No. 57.
Mr. E. B. Washburne to Mr. Fish.
Sir: In my dispatch of Friday last, August 5, No. 246, I ventured the prediction that there would be no great battle immediately, though qualifying it in parentheses, that such a battle might occur any day. When writing that dispatch on Friday forenoon little did I suppose that there had been a very serious fight on the day before at Weissenbourg, on the French frontier, which had resulted in a practical defeat of the French army. Although the London Times of that (Friday) morning contained a dispatch from Berlin, giving an account of the battle, yet the French public were kept in utter ignorance of it until between twelve and one o’clock of that day, when a very brief notice of the affair was communicated to the press by the French authorities. The suppression of the intelligence for so long a time excited a good deal of indignation among the public, and the Parisian newspapers are particularly indignant that the London Times should have published the news six or eight hours before it was given to them. Things, however, passed on quietly enough until about noon on Saturday, when, as the report goes, a man in the uniform of a courier, or messenger, rode up to the front of the Bourse, where a large crowd had already assembled, and delivered into the hands of a person, who was evidently his confederate, what purported [Page 89] to be an official dispatch, and which gave an account of a great battle having been fought, in which the French had been victorious, taken forty guns, twenty-five thousand prisoners, among whom was included the Crown Prince. A spark of fire falling upon a magazine would hardly have produced a greater explosion. The assembled multitude broke out into the wildest shouts and the contents of the dispatch were repeated from mouth to mouth and men ran in every direction communicating the joyful intelligence. The people rushed into the streets; flags were everywhere displayed, men embraced and kissed each other, shedding tears of joy. Shouts, vociferations, and oaths filled the air and probably such a delirium was never before witnessed. Rue Richelieu, the Boulevards Montmartre and Italiens, and the Rue de la Paix were filled with people singing the Marseillaise. Everybody declared that the news was true; they had seen the official report; there could be no doubt of its correctness. Madame Sass, a distinguished opera singer, was found in the street and the crowd insisted upon her singing the Marseillaise from her carriage, which she sang three times amid transports of enthusiasm. In another part of the street the multitude forced another distinguished singer to mount to the top of an omnibus, also to sing the Marseillaise. After the first furore of the enthusiasm had subsided some persons began to suggest that it would be well to inquire a little further into the news, and of course the result was that it proved to be a stupendous hoax. The songs at once ceased, the flags were taken in, and the victims of the canard began to feel indignant. As it originated at the Bourse, the cry was raised in the crowd “a la Bourse,” and away the people went, breathing vengeance against the moneychangers and speculators who, it was alleged, had taken advantage of the false report to get the benefit of a rise of about four per cent in the stocks. Never were money-changers more summarily driven out of their temple. In a few moments all persons in the Bourse were expelled, some of whom, it is said, were thrown head and heels out of the windows and doors. In a short time, however, about half past three o’clock, the crowd left there, greatly exasperated at having been made victims of so cruel a hoax, and directed themselves towards Place Vendome, halting under the windows of the minister of justice. There they shouted for Emile Ollivier and demanded of him the closing of the Bourse from which the false news had emanated. M. Ollivier responded in a short and well-turned speech, closing by asking them to disperse, which they did. At about five o’clock in the afternoon a group of persons, numbering about three thousand, gathered in front of the ministry of justice and again demanded that M. Ollivier should show himself and make another speech, but the minister refused to do so a second time. The vociferations then increased every instant and hostile cries were raised against the minister by the multitude, who demanded the name of the author of the false news, and reclaimed the liberty of the press. Passing myself through Place Vendome at half-past five o’clock, I saw this turbulant crowd in front of the ministry and stopped to ascertain the cause of it. Soon M. Ollivier made his appearance at the window and commenced a speech, but the tumult, “noise and confusion,” was so great that I could understand but very little from the position where I stood. It was evidently not very satisfactory, for the people did not disperse immediately, as he had requested, but began shouting in favor of the liberty of the press and raising hostile cries against M. Ollivier. The public hold him responsible for the terrible severity of the press law which prevents them from getting any news from the army. It requires everything to [Page 90] come through official channels, and is given out at such times and in such measure as may suit the purposes of government.
In the evening of Saturday Colonel Moore, of this legation, went down town to watch the progress of events. At 10 o’clock he found Place Vendome literally crammed with both men and women, who were in the highest state of excitement, singing a new song called the “Press song,” and raising menacing cries against the minister of justice. Afterward large crowds of people collected in Rue de la Paix, on the Boulevards, and in the Place de la Madeleine, all singing and shouting, evidently in very bad temper. They were, however, restrained from violence by large bodies of troops, who appeared in different parts of the city, and I can hear of no acts of actual violence having been perpetrated.
The official journal of yesterday (Sunday) contains a dispatch of two lines, dated at Metz at 11 o’clock the evening before; it simply says: “The corps of General Frossard is in retreat. There are no details.” That was enough to inspire the greatest uneasiness and anxiety. The dispatch gave no indication of where the battle was fought, or what was the extent of the losses, while the great Paris public was tormented with fear and suspense. A proclamation of the Empress and the ministry appeared at noon in the second edition of the official journal. This proclamation contained a bulletin from the Emperor, dated at Metz at half-past 12 o’clock Sunday a. m., announcing that Marshal McMahon had lost a battle, and that General Frossard had been obliged to retreat. Another bulletin from the Emperor, dated at Metz three hours later, announced that his communications with Marshal McMahon were interrupted, and that he had no news of him since the day before; and still another, one hour later, from headquarters at Metz, both of which were also contained in the proclamation to the minister of the interior, gave a very brief account of the battles of McMahon and Frossard, but said that details were wanting. It further stated that the troops were lull of élan, and that the situation was not compromised, but that the enemy was on French territory, and a serious effort was necessary. Thereupon, the proclamation went on to say that in the presence of the grave news, the duty was clear, and that an appeal was made to the patriotism and energy of all; that therefore:
“The chambers are convoked, we will place Paris in a state of defense; to facilitate the execution of military preparation, we declare it in a state of siege.”
A decree of the Empress regent convokes the senate and the corps legislatif for Thursday the 11th of August. Another decree by her Majesty places the department of Seine in a state of siege. I immediately telegraphed you as follows:
“Paris, 7th August, 1870—4 p. m.
“General Frossard’s corps beaten. Marshal McMahon defeated. His communication with Emperor cut off. Paris declared in a state of siege. Legislative bodies convoked for 11th August.”
It is difficult to convey to you any adequate idea of the state of feeling which this extraordinary news from the battle-field, to which was added the declaration of the siege of Paris, and the convocation of the corps législatif, has created. Paris has hardly ever seen such a day since the time of the first revolution. The whole people seems paralyzed by the terrible events which have burst upon them in such rapid and fearful succession. The rain that was falling yesterday may have had some influence in keeping the people from the streets, but on [Page 91] going clown town in the afternoon I found people collected in knots about the Grand Hotel and on the Boulevards, reading the newspapers, and discussing the situation. Afterward I saw large crowds proceeding in the rain toward the ministry of justice, in Place Vendôme, which seems to be the objective point, owing to the hostility which appears to exist against M. Ollivier.
By a decree in the official journal of this morning, the time for the meeting of the legislative bodies is changed, and they are to meet tomorrow.