surrender. starving paris. story of the fallen ......surrender. capitulation of paris to the germans...

SURRENDER. Capitulation of Paris to the Germans on Friday. Its Terms the Surrender of the Garrison and the Summoning of the National Assembly. Count Bismarck's Basis of Peace the Cession of Alsace and Part of Lorraine. Imperialists Willing to Accept the Conditions. Versailles, Jan. 27, 1871. The articles of capitulation have been signed. Its terms are the surrender of the garrison of Paris and the summoning of the National Assembly. BEFORE THE 81RREXDER. Expected Signing of the Terms of Surrender on Fridny-fierntny'i Terms of Peace. London, Jan. 27, 1871. A despatch from Versailles, dated to-day, reports that negotiations in reference to the surrender of Paris are now so advanced that the articles of capitulation are expected to be signed in the course of to-day. TEEMS DEMANDED BY GERMANY. A Berlin despatch, dated to-day, says that it is positively known that Count Bismarck is endeavoring to treat for peace on the basis of the cession of Alsace and a portion of Lor¬ raine to Germany. If M. Favre accepts the proposed terms Germany will recognize the republic. The imperialists are willing to ac¬ cept the conditions. JFavre Again With Bismarck.ScttlhiK Terms of Capitulation.Paris Ready to Surrender. An Improbability. London, Jan. 27.5 P. M. There is a rumor on the Stock Exchange of the capitulation of Paris, but as yet there is no authentic intelligence confirmatory of the report. FAVRE AGAIN WITH BISMARCK. The Versailles correspondent of the London Times writes, under date of the 25th, that M. Favre returned from Paris yesterday and had another interview with Count Bismarck. SETTLING TIIE TERMS OF CAPITULATION. An official despatch from Versailles Friday morning says M. Jules Favre returned yester¬ day to Paris. He will come to Versailles again to-day, accompanied by a military officer, for the purpose of settling the terms of capitulation. DETAILS OF FAVRE's FIRST VISIT. The following particulars havo been received of the first visit of Jules Favre to the German headquarters at Versailles : . It appears that M. Favre arrived at Ver¬ sailles on the 23d, at five o'clock in the even¬ ing, in Count Bismarck's carriage, which had been sent to the Prussian outposts for him. He was much fatigued, but drove at oncc to the Chancellor's office, where, after a long interview, he took dinner with Count Bis¬ marck. The latter held a conference with the Emperor at eleven the same night. Odo Russell, the representative of the British For¬ eign Office, had been apprised beforehand of the approaching visit of M. Favre. YEItY IMPROBABLE. The correspondent of the Times writes from Paris that there will certainly be one more eortie, and probably more. It will require a ' firm hand to prevent the enaction of terrible tragedies ; for Paris loathes the word "surren¬ der," to which it must be forced by its thou¬ sands of hungry mouths. THE SIEGE. No Firing on Either Side Since Thursday. RANGE OF THE GERMAN BATTERIES. German Losses in the Recent Sortie. TELEGRAM TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. London, Jan. 27, 1871. A despatch from Versailles, dated to-day, re¬ ports that there has been no firing on either eide since midnight of Thursday. ST. DENI3 SHELLED. St. Denis was bombarded on the 24th, the German guns eliciting but. a feeble reply from the French forts. A SLOW BOMBARDMENT. A special despatch from Versailles, 26th, to the London Telegraph, says the bombardment of Paris continues, though slowly, and that shells have fallen near the Church of Notre Dame. GENERAL ITEMS. The total losses of the Germans in the threo days of sorties Were only 2,000 men. None of the German batteries, except those on the southern and southwestern sides of Paris, throw shells into the city. Fires are still occasionally kindled in Faris fcy the German shells. STARVING PARIS. Herald Special Report from French Capital. Stringent Measures Against the Revolu¬ tionary Element. TRGCfflJ SUPERSEDED B7 VINOY. Moral Cowardioe of the Parisians. TELEGRAM TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. London, Jan. 27, 1871. The following is the continuation of the despatch forwarded by the New York Herald correspondent in Paris and dated on the 23d inst. RESUME. [The first part, published in the Herald of yesterday, described the attempted revolt in Paris. The turbulent residents of the Belle¬ ville and Charonne districts assembled in front of the Mazas Prison, which they broke open and released Flourens and other political pri¬ soners. They subsequently dispersed ; but met again in front of the Hotel de Ville on Sunday, the 234, and, aided by a battalion «f Na¬ tional Gnards, demanded a surrender of the government. A colUsion ensued. The mob fired upon an officer of the Gardes Mobiles, severely wounding him. The fire was re¬ turned and the rioters fled, the guards making no effort to arrest the leaders.] flourens Disappears. Continuing, the Herald correspondent writes: . It is a notable fact that Flourens, who was prominent among the rioters before a shot was fired, was not seen again after the first discharge. stringent measures. This morning an official order has been issued which forbids future meetings of clubs and suppresses two incesdiary journals . the Combat and the Reveil. The people generally approve the firm stand against the rioters by General Vicoy. TIIE CHANGE OF RULERS TROCHU'S INCOM¬ PETENCY. Indeed, much satisfaction is felt at the. great change effected in rulers during the past forty- eight hours. A few weeks age it would have been regarded as treason to oppose Trochu ; now, he is removed from command, if not actually degraded. For many days past it had been evident that such must be his fate. All are willing to admit his personal honesty, bravery and conscientiousness ; but few, if any, are willing to deny his complete failure in the crisis now upon the country. Ilis four months' rule have been four months of de¬ crees, proclamations and promises, but not one successful fight. He even failed to or¬ ganize the army during the four months, for it is now little better than an armod mob. yinoy's responsibility. General Vinoy is now the real spirit of the defence. Although, unfortunately too late to hope, he gets the responsibility of future events when every chance of success is dead. It is impossible not to sympathize with a man who, in his seventieth year, after a life of service to the country, accepts such a hope¬ less task. STILL FOB RESISTANCE. Yet even now it is difficult to find a man or woman who will boldly say, "Let us capitu¬ late." A few days since, while the usual crowd of women was waiting to receive the rations of three hundrod grammes of bread, one poor wretch, half dead with fatigue, cold and hunger, cnciente and wasted by misery, exclaimed, 4 'Mon Dieu ! que cela finisse." (My God ! when will this end.) She was immediately surrounded by the other starving and suffering women of the neighbor¬ hood, who abused and hustled her about till she fainted on the street. She was rescued by some men who were passing and carried to the ambulance. This illustrates the moral cowardice of tho people. Every one of these women, when alone in their wretched, cold rooms, would say, with tears in their eyes, " Mori Dieu! que cela finisse." FOOD GOING. During the past six days there has been an increase of 500 in the mortality report. So far as food is concerned that gets scarcer every day. The decrease in the supply is percep¬ tible. The Prussians may fail to shell Paris into submission, but the poor, suffering people must soon yield to Famine . a greater General than even Von Moltkc. Before three week# more have passed it is certain that the end of the siege of Paris will have come. [ncrcmied Mortality In I'nri*. Precaution* Againut Kiotrrw.Auuounceinent of the Chancer of Killers* London, Jan. 27, 1871. The deaths in Paris for the week ending January 20 were 4,405, an increase of 387 as compared with the previous week. l'BECAUTIONS AGAINST RIOTEBS. Later advices from Paris state that the gov¬ ernment has stationed a large force of troops and artillery in the Place of the Hotel de Ville. The courts martial have been doubled in num¬ ber. annocncino tiie change of BULEBS. Official despatches from Paris to the 22d announce the separation of the command of the army from the Presidency of the govern¬ ment. General Trochu retains the latter office and General Vinoy is now commander of the forces. STORY OF THE FALLEN CITY. A Brief Sketch of tlio Franco- Prussian War. The Campaigns Under the Empire and the Struggles of the Republic. Now that the end has eome, and Paris, arter a heroic defence, has at last passed Into the bauds of her iocm, the Franco- Prussian war seeuts naturally to divide Itself, as we look back at It, Into two grand acts. The first begins with the declaration of war and the outbreak into open conflict of the long smouldering nutional hatred and Jealousy of France and Germany. Then comes, on the 2d of August, the llrst crossing of swords at Soarbrtkck, telegraphed to I'arls as a "French victory," aud immortal in history as the scene of the "baptism of tire" oi the 1'rlnce Imperial. The following day tue Germans entered French territory, and from mat time down to the crowning disaster of seaan, the war is but one dreary chronicle of French humiliation. On the 6th August the troops of the Crown Prince attacked De Failly's corps at Weissemburg and overwhelmed it by sheer forco of numbers. De Failly retreated, and, his forces having made a junction with MacMahon's corps, took up a position at Woerth. On the 6th August the French sustained the two crushing defeats of Woerth and Forbach. In the former the Crown Prince utterly routed MacMahon, ana in the latter General Stelnmetz inflicted an equal disaster upon General Frossard's corps. For eight days after these reverses the war paused, and on the 12th Marshal Uazalne, who had been stationed with the Gardes at Metz, was ap¬ pointed Generalissimo of the French armies. He decided to retreat to Chalons with his own large and splendid army; but the decision was made too late. On the 14th, as his troops were crossing the Moselle, he was attacked by Stelnmetz, and two days after¬ wards it was seen that by a rapid movement the Germans had got between the French and Chalons. The French made a desperate attempt to force a passage, but In vain. On the 18th of August the great battle of Gravelotte was fought, and upon Its ending in a disastrous French defeat, Bazame found himself compelled to shut himself and his army within the defences of Metz. Meanwhile, MaoMahon's army had recovered some¬ what from its llrst disaster, and, having been reorganized, set off to relieve Bazaine by a round¬ about route. Two German armies.one under the Crown Prince, from Chalons, and another under the Crown Prince of Saxony, from before Metz.has¬ tened to engage MacMahon, who was accompanied by the Emperor in person. On the 30th the Crown Prince of Saxony surprised Ue Failly's corps at Beaumont and routed him, and on the following day took place the battle of Sedan, which ended in the surrender of the whole or MacMahon's army and of the Emperor himself. These are the bloodstained steps by which the eagles of Prussia have climbed to European supremacy. The second act of this eventful drama of strife and death aud hatred opens with the overthrow or tnc empire and the march ol the Prussians upon Paris. And that act has now closed, as did the first, in the biilllant triumph of the German arms. No doubt the full details of the siege of Paris, as daily chronicled In the Herald, are still compara¬ tively fresh in the Hinds of our readers. But it Is well, now that an Emperor of Germany is aboat to pass through Its gates in military triumph, to briefly recount once more the thrilling progress of this most wonderful and interesting episode of modern warlare. Scarcely had the fallen Emperor been despatched to hid prison at Wllhelmshflhe, and the captured army consigned to the fortresses of Germany, than the Crown Prince at once began his advance upon Paris. That advance waa made without a check. Day after day tho Prussian troops marched forward, wltli a steadiness aud persistence that seemed to naturally call up before the mlud of the onlooker the resistless progress of fate. In about a couple of weeks, on the 17th of September, their advanced lime was only a few miles from Paris. A day or two of sharp skirmishing succeeded; but the defenders of the city were in no position to risk a battle, and the Crown Prince was permitted to draw his lines closer and closer round the walls, until, on the 10th of September, the Investment was com¬ plete and Paris was Isolated by a glittering guttle of Prussian bayonets from tho outsldo world. Vigorous measures hid, however, been taken by the Pavlslans to make a desperate and protracted defence. Following upon the disaster of Sedan and the captivity of tho Emperor they had, in the name of France, renounced the. empire and amid the wildest enthusiasm of patri¬ otism declared a republic. On the 4th of September a government of national defence was appointed, headed by General Trochu, and com¬ posed of Jules Favre, Gambetta, Rochefort, Jules Simon, Mons. CrCmleux. Picard and a few more obscuro names. Trochu's reputation as a military man and his undoubted patriotism inspired the greatest contldence. lie appreciated, perhaps, more clearly even at that early day tnan most of his col¬ leagues and cempatrlots the peril in which Paris stood. Under his auspices tho preparations for de¬ fence were strenuously pushed forward. Night and day thousands of laborers tolled to yet further com¬ plete the elaborate fortifications that the foresight of M. Thiers years before nad caused to be begun. Provisions of all kinds were rapidly collected and stored. The patches of forest that formed the suburbs were burned down lest they should give cover to the enemy. Ammunition was unceasingly manufactured, and In every public square the work of drilling the volunteers for mili¬ tary service, who had answered the call of the gov¬ ernment from every quarter of the city, was carried on rrom dawn to sunset. Thanks to these signs of liope, the approach of the Prussians, instead of rc<iuclng the Parisians to despair, only lit the Arcs of patriotic ardor into a fiercer and brighter name. To the doubts of foreign military critics they gave but one uoatnchlng reply. that Paris would never surrender. Trochu encouraged this resolution to re¬ sist to the last extremity by several high- flown proclamations, the wording of which, In these lost days of humiliation, reads sadly ludi¬ crous. He is said to have thought at this time that "0,000 men would be enough to hold Paris against aa.v beleaguering force, however stroag, and that the stores already gathered would certainly last six months, or oven longer. When at last, however, Paris was actually cut oif from the rest of the world, It was plain that her citizens realized ror the tlrst time what isolation meant. They had laughed at the possible inconve¬ niences of such a condition of airalis, and had said, with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders, that the world would miss the pleasures of Paris and the in¬ fluences of civilization and rehuem?nt which she shed all over Christendom fat more than Pans would in:ss the presence and the money of the barbarians. Cut when nearly all tho foreigners hurriedly fleu from the doomed clt.v, when the telegraph wires were cut and the mall lines stopped running and ail the thousand and one consei|uences of the siege pressed upou their minds with ever-Increasing force, they began to appreciate the gravity of the pass to which the misgovemment of tlie empire had brought them. They consoled themselves by amusing abase of Prussian barbarism. Victor Hugo's mani¬ festo upon this head must still be fresh iu the memory of our readers.and at the samo time, under the lnfluen c of a moro manly inspiration, began to devise means for eludiug the vigilance of ihe Prussians; and as the air was still free to them tlicy navigated it with a very fair degree of suc¬ cess and with only occasional raishaps.jby balloons. These were manufactured constantly at several es¬ tablishments specially organized for the purpose, aud were despatched at short intervals with malls and news to the outsldo world. Each balloon also took out carrier pigeons, which returned to tho city with news of the progress of the war iu the pro vlnces and with the Instructions or the governmeut, which had moved to Tours. For the first two or three days after the beghsntng of tho siege there was heavy skirmUlung. The ruasiauaon the 20th made a detomiueu Attempt to storm the fort of Mont Valdrlen, on the west side ot tlio capital; but they were repulsed with heavy losses. But most of these engagement* wero of very trivial importance. A great sensation was, however, created by the occupation of Versailles l>v the Prussians aud the establishment of their bead- quarters in this the most celebrated of French palaces. The siege had scarcely begun wUen an attempt was made to bring about the close of hostilities. M.Jules Havre was commissioned by the govern¬ ment to see Bismarck and endeavor to negotiate reasonable terms of peace. After some not very dignified wrangling on both sides, extending over several days, the negotiation fell through. Favre was willing to end the war on a basts of a money coiupensaatlou by Trance to Germany, but refused to assent j.o the cession ol an inch of territory. Bis- marck, while also looking upon a money compensa¬ tion as a necessary basis of settlement, de¬ manded some territorial fruits or victory as well, especially insisting upou ttae hand¬ ing over to Germany of Strasbourg, which did not surrender until a week subsequently. Upon tills rock the whole negotiation spilt, and M. Favre returned to 1'arls, only to impress more earnestly than ever upou his countrymen the ne¬ cessity of vigorous resistance, aud to assure them that it was Impossible to agree with Prussia upon any honorable terms of peace. Even thus early It was clear that Paris was a city divided agalust itself. Two different forms of au¬ thority had been created. The tlrst was the Pro visional Uoverninent, before referred to, upon whose shoulders rested the responsibility of maiulaluing order and resisting the foe. The second was the Central Republican Committee, com¬ posed of four delegates from each arrondissement. or eighty members In all. These lour delegates were elected from among twenty-tlve chosen by the vote of the people. the other twenty-one remaining In their arrondissement to canvass the daily fluctuating opinion of the popu¬ lation, as expressed ju conversation and at night in public meetings. This committee was organized under the auspices of the International Association of Worklngmen and soon began to inspire rear both on the part of the government and the bourgeoisie. The disaffection was headed by M. Gustave Flonrens, who became conspicuous In the atrair or Victor Nolr. But tlie tear or disturbances from this cause did uot continue long alter the confusion inci¬ dent to the beginning of the siege had sub¬ sided. Trochu drilled aud organized the volunteers and sounded the sentiments of the community, while he temporized with the malcontents; and, as soon as he found lilmseir strong enough to do so, repressed the mis¬ chief-makers with a strong hand. Nothing, per¬ haps, shows the injustice of the abuse recently heaped so lavishly upon this great man than the good order which he has succeeded In maintaining In Paris. Through nearly all the four mouths of the siege there has scarcely been anything like an at¬ tempt at revolution, since the first disturbances reached their height aud were quelled; and it is oaly wlthlu the past two or three weeks, when the people had lost ail hope of prolonging resistance, that the spirit of disaffection and disorder has ven¬ tured again to make its appearance. With the surrender of Strasbourg on the 27th or September the besiegers aud the besieged settled dowu In serious earnest to work. The Parisians were dally growing apparently more resolute, the city was rapidly acquiring a government In which it had the greatest contldencc, and all the arrange¬ ments for defence were being perfected. The great difficulty was, It was clear, the food supply, and mea¬ sures were adopted by the authorities to make the stores hold out as long as possible. Fresh meat de¬ manded naturally the first attentioa, and the gov¬ ernment took possession of all the live stock within the wails, and allowed only a certain number of beasts to he killed each day. Every butcher re- oeived daily a certain amount of meat, based upon his average sales. The meat supply, hew- ever, under this system was complained of as being insufficient, and restaurants were frequently unable to supply their customers. All stores of flour were also taken possession of by the noveru- merit and doled out on a similar plan. Only three weeks from the opening of the siege rates already were enormously high for everjiluug of which the government did not thus supervise the sale, liam was quoted at seven francs the pound; salt butter, nine francs; chicken, ten francs the pound; rabbits, eleven francs; ducks, nine francs; goose, twenty ' .tic* Still, in spite of these enormous indica¬ tions, the government announced that it could easily hold out four months without imposing any great privations upon the people. And it was looked upon as beyond all possibility that the capital of Frauce would be allowed to remain thus long un¬ relieved. At this time the troops nnderTrochu mustered nearly four hundred thousand men, fully equal in apparent strength to the beleaguering army. But this vast force was composed chiefly of volunteers or the demoralized wrecks of the great armies that had already been destroyed. They were, there/ore, either Inexperienced or unreliable, and Trochu might well hesitate to hurl them against the Ger¬ man veterans who surrounded him. lie avowed his determination to wait until an army of relief arrived to aid the besieged in raising the siege, and for the purpose of hastening on this happy consum¬ mation M. Qambetta was commissioned to leave l'aris and organize a force in the provinces. He leit the capital in a balloon, and will probably go down to history as the iirst Minister who ever ventured for a serious object in so hazardous a means of travel. Some two hundred Americans and a number of other foreigners still remained in the city. All oi these were, of course, strongly iu favor of the French cause, and the Americans organized an ambulance corps on the model used In our own war, which did good service in alleviating the sufferings of the wounded. For a month after the investment rumors were dally circulated that the bombardment was to begin immediately. On the 11 th of October the first three shots were fired by the Prussians, but their posltioa was too tar removed lrom the city for a bombard¬ ment to inflict any great damage. Besides this, the besiegers were unable to bring np their heavy guns, owing to the breaks In the railroad communication and the lmpassabiUty of the roads from heavy rains, in fact, the bombardment was from these causes deferred until a few weeks ago. From the outset the French maintained a vigorous Are on the Prus¬ sian lines with cannon and small arms. On Wednesday, the lath or October, the French made a first grand sortie, with brilliantly successful results. The sortie was led bj General Trochu in person, and 120,000 French troops participated in it. They displayed the greatest gallantry and their cou¬ rage was well rewarded. The Prussians had crept up almost to tlie walls, and If they had been able to plant batteries of heavy guns In these temporary positions tney could have shelled Paris. The 'Prus¬ sian line was driven back at all points with heavy slaughter, all their works were destroyed, and, as the beleaguering clrclo expanded, hope for the French became brighter and brighter. Mctz surrendered on the 27th, wltu 150,000 men, and the news of this grand disaster more than coun¬ terbalanced the confidence In ultimate victory that had been inspired by the victory of the 12th of Octo¬ ber. Before this last misfortune hopes had been entertained that Bazaine would afford employment for the troops of Prince Frederick Charles, while the first Army of the Loire, organized by Gambeita, could advance eliher to the relief of Pans or Metz. The fall of Mctz dispersed this hone, how ever, aud immediately after M. Thiers began ne¬ gotiations with Bismarck for an armistice. These negotiations, however, fell through, as the Prussians would not allow victuals to pass into the city during the temporary cessation of hostilities. While this armistice was pending the disturb¬ ances which have already boeu referred to finally c»ine to a head. They had been growing more and more serious since the beginning of the siege; and now, Trochu, being perfectly prepared, determined to put them down once lor all. On the last day of October groups of people assembled In the Place de l'Hotel de Ville, in a great state of excitement about Hie report that had been sot afloat that the provisional government were about to agree to»the armistice on the Prussian terms. The mob at last pushed through Into the Hotel de Ville and practi¬ cally captured the Ministers. The gardes natlouales, however, rescued the government from this perilous dilemma, and Trochu arrested the leaders for treason against the rapabllt. Thin w;i« the laut serious in'crnai trouble that occasioned iny anxiety. lu the bi'irtniutts of November toe Army of tne Loire, under lie Paladlnes, actnuved a signal vic¬ tory over General \ on tier Tann and forced the Prus¬ sians to evacuate Orleans. Later on in the month of November other French victories were also obtained In the Hume department, and the news of thsm car¬ ried to Paris t>y a carrier pigeon, which was wounded by the Prussians as it entered the city. Until tbe end of November the alette went «n but Hlowly, while the stuck of provisions became palpa¬ bly smaller and the Parisians experienced the must disagreeable consequences of the investment. Fresh meat save out at tbe beginning of the month, and the animals of tne Jatdin del 1'iauts were alaln and sold to the people elephants, monkeys, lions tigers yak and rhinoceros included. There was au abundance of other provisions, however, and to re¬ animate the patriotism or the citizens General Tro- chu issued, about the 20th November, a proclama¬ tion, of which the following extract contains the gist?. The attitude of Paris makes the astonishment of Europe. The enemy lias been surprised. He is kept for a space of two months bet re the capital by tne exertions of the population 01 Paris alone, which had nut been thought callable of such a power of resistance. Prussia accented the de¬ mands of Hie government for an armistice, but the fatal day of the 3lst of October at iVlei/. compro¬ mised tne position so that cominun cation with the provinces from the city was interrupted. 1 lie enemy tried to disco urugc the besiegers by creating here dissensions. They circulate*! lalsu reports, which were originated at the German out¬ posts and printed lu the Uermau newspapers. The tiarde Natiouale has been mcrersed to live fold its number. Private eoterpriso and industry have pro¬ duced a large quantity of new cannon In Paris. History docs not atrord the example et a people, after the destruction of their armies in the Held and the capital oi the country Invested and all commu¬ nication vvitn the provinces cut otf, navlng opposed to disaster, apparently Irreparable, more vigorous efforts of moral and material resistance. It would be unworthy of Fiance, alter having prepared ener¬ getically ior any and every sacrifice, not to go still turther and suffer in the struggle to the last ex¬ treme. If successful we will "deserve well of onr country;" "if we have to succumb eveutuaily we will do su with riuuor." Toward the end of November the Army of the Loire was sigualiy defeated by Prince Frederick Charles, who alter the surrender or Metz bad turned his march southward. The day alter this news was received at Versailles General Ducrot, with 100,000 men, made a grand sortie from Paris. On the night of the 29th ot November a lively lire was maintained from the forts round Paris, and tbe following morning the garrison made sorties at various points on the Seine aud Marne. The light¬ ing was very desperate and lasted until night. The result was doubtful; but General Ducrot was at first believed to have been successful lu break- lna thr jugh the Prussian lines. He took some of the villages about Urie-sur-Marne, and practically for twenty-four hours the investing circle was broken. On the tollowlng day (Friday, December 2) the Germans, however, by dreadfully hard lighting, succeeded in again establishing their positions, and Ducrot and his army were onco more prisoned be¬ neath the walls of Paris. The losses in these days' lighting must have been frightiully heavy, but the es¬ timates given are very various. The German loss alone in the two days, according to their own esti¬ mates, was 6,500 men, while the French loss In killed and wounded was even greater, and lu prisoners 1,800. Following Mils defeat came the final disaster to the Army of the Loire, and a further unsuccessful and not very vigorous attempt by Ducrot on the 10th of December te again break through the Investing lines. These disasters, and especially the first, produced a very bad effect upon the defenders of Paris, and affairs within the doomed capital grew more and more discouraging. From this time until almost the close of the year the record of the siege was not very Interesting. In the north, under General Faidherbe, in tbe south a second Army of the Loire, under Chanzy, and In the east an army, under Bonrbakl, had been slowly gathered together. Faidherbe was soon defeated, and Bourbaki's command was not very promising. The Army of tbe Loire again achieved a few succeses, which inspired great confidence in Its new leader. On the 29th of December the Germans obtained an advantage that led to ttie ultimate capture ot the city. The bom¬ bardment on the part of the Prussians had been postponed again and again, until It was believed that rhey adhered to their original Intention to starve the city into submission. On the 20th, how¬ ever, the beginning of the end toolc place by the bombardment of Fort Avrou ami Its forced evacua¬ tion by the French. This position gained 't became clear that the Prussians were able lit anytime they chose to begin In serious earnest the work of shell¬ ing the city. Avron once 'aken, the Germans directed a tire from that position and silenced Fort Nogent. On the 3d a heavy bombardment on the forts on the north, south and east was begun, but with vqry little effect. Meanwhile affairs inside the doomed city had be¬ come more and more desperate. Mtat, even' salt or wild of any Kind, had lor weeks been out of the market. Two-thirds of the population were living ouly upon the insuillcient rations of Hour served out by the government. Owing to these privations and to the severity or an unusually cold winter, there were a great many deaths from sickness. Stilt the temper of the people remained true to tlio pro¬ visional government until the inaction that suc¬ ceeded Duorot's unsuccessful aud disastrous sor¬ ties of the 12th ano 21st December showed that alt hope, in the opinion of General Trochu, lay In suc- <Jor from without. In the fretfulness of lorced inac¬ tivity the people began to complain, ana Trochu has had to make a choice between wasting French lives 1b useless sorties or bearing the taunt from his own people of be ng cowardly and Incompetent. Finding that efforts were again being made to stimulate dis¬ affection he issued the following proclamation on the 7th Inst:. Efforts are belmr made to destroy union and con¬ fidence, to which Paris owes her prolonged defence. Political capital is being made 01 disappointments caused solely by the severity of the weatner. The army has indeed been sorely tried and requires a brief rest, wmoh the enemy seeks to prevent by a most violent bombardment, but that army is pre¬ paring to act and will do Us duty. Tnere are no dissensions among the members of the government, who are perfectly united In lace of the country's perils and In hope of her deliverance. The bomDardment having begun on the 3d, gra¬ dually Increased In severity, and the damage It has done has no doubt terminated the siege. On the 6th Fort Vanvres was destroyed and on the 8th instant the barracks of Fort Montrouge were set on Are and burned, and a few spent stiells fell into the gardens of the Luxembourg. The firing from this time was kept up all through each day, and through the night until four o'clock In the morning. It soon be¬ came evident, too, that part of the city would have to be destroyed or the entire city capitulate. Trochu, however, still held Arm to his resolution to resist to the last, and even after Fort Vanvres had been re¬ duced to silence, issued the lollowlng defiant proclamation:. The bomoardment of Paris has been commenced by the euemy. Not content with tiring at the ior'.s, the Germans throw projectiles at the houses in the city and threaten our nearths and families with vio¬ lence. This can only redouble tne resolution of Paris, which dosires to fight and cooqucr. The de¬ fenders of the forts are exposed to an Incessant lire, but they do not lose their calmness; tuey know how to millet terrible reprisals upon the aggressor. The population of Paris valiant y accepts the new tes^if their courage and endurance. B The enemy expects the bombardment to Intimi¬ date us. It will only make ourenergv more vigorous and make us show ourselves worthy of the Army of the Loire, which has driven back the enemy, and the Army of the Xortn, which Is on tue march to our succor. " Tt. e le France /" " ripe la Hepublique /" The bombardment constantly grew more severe. On the 13th Paris was on Are in several places, and the French battery at Notre Hume de ciamars was captured. Thi3 was a point nearly a niPe in ad vance 01 the former Prussian lines, and guns were imme¬ diately mounted on the position and directed against Fort Issy. 0" the following day ttie French made a determined attempt to repossess themselves of this position. t'Ut wero repulsed with heavy loss. The same day the French made a sortie from st. Denis, under rho personal superintendence of General Trochu, but witnout success. On the 15th the Prus¬ sian Die destroyed Tort Issy and Fort Montrouge. This brings us down to the present, and when the desperate condition ol Paris is placed side by side with the disasters to the armies ot Chanay, Bour- baki and Kaidhcrbe, it is clear that the capitulation ot the city has been necessary and unavoidable. Fortunaiely the damage done by the bouibardiiieut has not hitherto been very severe. A few buildings have been -destroyed anil a hundred or so people killed, but that la all. The Parisians nave tasted the horrors of war, m some of their most aggravated forms, but their beautiful city still remains compara¬ tively unharmed, and the precious treasures of art which U contains have been saiely preserved. 1 HISTORIC SIEGES. beleaguered Cities in Ancient and Modern Times. The Horrors of Imprismirl Popnhtiom-* Famine, Prriilciire oud Rapine. A Retrospect of the Annals ot Thirty Centuries. Sieges of Troy, Nineveh, Babylon, Tyrf, Carthage, Jerusalem, Homo, Constanti¬ nople, I'aris, Uocheile, Amiens, Bor¬ deaux, Calais, Belgrade, Vienna, Antwerp, Leyden, Magdeburg, Acre, Sai'a<?ossa, (Gibraltar, Sebastopol, Kars, Delhi and Vicksbttrg. Paris has ralien! The capital or France, which for over four mouths has maintained a brave hut hopo- less delence, has succumbed. The formidable forti¬ fications which srirrouuded the city have not been able to save It from the result which was inevitable. Ail that man could do to save the country from the humiliation which the surrender of the capital en¬ tailed have failed to attain the end deserved. Suf¬ fering, privation and starvation have accomplished more for Germany than the admirable armies which she possesses, and which are directed by a com¬ mander whose militnry Renins is universally ac¬ knowledged. The heroic delence of the Parisians has closed In vain, and the crowning success of German arms has culminated in the capitulation of Paris. The last act of the dreadful tragedy is performed, and white waiting, not without impatience, for the full particulars of the surrender, the following hurried sketch of some of the principal sieges chronicled In history may be read with attention. It is not, of course, an exhaustive record of this branch or mili¬ tary annals, but it, at least, presents examples of nearly all that has been suffered by invested cities in the past; and happllr It records some horrors which will probably never again sum the pages of history. TROT. First among historical sieges comes that famous* one of Troy, which, thanks to the genius of Homer, will live forever in the memories of men. Perhaps, as a minority of critics assert, tills siege is wholly fabulous, but its details are told with such* painfully graphic minuteness in the pages of the grand oid Iliad that we can at least accept it as a representative specimen of the nume¬ rous sieges which, though history lias preserved no record of them, doubtless marked what has been termed the Homeric age of Greece. The Greek expedition agalnBt Troy was undertaken to redress the wrongs of Menelaua, whose wife, Helen, reputed to have been the loveliest woman of her time, had been, not against her own consent, carried ofT by the handsome heir of Priam, King or Ilium.Paris. At that lime Greece was a family or petty kingdoms, and in response to a general summons all its chlers mustered their forces, and, having elected Agamemnon to Em their leader, sailed with twelve hundred galleys across the smiling jfigean Sea, anu beleaguered the city which sheltered the princely Lothario. Dismissing ail the poetical machinery of gods and goddesses wlih which Homer has embellished his narrative, a fair remainder of probable truth is still left us, and we can see in our mind's eye the scenery, the actors and the deeds of this wonderful drama. For ten long years the Greeks lay bofore the walls of the devoted city, encamped In rude tents, faring hardly and exposed to the privations of a changeable and occasionally iuclement climate. This season their forces were decimated by slckuess; the next the auger of the gods punished them with the loss of a tried and respected leader; the third, perhaps, they fell victims to a not unnatural despondency. Inside the city, the Trojans held out with unflinch¬ ing firmness, and, as they Md stored abundant supplies of provisions, doubted little that they would | su cesafully tire out the patience or the beleaguer¬ ing army. Day by day the routine or operations seems to have been much the same. There were no cannon or sharpshooters In those days, and the leaders could, therefore, without fear, inflict lone taunting speeches upon each other, after the man¬ ner of Indian braves, while, If thoy found themselves getting the worst of It iu some petty fray that en- s ied, tliey could throw down their arms and run away. Regularly, after breakfast, the Greek chiefs promenaded tinder the walls, and called the Trojans, wno appeared upon them, bastards and dogs, and yet more opprobrious epithets. Now ami then a sally would be made from the city, but little damage on either side resulted, and probably during the whole course of the siege there were more deaths among the combatants in the way of nature than by hostile thrusts. So languished on this famous siege lor ten weary years. Bv ihat time most of the great chiefs on both sides were dead, and at last the city was t iken, not by force of arms, bnt by a strata¬ gem of the cunning Ulysses. Under his direction a huge wooden horse, in which a number of soldiers could be concealed, was built, and the Infatuated Trojans admitted It within the gates. The hidden Greeks sallied from their retreat, admitted their comrades and Troy was taken. That Is the Homeric end or the story, and readers can believe it or not, just as they please, and just as the rest of the world have done lor the past three thousand years. A PLAIN OK SIEGES. Next arter the siege of Troy, In time, we have the celebrated sieges of Nineveh and Babylon. Both these cities were situated in that fertile plain watered by the Euphrates and the Tigris, which was the seat of the earliest civilized empires. This plain has ever since been the theatre of countless sieges. Late travellers (and ono of the last was a Herald correspondent, whose letters were published only a few weeks airo In these col¬ umns) describe ltas a vast treeless waste, with regular and very gentle undulations. Ou the east it Is bound¬ ed by the mountains of Kurdistan, whose hardy off¬ spring nave from almost time Immemorial occasion¬ ally descended on the rich lands spread beneath their eyes. The necessary result has been that the inhabitants of Mesopotamia and the plain of Shinar have been forced, for the sake ol security, to dwell in fortified town*. They have uniformly, too, adopted i a curiously ingenious method of defence. Selecting some swell or land, they, with infinite labor, reared up huge mounds ol earth, whose summits were defended by circling walls of massive stone. These are, perhaps, the "cities built upon a hill," re¬ ferred to in Scripture; and, as the traveller rides through the monotonous deserts of this now almost- abandoned land, it is with no common emotion that he gazes upon the vast heaps of mute earth that here and there dot the plain. They are llteless, and yet they speak volumes. They tell the long story of the past in words tnat cannot lie. And that story is one dreary, chronicle or constant strife. Indeed, the annals of this plain, if told, would be little else than a sail and continuous record of the mceessful de¬ fence or of the ruthless sack and pillage of imper¬ illed cities. NINEVEH AND BABVLON. But it is high time to return to Nineveh and Baby» Ion. Of the siege of the first wo know but little, ex¬ cept that It occurred about the year 600 B. C., that It was not very protracted, and that It resulted in the overthrow of the uiighry Assyrian empire. The Assyrian king at that time was the effeminate Sar- danapalus, who lived solely ainonsr his women, and who even adopted the dress of the weaker sex. When It was announced that the city could no longer hold out agaiust the foe he collected all his treasures In one vast pile in the courtyard of his palace, and then mounting it, applied with his own hands the torch to what he thus mado his funereal pyre. But in regard to the fall of Babylon we have fuller, though conflicting, details. There is, first, the Scrip¬ tural account, which has to be stretched a little to CONTINUED oiflENTH PAG&

surrender. starving paris. story of the fallen ......surrender. capitulation of paris to the germans...

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