n in his heart of hearts
really imagined that perhaps within a week he might be blown up by a
bomb. They either will not or cannot believe that anything will happen
which they do not desire. Facts of this kind must be palpably brought
home to them before they will even imagine that they are possible.

The army has been re-organized by that arch organizer Trochu. According
to this new plan, the whole armed force is divided into three armies.
The first comprises the National Guards; the second, under General
Ducrot, is what may be called the active army; it consists of three
corps, commanded respectively by Generals Vinoy, d'Exea, and Renault.
The third comprises all the troops in the forts, in the cottages
adjacent to the forts, which have to be occupied for their defence, and
the fourth commanded by Trochu. The second army will have four cannon to
each thousand men, and will be used to effect a sortie, if possible.
This new arrangement is not well received by military men. Both among
soldiers and officers, General Vinoy is far more popular than any other
general; he is a sort of French Lord Clyde. Until now he had a
coordinate command with Ducrot. That he should be called upon to serve
under him is regarded as an injustice, more particularly because Ducrot
is an intimate personal friend of Trochu. Ducrot and Trochu believe in
themselves, and believe in each other; but no one else believes in
them. They certainly have not yet given the slightest evidence of
military capacity, except by criticising what has been done by others.
Now, at last, however, Trochu will have an opportunity to carry out his
famous plan, by which he asserts that he will raise the blockade in
fourteen days, and of which he has given the fullest details in his
will. Ridicule kills in France--and since this eminent General, as an
evidence that he had a plan, appealed to the will which he had deposited
with his lawyer, he lost all influence. I need not say that this
influence has not been restored by the absurd arrest to which he was
subjected by Messrs. Flourens and Blanqui.

_November 6th._

So we have declined the armistice. The Government deliberated exactly
five minutes over the question. The _Journal Officiel_ says:--"Prussia
expressly refused to entertain the question of revictualment, and only
admitted under certain reserves the vote of Alsace and Lorraine." No
further details are given. An opportunity has been lost, which may never
recur.