FISH, Washington:

No. 73.

Mr. E. B. Washburne to Mr. Fish.

[By cable telegram.]

SEPTEMBER 5, 1870. (Received September 5.)

Chamber met at midnight. Favre proposed dethronement of dynasty. Provisional government to be appointed by Chamber, and that the war shall be continued.

Republic proclaimed from Hotel de Ville. People still hold possession Chambers. Deputies Favre, Gambetta, Simon, Picard, and others, provisional government. Rochefort liberated by people.

Republic proclaimed. Government of national defense announced this morning composed of deputies of Paris. Favre, minister of foreign affairs; Gambetta, interior; Picard, finance; Simon, public instruction; Cremieux, justice; Kératry, prefect of police; Arago, prefect of Seine; Glais-Bizon, director of telegraphs; Trochu, governor of Paris and minister of war. Paris quiet. Instruct me.

New government fully installed. Trochu president. Paris tranquil.

WASHBURNE, Paris.

No. 276.]

No. 77.

Mr. E. B. Washburne to Mr. Fish.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Paris, September 5, 1870. (Received September 20, 1870.) SIR: Since I had the honor of addressing you my last dispatch, No. 275, events have marched with gigantic strides. The news of the full extent of the catastrophe which befell the army of McMahon was not made public in Paris until about midnight on Saturday night last, though Palikao had, during the evening in the Chamber, given out news enough to prepare the people for almost anything.

In view of the emergency which had arisen, a session of the Corps Législatif was called for midnight on Saturday night, but the president did not take his chair until 1 o'clock on Sunday morning. The sitting is represented as having been solemn and agitated. M. Schneider came into the chamber without the beating of the drum, which ordinarily announces his entry. The silence was deathlike; but few of the deputies of the right were in their seats, though the members of the left were almost all present. The floor was assigned to M. Palikao, the minister of war, who said that, in the presence of the serious news which had been received, he deemed it better not to take any action at that time, but to postpone everything until 12 o'clock of that day, (it was now Sunday morning.) Jules Favre then rose and said that he should not propose any serious opposition to that motion, but he would ask leave to give notice of a proposition which he had to submit, and which he would discuss at the meeting at 12 o'clock. The proposition was as follows:

1. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte and his dynasty are declared fallen from the powers which the constitution had confided to them.

*

2. There shall be named by the legislative body a commission vested with powers and composed of * You will designate yourselves the number of members who shall compose this commission, who will make it their first duty to repel the invasion and drive the enemy from the territory.

3. M. Trochu shall be maintained in his functions of governor general of the city of Paris.

After a session of ten minutes only the Chamber adjourned.

As this sitting of Sunday was likely to become historic, I went early to the Chamber. I found but a few troops stationed in the neighborhood, and there was not a large number of people in the vicinity. Indeed, I was quite surprised at the tranquillity which seemed everywhere to reign in the quarter of the Palais Bourbon, which is the name of the building occupied by the Corps Législatif. Taking my seat in the diplo matic tribune at quarter before 12, there was not a single person in the hall of the deputies, though the galleries were all well filled. Instead of the session opening at noon, it was precisely 1 o'clock when M. Schneider entered and took the chair of the presidency. The deputies then came rapidly into the hall. Count Palikao was the first of the ministers to come in, and he was soon followed by the Prince de la Tour d'Auvergne, Chevereau, and Brame; all the other ministers took their places on the ministerial benches soon after. The members of the left came in almost simultaneously, Gambetta hurrying along among the first, haggard with excitement. The venerable Raspail takes his seat. Garnier-Pagès hurries across the area in front of the president's chair in a state of intense agitation. Arago, Simon, Picard, Ferry, EstanchinGuyot, and Montpayroux enter and take their seats. Thiers, the little brisk and vigorous old man walks gently to his place. Jules Favre, the

foremost man of them all, is among the last to enter. In the storm that is raging around him he seems cool and calm and collected. Taking his seat, he covers his face with his hands and seems unconscious of that which is transpiring. And now the president sits in his chair without calling the chamber to order, the members become impatient and clamorous; there is loud talk and violent gesticulation. At precisely twenty minutes after 1 o'clock M. Schneider swings his bell, and the gruff voice of the huissier is heard above the din, "Silence, messieurs! s'il vous plaît." After some unimportant proceedings the floor is assigned to M. Palikao, the minister of war, who proposes the following project of law:

ART. 1. A council of government and of national defense is instituted. This council is composed of five members. Each member of this council is named by the absolute majority of the Corps Législatif.

2. The ministers are named under the countersign of the members of this council. 3. The General Count Palikao is named lieutenant general of this council. Done in a council of ministers the 4th of September, 1870.

For the Emperor, and in virtue of the powers which he has confided to us. EUGENIE.

M. Thiers then submitted another proposition, as follows: Considering the circumstances, the Chamber names a commission of government and national defense. A "Constituante" will be convoked as soon as the circumstances will allow.

The proposition of Favre being already before the Chamber, "urgency" was voted on these three propositions, and they were sent to a committee for examination under the rules of the Chamber. At 1.40 o'clock the sitting was suspended to await the report of the committee, and all the members immediately left the hall. As it was supposed that the sitting would not be resumed for an hour or more, I left the diplomatic gallery and descended into the court of the building facing upon the street which runs parallel with the Seine. Here I found a good many people who had been admitted by virtue of tickets. The street in front of the building had been kept quite clear by the military, though there was an enormous multitude of the National Guard and the people on the Place de la Concorde, on the opposite side of the river. The Pont de la Concorde seemed to be sufficiently guarded by the military to prevent their crossing over. All at once I saw quite a number of people on the steps of the Palais Bourbon, and soon they commenced to raise loud cries of "Vive la République !" "Déchéance!" "Vive la France!"

At this moment I was called away by the messenger of the legation, who brought me an urgent message from Madame McMahon, who wanted a safe-conduct from me, to enable her to pass the Prussian lines to visit her wounded husband at Sedan. In company with Mr. Eustis, I stepped into an antechamber to prepare the proper document, and had but just taken my seat at a table to write, when the cry was raised that the people had invaded the building. It seemed but a moment before they were passing into the part where I was. It being impossible to finish the requisite paper, under these circumstances, Mr. Eustis and myself made our way into the court-yard. There was presented a most extraordinary spectacle. A part of a regiment of the line had been brought hurriedly into the yard, had formed across it, and were loading their muskets. Behind them and in the street, and rushing through the gates and up the front steps of the building, was a vast mass of excited people and the National Guard, who had fraternized-the guards having their muskets butt-end upward as a token of friendship. There was evidently collusion between the people who were on the steps of the

Palais Bourbon and the people and National Guards in the Place de la Concorde, on the other side of the river, for it was upon the signal of the people on the steps that the guard and the people broke through the military force that was holding the bridge. As the crowd mounted the steps of the Palais Bourbon it was received with terrific cheers and with shouts of "Vive la république!" and "Déchéance!”

Making our way into the street, Mr. Eustis and myself managed to pass through the crowd and to reach the building of the Agricultural Club, in the immediate neighborhood, and from the balcony of which we could see all that was going on. And now the soldiers of the guard, many of them with their hats on the ends of their muskets, accompa nied by an indiscriminate mass of men, women, and children, poured over the Pont de la Concorde and filled the entire space, all, in one graud fraternization, singing the Marseillaise and shouting, "Vive la république!" The Municipal Guard, with its shining helmets and brilliant uniforms, was forced back, inch by inch, before the people, until, finally, all military authority became utterly powerless. During this time the National Guard and the people had invaded the Hall of the Deputies, which they found vacant. M. Schneider and about a dozen of the members rushed in. The president in vain made appeals for order, and finally covered himself by putting on his hat, according to immemorable usage of the French assemblies under such circumstances. Gambetta addressed a few energetic words to the invaders, and, a little order being restored, quite a number of deputies entered the hall. But at three o'clock irruption into the Chamber took place. Jules Favre then ascended the tribune and was listened to for a moment. "Let there be no scenes of violence," he said; "let us reserve our arms for the enemy, and fight to the last; at this moment union is necessary, and for that reason we do not proclaim the republic." The president now left his seat, and, as it turns out, for the last time. The irruption into the Chamber continued. The floor and the seats of the deputies, on which a few members of the left only remained, were filled with a motley crowd in blouses and in coarse woolen shirts, or in the uniform of the National Guard or the Guard Mobile. They wore caps and kepis of all colors and shapes, and carried muskets with their muzzles ornamented with sprigs of green leaves. The tumult became indescribable, and some of the invaders seized on the pens and paper of the deputies and commenced writing letters; while different persons were going up to the president's chair and ringing his bell continually. The crowd in the hall now demanded déchéance of the Emperor, which was declared, and then it was proposed to go to the Hotel de Ville and proclaim the republic. The cry was therefore raised, " À l'Hotel de Ville," mingled with other cries, "Cherchez Rochefort," &c., and then this vast multitude commenced moving away from the Palais Bourbon.

The crowd having soon sufficiently dispersed, we were enabled to make our way back again to the Corps Législatif, and to enter again the diplomatic tribune. The hall was filled with dust, and a rough-looking man was in the president's chair, surrounded by a number of men still more rough in appearance. The soldiers and the people were occupying the seats of the deputies, writing letters, looking over documents, and talking and laughing, all in the best humor. In the hall at this time I recognized Garnier-Pagès, Raspail, and a few other members of the left.

Leaving the Chamber, we went at once to the Hotel de Ville. The number of the people assembled there was enormous, and the same fraternization existed between them and the National Guard as elsewhere.

The building had been invaded by the people, and all the windows fronting on the square were filled with rough and dirty-looking men and boys. Soon a terrific shout went up; Rochefort was being drawn in a cab by the multitude through the crowd. He was ghastly pale; he stood up in the vehicle, covered with sashes of red, white, and blue, and waving his hat in answer to the acclamations. As he was hauled slowly through the multitude to the main door of the Hotel de Ville, the delirium seemed to have reached its height, and such frantic acclamations I never before heard. At precisely four o'clock and forty-five minutes in the afternoon, by the great clock in the tower of the Hotel de Ville, at one of the windows appeared Gambetta; a little behind him stood Jules Favre and Emanuel Arajo; and then and there, on that historic spot, Gambetta proclaimed the republic.

This proclamation was received by every possible demonstration of enthusiasm. Lists were then thrown out of the window containing the names of the members of the provisional government. Ten minutes afterward Raspail and Rochefort appeared at another window and embraced each other, while the crowd loudly applauded them. During this time the public were occupying the Tuileries. Sixty thousand human beings had rolled toward the palace, completely leveling all obstacles; the vestibule was invaded, and in the court-yard, on the side of the Palace de Carousel, were to be seen soldiers of every arm, who, in the presence of the people, removed the cartridges from their guns, and who were greeted by cries, "Long live the nation!" "Down with the Bonapartes!""To Berlin!" &c. During all this time there was no pillage, no havoc, no destruction of property, and the crowd soon retired,. leaving the palace under the protection of the National Guard. At the Hotel de Ville some little damage was done, but nothing to any great extent. Some discussion was raised about the changing of the flag, but Gambetta declared that the tri-color was the flag of 1792 and '93, and that under it France had been and would yet be led to victory.

From the Hotel de Ville we went back to the Chamber of Deputies, to find it still in possession of the people. From there I returned to my legation, which I reached at 6.30 o'clock. At 8 o'clock I returned to the Corps Législatif, but on my arrival there I found everything closed and the lights extinguished. The doors leading to the hall of the Deputies had been shut, and seals put upon them. I then drove through some parts of the city, and found everything remarkably quiet. The day had been pleasant, and the night was beautiful beyond description.. After making a call upon Lord Lyons, I returned to my lodgings to pon-der over the events of the day to become memorable in history. In a few brief hours of a Sabbath day I had seen a dynasty fall and a re public proclaimed, and all without the shedding of one drop of blood. E. B. WASHBURNE.

No. 78.

No. 283.]

SIR:

Mr. E. B. Washburne to Mr. Fish.

LEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES,

Paris, September 9, 1870. (Received September 22.),

I telegraphed you of the results and condition of things here on Mon day, and asked for instructions, though not doubting what would be