The Insurrection in Paris Part 2

Fort Vanves took fire last night, and had to be evacuated. It was found impossible to extinguish the fire. It is still burning.

The explosion at Issy arose from a torpedo, not a powder magazine. The Fort is evacuated.

There has been a general heavy firing to-day, and the Point du Jour has suffered severely.

Father Hogan, the _cure_ of St. Sulpice, a British subject, was again arrested yesterday. Mr. Malet has with difficulty procured his release on condition that he leaves Paris.

The Government troops were compelled to evacuate the railway station at Clamart in consequence of the effluvia arising from the great number of unburied corpses in and about the station, which was then occupied by the Federalists, subsequently again evacuated by them upon the approach of the Versailles troops.

The Government have sent away to the Departments all the young soldiers who have parents or relations domiciled in Paris.

The statement that M. Schneider intented to remove his iron foundries from Creuzot to Stockton-on-Tees is incorrect. A large number of models and designs have been sent from Creuzot to foundries at Stockton-on-Tees, where it is intended to instruct a staff of workmen in the production of steel before commencing that branch of manufacture at the French establishment.

Fort Issy was captured and occupied by the Government troops this morning.

MAY 9th.--AND 10th.

Forts Montrouge and Vanves have been reduced to silence by a battery of mitrailleuses established on a parapet of Issy, which picks off Federal artillerymen when they show themselves. Seven guns on bastions 72, 73, and 74 have been dismounted by the new battery of Montretout and the bastions silenced. Many prisoners are said to have been taken at Issy yesterday.

The National Guards of Vaugirard and the Pantheon decline to march, barely a third of their numbers having answered the call.

The Vendome Column is definitively to fall on Friday.

The Lycee, on the high ground behind Issy, is being hurriedly formed into a fortress mounted with guns, earthworks connecting it with Vanves.

Three sh.e.l.ls per second are said to have fallen on Auteuil this morning.

Nineteen battalions were reviewed yesterday by Colonel Rossel in the Place de la Concorde. Rossel continues to command in spite of his resignation yesterday, which is attributed to a quarrel with the Central Committee. The Committee of Public Safety is still sitting. It is rumoured that should he decline to withdraw his resignation, the functions of the Ministry of War would be absorbed by the Committee of Public Safety, who would attach to themselves an a.s.sistant Military Commission, headed by Dombrowski.

MAY 10th.

The Committee of Public Safety, in consequence of the proclamation of M.

Thiers, which was placarded in Paris, has issued a decree ordering the furniture and property of M. Thiers to be seized, and his house in the Place St. Georges to be immediately demolished.

The Commune, in its sitting of yesterday, decided to bring Colonel Rossel before a court-martial.

Delescluze has been appointed Delegate of War.

Colonel Rossel was arrested yesterday and handed over to the custody of Citizen Gerardin. At 5 p.m. an announcement was made to the Commune that Rossel had left with Gerardin. The Commune accepted the offer of General Bergeret to re-arrest Rossel. Nevertheless, at 2 o'clock this morning this had not been effected.

Felix Pyat, in the _Vengeur_, accuses Rossel of treason.

MAY 11th.

There is increasing discouragement among the National Guards, in spite of the retaking of Vanves. The _Vengeur_ hints at a plot headed by Gerardin, and states that 400 National Guards, who exhibited no numbers of their battalions, were a.s.sembled for an unknown purpose at the Luxembourg; that at the same time officers who were making a domiciliary visit at Gerardin's house were attacked, and that in another quarter an attempt was made to a.s.sa.s.sinate Dombrowski.

A considerable portion of masonry from the Auteuil Viaduct has fallen into the water.

A search has been made at the Bank of France under the excuse of looking for arms. It is said that the _employes_ of the Bank are armed and victualled, and will stand a siege rather than surrender the gold under their care.

In consequence of pressure from Delescluze the Central Committee abandon the direction of the War Administration, and Moreau resigns his office of Civil Delegate.

The furniture and pictures are being carted from M. Thiers' house, and sounds of hammering within suggest the commencement of its demolition.

Six newspapers have been suppressed--viz., the _Univers_, _Spectateur_, _Moniteur_, _etoile_, _Anonyme_, and _Observateur_.

The batteries at Montretout continue a vigorous firing. Throughout last night they received only six sh.e.l.ls from the Insurgents.

The sh.e.l.ls thrown from the floating battery bridge at the Point du Jour and from the land batteries near that point generally drop short of the mark and fall either into the Seine or on the slopes of the railway by the right bank.

This afternoon I saw many projectiles from Montretout and Meudon explode among the houses at the Point du Jour and the _enceinte_ near it. The wall screening the Ceinture Railway between Auteuil and Vaugirard has been dreadfully battered in various places.

The Bois de Boulogne, in a semicircle from about the Villa Rothschild to Bagatelle, following the race course at Longchamps, is one vast camp, and from this camp to the village of Boulogne the work of constructing trenches parallel with the _enceinte_ is being pushed rapidly forward. I saw hundreds of men working at them to-day.

The Fort of Vanves is still occupied by the Insurgents, but Moulin de Pierres and Chatillon cover it with sh.e.l.ls.

By means of cannon shots the troops of Versailles have demolished the houses in the village of Vanves, as they concealed and covered the postern of the Fort. The military had succeeded in occupying the village, but were obliged to abandon it because the houses were exposed to the fire of the Insurgents.

There has been a sharp musketry fire to-day in the plantations to the north-east of Issy, and just over the Vaugirard road.

There has been fighting of the same kind in the direction of the St.

Ouen station at the other end of the lines. The sphere of attack is again being extended, and in consequence of this the Insurgents are obliged to defend themselves at, perhaps, three or four points simultaneously.

MAY 12th.--13th.

There was a considerable movement in the city yesterday consequent on desperate attempts to enlist refractory citizens in marching battalions.

Pressgangs paraded the streets all day, and many men within the ages of 19 and 40 were, it is said, temporarily incarcerated in the Church of Notre Dame de Lorette.

An extraordinary meeting was held at the Hotel de Ville in consequence of a supposed discovery of a reactionary plot. Forty-seven Gendarmes, says the _Mot d'Ordre_, were found in the Marine Barracks disguised as National Guards, besides a great quant.i.ty of tricoloured _bra.s.sards_.

M. Beslay, surnamed the Father of the Commune, has retired, because he disapproves the confiscation of M. Thiers' goods.

The new batteries on Montmartre opened fire last night, but ceased this morning.

The 46th battalion Montrouge were relieved from duty two hours before their time last night because they talked of opening the Gates. This battalion consists for the most part of shopkeepers.

The new battalion called the "Vengeurs du Pere d.u.c.h.esne" were shut up in the Luxembourg Gardens, all points of egress being guarded, because they declined to march outside the city.

Difficulties have arisen in the Quartier Val de Grace, consequent upon the heavy tax recently levied on meat.

The Versaillais gunboats at the Asnieres Bridge forced the Federal troops to recoil several hundred yards towards the city walls.

Felix Pyat announces his opinion publicly that the fall of the Commune is imminent.