Neither Jules Favre's nor Count Bismarck's comments on the- negotiation
are instructive, except as indicating the spirit of the- opposed parties. Jules Favre says that Prussia might just as well' have asked Paris daily to destroy a portion of her ramparts during. the armistice, as daily to destroy a portion of her food. " armistice without revictualling would be a capitulation at a. fixed date." Jules Favre says that, in point of fact, "the' means of consulting France" were simply refused by Prussia. On. the other hand, Count Bismarck says that they were refused, and never desired by France ; that "the present rulers of France never- intended to allow the French nation to speak out through its. elected representatives, and that they as little wished to effect an. armistice," and so on,—rather bad, and inexplicably bad, taste in. Count Bismarck, if M. Thiers' impression that, though over-ruled, by the military authorities, he himself wished to concede the. revictualling of Paris, be true. The problem was clearly a diffi- cult one, and evidently both sides were chagrined at the failure to. solve it, though each attributes to the other the malignant inten- tion to ensure a failure.
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