“CLEMENT THOMAS.

    “A true copy.

    “Minister of the Interior ad interim,

    “JULES FAVRE.

    “Paris, 22nd January, 1871.”

In the morning, large groups of people assembled from mere curiosity, appeared on the Place of the Hotel de Ville, which however wore a peaceful aspect.

At about half-past two in the afternoon, a detachment of a hundred and fifty armed National Guards issued from the Rue du Temple, and stationed themselves before the Hotel de Ville, crying, “Down with Trochu!” “Long live the Commune!” A short colloquy was then held between several of the National Guards and some officers of the Mobiles, who spoke with perfect calmness.  Suddenly, a shot is fired, and at the same moment, as in the grand scene of a melodrama, the windows and the great door are flung open, and two lines of Mobile Guards are seen, the front rank kneeling, the second standing, and all levelling their muskets and prepared to fire.  Then came a volley which spread terror amidst the crowds of people in the Place, who precipitated themselves in all directions, uttering cries and shrieks.  In another moment the Place is cleared.  Ah! those famous chassepots can work miracles.

The insurgents, during this mad flight of men, women, and children, had answered the attack, some aiming from the shelter of angles and posts, others discharging their rifles from the windows of neighbouring houses.

Then the order to cease firing is heard, and a train of litterbearers, waving their handkerchiefs as flags, approach from the Avenue Victoria.  At the Hotel de Ville one officer only is wounded, but on the Place lie a dozen victims, two of whom are women.

At four o’clock the 117th Battalion of the National Guard takes up its position before the municipal palace.  They are reinforced by a detachment of gendarmes, mounted and on foot, and by companies of Mobiles, under the command of General Carreard.

General Clement Thomas hastens to address a few words to the 117th; later, he paid with his life for thus appearing on the side of order.  Finally, General Vinoy arrives, followed by his staff, to take measures against any renewed acts of aggression.  Mitrailleuses and cannon are stationed before the Hotel de Ville; the drums beat the rappel throughout the town, and a great number of battalions of National Guards assemble in the Rue de Rivoli, at the Louvre, and on the Place de la Concorde; others bivouac before the Palais de l’Industrie, while on the other side of the Champs Elysees regiments of cavalry, infantry, and mobiles, are drawn out.  The agitators have disappeared, calm is restored, within the city be it understood, for all this did not interrupt the animated interchange of shells between the French and Prussian batteries, and a great number of Parisians, who had twice helped to disperse the insurgents of October and January, thought involuntarily of the