LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE FALL OF PARIS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOB."] Six,—The King of Prussia has invited his allies, the monarchs of Saxony and Southern Germany, to be present at the rendition of Paris ; and the events of the past week must lead every thoughtful mind to the conclusion that valid grounds exist for King William's anticipated victory. There is no reason why the French capital should prove an exception to the rule that " a fortress invested is a fortress taken, unless the siege be raised by a relieving army," an eventuality somewhat improbable in this instance, after the deplorable retreat of the Army of the Loire, the recapture of Orleans, and the recrossing of the Marne by the forces under General Ducrot. It is to be feared, on the contrary, that Paris, notwithstanding the skill and energy of General Trochu, the valour of its numerous defenders, and the apparent strength of its fortifications, will shortly have to submit to the fate of Strasburg, Metz, Sedan, and Orleans ; and that by New Year's Day, if not earlier, the flag of Germany will float over the Tuileries, and the entire North of France from the Rhine to the Channel, will be occupied by the invaders.
It has hitherto been assumed that Paris cannot be taken by bombardment or assault, and that General von Moltke is resorting to the slow process of starvation as the only means possible for gaining entrance into the beleaguered city. This, however, may not prove a right explanation of the besiegers' apparent inactivity. It is now generally accepted that Paris has sufficient provisions to enable her citizens to hold out two months longer ; and taking into consideration the efficient spy-system of the Prussians, and the wonderful knowledge hitherto shown by German commanders of the condition of French supplies and defences, it would be strange indeed if King William and his Generals have made a t mistake in regard to a city, the possession of which must be the chief prize and glory of the war. That which we have but lately learnt from the correspondents of our press and the reports of
gentlemen escaped from Paris, has doubtless been known to the German commanders from the moment of investment ; and Count Bismarck's benevolent lamentation anent the horrors of famine in the doomed city may, in such cases, be regarded as one of his shrewdest and most successful attempts to deceive his opponents by lulling them into a feeling of false security. The investment of Paris was completed on the 20th of Sep- tember, and we may rest assured that the besieging army has not lain idle during the eleven weeks which have elapsed since that period. We know absolutely nothing, however, of the posi- tion, magnitude, or strength of the German siege works ; and some writers have even gone so far as to assert that no such works exist, the terrible fire from Fort Valerien and other bat- - teries having prevented their erection. This assertion is not likely to be borne out by facts. We know to what unprecedented perfection the Prussians and their allies have brought their artil- lery, cavalry, infantry, commissariat, and transportation ; and it would be strange indeed if their corps of engineers have not equally progressed with other branches of the service. The Prussian lines in Schleswig are not yet forgotten ; and the men who threw up the intricate series of works around Strasburg and Metz have surely not lost heart and knowledge under the grim shadow of Mont Valerien.
Count Bismarck has frequently expressed a desire to possess one or more of the Paris forts ; and General von Moltke may enable him to accomplish his object by one or both of the following plans. For all that we know, the German engineers have been employing themselves during the last eleven weeks in running a sub-way, or mine, towards the enemy's works; and perhaps we may hear at no distant day that one, or more, of the Paris forts is missing. This result may also be accomplished by a powerful concentration of artillery upon a given point of;the defence ; and it is within my own knowledge that guns have, for weeks past, been lying in parks around Paris of incomparably greater range and calibre than any yet employed during the present war. In the city of Frank- fort-on-the-Maine, I witnessed last September the arrival of a train laden with siege-pieces ; these guns:were on their way from Krupp's factory in Essen to the French capital ; and, as they call Lim in Germany, "King Krupp's" workmen had labelled the trucks with the following announcement :—" We" (the guns) " are off to Paris, and we'll see to that little affair alone." Two cannon lay side by side on a truck, the latter being quite new and of sufficient strength to bear the enormous weight. The guns were each some twenty feet in length, with a bore of twelve inches ; all were rifled, and the conical shot thrown by them scaled, as an officer informed me, about five:hundredweight English. Such are the pieces with which King William proposes to gain posses- sion of the forts around Paris ; and when they are brought into play resistance will not, in all probability, last much longer than that of the Strasburg citadel. One thing is certain ! Krupp has not:made_these guns specially:for Paris and sent them hundreds of miles across France for Moltke to let them lie idle ; and King William's invitation to his brother Sovereigns would lead us to infer that they are at last going to break silence, and that the works necessary to receive them:are now completed.
With the fall of one or more of the Paris forts, the city itself must soon after capitulate ; and, when the capital surrenders, resistance cannot be prolonged throughout France. The Parisians will be disarmed, the fortifications dismantled, and the forts occupied by German garrisons. Fifty or sixty thousand men may suffice for this duty; and the bulk of King William's forces will then be free to march southward, reducing the entire country to the Mediterranean.
If the above anticipations be realized, we may hardly expect to see France represented at the forthcoming Conefrence on the Eastern Question, her reported' adhesion to the contrary notwith- standing ; and Austria, too, will be chary of opposing Prussia at the Council-board, in view of possible contingencies affecting her German possessions. England may have to depend upon Turkey alone to act with her. Is it not, therefore, in the highest degree unfortunate for us as a nation, and for the interests of humanity at large, that hostilities have not ceased between Germany and France before reaching so dangerous a crisis as that now impend- ing ? The latter country has been our friend and ally during the past twenty years, and we may have long and bitterly to regret that our statesmen have failed to discover some mode of stopping this war, which threatens, at least for an Indefinite time to come, to blot France from off the map of Europe. Is it too late for England yet to act 2-1 am, Sir, &c.,
AN EbtorasamAN.
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