The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-18 00:00:00

VERDUN AFTER THE BOMBARDMENT.

In a communication addressed from the Headquarters
of the Eighth Army Corps, Samognieux, November
8, the special correspondent says :—Verdun was fortified
by Vauban, and remains an immortal monument of the
genius of the days he represented. But since
that period things have changed ; and Vauban
must give in to guns that carry a little further
than he ever calculated upon when making his
designs. The situation of Verdun is by no means secure
or strong ; for, like Toul, it is completely commanded
by a high ridge, called " St. Michel," on one side—
while on the other, immediately opposite the citadel,
is an elevation, at a distance of 2,500 yards, which also
entirely commands the town. Entering by the gate
leading into the town from the road of Metz, we
came upon the first line of defence —a simple Vauban
fort, with a couple of small cavaliers, the rounded
bastions telling at once of its ancient construction. Not
many guns were mounted on this side, and those which I
saw were mostly old siege guns of an andent pattern.
Following the ramparts round to the Meuse, we came
upon the Jardin de la Fontaine, which lies immediately
under the Citadel. Standing upon a gun-carriage,
I obtained from this spot a splendid view of the
town. Shouldering itself high above a mass of
buildings whose architecture seemed to date from
before the Flood, towered the old Cathedral—a splendid
specimen of old Norman architecture ; the roof of the
west aisle having been completely destroyed by a shell.
The streets of Verdun are certainly not handsome, nor
are the houses by any means such as would please
the eye of a modern architect; but then Verdun is
an old town, and antiquity often serves as
excellent excuse for ugliness. The inhabitants
had covered their cellars with bark, to make them as
nearly bomb-proof as possible ; while many of the poorer
classes were obliged to spread manure over the traps, not
being able to afford the more expensive luxury of bark.
I need hardly add that this device did not improve the
purity of the air. A good many of the bons citoyens
were very drunk—so were three or four soldiers who
had remained ; whether to drown their sorrows or to
testify their joy I know not. The town was filthy and
dirty; shattered window-frames, slates, and chimney-
pots, dead cats and dogs, dead horses and mules, lay
about on every side. Entering the citadel, I was a good
deal surprised to find the ditch, and the drawbridge lead-
ing over it, white with the flour which had been reck-
lessly destroyed, the sacks having been cut open and
their contents scattered in every direction. Inside the
citadel—especially on that side which faced the German
batteries upon St. Michel—nothing but the bomb-proofs
remained standing. Such a heap of ruins as the mass
of rubbish into which the barracks and storehouses
had been knocked, I have seldom seen. A small chapel—
probably designed for the use of the soldiers—was a com-
plete ruin. That portion of the town lying towards the
citadel, especially the Rue St. Pierre, had suffered
severely ; in many houses the shells had gone through
' two and three storeys, demolishing the windows, and
breaking down the staircases.

The subject for debate at the Cambridge Univer-
sity Union last Tuesday evening was " That this house
sympathises with France in her determination to establish
a Republic." The motion was lost, there being 42 ayes
and noes.