orthy
of a better cause in hopes of gaining a share in the spoils. As I
emerged from the conflict into the comparative peace and coolness of the
Boulevard, I was stopped by a procession--two battalions of National
Guards returning much shorn of numbers, from the Bois de Boulogne,
bringing with them in a furniture waggon a portion of their dead, among
whom was their colonel, whose feet projected from under the flapping
awning of the cart.

An order of the day of Marshal Mac-Mahon has been published in which he
announces the demolition of the Vendome Column. He says:--

"The foreigner respected it; the Commune of Paris has overthrown it. Men
calling themselves Frenchmen have dared to destroy, under the eyes of
the Germans, who saw the deed, this witness of the victories of our
fathers against Europe in coalition. The Commune hopes thus to efface
the memory of the military virtues of which the Column was the glorious
symbol. Soldiers! if the recollections which the Column commemorated are
no longer graven upon brass, they will remain in our hearts. Inspired by
them, we know how to give France another proof of bravery, devotion, and
patriotism."

MAY 20th.

M. ROCHEFORT.

Never have I witnessed a scene of greater excitement than the entry of
Rochefort into Versailles as a prisoner to-day. He was brought in by the
St. Germain road, and was seated in a family omnibus drawn by two
horses. First came a squadron of gendarmes, then the omnibus, surrounded
by Chasseurs D'Afrique, and lastly a squadron of the same corps. In the
vehicle with Rochefort were his secretary, Mouriot, and four police
agents dressed in plain clothes. Outside the omnibus were an officer of
the gendarmerie in uniform and two or three _sergents-de-ville_ not in
uniform. Rochefort's moustache had disappeared. He had himself shaved
closely before setting out from Paris in order to disguise himself, but
there was no mistaking him. It was half-past 1 o'clock in the afternoon
when the _cortege_, arriving at the end of the Boulevard du Roi, entered
the Rue des Reservoirs. Every one ran into the street, and shouts of
execration were raised on all sides. It was no mere demonstration of a
mob. The citizens of all classes joined in it. One man ventured to cry
"Vive Rochefort!" He was kicked by several persons who happened to be
near him, and was saved from further violence only by arrest at the
hands of the _sergents-de-ville_. Along the rue des Reservoirs, th