d the Mobiles who were in it falling back. Some Prussian
troops appeared from between Stains and Courneuve, and attempted to cut
off the retreat. Whether we lost any cannon my friend does not know. He
thinks not. Some of our troops were trapped, the others got away, and
fell back on the barricades in front of Aubervilliers. My friend
observes that if it was not a rout, it was extremely like one. He thinks
that we were only allowed to get into Bourget in order to be caught like
rats in a trap. When my friend left the forts were firing on Pierrefitte
and Etains, and the Prussians were established in front of Bourget. My
friend, who thinks he has a genius for military matters, observes that
we ought to have either left Bourget alone, or held it with more troops
and more artillery. The Mobiles told him that they had been starving
there for forty-eight hours, and only had two pieces of 12, two of 4,
and one mitrailleuse. The Prussians had brought up heavy guns, and
yesterday they established a battery of twenty-one cannon, which
cannonaded the village.

_October 31st._

Yesterday evening until eleven o'clock--a late hour now for Paris;--the
Boulevards were crowded. Although the news that Bourget had been retaken
by the Prussians had been _affiche_ at the Mairies, those who asserted
it were at first treated as friends of Prussia. Little by little the
fact was admitted, and then, every one fell to denouncing the
Government. To-day the official bulletin states that we retreated in
good order, leaving "some" prisoners. From what I hear from officers who
were engaged, the Mobiles fought well for some time, although their
ammunition was so wet that they could only fire twelve shots with their
cannon, and not one with their mitrailleuse. When they saw that they
were likely to be surrounded, there was a stampede to Aubervilliers and
to Drancy, the latter of which was subsequently evacuated. To-day we
have two pieces of news--that M. Thiers entered Paris yesterday, and
that Metz has fallen. The _Journal des Debats_ also publishes copious
extracts from a file of provincial papers up to the 26th, which it has
obtained.

I hear that M. Thiers advises peace on any terms. The Government of
Paris is in a difficult position. It has followed in the course of
Palikao. By a long _suggestio falsi et suppressio veri_ it has led the
population of this city to believe that the position of France has
bettered itself every day that the siege ha