morning of the 27th the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard issued
a proclamation, in which he appealed to the good citizens of Paris, and
confided the care of the city to the National Guard. This had no effect,
however, on the aspect of the Place de la Bastille; the crowd continued
to applaud, frantically, the incendiary speeches of the socialist party,
who had sworn to raise Paris at any cost.

[Illustration: COLUMN OF JULY, PLACE DE LA BASTILLE.]

On the same day, the 27th of February, the Government informed the
people of Paris of the result of the negociations with Prussia, in the
following proclamation:

"The Government appeals to your patriotism and your wisdom; you hold
in your hands the future of Paris and of France herself. It is for
you to save or to ruin both!

"After a heroic resistance, famine forced you to open your gates to
the victorious enemy; the armies that should have come to your aid
were driven over the Loire. These incontestable facts have compelled
the Government for the National Defence to open negotiations of
peace.

"For six days your negotiators have disputed the ground foot by
foot; they did all that was humanly possible, to obtain less
rigorous conditions. They have signed the preliminaries of peace,
which are about to be submitted to the National Assembly.

"During the time necessary for the examination and discussion of
these preliminaries, hostilities would have recommenced, and blood