39 2 Appendix I 



It is well to talk of 1792, but the Republicans then were other men than 

 now, and when their army was beaten the people fought on. To-day- 

 French patriotism is limited to killing the enemy. Nobody cares to be 

 killed. Paris will probably open her gates to the Germans, and having 

 consented to a disgraceful peace she will then settle matters with her 

 rulers. I have sent Anne, Miss Noel, and the horses to Deauville to wait 

 till events declare themselves. There were no particular disturbances last 

 night. The English are flying from Paris. I believe Paris to be impreg- 

 nable if held by a sufficient force. It is also too large to invest. If the 

 remains of the army after a defeat were to throw itself into the capital 

 it might form a nucleus for the whole nation. Let them proclaim a 

 Republic if they will or take one of the Orleans princes for king, but let 

 them continue the war. France can never make peace on her defeat or 

 she must perish. The windows of the Tuileries were lighted all last 

 night. It is remarkable that not a word of sympathy with the Empress 

 Eugenie can be heard. 



" 7 o'clock. — It is reported, but not officially, that King William crossed 

 the Rhine last night with 120,000 men at Colmar. I have been playing 

 tennis with Lascelles. He takes a brighter view of things than I do. He 

 thinks that a defeat would not end the war, but that a Republic will be 

 proclaimed under Gambetta or Jules Simon and the war be carried on. 

 He thinks that if the Prussians enter Paris they will find a Republic there, 

 and will place the Comte de Paris on the throne, but I am certain no 

 Orleans Prince would accept the Crown at such hands. Perhaps Napoleon 

 will put himself in the hands of the Prussians. Who knows, perhaps 

 Bismarck might re-seat him on his throne. All the foreign Ministers have 

 been to Lord Lyons to ask what they shall do in case a Republic is pro- 

 claimed. Metternich (the Austrian Ambassador) has sent his Pauline 

 (Mme. de Metternich) to Calais. As we came out of the tennis court we 

 saw Persigny driving past in his Victoria towards the Tuileries. 



' 12 o'clock (midnight).- — Dined on the Boulevard. Great crowds of 

 people. Saw a carriage attacked by twenty or thirty people, a man stand- 

 ing up in it looking very pale and waving his arms. A troop of dragoons 

 came down the Boulevard and people cried, ' A la frontier e ! ' This is 

 because they think no troops should remain at Paris. The dragoons trotted 

 on to the Louvre and are now in the Carrousel. 



' The Prince Imperial has come back and it is said the Emperor was 

 also there (in the Tuileries) ; some think he is there now. Ollivier is 

 also supposed to be in hiding at the Palace, though a cordon of police 

 guards his house in the Place Vendome at night. Julienne's husband, who 

 is head waiter at the Hotel Meurice, told Julie that the Comte de Paris 

 was there five days ago. I believe he will be in Paris again as President 

 or King before a month is out. Sedition is talked openly and by respec- 

 table persons of all sorts. The ' Soir ' used guarded but very plain 

 language to-night and I believe it is certain that the deputies of the Left 

 signed a document requesting the Bonaparte family to withdraw from 

 France. If the French can get rid of this incubus they may find heart 

 to fight their battle out. The Emperor has shown himself in this crisis 



