The military accounts from Paris are much more favourable than
those from the provinces. There, at least, there seems to be a General who knows what he can and what he cannot do. 'The firing of the forts had compelled the Germans to fall back behind the plateaux of St. Cloud and Mendon. Mont Valerien is said to command all the surrounding positions, and to be commanded by none. It has swept the country within a " perimeter " (? radius) of six kilometres (about :31- miles) of all the German works, and destroyed the batteries which the Germans had tried to con- struct. The castle of Meudon had been completely destroyed, and the German engineers dislodged from Clamart, Bas Meudon, and 1VIontretout. Besides Villejuif, "Cachan has now been retaken." (Cachan is half-way between and in advance of the forts of Mont- rouge and Bicetre, on the south of Paris.) Mont VaWrien had driven the Germans back as far as Rue! and Bougival. On the eastern side, the enemy had been cleared away as far as Bondy (between and in advance of the forts of Romainville and Auber- villiers), and the Germans had been compelled to evacuate Cham- pigny (nearly south-east of Fort Nogent), so that the circle of the besiegers, instead of tightening its hold on Paris, had been enlarged to the advantage of the capital. If there was any prospect of a relieving army within any reasonable time (which as yet there certainly is not), Paris would be in comparatively little danger. The only points from which the city can be bombarded are too far off, and will need too high an angle of elevation for the guns, to threaten any serious conse- quences. It seems that guns elevated at a high angle knock their gun-carriages to pieces in a very few shots.
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