THE ENGLISH MAIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XI, Issue 896, 10 June 1871, Page 2

THE ENGLISH MAIL.

THE FIGHTING BEFORE PARIS.

A correspondent of the Timee, writing on April 7th, says : — The citizens of Paris were enabled this morning to enjoy a new sensation—to sit beneath the shadow of the arch which commemorates the proudest chapter in French history, and witness a desperate struggle. raging but a few hundred yards below. The Veaujeur of to-day celebrated in pompous terms the elevation of the red flag upon the pedestal of Courbevoie. At daybreak a sudden raid was made by a detachment of gendarmerie from Mont Valerien upon Courbevoie and Puteaux, which resulted in the surprise aud dispersion of the National Guards who occupied the place, the remnants of the latter retiring in ■good order upon the barricade on the Neuilly bridge, unpursued by the enemy who was not in sufficient force to hazard a regular attack. By eleven o'clock a great crowd had assembled at the foot of the Arch of Triumph, and it was evident from the noise and smoke that something of unusual importance was enacting without the walls ; the American ambulance hard by was astir, surgeons and infirmiers running to and fro with bandages and lint, while the waggons were being washed arid horses harnessed. A party of brancardiers who were returning with some dead informed us that the Neuilly district was impossible of approach, that three ambulance men had been killed that, morning, and all the by-roads leading to the Maillot gate were literally blocked with cannon and munition-vans. -Under these circumstances we thought it prudent to make a detour, skirting the lake and the now desolate ■" Madrid," whose walls are wont at this time of year to echo with laughttfr and the tread of many feet, but where the shutters now flap idly in the wind, while the grass grows in rank tufts between its court-yard stones. When we reached Lord Hertford's villa we became aware of a powerful fusillade on our right, varied every now and then by the cijack of a shell or a sharp rip of a mitrailleuse, and, on mounting to the turret which crowns the building, found ourselves in an excellent private box and in good time to witness the performance. Our house was a corner one, looking on the river, with a broad road by the water side leading to the Neuilly bridge, some 400 yards dislaut, and on that bridge the battle was raging hottest. With a field glass one could watch the little black figures load and fire over the barricade, which stretched from parapet to parapet ; one could see the puff of smoke and momentary flame a3 shell after shell started from) the batteries of Courbevoi to land with a

crash am;d the devoted little crowd, or " swish" into the water with the hissing of a snake. From time to time a man would run back along the road to order up ammunition, and then be seen again making for his former place, or stooping suddenly to fall down, and then lie still or crawl painfully away underifoe shadow of the adjacent nouses. The National Guard stood their ground manfully, never budging an inch or wavering for an instant under the tremendous firerwhich^raked the bridge, returning with a fusilladoof musketry arid an occasional shot from a 12-pounder gun the incessant shower of mitrailleuse bullets that rained up.n them from the demi-lune and the shells that poured down from Mont Valerien. Finding that ■ the fusillade couj inued monotonously, and was likely .sfrito continue until nightfall, we determined, under Bhelter of the houses, to make fi>r.Bome spot near the Porte Maillot. We met a number of stragglers who had fired, .away all their caiimiches, and who were now in search of more. Our ambulance carriages were at last drawn up close to r the scene of the conflict. . .,'. : "..-'• ' -• The noise was terrible arid bewildering as shells and round shot biased through, the air, and walls crumbled with a roar above the monotony of the never-ceasing fusillade. Ever and anon there rang out a sharp cry of pain from some unfortunate wretch under the surgeon's hands within the closed gates of a courtyard hard by, and. the word of command was' bornckupon the wind as the officer's rallied their men and urged them back into action. News reached us every now arid then of the battle's progress. General 80. urgonin was lying dead upon the barricade'; the slaughter was frightful, bat .the Guards . still held their ground. Tiey Ka^.now been eight hours under fire, and the positions were thesameasat the beginning of the day. Twilight was coming flown and settling into night— still the battle raged, and now the enemy's fire seemed to change its direction. Shells came whizzing :■ owe? our [ heads and dropping into an a ad ja^£t garden; in such . quantities did they ;come ' that there was a perpetual hissing in the ■ .A brdiicardier rushed up breathless, , announcing that a new battery had bjfened . on onr left ; that the Porte Maillot' was to be bombarded, and that our retreat upon Paris would be cut off, A general panic was the result of his news, infirmien and surgeons, aides and brdncardiers, hurriedly packed up their things and made for .the . carriages; We started off at a gallop, a string of seven waggons, racing across the • the Bois de Boulogne for dear life amid a a shower of shells, and at length pulled up our horses, all flecked with foam, at the ' Passy Gate. Here a. crowd of ,]|%tional " Guards were anxiously waiting myopes c of admittance within the town ; the drawi- bridge was lowered, arid a violent altercay tion ensued. Orders were strict that' none but ambulance people were to be allowed l " to pasa. ,We rattled over , the bridge, which again swung slowly into its place, g leaving a dejected mob outside of Guards c and laborers,, arid peasant women, to spend '< the night in the cold as best they might. Until the moon rpse all was still. We ! > stood under the Arch of Triumph, look- - ing down upon the Avenue de Neuilly, >. and could scarcely realise the fact that scarce an hour before that broad, pale riband, so silent and deserted, had: been piled xip with dead and' dying. We looked '- down upon the plain, fast melting in the if haze of night, marvelling at the rapid disappearance of the effects of battle, when a flash shone out from distant Mont x Valerien, to be answered by a crash „ among' Jthe .houses down^belo.w. w -.The y- struggle continued as .long as the moon5. light lasted. ;; At seven in the morning a reinforce- " ment was sent rip frcm the Place fVend dome, the drawbridges were lowered, and c the men marched forth down thatrfatal n bit of road to traverse which is death. New batteries .had been prepared about the demi-lune of Corirbe roie, which raked the Neuilly barricade and commanded the entire way as far as the Porte Maillot; the shells from, Mont Yalerien burst all round the Avenue de la Grande Arme*e, scattering the crowd, assembled orithe ° hill. No- city but Paris could present so s strange a scene as was presented on the t open space about the Arch of Triumph — ti groups of National Guards awaiting 1 orders and quarrelling ' loudly amongst c themselves ; """a sloverily crowd, "enough, s like a party of bandits on the watch — a 1 medley of anxious, women, with, bread c and wine tied up in handkerchiefs for the >. delectation of some wretched ' creature, y father or husband, who was measuring t his strength—a knot or two of patriots , talking earnestly and low, who had cvi- - dently left their battalion "in sear Ji of i ammunition." Two or three ladies clad r in gorgeous garments, and remnants of a c Paris now defunct, gossiping of fashrona c and the latest play — vendors of bpera--0 glasses and of * f sucre (Fqiye." .The. proa prieW of the Big telescope, so well-known 1 in the Place Vendome on starlight nights, , had brought up his instrument to the c new scene of action, and offered a peep - cf the battle at the moderate sum o| sc. t Trade seemed likely to prosper in- a small s way, the sun shone as only a Paris sun in s spring can shine, people-forgot their woes I and were becoming inclined to be cheerl ful and gay; when a piece of iron put" an ■ end to the delusion. A cold-blooded 5 " whiz" tore thrcigh the air, ending in a t loud explosion. Down went the telescope ) amid a general scuffle, the crowd flew v right and lefty hiding behind- lamp^posts 1 and the shadows of projecting, cornices, ! and t'ae horrid ' truth became apparent that a shell had actually hit the Arch! of Triumph, leaving the reproach of a^dlep black scar as the white smoke curled and cleared away. A panic of five minutes, and. the jcrowd again came back ; (the cannonading down below increased in intensity, and the long broad riband became covered with men rushing to and fro.' •■' ; ' -■' : ' f-jf; The party of Versailles were making a desperate attempt. to rush the barricade. They rushed forward, and were repulsed again with a like effect. A third effort, and this time the place-was won, the Guards retreating in disorder r«nd scattering among the by-stre.ets, /&n orderly now came up, riding guoh a horse as is only employed by a Delegate of the Commune, with orders for the ambulances to march. The people of to, Pt-esse defiled through the Port Maillot, while we were told off for ; the assistance of the bright wing, who were supposed to have suffered seriously on the side ,of Asuieres and Colombes. As we were fired at repeatedly we rolled up our banners, and wept back to town the way we came. ' j Strict orders hare been received at

every drawbridge against the admittance of waifs from the army within the. gates, and many, are the- subterfuges to which they have recourse to avoid the la# They spring up from bushes and frorM behind . ./trees with startling suddenness," ; and beg Jiard.to be passed off as wounded. "Only wrap me up and take me io,", one of them saitl to me, { , 1 and you shall Jiave my as a reward." v ; v - Disorganisation among the Communal " troppa appears well-nigh complete j bat- . vtalions march up with a clatter of drums and trumpets as of yore, but considerably thinned as io their ranks. Some feign £ "illness, others drunkenness, many get fywjick drunk on purpose — anything to Javbid the terrible rappel. :C We are deluged just now with official calhi upon our emotions. " Citizens, they vha.ye murdered our brethren, slain our sons, hacked our daughters to pieces ; toKeae barbarians, who have proved themselves .io be infinitely worse than our Prussian enemy, are striving to come in .upon us to cut our throats and make our fatherless." Such are the appeals with which the walls are papered, and , which are now read more with curioaity ' than interest. The days of the Commune are numbered. The enemy is close upon the gates ; ammunition is very scarce ; it is said coal will fail ; and there is a growing lukeffarmness among the troops. % I have been taking a walk prior to the departure of letters, and observe a general uneasiness among the people — as though a shadow were settling over them, a foreboding of coming ill. There is some talk of an attack upon the town to-night— a final and decisive blow which will wake us from o«r painful lethargy and drive away the nightmare to which we have been victims for three long weeks. I see a feeble triumph by the enthusiastic Beds. The barricade of Neuilly has been retaken, and the Commune flourishes once more. Shrewd people think that it was abandoned on purpose, to «oax the Guards without the walls. We know that the Versailles army have possession of Sabblonville and the Bois de Boulogne, -whence they could easily take the Nenilly bridge in flank should it be necessary, while a powerful cannonade from Mount Valerien would render tho road impassable to the Parisians. Should the insurgents be foolish enough to appear without the gates they would find themselves between three fires, those of Sablonville, of Boulogne, and of Valerien, and would scarcely ireet with the same forbearance with which they were treated five days ago. Petitions to the General Assembly, praying for the passing of a Permissive Bill, are being signed in Wellington and Wanganui. The Ballarat Star hears that the operations of an adjacent quartz company have caused a subsidence of a part of the freehold on which the Rev J. W. Inglis's manse is built, and one side of the fence has already given way: A survey has been made, and the report will be considered forthwith by the church committee. A determined suicide is thus reported by the Pleasant Creek Nevjs: — "A man of the name of Richard Sneed, more familiarly known as Richard Dean, lately in the employ of Mr Thomas Edol3, Upper Regions, committed suicide a few days since at Knrrup Swamp, on the boundary of the Lochiel and Nhill runs, by stabbing himself with a penknife under each ear— the knife he afterwards placed in his pocket, where it was subsequently found by Constable Molineux. From the evidence taken at the inquest it appeared ; that the deceased had been drinking to excess, and on leaving was much excited, , and in a melancholy frame of mind. A small rope was also found in his swag, with a noose on one end, together with a letter from his brother, headed Surrey, -England. The same man, when lately suffering from delvrvum tremens, gave himself up to the police at Stawell, and was for some time under treatment by Dr Colo^uhoun. A verdicjb of temporary insanity was returned."