“For the Commandant of the third corps of the Imperial armies,
“(Signed) Chief of the Staff, VON SCHLOSHEIM,
“Major-General.”
Paschal Grousset, the delegate of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, who had succeeded Monsieur Jules Favre, but who instead of minister was called delegate, which was much more democratic, replied as follows:—
“Paris, 22nd March, 1871.
“To the Commandant-in-Chief of the Imperial Prussian Armies.
“The undersigned, delegate of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs, in reply to your despatch dated from Compiègne the 21st instant, informs you that the revolution, accomplished in Paris by the Central Committee, having an essentially municipal character, has no aggressive views whatever against the German armies.
“We have no authority to discuss the preliminaries of peace voted by the Assembly at Bordeaux.
“The member of the Central Committee, Delegate for Foreign Affairs.
“(Signed) PASCHAL GROUSSET.”
It was very logical of you, Monsieur Grousset, to avow that you had no authority to discuss the preliminaries of peace voted by the Assembly. What right had you then to substitute yourselves for it? He did not, however, thus remain midway in his diplomatic career, for after the election of the Commune he thought it his duty to address the following letter to the German authorities:—
“COMMUNE OF PARIS.
“To the Commander-in-chief of the 3rd Corps.
“GENERAL,
“The delegate of the Commune of Paris for Foreign Affairs has the honour to address to you the following observations:—
“The city of Paris, like the rest of France, is interested in the observance of the conditions of peace concluded with Prussia; she has therefore a right to know how the treaty will be executed. I beg you, in consequence, to have the goodness to inform me if the Government of Versailles has made the first payment of five hundred millions, and if in consequence of such payment, the chiefs of the German army have fixed the date for the evacuation of the part of the territory of the department of the Seine, and also of the forts which form an integral portion of the territory of the Commune of Paris.
“I shall be much obliged, General, if you will be good enough to enlighten me in this respect.
“The Delegate for Foreign Affairs,
“(Signed) PASCHAL GROUSSET.”
The German general did not think fit, as far as we know, to send any answer to the above.