The political trials in Paris are going hard against the
Com- munists. Colonel Rossol's condemnation to death was technically justified by his desertion to the Commune ; but his gallant con- duct in the field has created a general sympathy for him, and a universal hope that after all his life will be spared. The fate of M. Rochefort, who has been this week condemned to perpetual imprisonment in a fortress, will hardly inspire the satne sympathy. His defence of himself, as editor of the Mot d'Onlre, was not only singularly weak, but that of a man who had never really fought for a conviction at all ; yet, on the other hand, as ho neither bore arms, nor was in any way concerned iu the murder of the hostages, the charge against him was limited to that of having violently, and by statements which he knew to be false, incited to civil war. This he seems to have virtually admitted,—piteously ascribing his violence and misstatements to his " facon plus ou moins nerveuse d'ecrire,"—and not even defending himself on the ground that he seriously hold civil war to be better than submission to Versailles, He seems, on the whole, with only one or two exceptions, the ignoblest of all the leaders of the unhappy revolution.
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