unds. Poor and dear France! Provinces
crushed and towns blockaded, populations ruined, and thou, O Paris, once
the city of the fairies, now become the city of the grave times of
antiquity, raise thy head, be confident, be strong. It is thy heart that
has spoken, it is thy soul unconquered, invincible, the soul of thy
country that has appealed to the world and told it the truth." The
_Liberte_, after this preliminary burst, goes on to say, that it knew
before that Bismarck was everything that was bad, but that it has now
discovered that, besides possessing every other vice, he is a liar, and
if there is one thing that France and the _Liberte_ cannot endure, it is
a man who does not tell the truth. If the Prussians are not driven out
of France by words, it certainly will be a proof that mere words have
very little effect in shaping the destinies of nations.

Each person now receives 100 grammes of meat per diem, the system of
distribution being that every one has to wait on an average two hours
before he receives his meat at the door of a butcher's shop. I dine
habitually at a bouillon; there horse-flesh is eaten in the place of
beef, and cat is called rabbit. Both, however, are excellent, and the
former is a little sweeter than beef, but in other respects much like
it; the latter something between rabbit and squirrel, with a flavour all
its own. It is delicious. I recommend those who have cats with
philoprogenitive proclivities, instead of drowning the kittens, to eat
them. Either smothered in onions or in a ragout they are excellent. When
I return to London I shall frequently treat myself to one of these
domestic animals, and ever feel grateful to Bismarck for having taught
me that cat served up for dinner is the right animal in the right place.

I went last night to the Theatre of the Porte St. Martin; it has become
the rendezvous of the optimists, and speeches were delivered to prove
that everything was for the best in the best of worlds, and poetry was
recited to prove that the Prussians must eventually be defeated. The
chair was taken by M. Coquerel, who with great truth said that Paris had
fallen so low that the siege might be considered almost a blessing, and
that the longer it lasted, the more likely was it to aid in the work of
regeneration, which alone can make this world a globe of honourable men
and honest women. It will, indeed, do the Parisians all the good in the
world to keep guard on the ramparts instead