on, muskets, and munitions of war. These gentlemen, with the
exception of the latter, are rather men of words than of action. They do
neither harm nor good. Of General Trochu, into whose hands, by the mere
force of circumstances, all civil and military authority is
concentrating, _Bonum virum, facile dixeris, magnum libenter_. He is, I
believe, a good general and a good administrator. Although he awakens no
enthusiasm, confidence is felt by the majority in his good sense. It is
thought, however, that he is wanting in that energy and audacity which
are requisite in a leader, if victory is to be wrested from the Germans.
He forgets that time is not his ally, and that merely to hold Paris
until that surely inevitable hour arrives when the provisions are
exhausted will neither save France nor her capital. He is a man slow to
form a plan, but obstinate in his adherence to it; unwilling to move
until he has his forces perfectly under control, and until every
administrative detail is perfected--better fitted to defend Troy for ten
years than Paris for a few months--in fact, a species of French
M'Clellan.

We are now in a position, according to our military authorities, to hold
out as long as our provisions last. If Paris does this, without being so
heroic as her citizens imagine that she already is, she will have done
her duty by France. Nicholas said, when Sebastopol was besieged, that
winter was his best ally; and winter will soon come to our aid. The
Prussians are a long way from their homes; if the provinces rise it will
be difficult for them to keep their lines of communication open, and to
feed their troops. It may also be presumed that they will be harassed by
the 300,000 armed men who are cooped up here, and who are acting on the
inner circle. Cannon are being cast which, it is expected, will render
the sorties far more effective. On the other hand, the question has not
yet been solved whether the Parisians will really support the hardships
of a siege when they commence, and whether there will not be internal
dissensions. At present the greatest confidence is felt in ultimate
success. The Parisians cannot realise to themselves the possibility of
their city being taken; they are still, in their own estimation, the
representative men of "la grande nation," and they still cite the
saying of Frederick the Great that, were he King of France, not a sword
should be drawn without his permission, as though this were a dictum
th