es
were in France. "If the army of succour," he said, "comes to us, we will
extend our hands to it; but if it marches under the Orleans banner, the
Government will not recognise that banner. As a man, I deplore the law
which proscribes this family; as a citizen and a politician, I maintain
it. Even if these Princes were to abdicate their dynastic pretensions,
the Government will remember Bonaparte, and how he destroyed the
Republic in 1851, and energetically protest against their return." This
reply when reported to the Club was greatly applauded. Probably none of
its members had ever heard the proverb that beggars ought not to be
choosers.

The event of the day has been the arrest of M. Portales, the editor of
the _Verite_. This newspaper, after asserting that the Government has
received news from the provinces, asks a series of questions. In the
afternoon the editor was arrested, and this morning the _Official
Gazette_ thus replies to the queries: No news has been concealed. The
last official despatch received is one from Gambetta, announcing his
safe arrival at Montdidier. The Government has received an old copy of
the _Standard_, but this journal, "notoriously hostile to France,"
contained sensational intelligence, which appeared absolutely untrue.
To-day it has received a journal of Rouen of the 12th, and it hastens to
publish the news derived from this source. Bismarck never proposed an
armistice through Burnside. The General only unofficially informed
Trochu that Bismarck's views were not altered since he had met Favre at
Ferrieres, when he stated that "if he considered an armistice realizable
for the convocation of an Assembly, he would only grant it for
forty-eight hours; he would refuse to include Metz, or to permit
provisions to enter Paris, and exclude from the Assembly our brave and
unhappy compatriots of Alsace and Lorraine." The _Official Gazette_ then
gives extracts from the Rouen paper, which are very contradictory. Our
newspapers, however, in commenting on them, come to the conclusion that
there are two armies in the field well equipped, and that they have
already achieved important successes. The situation also of Bazaine is
proved to be excellent. _Quem Dem, &c._

Two of the mayors have ordered all crucifixes to be removed from the
ambulances in their arrondissements. Their conduct is almost universally
blamed. The enlistment of the Amazons, notwithstanding the efforts of
the Government, still cont