far worse than nothing,
for the flying stones would kill more than the balls.

The streets are placarded at every turn with all sorts of
inflammatory appeals, and general orders of the Comite
Central or of the Commune. One of the first things I
saw last night was a large placard beginning "Citoyens!"
Among the orders is one forbidding any one from placarding
any orders of the Versailles government under the severest
penalties; and another threatening with instant dismissal
any official who shall recognize any order issuing from
the said government.

I must do all hands the justice to say that they are all
very well behaved. There is nothing like a mob anywhere, so
far as I can find. I consulted my map this morning, right
alongside the barricade and in full view of the builders,
without being molested, and wife and I walked through the
insurrectionary districts without being troubled or seeing
the slightest symptoms of disturbance. The stores are all
open, and every one seems to be buying and selling as usual.
In all the cafes I have seen, the habitues seem to be
drinking their wine just as coolly as if they had nothing
unusual on their minds.

From this date to that of our departure I saw nothing suggestive
of violence within the limited range of my daily walks, which were
mostly within the region including the Arc de Triomphe, the Hotel
de Ville, and the observatory; the latter being about half a mile
south of the Luxembourg. The nearest approach to a mob that I
ever noticed was a drill of young recruits of the National Guard,
or a crowd in the court of the Louvre being harangued by an orator.
With due allowance for the excitability of the French nature,
the crowd was comparatively as peaceable as that which we may see
surrounding a gospel wagon in one of our own cities. A drill-ground
for the recruits happened to be selected opposite our first lodgings,
beside the gates of the Luxembourg. This was so disagreeable that we
were glad to accept an invitation from Delaunay to be his guests at
the observatory, during the remainder of our stay. We had not been
there long before the spacious yard of the observatory was also used
as a drill-ground; and yet later, two or three men were given _billets
de logement_ upon the observatory; but I should not have known of the
latter occurrence, had not Delaunay told me. I believe he bought
the men off, much as one pays an organ-grinder to move on.