The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1871-01-14 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

THE WAR.  THE BOMBARDMENT OF PARIS.  The Daily News correspondent writing from Versailles under date Jan. Bth, says there has been steady hammering at the French forts for three days past. The fire of the forts has slackened under the withering effect's of the German shells. We have heard a low, constant growl all the morning beyond the west of the hill at Menden, which shows that the cannonade still continues. I have not been out to-day far enough to learn for certain what is going forward; but when I saw 'say yesterday afternoon, the French fire was very little in proportion with earlier efforts. Report says they had a good many guns dismounted by the German batteries, and that their loss in men must have been enormous. Again and again the French sailors cleared away the wreck of overturned pieces, and brought other guns to bear on the smoky hillside above, and carried their wounded comrades into the casements. Again and again the German shells caused confusion in the forts. Now Issy was silent for a while; now Mont- ' rogue ceased to fire. It was hoped by the besiegers more than once that this or that fort would not open again, but at present they have all resumed operations after a certain amount of delay, and I cannot learn that up to this morning any fort has been completely silenced. It has been remarked in connection with the French fire that 400 shells have been thrown I into open fields, where they fell harmless, whilst I only a few go anywhere near the batteries. I This is partly accounted for by the difficulty of firing upwards at a vague lice of smoke and spadework against the crest of hills, and partly by the fact that trained gunners are scarce in Paris. The French forts, moreover, have been known to and studied by the German engineers for months past, whilst the German batteries burst upon the French engineers with the disadvantage of novelty. When the trees which masked them were felled on the night of the 4th and sth of January, and the batteries stood revealed to the foe, they were in places studiously chosen for the annoyance of the forts. From whatever cause arising, it seems clear that the superiority of the German fire has been soon established, and that this fire not only is more accurate but more murderous than the fire nf the French. The German shells being moulded into deep grooves to hold the leaden coating for the rifled barrel of the gun, burst into many fragments, each of which will kill; while the French shells, having kaobs or buttone upon them to fit the rifling of the gun, and not being grooved, burst into fewer pieces, and thus waste power. Again, the French guns work fir the most part in embrasures or notches in the top of the rampart ; and if a shell miters one of these embrasures, it is pretty certain to silence the gun. The German guns, on the contiary, are mounted in barbells —that is, they peep over the top of the breastwork, and unless actually struck are not damaged. They are hreachloading, and can be charged in this position with the minimum of exposure to the artillerymen in the batteries. Unless the French can actually strike the steel and bronze muzzles which flash out at them so ateadil%, they get little by their expenditure of ammuuitioiL  We know nothing of the effect of the German fire in frightening Paris. It is said that the King will at length grant the request of the soldiers and pour destruction into the city. I have even heard that batteries have been appointed to shell the inhabited parts between the Envalides and the southern ramparts; but I still doubt whether any such course will be adopted. The most likely spot to be heavily battered is the railwsy bridge over the Seine previously mentioned. It has already suffered considerably, say those who have seen it this morning, and no more trains run across -t Next to the railway bridge in importance are the houses where the French outposts take shelter. Theta are said to have been all destroyed. Twelve-pounders, with which many of the batteries were armed, are being exchanged fur heavier metal.  Favoured by the break up of the weather, the besiegers will boldly push forward approaches to the very glans of more than one fort. German speculators are busy with plane for feeding Pane when it submits. The obstinate Parisian is to pay a handsome price for his first roast beef, and thus put a little money in the honest trader's pocket.