for an armistice. They were written in German, and he read them
over to me. He desired to occupy, as a guarantee, Strasburg, Toul,
and Phalsbourg;[1] and as I had the day before named Paris as the
place for the meeting of the Assembly, he wished in that case to
have possession of some fort commanding the city. He named Fort
Valérien. Here I interrupted him. 'You had better ask for Paris at
once,' I said. 'How can a French Assembly be expected to deliberate
when covered by your guns? I hardly know whether I dare to inform
my Government that you have made such a proposal.' Tours was then
named as a place for the Assembly. 'But,' said Bismarck, 'Strasburg
must be surrendered. It is about to fall into our hands. All I
ask is that the garrison shall constitute themselves prisoners
of war.' At this I could restrain myself no longer. I sprang to
my feet and said: 'Count Bismarck, you forget you are speaking
to a Frenchman! To sacrifice an heroic garrison which has won our
admiration and that of the whole world, would be an act of cowardice.
Nor will I even promise to mention that you ever made such a demand.'
He answered that he had not meant to wound my feelings, he was
acting in conformity with the laws of war; but he would see what
the king said about the matter. He returned in a quarter of an
hour, and said that his master accepted my proposal as to Tours,
but insisted on the surrender of the garrison of Strasburg."

[Footnote 1: Places still holding out against the Germans.]

At this, the negotiation was broken off, Jules Favre concluding
by saying that "the inhabitants of Paris were resolved on making
any sacrifices, and that their heroism might change the current
of events."