les those who utter it, they are quite right to do so. For the last
two days long lines of cannon have issued from the city gates, and have
been, without noise or parade, handed over to the Prussians at Issy and
Sevran. Few are aware of what has taken place, or know that their
surrender had been agreed to by M. Jules Favre. Representations having
been made to Count Bismarck that 10,000 armed soldiers were insufficient
for the maintenance of the peace of the capital, by an additional secret
clause added to the armistice the number has been increased to 25,000.
The greatest ill-feeling exists between the Army and the National Guards
in the most populous quarters. A general quartered in one of the outer
faubourgs went yesterday to General Vinoy, and told him that if he and
his men were to be subjected to insults whenever they showed themselves
in the streets, he could not continue to be responsible for either his
or their conduct. Most persons of sense appear to consider that the
armistice was an error, and that the wiser policy would have been to
have surrendered without conditions. M. Jules Favre is blamed for not
having profited by the occasion, to disarm the National Guards. Many of
their battalions, as long as they have arms, and receive pay for doing
nothing, will be a standing danger to order. The sailors have been paid
off; and the fears that were entertained of their getting drunk and
uproarious have not been confirmed. They are peaceably and sentimentally
spending their money with the "black-eyed Susans" of their affections.
The principal journalists are formally agitating the plan of a combined
movement to urge the population to protest against the Prussian
triumphal march through the city, by absence from the streets through
which the invading army is to defile. Several are, however, opposed to
any action, as they fear that their advice will not be followed.
Curiosity is one of the strongest passions of the Parisians, and it will
be almost impossible for them to keep away from the "sight." Even in
Coventry one Peeping Tom was found, and here there are many Peeping
Toms. Mr. Moore and Colonel Stuart Wortley, the delegates of the London
Relief Fund, have handed over 5,000l. of provisions to the Mayors to be
distributed. They could scarcely have found worse agents. The Mayors
have proved themselves thoroughly inefficient administrators, and most
of them are noisy, unpractical humbugs. Colonel Stuart Wortley and Mr.