The Portland daily press., 1870-07-20

THE FRENCH AND PRUssIAN FoRrRFssFs.
Seldom, either in ancient or modern war
iare' mas lhe theatre Of war been confined to
so small an extent of country 90 must he the
case in the first stages of the present. ~or
that is il both France and Prussia adhere to
their International obligations. 1t requires
but slight glance at the map of Europe to
perceive. the immense aggrandizement Of
Prussia since the war of 1866, but her in.
crease of territory-including the kingdom of
Hanover, the electorate of Hesse- Cassel, the
Free Territory and City of Frankfort-0n-the-
Main. the duchy of Nassau, the landgraviate
of Hesse-Homburg, the German duchy of
Danish duc1ry of Sebleswig-is On the coast
line, or, when in the interior, does not in any
way touch on the French frontier. Baden and
Rhenish Bavaria, whose frontiers are on the
southern section of the Rhine, opposed Prus-
sia in the war of 1866 and do not form part of
the North German League. They have, GER
tainly, an alliance offensive and defensive
with the King of Prussia as member of the
German Confederation, but the French
declaration of war being against Prussia as a
separate State, they are not bound to
come to her assistance, and, as yet, neither
of these States or Wurtemburg, have declared
war against France. The only point OF at
tack, then, either for France or Prussia, Is the
small, peninsular-shaped part OF the Southern
Rhenish Provinces which runs down between
the Daehy OF Luxemberg and Rhenish Bava-
ria. with The Moselle River as the northwest
ern boundary. OF the three great French
fortresses of Strasbourg, Metz and Nancy,
which form the cover of the French attack,
Metz, from its geographical position, is the
allimportant one. Lying on an easterly par
allied with Paris at distance of 10 miles, 20
miles due north OF Nancy, and 80 miles to the
northwest of Strasburs, it stands at that an
gle of the triangle which directly points on
the narrow strip of Rhenish Prussia which
it is only 2j miles distant. Metz, then, has
been naturally chosen by the Emperor and
his generals as the basis of operation. Should
the war spread to Belgium, Lille, on the ex-
treme northeast frontier of France, would be-
come a second basis of attack. The Rhine
fortresses of Prussia are all much further
from the frontier than the French. Stras-
bourc is but 40 miles from the nearest point
and Nancy but 80, while Erenbreitstein, OPP
poste Coblentz, is 20, Maniz or Mayence so,
and Cologne 100.
In the oblong-shaped space OF country
bounded on the southwest by the French and
Prussian frontier, on the northwest oy the
Moselle which unites with the hhine at Cob
lentz. on the northeast by the Rhine between
Coblentz and Mayence, aud on the southeats
Inv a small portion of Hesse-Darmstadt and
The entire northwestern frontier of Rhenish
Bavaria, will probably be the theatre of the
war. The extreme south of this obong will
undoubtedly be the scene of the first opera
tions. At the same time Bavaria may move
in favor OF Prussia at any moment and so en-
large these boundaries on the southeast to the
banks of the Rhine.
THE ROADS INTO PRUSSIA.
Two trunk roads diverge from Metz into
Rhenish Prussia-one passing the frontier in
the direction of Saar-Lous, the other running
through Thoinvile Ito Saarburg and Treves;
Thoinville is fortified town of 1000 inhabi-
tants. situated seventeen miles to the north oil
Metz, on the Moselle. 1t was once residence
of the A[erovngian and Carloyingan Kings
and has been besieiged again andIagain lli the
wars between France and Austria. oaarpur2
is a small town in Rhenish russia, eleVen
miles southwest of Treves, on the river Saar.
Treves is one of the most important cities
in tb;s nart of Germany. 1t stands on the
ricbt hank of the Moselle, which is
here crossed BY an Roman bridge. 1t is said