The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-08

KoomaL even two only are carried ont. tho strars-
gioal position Of Austria Ia regard to Russia viii be
nearly as advantageous as that OF Pruss a. That the
Przemysl-Eperes line will 90 shortly commenced
NAV be considered as certain.
Nearly us Important Is the work TO be undertaken
~ Sonsaer9 Hungary. according TO lac known in
Grosswardeln llne Is to be continued to Klausen-
burg to reach the Czernowiiz-Jassy line by way OF
line Is TO be constructed to Harrisburg. Hermansadt
and Kronstadt, with TWO branches to the Waaohian
frontiers the oho IN no drectol OF Bucharest and
the oher In the direction Of the rivers Sha or Auta.
IN three or four years II the money market be favor.
able. oil this may be realized.
TO compete With this formidable railway strength
OF their negnoors the Russian generals la the above
report proceeded to propose that warsaw, BY direct
lines, should DO connected win the centre ana the
south or the empire. Availag the iise. ives or the
same favorable opportunity OF making proposals.
they also added that the state would not 10 safe
uness the same privilege Of airect com nunlcatlon
by steam with tho central provinces were ex tended
to the Crimea, Tho Caucasus anu the baimc. Not
satisfied with this they demanded two mora sets OF
lines. the one 20 accelerate tho sniiung OF troops
along their old basis on the lana and Dneper, the
Eastern sleppes to the Western theatres OF war.
Some excursions Of existing lines completed tha
comprehensive proposal, which, as VIII be seen.
aims at overcoming distances. and, Tor tns irss tim0
III history, placing MS ln;nelSe military strength
really at the disposal OF tue Car.
This general demand IN the report was accom-
PANIED with detail propos lls colosrnlns cue pest
way OF attaining ths aim in view FIRST, as regards
direct communication between Celtrai Russia aud
Poland II was asserted that the tlstua roniier was
the most important though at preselt tue most eX-
posed OF the empire. Projecting Lar ato the prussian
territory and banking Austria IL must, II properly
protected. become permane0t thora Ia the side or
both; whereas. If insuiicientiy secured. 1t oilers
more facility for attack tnan defence 1t requires
artificial projection all the mo- G. laasInucl as the
distances from Berlin ald Vienna 10 tae nearest
polnt on The RUSSIAN frontier are. respectively
275 and 20 verstS Whlle the Ku5siaa5, from
their ordinary bass az DunaDurg and KieR
would have to traverse 7Io and go yersts
TO meet the lAyaler before penetrating
into the Interior. Yet there is at present but ono
line linking Ku5sia to Poaad-tiiat between st.
Petersburg and warsaw. From the centre and the
south of russia only country roads lead Into Poland
which. being useless In these DAYS OF rap strategy,
would coDpe the RUSSIAN connandes 70 send the
MOSCOW. Mohien aud kien garrSons north OF
Petersburg or Dunaours IN order to convey them
BY the fastest route at eif disposal east 10 Poland.
But The only western liuc-he ot Persburg. War
saw-whicR ali these transports would nave 10 pass
their way 10 the scene Of acton Is any hng Dus
sale from me enemy attack. II Is 81 near 70 tho
tue valley OF the NicMel mlsAS Ia Two Or three
days occupy wilma, and W.tn 1t the line on
whose possession would probably depend the tenure
OF Poland.
To obviate this two lines are required-from Mos
cow to Warsaw ana from ken to warsaw. TIE Tor
mcr to be straight, would have to 20 by PinsA Bob
rulsk and Bfest LteYsKi. But The sWanpy s0iitudeS
1t would have 10 cross on this route would
render the construction Vi the lIlc very expensive.
and its employment for military purposes exc30d-
lngly dihicuit Polesa, which, were 1t drained.
might be one OF the finest corn-growlng countries
In tho word, IN its present condition ~ one vast
morass, producing willows instead OF wheat and
Along tho greater part OF this route troops
could neither be quaItcred nor provisioned. No
aep taxing "oo o from So
rounding districts. regiment once embarked on
this line. wound have to consder the journey as
march through the desert, and must be supplied
With ylctnais for the wno.e Of the distance. only
arriving at Brest would fresh food be procurable.
or a firm place ior the soies Of their feet. For TING
reason more nOrtherIy direction W Minsk and
Sfolensk was planned when, however, not to be
too easily within the grasp or an enemy advancing
ffaa a 4 q
bends. From Mnsk to Brest the direct line would
have lain BY Slonm: instead OF this tue railway -
TO keep south as long possible and reach Mlnsk by
K0brin and ,inayka kletzk. Besides removing
the permanent road as far as possible from Prussian
lablshng station at Sinavka where the Wilma
1lnsk road crosses that which leads To- PinSk and
coa,nenied for the SECTION MlnsS smolensx not
the direct route by Orsla, Dut roundabout way ~
Mohilef. La favor OF the later proposal it was
allie red that pursuing enemy could easily cross the
Dnieper ut 0rsha but would lind 1t dilicut to effect
passage amid the swamps OF Moailen; and also
that as MohleR might be easily connected with
Wilma and Kie 1t ought Tor travellers coming from
the north as well as foi those coming from the east
to oe maze e or aver w ag
swanps TO be crossed BY direct lines from north to
south and from east TO west they would have 70 %
two Separate localities, at Orsa or Borisof for the
Smolensk. aiinsk line, and o. Bobrulsk or kogat:
be enormous and returns could be expected.
In the present flooded state OF Polesa and northern
NoinyiiiA, at tihcS III thdb puft vi inc WOllu bI0
merely designed Tor military purposes.
The iron road from kieH TO MohileG, which Is to
render tile southern troops available Tor Poland, Is
to leave Neshln, o station on the kienkur Rail-
way, ana 10 proceed north by way OF Icheing0T.
Passing on 10 the Crmean line, we Ind 1t pro-
posed to leave Charlof or rather the station L0s0
vaya, near Charkotf proceed to ichongar and sub
seGuenty divide into tnree branches to go respect
lively to Sebastopoi Feodos'a aud Kertch, As In tae
case OF the M0scow-Warsaw llne security from
attack rather than extensive usefulness was the
chief object In mapping out the direction OF this
line. Under ordinary circumstances the ll0e would
he certainly OF greater service were II to run along
the western Instead OF the eastern Dank OF the
Dnieper, aud to throw out branches to Odessa and
to Ncholayefsk; Dut then the country west OF that
river comparatively easy OF attack, and the line
TO reach the Crimea from NcholayciTsK would have
had to traverse tho Istamus OF P0rekOp, o
point exposed TO attack from the sea. Under
the pan favored In the report this import
ant railway Will be defended from west
the peninsula by crossing the Sea OF Azo1, not tho
istnmus OF Perckop. The sea OF Azoff 1t Is well
known, Is navigaDle only by flat-bottOmed boats
and what Is less notorious, korLcn, which DEFENDS
its entrance, has been quietly converted into first
class fortress Tho WORKS. which are nearly finished
little II at all Inferior to the once rcdOubted
towers Of SeDasiopo and competent to engage
cuirassed vessels. special feature Of the new
fortress IS the cistern for the collection Of ram
water butt before the artesian wells recently dug
proved success. This cstern Is the largest in the
world. and capable Of holding supply sufficient to
maintain 10000 men for year-a quantity which
can never be wanted, considering che frequency OF
landed at Feickop would involve several days.
march IN the tree,ess, wateress, houseess steppe.