[2] The hero of M. Zola's novel 'La Terre,' son of Antoine Macquart and brother of Gervaise, the heroine of 'L'Assommoir.'—Trans.
[3] Weissenburg was stormed by the army of the Crown Prince of Prussia on August 4, when General Abel Douay was killed, and 800 of his troops were taken prisoners.—Trans.
[4] This was Madame Marie Sass, the prima donna.—Trans.
[5] It was stationed at Rome and Civita Vecchia for the defence of Pius IX.—Trans.
[6] Commanded by the notorious General de Failly who had slaughtered the Garibaldians at Mentana three years previously, and who, as aide-de-camp to Napoleon III., had rendered the latter certain services of an equivocal character. This was proved by the secret papers found at the Tuileries after the Revolution and published by the Government of National Defence. To reward M. de Failly, the Emperor appointed him to the command of an army corps that he might have an opportunity of winning the bâton of Marshal of France.—Trans.
[7] The Plebiscitum of May 1870, when the policy of Napoleon III. was ratified by 7,350,000 votes against 1,500,000.—Trans.
[8] August 6, 1870. The French, under MacMahon, defeated at Wœrth by the Crown Prince of Prussia with the loss of two eagles, six mitrailleuses, thirty cannon, and 6,000 prisoners. The French also defeated and driven back at Speichern by General Steinmetz on the same day.—Trans.
[9] Under the military law then in force in France, a young man drawn at the conscription was not compelled to serve provided he could pay for a substitute. Loubet was one of the latter. A similar regulation obtains in our militia.—Trans.
[11] A nickname given to Napoleon III.; properly the name of the workman whose clothes he wore in escaping from the fort of Ham in 1846.—Trans.