The Sun.
London, England, 1870-09-28 00:00:00

THE THREE EASTERN SIEGES.

The official Prussian account of the progress of the
sieges at Thonville, Metz and Strasburg, says with res-
pect to the former place that the investing army " is com-
posed of all kinds of troops, but we are not much troubled
by the enemy. At nightfall bodies of cavalry patrol all
round tire fortress, so as to cut off every communication
from outwards, and at night the infantry are obliged to do
outpost duty, which is rendered the more severe as hardly
24 hours pass without some sortie being made, supported
by Franc-tireurs, among whose ranks even women are to be
found." It is not easy to comprehend how the Germans
can be " not much troubled by the enemy" if sorties are
made every twenty-four hours ; but this is for the Staat-
sanzeiger to explain. With respect to Metz the official
account has nothing material to record during the last
fortnight. Balloons containing letters are constantly sent
up from the town. Of Strasburg there is the following
notice :—" The approaches have been nearly completed,
the three parallels having been finished without any
particular annoyance or attack from the-enemy. The
firing has been briskly maintained, and the artillery of
the investing army has silenced many of the French guns,
and caused the enemy to retire his guns from the embra-
sures, after having dismounted them from their car-
riages. The fires in the town have been much less fre-
quent, and none have taken place within the citadel in
the past few days. Recently some of the heavier batteries
have been brought into action, and the fire has become
heavier against the walls of the town, and the cannonading
has to be actively sustained, as the French garrison are
actively employed in repairing the breaches as fast as we
make them, The town of Kehl has again become the point
of aim for the French guns, yet, strange to say, without
causing any damage, as the shells are without fuses, and
consequently do not explode."

THE DEFENCES OF METZ.

The correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette, writing
from Metz, September 23rd, says :—" The fact is, Metz
is a place of such prodigious strength that there is very
little chance of the Germans attempting to carry it by any
coup de main. Besides its great natural strength, which
has been improved by the strong defensive works, ancient
and modern, of which you have already heard,
well-devised and strongly built field works have
been and are still being constantly -- added
whiCh would have to be carried before the wall of Metz
could be reached. While we were looking from the top
of the Château de Mercy we could see some thousand
busy spades at work extending and strengthening an
earthwork under the guns of fort St. Quentin. As all
these field-works are protected by the heavy guns of the
fortresses, much blood must be spilt and many lives sacri-
ficed before they could be carried. Of all this the
Germans are, of course, perfectly aware, as they have
excellent points of observation from which they can
watch all that the French are doing. The King has sent
orders that the expenditure of life shall be avoided here.
For the present, then, offensive _measures are not likely to
be taken en the German side. At any
moment, however, Bazaine might make a fresh
sortie, and it would for many reasons probably be made
on this side, and along the road which I have just
described ; where any success would supply him with
much needed provisions. Hence the utmost vigilance is
observed, and every inch of ground is employed for'
defensive pnrposes. The château from whose observatory
I have been watching the French is held by the 15th
Regiment. It is a prominent point, and must become the
seat of a sharp contest in the case of a sally by the
French. On the occasion of the sortie of the 16th it was
also held by the 15th, and that regiment,. in defending
their positions against the strong body of troops which
advanced against them, sustained' a loss of thirty-four
officers and 800 men. It is loopholed and barricaded
with all possible precaution, and the 15th, who still hold
it, will, if necessary, defend it with the utmost obstinacy
again, as they have before, and probably with the same
success. Seeing, however, that it is a position.
susceptible of such important uses, and that it is within
easy range of the French works (not more than 1,500
yards from the guns in the trenches), it is thought sur-
prising by the Prussians that the French have tiot
before this rendered it untenable, which they might
easily do. It has already been once or twice
shelled lightly, and bears the marks thereof.
Descending from the château we accompanied the officers,
of the outpost guards, which are pushed forward to the
extremest points at La Grange aux Bois, a solidly built
house occupying an exposed position within a few
hundred yards of the French outposts. A newly-
dug grave held the body of a sentry shot the day
before on the lawn in front of the house, on which
he had incautiously exposed himself ; for the French
have not given up the war of outposts, and a rapid drop-
ping fire, which reminds one of a good October day in a
well-stocked preserve, is always going on. We visited
the extreme outposts with a fine, gentlemanly young
fellow, a Westphalian officer, who was going down
to them. The French sentinels were within
400 yards of us ; and putting up a hat on a stick it was
soon riddled with balls. The Germans had captured a
field-balloon a few nights ago, and from intelligence re-
ceived they are on the alert for a movement from within.
A noise of moving artillery, which was covered, oddly
enough, by the playing of bands, was heard a few nights
ago, but it was too dark to see what it meant.