Reminiscences of the Siege of Paris.

Manawatu Herald, 25 August 1894, Page 3

Reminiscences of the Siege of Paris.

The sufferings of the inhabitants of Paris during the Siege in 1871 are still vividly remembered by many who> besides being exposed to the risks attending the bursting of German shells, were reduced to the greatest straits for foou\ a dark compound into which sand largely entered being the substitute for bread. Queen Victoria, with the thoughtful generosity she has always shown in the relief of distress, promptly despatched at her own expense large supplies of flour, potted meats, and other delicacies, which were immediately available after the raising of the siege. The gratitude of the Parisians was natural, and an incident which just took place shows that twenty-three years have not diminished its intensity, A lady who passed through the ordeal of the siege with a young family round her while her husband served in the trenches, has never ceased .to remember with gratitude that the first white bread she ate was sent by the Queen of England. This lady was moved, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Queen's birth, to send her majesty a telegram of congratulation "en souvenir des bienfaits de 1871." Within a few hours she received a gracious acknowledgment from Balmoral which has made her happy for the rest of her days.