As October went on, it became a sore trial to the Parisians to
be cut off from all outside news. Not a letter nor a newspaper
crossed the lines. Even the agents of Foreign Governments, and Mr.
Washburne, the only foreign ambassador in Paris, were prohibited
from hearing from their Governments, unless all communications
were read by Bismarck before being forwarded to them. One great
source of suffering to the men in Paris who had sent away their
families was the knowledge that they must be in want of money.
No one had anticipated a prolonged blockade.

Before the gates had been closed, two elderly members of the Committee
of Defence--Crémieux and Garnier-Pagès--had been sent out to govern
the Provinces. M. Thiers was visiting all the capitals of Europe,
as a sort of ambassador-at-large, to enlist foreign diplomatic
sympathy, and in October it was resolved to send out M. Gambetta,
in the hope that he might organize a National Assembly, or perhaps
induce the Southern Provinces (where he had great influence) to
make a demonstration for the relief of the capital. Provincial
France had long chafed under the idea that its government was made
and unmade by the Parisians, and there was no great sympathy in the
Provinces for Paris in her struggle with the Prussians, until it
was shown how nobly the city and its inhabitants bore the hardships
of the siege.

Small sorties continued to be made during October, chiefly with
a view of accustoming raw troops to stand fire. On October 28,
came news of the surrender of Bazaine at Metz to the Prussians
with his army (including officers) of nearly one hundred and ninety
thousand men. The universal cry was "Treachery!" The same day that