, 1870-07-24

NECK aFHS CDltl HhIcE Iu tllE HeSu 3{lI @ltal
to the e&tsehit,es. The great Object is to pre-
vent The eilEsaun OF tloO.i by Mithdraw1ng.is
tfcm tlc i'rail.
THE EUROPEAN WAR.
Hu~r of Operations OF the French
Forces.
Fssn the .Nt.e Foss Ntrali. July %.
The base Of operations for the French arm
les forms M acute angle, running east by su1l:h
and eouth bs weet, with tho headquarters At
what we might term the two cxsremitIes. We
Bay might because, in fact. 3iet2 aud
Sttasbur9 arc not really the e1tren,ities,
the lines extending north Of Metz at Thou
vile, aud southwest Of S.11sblrg At Co1msr.
or at Belfort, il the cable kilograms are cor
rect. As regards Bc1fort, however, it dogs not
McMahon can be located 90 far south, tho
town being not less than seventy miles from
stral burg, and it, in fact. less dcfensi-e To-
s,tiou from invasion from Germany thau from
iavarion from Switzerland.
hut admitting Eelfort to be the extreme
fortified places which the amy covcrs Be
ginning al Delfost, the ine r1uis in an east-
northeast direction distance Of twenty miles
to Afulhouse, or Mulhtuscn; themes northeast
another twenty miles to Scuf BriAaca, whence
it takes uortAer}y course for tllrty miles to
strae1urg, Continuing north it firat strikes
Hagneuan come seventeen miles distant. and
reaches the angle at Lauterblrg. eighteen
ml1er distant to the northeast. Here tLe line
makes -harp turn. and runs along the Lauter
river to Nisscubourg, nine miles northwest
Of LautetaurE. Continuing west hy south,
aud consequently fol ming d'gres-ian, it next
uaetts Btche, Fonle twenty-five Milcr un, con-
tinues nestward for some tifty~eisht miles 10
Metz, theu tut1,a to the north aud goes up 10
IMousl1!c. a distance Of seventeen miles,
II here it cndr. THIS would give tntat Of ell
n.i}es for the military linz, but II wc tegin at
S,rastnFs. ignoring Belfort, Nulhouse, and
Stuf l5rleacl. the length Ii reIil,ed IL abutt
Ill miics-a line ly no ncan- TOO long when
VIC tale into consideration tic immense force
concentrated along it, and the perfect railroad
rSetem. which facilitates tie moving Of
troops fc 1nv part.
listaucc of Neasly sixty miles. there il 10
| fortified town. South os the line, however,
are phal>blrg, Matsal. and othcrs, which
! ceyes and protect the Es!!zoaa between Nancy
aud Metz. Furthermore, willie for the pur-
| posc OF connecting the fortified towns We have
linkc.l Iitthc aud Metz. it IL ccrtain that the
French army Is aligned along the road run
ming from Mtefe TO Sasrelueui,ice, Forbach.
| AID Tl,lansic. which reduces the length of
| the limo by some fifteen or twenty miles.
| TIE err or METZ.
| Nevertheless It seems evident that the base
|
m.ules. hv Marshal uaxaine, IL the city and
fortress Of Metz. rnis rlace is the most an
| cieut in France. It was founded before tho
| Romans conquered Gaul, aud was known to
them as Diyodornm. Thi- name vas after
ward changed to that ct atetlioustrict "a
called Motifs, Or ,etis, which finally
became Metz. Under ,tle r7sle Of Rome
the city prospercd exceedingly. After
the conquest Ut Gaut By the Franks it con-
ti,ued an important cen1ss ot population, and,
r1,der tue descendants Of Clovis, Hing OF
| France. the city became fanana as the ca7lta al
OF the kingdom 1t Aust,asia, Which name aas
cl,xpge.1 tss to Metz, and second, in the 1tntls
Ct injury. to that OF Lorraine. The decline OF
tue Louee of Clarleuague was takeis aavau-
t,ge If hy 1deury iI, Fourth, Of Germany,
vlo conquered it. Uu1iug the fu!low-
then injepeu1emr aud remained frss until
1852. When thex clailued the 1rotec:ora:a o.
France. It will thus tie seen that Metz. and,
for The matter Of that the whole Of via: was
formerly Lorraine, II not, aid Lever has been,
GERMAN. sst,t has Away. been FRENCH. Its
conquest aud retention f.y tiernanv for brief
wnlle. $40 .earu ago. is the only claim that the
(testnas.s hare upon it as their territory Eor
;}1~ yea1a it has formed past Ut France.
Metz il situated at the confluence Of the
a1okelIe and Sti1lo kivers, about 17O miles by
rail cart lr north OF Paris. 1t il, after stras-
The population il over Gu.t(h. which. with the
regular garrison Of lO,VOJ n1en. makes
ii lively. bu>tline pl3ce. The furti,ica,
tions arc extensive and almost imr1eg'
n.tIe' Iley e9mps'e .,t.4 t,,,'Ir5G ,irnnG
tint,s surrounding il. Four regularly con
et111ctcd forts. capable Ut resisting the mosi
powerful OF mo4lctn proiectles. cover {
country Oh all sslcs, so that their guns cal
sv eep an attacling fore. which. br :he way
ml1Rt adyAn c To tho Halls over open tieldt
aud rross deep and wide ditch. Nhici, can b.
flooded with water in shurt space OF time
| Three ct these forts were commenced b.
Yauban. the greatest military engineer Of hi!
age, and to ~iluln France E indebted fur he
system OF fozt,eetes- Eanbau commenced
and torryantaigne. another able engineer. fin
ished them. Une Of theee forts commands. th'
east part Of the city from the 1'ost des ALE
nlal,ts to the river; smother projects the south
ern part: tic third, called tile Re<luubt du Pate
s:a'sd- OFT an island connected with the city b
a tuLterranean gallery. and il resan1ed a. OH
CT the mett important works. Ille fourth for
is Of more modern CONSTRUCTION, hut tie wi,ol
Of them have loeu 70 improved slnee Aapo
teon lccame Emperor that al may be eah! +
be new.
; a- basc Of operations for the Frenel, arm,
| OF the Moselle. Metz il admirably titilAted
!, il connected by railruad WITH raris. Saucy
ts,rasturg. aud Thi<Hville III France. anl b
| rail to Cptlcntz. Mayeuce, and Mannheim i
; | Germany. The wagon road to Nayence
| which the RAILROAD follows very clo-ely. wa
| made by Saroleoa the Great, for the prir,os
| Of opening direct communication netwre
.. Naycnce aud Iazis, aud il known ~ tue Essse
>Iyasse [ImpeEial road. The distance fEs,l
Meycnce to 1etx il lao English miles, Froz
Metz 70 CobIcntz by the a1osellc ltiverf- abor
leo miles. but by the land route it il not nor
. than seventy Ave. the winnings OF tho rlrs
more than doubling the distance. in c3nne;
tion With this fact il should he t.ated that til
! Moselle is nayigable frutn its confluence uit
the Meurthe TO its mouth. Should the Frenc
:. army move upon cot.entz. it c n, therefore !:
accompanied by euntpats. although it wou1
lie necessary to t1st destroy the prideea IN
other ob.t1uctsoDs and to 1edute OF pass III
batteries at 1reres aud other points along ii
hanks.
1HfnSyIILE. BI7CHE AND wElssEanaCE:i.
few days ago We gave partial sketch {
T1.ionTille. Tic town eitustcd on The 1e
= bank Of the Aose}ie, seventeen miles north I
: ,asies. of sbou. 1900. and IL famous fag Il
= 1uste tinet it was tesieged during til, Wal
Ietween France and tust1ia- Thonvi1]1 Is E
the railrcad between Metz and Mixieres aud
. the terminus OK the branch ruad 10 Lu1eubnl
in TIE tNchv Of that name.
a lying nearly sixty miles east # Metz. II
= fort ete here il l'ni1t on huge iso!sted rocl
atso!utcly inrsegnabie to sssAa1s el:her I
! infantry or artillery. It mounts more tha
= one hundred piecee Of artillery, is plentiful
: .,,t Piled with water, aud slways contains th1e
! ! years supr1y Of pEosiriors for the g:r1isoa.
), Neissemboutg il situated on the right har
= Of the Lauter River. directly on the ftoat:
: | Of Eavasia, nine sniIes northwest Of Laute
burg and about thirty miles uorsh-nortl
east Of Strsshurg. It's population is abo'
:. f.ctN. The fozsihcatioEs here are very stsoa
n and have, since the accession Of Sapoleo
y leeA E,easly strengthened. Along the La1ts
+ 1:i,s. to tic city Of Lauterbonrg Is consin
\ ! ors line OF works. known ~ the - Lines
n We,->eu,l,ourg" Ihey we've fc1ced by 4
~ tr-:tisns III l793, and III consequence the Ct
/ | euci1 sitter surrendered.
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