The Irish standard., 1900-03-31


. and by new fort built well, ont ON the
eastern side. The immediate capture
Iiof ihe city was ansihpossbiiity With
=. SUCH garrison SHIELD it.in 1871 its
capture BY ordinary means of warfare
was imp possible. Plainly the only way
: Ito force. its capitulation was by istarya-
y tion The hunger o., the residents of
Paris during this siege has been told in
volumes. The people ate their house
: hold pets. Rats were worth one franc
each on Dec. S. Fat from the drains, a
rat brought franc 50. confines A
tweek before Christmas a rich mans
chef proudly displayed a cat, saying:
Il am fattening her up for Christmas.
We mean, to serve her up surrounded
with mice, like sausages." 4 iii.
With the defeat at Sedan and the sur
render of Napoleon III. as a prisoner
OF war, the imperial ministry was at an
end. France was proclaimed repub-
lie. with provisional government
called the government of the national
defense" Jules Favre was named as
minister of foreign affairs and General
Trocl,u president, with full military
powers.
When the siege began there were
within the Notifications OF Paris 80 1000
regular soldiers, 20, 900 gendarmes, 12o,-
900 newly organized national guards
men, $1,000 Partisan gardes mobiles,
10000 provincial mobiles and 10000
sailors. Shortly after the siege began
$4,000 provincial mobiles entered the
city. According to the census OF 1866,
the population numbered 1854,
Paris containing $4,000 homes, and al
though many residents had left the city
previous to the siege, their number
would no more than equal the number
added to the population during the
seven years intervening since the taking
OF the census. Therefore, including
the garrison Of $4,000, Paris during the
siege can be estimated as having shell
tered 2,3I4,274 persons. In the be-
sieging army were 100000 Germans un-
der Marshal Won Moltke, who had
planned to enter Paris on Sept. ID. The
city with its Notifications, covering
twenty-eight square miles, was COM
pletely surrounded by German and
Prussian soldiers. After the fall OF
Metz, the Germans expected little re-
sistancc from Paris. In this their great
est mistake was made, although the
continual sallies OF the French troops
made little impression on the enemy.
1t was inch by inch that the French
drew in toward the. heart OF the city,
leaving the outer Notifications to be in
llabited by the Prussans. AS the end
drew near the soldiers within the iorti-
flcations became mutinous, and it was
with a sigh oi-relief that Paris finally
heard the tramp OF Prussian soldiers in
her streets, On Jan. 20 negotiations,
which had been developing for some
time past between Jules Favre and the
king Of Prussia, were signed and Paris
was once more at peace. On March I
the German troops entered Paris.
In the spring of 1877, after a contin-
ucd political upheaval, Russia deter
mined to attack Turkey. War was de-
clarcd April "a, and it was the last of
June before the Russian forces, 100000
strong, were across the Danube. The
crossing OF the Balkan, which was to
carry them into Turkey and to Con-
stantinoplc, was to be made by the pass
which leads by Etropol and Orkbaine
from Plevna to Sophia. While they
were marching through Shipka pass
and taking Nicopolis, Osman Pasha,
with $4,000 Turkish troops, moved into
Plevna, barring the Russians way. On
July 20 Shilder-S chuldner attacked
Plcvna, but was driven back with con-
siderable loss. General Krudner made
similar attack next day and lost heav
lily. Then began the siege OF Plevna,
which was to last four months. The
| Russian forces, winch naQ DeeH SCdl-
tered into three wings, were soon as
scmblcd about Plevna and the Turkish
commander ran up the formidable re-
| doubts which have made military fame
for Plcvna Every textbook on forth
ication describes them and every book
on military tactics quotes Sllobleff, who
commanded the Russians. Between
Sept. and 10 there were daily assaults
on these redoubts. In this month the
Russians lost 1920 men. So clcverly
were the earthworks arranged that the
Russian troops, having gained one re-
dotbt, found themselves helpless before,
the unexpected presence Of another.
The car came to the scene to find his
army in moral as we'll as military con-
fusion. Although the Russian cavalry
guarded the, road leading to Sophia,
| Chefket Pasta was able to send up IT,,
600 men and sixty days. rations to reg
licve the besieged. The Russian Gen.
eral Todleben, who had Been at Sebas-
topol, was sent for and undertook the.