Year: 1870




crowned heads, may soon fall as Napoleon has
fallen.


The War News-Pencs Negotiations Aban-
doncd-France Must Maintain tho Fight.


There is not the faintest hope left of the
siege of Paris being averted either by peace
negotiations or by surrender of the city.
Among all the telegraphic dispatches received
yesterday from Europe there is not SEN
tence to encourage any such hope. On the
contrary, Russia is reported as declining all
further effort at mediation; and the reserved
attitude of England Is described as being per-
fectly satisfactory to Prussia. The American
Minister to Berlin, Mr.. Bancroft, is represent
ed as denying that he had done something or
another which might be supposed to give UNI
bragg to Prussia. And France is left in the
position of unfortunate Poland, which, in the
time of her direst calamity


Found there no generous friend no plying foe


Fortunately for France, however, she can
still rely on her own sons for defence, and,
according to all accounts, her reliance will not
be in vain. Besides the four hundred thou
sand men who are charged with the defence of
Paris, there is quite large army, to be desig-
mated as the Army of the Loire, being organ
lied in Tours, and it is reported that over
million of volunteers have been enrolled
throughout France. 1t will be difficult, of
course, to organize, equip and mass these vol
unteers into effective armies, but what was
done in 1902 under like circumstances cannot
be impossible in 1870. 1t is even given out in
connection with the great efforts which France
is making for the defence of its capital that
the fact of their being made may have q very
considerable effect in inducing the King of
Prussia to relax somewhat the imperiousness
of his assumptions.


In reference to the siege of Paris itself, it
seems that the cityis pretty practically iso-
lated from the rest of the world, although
telegraphic dispatches appear to have been
received from it yesterday in London. Not
withstanding the destruction of bridges and
other efforts to impede the march Of the Ger
mans, they are reported as not having been
delayed single hour, and they were yester-
day massing at a short distance from the city.
The forests around have been entirely con-
sumed, as a defensive measure on the part of
the French, and it is reported that all the re-
gular troops and the volunteer rifemen Cthe
Franc-tireurs) that were within the walls
have left the city to oppose the Prussians in
the field. The workingmen of the city have
boa oJ nd its nd
now constitute sixty y-six army battalions, or
corps of eighty thousand men. One of the
members of the Rothschild family is reported
as serving on the ramparts with the working
men. Reinforoements of the Garde Mobile
have been hourly arriving, and the whole
population is described as being resolved to
defend the city to the last extremity.


One of the specia correspondents of tho
HERALD telegraphs the particulars of an inter-
view which he had with Victor Hugo in which
that earnest republican declaims with. great
vehemence against the continuance of the war
after the overthrow of Bonapartism. and
declares his belief that if Paris fall the crash
will ring ont and proclaim the resurrection of
the democracy of France and Germany, which
win soon avenge her terrible fate. That may
be; but still it is far better to act now SO that
Paris will not fall The city is reported to be
well provisioned in all respects, and, accord
ing to the opinion expressed by military men
of experience, its power to resist is limited
only by the supply of food. If the defence
can be carried on for three months the siege
will have to be raised.


The heroic defence of Strasbourg still con-
tinues. The city and Notifications have been
badly damaged by the terrible bombardment of
the besiegers, and the mortality from sickness
caused by want and deprivation has been very
great, but General Ulrich still declares that he
has no idea Of surrendering. The besiegers
are said to have been postponing an assault SO
as to avoid an unnecessary sacrifice of
life, as they expect that the surrender
cannot be long delayed; but one of our
special correspondents telegraphs that he
expected the city to be stormed yesterday.
As to Metz the statements concerning it are
not very probable or very Ineligible. Mar
shall Canrobert is represented as having cut
his way out with the small force of six thou
sand men, with which he was marching
towards Paris; and Bazaine is set down as
having gone to Sedan, which Is known to be
occupied by the Prussians. How they got out
of Metz, and what Bazaine and his army
should be doing at Sedan, unless they were
there as prisoners of war, are matters which
are left to the imagination, unaided by any
light thrown upon the circumstances by the
telegraph.


When we add that nothing more is reported
as to M. Thiers' mission to London and his
consultations with the Orleans princes; that
the telegraphic dispatches which have recently