The approach of the army of Manteuffel at almost the same time compelled the French troops to abandon Dijon. The retreating army of Bourbaki (who had now been succeeded by Clinchant) did not again assume the offensive; but, slowly pressed toward the southeastward by the advancing Germans, who had several conflicts with its rear guard, it finally ended its share in the war by retreating over the Swiss frontier on Feb. 1, thus finally withdrawing from the field. In the mean time the situation of Paris had become hopeless; and on Jan. 28 arrangements for its capitulation had been concluded between Jules Favre and Bismarck by the convention of Versailles, which also provided for a general armistice of three weeks (afterward extended to March 18), during which there should be general elections for a national assembly to decide upon the question of further war or peace. By the terms of the convention, the Germans took possession of the forts, the army of Paris were declared prisoners of war (except the national guard and a division of 12,000 others), and the seat of war in the southeast (near Belfort) was expressly excepted from the armistice.

The elections, after a violent discussion among the members of the government of defence as to the course to be pursued, took place on Feb. 8, and resulted in the choice to the assembly of a majority of legitimist and Orleanist members, as opposed to republicans, and in placing its control in the hands of the more conservative or prudent party as regarded the conclusion of peace. The first sitting of the new body was held in Bordeaux on the 12th, and on the following day the government of national defence formally gave up to it their powers. On the 17th Thiers was chosen chief of the executive of the republic. On the 19th he delivered an address to the assembly, urging upon it the duty of immediately making peace and endeavoring to restore the prosperity and credit of the country; and on the same day he nominated the following ministers, who were confirmed: foreign affairs, Favre; justice, Dufaure; interior, Pi-card; instruction, Jules Simon; public works, De Larcy; commerce, Lambrecht; war, Le-llo; marine, Admiral Pothuau. To this list Pouyet-Quertier was added as minister of finance, Feb. 24. A commission, the active members of which were Thiers, Favre, and Picard, was appointed to negotiate with the Germans. They arrived at Paris Feb. 21, together with a supervising committee of 15 members of the assembly; and on the 26th the preliminary treaty of peace was signed at Versailles. It contained the following provisions: France ceded to Germany the greater part of Alsace and Lorraine (see Alsace-Lorraine); it agreed to pay as war indemnity five milliards of francs, one milliard during 1871, the remainder within the next three years; the German troops should be gradually withdrawn from French soil as the indemnity was paid, so that the last force should leave it with the last payment; the indemnity should carry an interest of 5 per cent. till paid; the French troops should withdraw and remain beyond the Loire until the conclusion of a final treaty of peace (except garrisons for Paris and the other fortified towns); the inhabitants of Alsace and Lorraine should enjoy for a certain period (afterward fixed at six months) certain privileges in respect to trade; the negotiations for a definitive treaty of peace should begin at once at Brussels. These conditions were accepted and the preliminary treaty confirmed by the assembly March 1, by a vote of 546 to 107. In the same session the deposition of Napoleon and his dynasty was formally declared.

A special stipulation, also accepted with the treaty, had provided for the entry of the German troops into a part of Paris, which, however, they were immediately to evacuate on the acceptance of the full treaty by the assembly. This triumphal entry took place on March 1 and 2. On the 3d, the news of the acceptance being received, the Germans again withdrew. The arrangements for the negotiation of final peace were now complete. On the 12th Versailles was evacuated also, and the assembly at once transferred its seat from Bordeaux to that city. But Paris had not yet ended its suffering. The withdrawal of the enemy was almost immediately followed by the uprising of the populace and the rule of the commune; and for nearly two months the unfortunate capital endured a second and even more terrible siege at the hands of the French themselves. (See Commune de Paris, II.) Only at the end of May was order restored, and the whole country in a condition of actual peace. The definitive treaty with Germany, the conditions of which were substantially the same as those agreed on at Versailles, had been signed at Frankfort on the 10th of May.-The first measures taken by the assembly after the conclusion of the war (besides the negotiation of a most successful loan of 2,500,000,000 francs) tended naturally toward the more permanent constitution of the government.

The only matter bearing upon this hitherto decided had been the law providing for more liberal measures in the communal and municipal governments and elections, which was passed by the assembly on April 14. The legitimist and Orleanist parties in the assembly at once became conspicuous in the discussion. On June 8 the proscription of the Bourbon and Orleans princes, which had been in force respectively since 1830 and 1848, was revoked; and on Dec. 19, after a stipulated delay for confirmation, the latter took the seats in the assembly to which they had been elected. The count de Chambord, the Bourbon claimant of the throne, though he at first returned to France, soon after issued a proclamation declaring that he could resign none of his claims, and would not abandon the white flag of the Bourbons; and this done, he returned to his residence at Frohsdorf. It soon became evident that for the time being, at least, no other form of government than the republic could be adopted. The elections held July 2 to fill vacancies in the assembly resulted in the great majority of cases in the choice of republican members; and the tendency of even conservative opinion was also in this direction.