The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-27 00:00:00

STOtIII,I3IITDGTI 013SERT11111.

Is out for hours before breakfast of a morning, devil g round
the fmtifications with scientific men. and giving them the
benefit if his suggestions. Everybody seems to work with a
, will. There was a good deal of work to do, bat it is being got
through apace. Paris In becoming a great Sebastopol
—one of the strongest, and certainly by for the largest
fortress in existence. Its enciente or encircling wall
consists of ninty.slx fronts, each front comprising two
dembhaStions and the Intervening curtain. Now, to
give yen an Idea of this by the aid of comparison,
the most remarkable fortresses in Europe, such as Mete,
Strasburg, Magdeburg, Mmtua, have, if any memory serves
me, each from 12 to 16 fronts This enciente is armed, for
the present, with COO pieces of artillery, which is merely
what is called the armament of security, and would, doubt.
less, be augmented, supposing the exterior defence. to have
fallen before the enemy's fire and assaults The 16 external
forts have each 100 guns, making in all 2,200 places of heavy
artillery, and there are stew hundred more in reserve. For
every gun there is 1,000 rounds of ammunition, which enor-
mously exceeds the usual allowance, On the line of the forts,
fieldworks of great strength are being constructed. The forts
are manned by first-rate troops, artillerymen, and experienced
gunners from the easy. The skill of these gunners hi handling
and pointing their pieces is said to be extra, ,
The report of the intended destruction of the Ihns
de Boulogne is contradicted only a strip of it will have to
be sacrificed, and that will not be done until the last
moment. In addition to the defences already enumerated,
there swat be an army outside Paris, marteuvring and fighting
under the guns if the forts, and covering tine entrance of
supplies. No doubt seems felt of keeping open commutes-
tion with the south. As long as the forts are not taken, there
will be little danger f. ribs city from the enemy's llre. It is
sanguinely anticipated that they could hold out for a very
long time. The Parisians are believed to be ready awl
willing to stand a siege. The Prussians If they sale down
before the place, could not invest it, and they would be .4
agrent llstswe from their supplies. Should they try it,
they would find everything to ,dy to receive them. It is
soppoeed the G.,vernmant of France would then be Web.
lahed elsewhere—perhaps at Tours or bungee—and the
Goverment of Paris would he, as now, in the hands of
General Trochu.

cause Sirantards chose to manage their own affairs. Tame is I
the Diike of Sane-Cobalt G the, brother to our lamented
Prince COTO on, whom little principality is German cud •
patriotic to the core. Ti ere is the yowl Prince of Meck-
lenburg, son of cur Princess of Cambridge, and said to be
very English in Slates and education, but with a warm heart
for the rime of tt e crest German Falberised. These and
oil., men of high rosition in Gorr tO f him the Crown
Pribee of Pt meta as he tiles forth from belciag place to ball-
ing place, alweye further on Meech soil. lieu should stand at
,a eiiiitier if the vitt go and see the Mali go by. I have men-
tiolied in another letter that the peassute do not cheer. It
would be absurd if they did, for their none are serving in the
French army, though they are of Germaii stock. The pea-
sant!. do not cheer. but have a good long stare, hat in hand
I will not describe the procession as it passes, because this
would be scarcely what those who ride in It would wish.
itty ohjeA is that you !should understand the sort of war
which is being singed, sit- mid tee before you the French high
roeils with their hues of poplars, the crowded encampment,
and the a Ivancieg columns. I want you to picture the
outposts far Oil in front, looking into every hush, and
the staff in its proper place, as a centre of manage-
ment and direction. I would fain bring before you
this strange. perplexing, unexpected sight which fits my lot
to see. The challei gar knocked down at the first
etwoimter, the grawle notion invaded with such deadly
speed. We all thought that Prussia had a good chance,
and I my self was inclined to ha,ik her heavily, ea my letters
have shown; tint this sudden success taken away oneie
lire., h. Fru meet reali,e the scene to censure its over-
whelming effect—French hotels de uit?e occupied by helmeted
Piusidens. French peasants in hinnies doing forced service
to the Presume commissariat. These things form part of
the picture You see the whole country alive with in-
vaders, end the colninne of infantry pressing forward
like Crates of working ants here are the men who
make the conquest sure These tufautry soldiers are
a special product of modern German training. They
are the experts of the breech loader. A long and careful
training has made thein steady in aettrn arid quick
in their mat mimes. flow they march too ! It is only this
moridue that our head•quarters' escort performed another
of those feats of rapid marching which have been our wonder
of isto 'Fhe poor runty fellows kept up with horses and ear.
rla,es for twelve or fifteen miles at a twinging pace, and in
fail eampetten order They must sometimes have been almost
running, yet only two or tined wee fell out. Whi-tever may
ha the smartness of Freeeh marchiug—aud it is admirable, 1
conteu—it could not well beat this.

NARROW ESCAPE Oh THE EMPEROR.
In a letter, dated from Chalons, August la, M.
Texier, of the Slide, says:—
"the Emperor, at the commencement of the battle, was at
Longevllle, with the Prince Imperial, Prince Napoleon, and
their *ldea-de-camp, In an 11111 situated in the middle of the
village. The Prussians were certainly not aware of the pre-
serve of those illustri, us guests, or the house would have
been Ibitteied with artillery. Two or three shells, however,
fell a few paces off, and as the village was In danger of
being deatrosed by the eneniy's lire, the Marshal sent
to warn his alajesty of the peril. and orders were at
once Wes for the departure of the Imperial house-
hold. The Emperor awl his suite mounted on h,d,e-
back, but V e difficulty WAS groat, as the Country
around was scored by the German troops.- A guide, how-
ever, undertook to lead the party by pathways through
vino,rds. and at a certain moment the Emperor passed
withn a mile and 4 half Of the Pi usisians, who, however well
informed they usually are, were not aware that such a rich
prize was within their reach After two or three Mum'
march through woods suit plantations, which time must
have appeared soy long to his Majesty and hie suite, they
arrived at the high road which Miey had then only to follow
to reach their next destination at Gravel: tie The Emperor
rested one day at Verdun, aid theta proceeded to Chalons
by ran in a third-claas carriage, as already rela'ed in the
pap,s. An e- witness tells me that the servants at the
station, who lad not been tutor:, ed of the depar-
ture of the Imperial household, had not even tune
o clean out the conipartinents. which still bore
traces of the troops who had traielled In them OD the pie,
ceding Oafs.. When I arrlved at the camp this morph.;
found It is a slate of great activity. The Init:erl .1 head
moaners pm:et.t an aspect 1.1 melancholy The Llmperor
does not 'how himself, and no one has seen him since his
arrival at the camp. In passing along the road near the
pavilion which be occludes, I met the Prince Imperial, in
wit orm and wearing the military medal, walking with his
equerry. Ile had the gay and careless air of a boy of his age.
' After following the road toe a diotalive he crosae 4 a field
and went and sat down on the edge of 'a ditch, where he
amused himself In drawing lines or figures with his walking'
cane in the sand."

I?! battalions, that is to say, at least 150 009 excellent traots
of infantry, cavalry, and artillery and these are ready, in
conjunction with the even more powerful landwehr,to o..pose
any one who should attempt to 'enforce' conditions of ',ace
upon us Dots The Timee believe that the Britisi. tint and
the 20,1,00 men whom England Is preparing for War would
suffice to dictate to such a powerful nation as ours . . .
Any one that should dare to interfere with us la the work of
thoroughly humiliating Femme, who, after our sans and
brothers have perished my thousands, should be mad enough
to ask us to settle the matters slat • money c ,mpensation.
I may easily be involved in the destiny of Louis Napoleon."