NOTES OF THE WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 793, 8 December 1870, Page 2

NOTES OF THE WAR.

A Paris lodging-house keeper has issued a prospectus, addressed especially to English travellers desirous of "assisting" at the sie^e of Paris, offering considerable apartments, completely out of the range of bombs. Nervous persons may be accommodated in cellars, and carriages are kept for promenades to the fortifications.

It is stated that an order has been issued to the effect that no letters addressed to »' Napoleon 111., Wilhelmshohe," will be delivered. The reason for this measure is said to be that since the Emperor's arrival there nearly 600 letters have been sent to him, nearly all of which contained either insults or demands for pecuniary assistance.

Among the kind attentions shown at Munden to the German troops passing through the place was one which, though simple and homely, .was . greatly appreciated by the weary and heated travellers. Wooden tubs full of fresh water were arranged along the line, together with towels and soap. After a journey of more than twenty-four hours, the opportunity of washing off the dust of the road was highly prized.

The Official Journal states that the stores of bread meat, liquids, and articles of food of all kinds in Paris are amply sufficient to support a population of 2,000,000 for two months. It denies the rumour of a new loan, affirming that the Treasury is in a position to meet the exigencies of the situation. The Minister of the Interior has announced that the tricolour is the national flag, with which the enemy will be repulsed, and that every other is interdicted.

One of the effects of the impending siege of Paris is noticeable in the diminished size of some of the Paris papers. The Liberty the other evening appeared as a half-sheet of two pages only, the explanation being that the deficiency in the supply of paper was so great as to render necessary such an economy of space, which, however, was in some degree to be compensated by the use of smaller type. The Volontaire announces that it is compelled to suspend its publication by the want of paper.

A letter from Vendreese, near Sedan, in the Berlin papers, mentions that the Chateau of Bellevue, where the Emperor had an interview with the King of Prussia and where he passed the night, contained two parts of an illustrated edition of the "Life of Caesar," including the chapter on " the Germans in Gaul." The Emperor brushed a tear from his cheek after the King had left him. The inhabitants of Sedan assert that he was quite

invisible during his stay in that town, but he exposed himself the whole day dnring the battle and visited the batteries.

The National Guard of Paris wa« reviewed recently by General Frochu. A force of 130 battalions was ranged along the Boulevards, returning from the Place de la Bastille down to the Rue Royale and on the Place de la Concorde. The National Guards, who were mostly in uniform, only a small number being still unprovided, were in excellent spirits, and received the Governor of Paris, who was accompanied by the Minister of War and General Tamasier, commandant of the National Guard, with loud cries of " Vive Trochu I " mingled with those of " Vive la France ! " and " Vive la Republique I " General Trochu subsequently reviewed a vast number of Gardes Mobiles, who were drawn up in the Champs Ely sees and on the quays of the river, where his reception was equally cordial.

A commission has been nominated to alter the nomenclature of the Paris streets. The Avenue de l'lmperatrice is to be called the Avenue dv General Uhrich, in honour of the Commander of Strasburg. The Parisians are gushing over with sentimental admiration of Strasbourg, occupying themselves with decorating the statue of the city with garlands. One of the correspondents says : — *As I passed through the Place de la Concorde I found the Goddess Strasbourg more popular, if posssible, than ever. The whole Btatue, large as it is, is completely covered with flags, flowers, and immortelles, and long as the testimonial list has been open, there is a constant crowd of hero-worship pers still thronging to sign it. It is the fashion to make, as it were, official pilgrimages to the Strasbourg shrine to present votive offerings of flowers, and I came up to-day just in time to see a procession of 'Less Infirmieres de Paris' march up with an enormous bouquet, big enough even for a lady of the goddess's dimensions. Immediately after I met another procession of Gardes Mobiles on a similar errand, their bayonets tastefully decorated with flowers, making a very pretty effect."

M. Victor Hugo has addressed a rhapsody to his countrymen in his well-known style. A few lines will Batisfy most readers. He says— Let the streets of the town devour the enemy, let the windows burst open with fury, let the rooms send forth the furniture, let the roof cast down its tiles. Let tbe tombs cry out, let it be felt that behind each wall there is the people and God, let flame spring everywhere from the earth, let every tuft of grass be as a burning bush. Harass them, overwhelm them, intercept their convoys, cut their traces, break the bridges, destroy the roads, blow up the soil that France may prove a fatal abyes for Prussia. Make war night and day— the war of the mountains, of the plains, of the woods, Uise up, rise up I No truce, no repose, no sleep. Despotism has attacked Liberty. Germany is assailing France. Before the sombre warmth of our soil let this colossal army melt away like snow. Let no portion of the territory withhold its duty. Let us organise the terrible battery of the country. And you, O Francs tireurs, do ye wind through thickets, pass over torrents, avail yourselves of darkness and gloom, glide through ravine, creep, crawl, take aim, fire, and exterminate the invasion. Defend France with heroism, with despair, with ten derness. Be terrible, O ye patriots I Stop only when you pass a lowly hut to kiss the forehead of a sleeping infant. That infant is the future. For the future is the Republic. At for Europe, what do we care about Europe ? Let her look on if she has eyes. She can come to us if she likes. We do not ask for help. If Europe is afraid, let her remain so. We shall do a service for Europe, that is all. Let her stop at home if she wishes it. \/The following piece of Paris gossip, by a "correspondent, describes the sentiments of the citizens : — " • They,' as the Prussians are called, are of course the staple topic — ' they,' some one tells you, are within two leagues. c They ' must be getting wet, says the woman who sells you your newspaper, whenever it rains. • They ' are to blame, monsieur, says the waiter who serves you your dinner, when the meat is either too much or too little done. * They ' have such large guns, that they will throw shells in the middle of the town, says your washerwoman, with a shudder. Do you think that ' they ' will respect women ? ask* some hideouß old crone. 'They' will manure our fields with their corpses, says the Mobile. 'They' will never venture to attack Paris, says the Garde Nationale. • They ' are terrible fighters, mais n'importe, says the soldier who fought at Sedan or at Woerthe. For my part I am sick and tired of them already 7 Then the streets are full of armed peasa'fi'W and armed burghers, and one regiment of Mobiles or of Nationales is so like another, that tbe mind becomes perfectly bewildered with the marching and countermarching ; drums beat, trumpets blow, and a thousand men march by without anyone turning their heads to notice them. Add to this that one expects one-half of one's friends to be killed within a week, and that every woman one meets on the slightest encouragement bursts into tears, and tella you that her husband, her Bon, or her brother is la has, pointing to the ramparts, and you have a tableau of the present state of Paris." ■"■'.' The Liberal of Namur tells the following story : — •• A French captain in disguise, who had escaped from Sedan, was making a frugal repast in a small cabaret not far from the frontier, when he observed a butcher from Montmedy come in, and shortly afterwards a Prussian. officer. The two entered an adjoin ing room, but through a crack in the door the French captain saw the Prussian officer taking notes in his book and give to the butcher some gold pieces. The captain wrot<a few lines on a slip of paper, paid his bill, and waited at the door of the cabaret until he saw the Prussian officer and the butcher separate and' move away in opposite directions. He hurried after tbe latter and overtook him. <My friend/ he said, ' I think you j

came from Montmedy?' 'Yes,' said the butcher, ' I live there and have come to look for cattle; but there are none to be had ; the troops have eaten everything.' *So that,' said the captain, ' you would not be sorry to make a little money in what is not your regular business. I understand that. Here is a note which I wish to have sent to the commandant of Montmedy. If you will take charge of it I give you 20fr.,and promise you as much for; the reply.' The butcher, well pleased, undertook the commission, and handed the note to the commandant as soon as he had reached Montmedy. The commandant read the note, called for a corporal and four men, who conducted the butcher behind one of the rampart walls, whence the sound of firing was speedily heard. The French captain, before proceeding to Paris by way of Lille, watched the proceedings of the Prussian officer, who came regularly twice a day to the place, and waited an hour each time, returning afterwards to Sedan."

The following note from Count Bismarck was published on Oct. 7:— "As we learn from the newspapers, the section of the French Government residing at Tours issued an official proclamation, containing a passage to the effect that the undersigned told M. Jules Favre that Prussia would continue the war and reduce France to a second-rate Power. Although such a statement can be intended only to impress 6uch circles as are alike unacquainted with the ordinary language of diplomacy and the geography of France, yet the fact that the said official utterance bears the signature of ' Cremieux, Glais, Bizion, and Fourichon,' and that these gentlemen form part of the Government of a great European Empire, induces me to request your Excellency to comment upon it in your official conversations. In my interviews with M. Fayre we never got so far as to open businesslike discussion on terms of peace. Only at his reiterated request I communicated to the French Minister a general outline of those ideas which form the principal contents of my circular, dated Meaux, the 16th of September. As yet I have never and nowhere raised demands going beyond those ideas. The cession of Strasbourg, Metz, and the adjacent territory, alluded to by me on this occasion as part of our programme, involves the diminution of French territory by an area almost equal to that gained by Savoy and Nice ; but the population of the territory we aspire to exceeds, it is true, that of Savoy and Nice by three-quarters of a million. Now, considering that France, according to the Census of 1866, has 38,000,000 inhabitants, and with Algeria, which latterly supplies an essential portion of her army, even 42,000,000, it is clear that a loss of 750,000 will not affect the position of France in regard to other Powers, but, on the contrary, leaves this great Empire in possession of the same abundant elements of power by which, in Oriental and Italian wars, it was capable of exercising so decisive an influence ;upon European destinies. These few suggestions will suffice to assert the logic of facts against the exaggerations of the proclamation of the 24th ult. I will only add that in our conversations I expressly drew M. Favre's attention to these considerations, and that therefore, as your Excellency will have known without my telling you, I was far from making any offensive allusion to the consequences of this war as affecting France's future position in the' world. The Palt Mad Gazette of Oct. 6, published the following: — "Having just received notice that there is the possibility of sending a letter in a quarter of an hour, I write a few hurried lines, as there is much doubt as to the arrival of the epistles which correspondents send by balloon. Paris itself is quiet, and the people confident in the powers of the Republic, are determined to fight to the last. Every attempt made by ultra-demagogues to disturb the Provisional Government has failed, and there is a tacit understanding now that all party quarrels shall be laid aside until, after the war. Though the National Guards and Mobiles are not pulling very well together, I have come to the conclusion that the professional jealousies between the two corps will not have any serious result. In the encounters which have taken place outside the walls the Line has not behaved well, and severe examples have been made, but with the Mobiles the case is different. Their conduct in face of the enemy has been unimpeachable, and I have only heard of one instance of a moblot having committed a gross breach of discipline — he - was shot yesterday morning for- rape and robbery. On Friday last there was severe fighting in the neighbourhood of Villejuif, Chevilly, and Hay. A strong reconnaissance was made by. the French, who tumbled as usual into a kind of ambush, and were driven back with heavy loss. As far as we can learn, however, the Germans also suffered considerably, as some of the outlying forta took part in the engage-, ment, and did great execution in the ruined villages, behind whose walls the enemy had taken up their position. The battle-field remained in the hands of the Germans, who speak highly of the courage of the French soldiers, but say that they are badly led, and: further, that they were well aware that this sortie was about to be made, as they bad received notice of it from friends in Paris. Saturday and , Sunday were quiet, and, in fact,, ibere ...was an armistice yesterday, during which, the dead were buried. We are very badly off here for meat, as there is some difficulty between the butchers and the Government. I rather suspect that the sheep and cattle have been dying for want of proper food, and that there is a scarcity -which is beginning to be severely felt. Paris was much grieved yesterday to learn the fall of Toul and Strasbourg, and the statue of the latter town is to be cast in bronze in memory of Uhrich's heroic defence. Thursday, the Republican's New Year's Day, or Ist Vendemiaire, threatened to be stormy, but blew over quietly. The clubs and other Republican^ paraphernalia .announced a manifestation in front of the HoteLde Ville, to force the Government in a peaceful way."

A remarkab>e letter in the Daily NewsHie Daily News, by the way, has been by far the richest in correspondence of value, correspondence with nuggets of fact in it, since the war began— seems to afford the real key to the explanation of the gigantic failures of the French army. The writer was told by two graziers of Pieardy, as a matter within their own knowledge, that in a very considerable number of instances which they could specify the military authorities had' got only 1800 men in a full regiment, instead of 3000 though there were 3000 names on the rolls. The modus operandi was this. Fourteen or fifteen years ago, private societies undertook to {Continued in Fourth Page.')