mediate election of a "Commune."
Since then, yielding to the demands of their own supporters, they have
withdrawn this decree, and now, if I go unarmed upon the Place de
l'Hotel de Ville and cry "Vive la Commune," I am arrested; whereas if
any battalion of the National Guard chooses, without orders, to go there
in arms and cry, "a bas la Commune," immediately it is congratulated for
its patriotism by some member of the Government.

Nothing new has passed at the front since yesterday. I learn from this
morning's papers, however, that Moltke is dead, that the Crown Prince is
dying of a fever, that Bismarck is anxious to negotiate, but is
prevented by the obstinacy of the King, that 300 Prussians from the
Polish provinces have come over to our side, and that the Bavarian and
Wurtemberg troops are in a state of incipient rebellion. "From the fact
that the Prussian outposts have withdrawn to a greater distance from the
forts," the _Electeur Libre_, tells me, "it is probable that the
Prussians despair of success, and in a few days will raise the siege."
Most of the newspapers make merry over the faults in grammar in a letter
which has been discovered and published from the Empress to the Emperor,
although I doubt if there is one Frenchman in the world who could write
Spanish as well as the Empress does French.

_Evening._

It appears that yesterday the cheques signed by M. Flourens were not
recognised by the Etat Major of his "secteur." On this he declared that
he would beat the "generale" in Belleville and march on the Hotel de
Ville. The quarrel was, however, patched up--no disturbance occurred.
For some reason or other M. Flourens, until he gave in his resignation,
commanded five battalions of the National Guard; he has been told that
he can be re-elected to the command of any one of them, but that he
cannot be allowed to be at the head of more than one. This man is an
enthusiast, and, I am told, not quite right in his head. In personal
appearance he is a good-looking gentlemanly fellow. As long as
Belleville acts under his leadership there is no great fear that any
danger will arise, because his own men distrust, not his good faith, but
his sense.

Gambetta has sent a despatch from Montdidier, by a pigeon. He says,
"Everywhere the people are rising; the Government of the National
Defence is universally acclaimed."

The Papal Nuncio is going to try to get through on Thursday. He says he
is anxious about the Pope--n