night two attacks in
considerable force were directed against the position, but both of them
failed. At nine on Saturday morning, after a very heavy artillery fire
from the batteries at Stains and Dugny, which was replied to from the
forts of Aubervilliers and l'Est, La Briche and St. Denis, heavy masses
of infantry advanced from Staines and Gonesse. When they approached the
village the fire which was concentrated on them was so heavy that they
were obliged to fall back. At about twelve o'clock I went out by the
gate of La Villette. Between the ramparts and the Fort of Aubervilliers
there were large masses of troops held in reserve, and I saw several
battalions of National Guards among them, belonging, I heard, to the
Volunteers. I pushed on to an inn situated at the intersection of the
roads to Bourget and Courneuve. There I was stopped. It was raining
hard, and all I could make out was that Prussians and French were busily
engaged in firing, the former into Bourget, the latter into Stains and
Dugny. It appears to have been feared that the Prussians would make an
attack from Bourget upon either St. Denis or Aubervilliers; it was
discovered, however, that they had no batteries there. Whether we shall
be able to hold the position, or whether, if we do, we shall derive any
benefit from it beyond having a large area in which to pick up
vegetables, time alone will prove. On returning into Paris I came across
in the Rue Rivoli about 200 patriots of all ages, brandishing flags and
singing patriotic songs. These were National Guards, who had been
engaged in a pacific demonstration at the Hotel de Ville, to testify
their affection to the Republic, and to demonstrate that that affection
should be reciprocated by the Republic in the form of better arms,
better pay, and better food. They had been harangued by Rochefort and
Arago. I see by this morning's paper that the latter requested them to
swear that not only would they drive the Prussians out of France, but
that they would refuse to treat with any Government in Germany except a
Republican one.

A decree of General Trochu converts the Legion of Honour into a military
decoration. The journalists of all colours are excessively indignant at
this, for they all expect, when the party which they support is in
power, to be given this red ribbon as a matter of course. It has been so
lavishly distributed that anyone who has not got it is almost obliged to
explain why he is without it, i