The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-10-18
VAR MISCELLANY.
Opinion Of a British Colonel OF Engt-
neers ON tho DefensfbiIftY or Paris.

Opinion OF q British Colonel OF Engi-
neers ON the Defensibilfty OF Paris.
The London Times contains remarkable
letter f.om colonel of the Royal Engineers,
in reply TO communication from an amateur
engineer, signed "Conybeare." He says 1t is
mistaken idea to suppose that q fort is COM
manded by neighborlng hill because the lat
ter Is few yards higher. NO fort Is COM
manded, In the military sense, unless the inte-
riOr of the work is seen and exposed to fire.
Stew military engineers" he says, 'sbelleve
In the possibility Of reducing Paris by regu-
lar Siege. The Prusslans to do this, must
construct regular approaches, with preaching
batteries. to the very edge Of the ditch of the
enceinte, but such works are not possible
against garrison Of four hundred thousand
men, who make continued sorties. There are
only two modes, therefore, of reducing Paris.
One. the slow but sure process OF blockade;
the other, the quick but barbarous process OF
bombardment from distant batteries"
The Russian War Cloud.
"If.n says the Pail Mall Gazette, "Russia
should crowd lis to the wall In Asia, what q
pretty pickle England would be In" Of late
wears the power OF Russia has been rapidly in
creasing, her material resources having been
developed as civilization pressed over Its bor-
ders and the policy OF Its government became
more European than Asiatic. One-seventh OF
the land of the globe is hers; her population is
about rs, 600, 600 souls. and cn!y her western
border has to be defended. The Russian regu-
lar army Is more than 100000 men on war
footing; the army Of the reserve is III, 1925, and
of the second reserve 100000. Besides these
are the Cossacks, who, In lieu Of taxes to the
government render military service. Russia
has improved weapons, 700, 900 breech- loading
rifles, and abundant artillery. In So0 It's navy
consisted of 290 steamers, with 23J5 guns; %
sailing vessels, with G5 guns; "a lron-clads,
with I49 guns; and force Of NOR Ian $4,000
sailors. From this 1t Is evident how formida-
BILE foe she would be-, and how much she
has done since the Crimean war.
The Sword and the Bowl.
The day after the fall Of Sedan, King Will
liam. being at dinner with his staf, as soon as
the cloth was drawn, ordered the glasses to be
filed, and said:
.iGentlemen, 1 give you toast: / drink to
the army, with my heartfelt thanks for Its
bravery and devotion. You. Won Room, have
sharpened the sword; you, Won Moltke, have
welded It,, and you, Bismarck, have lifted
Prussia to the proud eminence she at present
nlls. drink to the army, to the glorl lous
three, and to all gentlemen present who have
contributed 80 much to our glorious victory
The same day, at Moscow, the Emperor
Alexander of Russia, Immediately on the re-
moyal of the first course, ordered silence by
his head attendant, and then exclaimed:
"a toast, gentlemen, q toast. You nave all
heard the news. congratulate my uncle on
his success, and drink to the health OF King
William"
He rose. drank his wine-"hoch hoch !
hoch In-and dashed his glass to shiVers. Inc
company, outstanding, followed.