. Meuse immensely in the
course Of tho Days spent III It waiting Tor tie
great event of tho evacuation. If you are par
tlal to good fare. good cookery, and good un-
morcenary attendance, let me suggest to sou
soiouru at tho Tros Maures il ST. Mease~
Madame is a jewel, Mademoikello u next uoor to
an angel, and as for Monsieur, he Ia as oblging
| a. be 1a amusing. Take my advice and help
yonrself twice to crawtish at dejeuuer nor neg
icct the dcssort-blscuits indigeuoust to St. Aeuse
Tho company at tho table dllote was yar1ed aud
amusing. The German officers ate III room By
themselves. 60 that the ob1o1ious element Was
not present ove1tly at the general table d'hote.
Hat We had few German officials In PLAIN
clolhos-clerks in Gen- Mau-eutfels bureau,
contractors, cigar merchants etc-who spoke
French even among themselves. and were paln-
fully polite to the French habitues, who we're as
| painfully polite in return There was batch OF
Parisian journalists who had coma to St. Meuso
to watch tho evacuation, and who wrote their
letters in the cafe over the way '*Ae accompa-
1nent OF re7Tes OF dts1'tiae, anu Ducks OF peer.
Then there WAS the
GALLANT CAPTAIN OF oEysDAnNEs,
who had arrived with trusty band Of twenty
five subordinnteS, to take over from the COZ
mans the municipal superintendence OF the
place, and, later, the occupation OF the fort
ress. Ho the most polite man i ever
knew, this Captain OF Gonsdarmes, with clever
knack Of turning you outside i'll IN the course OF
| half an hours conversation. and the peculiar at-
| triDuto Of having to ali appearance eyes in the
back II his head 10 him. Us no placidly ate his
food, there came, from time to time, quiet and
rather bashful-lookiDg men in civilian attire OF
slightly eeedy description. Sometimes they
merely caught his eJoe aud went out asatn H with
9NAA-+AeA4~o eA@-J A--'NN-
| little notes; sometimes they held with him
brief whispered conversation, during which the
Captains noncha!anco was imperturbable. These
respectable individuals, who, il they saw yon
once in conversation with their chlef,
| evor after bowed to you with the great
est emprcssement, were members OF the
secret police. .
AS FOB THE INHABITANTS
Of ST. Meuse, they appeared to await the hour OF
their delivery with considerable philosophy.
Physically they are the finest race ever saw in
Trauce-their men tall, square, and muscular,
their women handsome and comelT. Numbers
Of both sexes are fair-haired. and the sandiness
Of hair which wo arc wont to associate with tho
Scottish Celt is by no means uncommon A
sardonic companion, whom lad picked up BY
the way, attributed those characteristics to the
fact that in tie great war, st. Mouse was depot
| for British prisoners Of war, who had in some
way contrivcd to i1nbue the native population
with some of their own physical attributes.
| He further prophesied q wavo OF Tenton
characteristics as the result Of the Ger
| man occupation which WIS about to terminate /;
| Int his insinuations seemed to me- to partake Of
tie scu1rilous, especially as he instanced Lewes,
q british depot for foreign prisoners OF war, as
| 4in1i in which similar plenUmena were to be dis