The New York herald., 1870-08-20
Defence Of tho North German Coasts and
HarbOrs.

Defence Of tho North German Coasts and
At length we begin to hear of something
practical being done by the heavy cruising and
blockading fleets of France sent northward
from Cherbourg against German maritime COM
merce and the German ports The French
iron-clads, under Admiral Boset- Guilaumez,
have been seen Off Cuxhaven and the OBJ
structed entrances of the Elbe and the Weser,
and there has been preliminary brush with a
Prussian squadron near the Island Of Rugen,
in the Baltic. Meanwhile the Ministry Of
Marine Affairs at Paris announces that eleven
German prizes have been taken. and predicts
great triumphs for the future. Prussian naval
officers who, by some odd management, have
been all through the French arsenals at Brest,
Cherbourg and Toulon, report to the Kreus
Zestung, at Berlin, that the French had pro-
posed not merely TO demonstrate with force
along the coasts and at the various seaports of
the Confederation, but to land bodies of troops
at the mouths of the Ems the Weser and the
Elbe rivers, and other points on the north
coast, 30 as to hold important bodies Of the
Prussian forces in check. Emden and Lubeck
are the intended extremities of segment of
semi-circle that was to embrace all these ope-
rations, with an eye to the severance of
Schleswig- -Holstein from Prussian military
control.
In order to meet this comprehensive, and, if
it could be carried out, effective plan, Prussia
has set apart no less than three special armies,
for which her tremendous accumulated strength
now enables her amply to provide. We briefly
give their arrangement as we CLEAN the facts
from official quarters at Berlin. The first
army is under the command of the Grand
Duke of Mecklenburg, and consists of two
corps of the line and five divisions of land
wehr, comprising in all one hundred and eight
thousand men. This is the Army of the Lower
Oder and will cover Berlin. The second
army is under General Vogel Won Falcken-
three divisions of landwehr, or ffty-eight
thousand men in all. This is called the Army
of the Lower Elbe. The third is commanded
by General Herwarth Won Bittenfeld, and also
consists of one corps of the line and three
landwehr divisions, in all fifty eight thousand
men. 1t is called the Army of the Upper Ems.
It will thus be seen that while Prussia hurls
more than half million Of men beyond the
frontiers of France, with one hundred and fifty
thousand landwehr advancing to cover their
rear, she can, at the very same moment, dis
pose of two hundred and twenty-four thou
sand men to protect her northern coasts from
invasion. Of course the idea that France, in
her present situation, can land force large
enough to cope with even the smallest of the
armies above designated is out ofthe question.
The empire has need Of every soldier, nay, Of
every marine, that she can muster for the de-
fence of communications with her own capital
and, in fact. large body of her naval gunners
has been withdrawn from her fleets to man the
heavy ordnance on the ramparts of Paris.
Could the meditated blow have been struck
at the German ports and formidable force
have been landed to march against Berlin in
the beginning u grand diversion might have
been effected. But now il is too late, and the
French squadrOns have need of the very
utmost vigilance lest, at some moment of false
security, they should be assaled at sudden
disadvantage by the K0nig Wilhelm, that most
terrible Of all iron-clads afoat excepting our
old ''Dunderberg' (now the Rochambeau).
The vessel named has half dozen consorts
nearly as formidable. as herself, and along
with their own engineers and seamen the
Prussans have the services of other men of
ancient seafaring races and Of matchless skill
upon the water. The French commanders,
fearless, enterprising and accomplished as
they are, may, therefore, while angling for
naval victories in the Baltic catch one OF
Victor Hugo's devil fish quite unawares.