Mr. Washburne to Mr. Fish
Sir: They have gone out. Consummatum est. In my No. 379 I spoke of the ratification of the treaty by the National Assembly at Bordeaux, my notification of the fact by Mr. Jules Favre, and the apparent delay of the German troops in leaving Paris.
These troops, that is, the thirty thousand of them, the number stipulated in the treaty, came in, as I wrote you, on Wednesday, the 1st [Page 306] day of this month. The third article of the treaty provided that, immediately after the ratification of the treaty by the National Assembly, sitting at Bordeaux, the German troops should immediately quit the interior of Paris. The ratification of the treaty was had on Wednesday evening, and the fact was telegraphed immediately to Mr. Jules Favre. At 6 o’clock on the next morning he left for Versailles to demand, in conformity to its provisions, the immediate evacuation of the interior of Paris. The German headquarters, however, refused to receive the telegraphic intelligence as conclusive evidence of the fact of ratification, and insisted upon a regularly certified copy of the proceedings of the National Assembly. It was not until 11 o’clock on Thursday morning that the special messenger arrived from Bordeaux with a regularly certified copy of the proceedings of the assembly ratifying the treaty, and at half past 12 Mr. Jules Favre, then armed with the official documents, again proceeded to Versailles to claim the exchange of ratifications. But it was not until 9 o’clock on that evening (Thursday) that the details for the evacuation were regulated by the French and German military authorities. It was agreed that the evacuation should commence the next (Friday) morning at 8 o’clock, and terminate at 11. The German troops commenced moving out at the appointed time, marching up the Champs Elysées and passing under the Arch of Triumph, with great cheering. At 11 o’clock precisely, the last German soldier passed through the gate of the Porte Maillot, and Paris breathed free. During the occupation there was a good deal of excitement in that portion of the city occupied by the German troops, but there was no serious disturbance anywhere. Indeed, everything passed off much better than could have been anticipated. No sooner were the troops fairly on their way out of the city than the closed stores, cafés, restaurants, and hotels threw open their doors, the avenue Champs Elysée was swept and sprinkled, and the magnificent fountains in the Place de la Concorde began to play. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon (the day was splendid) all the invested part of the city, which had for two days been under the guise of a funeral pall, presented a most gay and cheerful aspect, and the people looked far happier than I had seen them for many long months.
I have, &c.,