The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-12
ALSACE AND LORRAINE.
The Nationality of th cir rInhabitants-StreuQth
of the German Element.

The AUgenaejne ZejtUng publishes an inte-
resting article on the "German-speaking
territory in France" 1t says that this terri
tory now extends over 230 square miles, with
1927 communes and 1,360,0O0 inhabitants-a
territory which is almost as large as that of
Baden both in size and population, and is on
the borders of Germany from Basle to Lux
emburg. The linguistic boundary (Sprach-
granze) between the Germans and the French
begins on the Swiss frontier, at the village of
Lutzel, in the canton of Berne, and thence
proceeds to the northwest, following the
watershed between the German Rhine and
the French Rhone to the Barenkopf, between
Damerkirch (Danne-marie) and Belfort At
this place the linguistic boundary has re-
mained undisturbed; all to the east is Ger
man. The boundary next proceeds north
ward along the ridge of the Vosges.
The valleys of the Dolder, the Thur, and
the Fecht are here German; the source of
the Moselle, on the west, is French. In the
vicinity of Colmar and Kaserberg, at the
sources of the Weiss and the Leber the
French language passes across the Vosges
eastward into Alsace, where there are some
communes of the canton of Schneirlach (la
Pontroye) which speak Romance dialect.
In the valley of the Leber the languages are
mixed, and the linguistic frontier proceeds
from Markirch este. Marie aux Mines)
through the valley of the Weller, the upper
part of which is French, to the Breusch val
ley. The upper part of the valley of the Vosges
is also French, and its villages have French
and German names. The lower part is in
disputably German. From the Breusch val
ley the linguistic frontier passes from Alsace
to Donon, in Lorraine. The small mountain
valleys of the Vosges, which belong to the
French linguistic territory, comprise about
a square miles, with 80, 600 inhabitants. The
whole of the remaining portion of Alsace,
-
miles, SIG communes, and 500, 600 German
inhabitants There is not single place here
with aFrench name. The linguistic boundary
becomes more uncertain as it enters
Lorraine, where the French Ian
guage has made much more progress than
in Alsace. 1t begins at the Breuscb,
and passes to the northwest by the lakes of
Guldesfng (Etang de Gondreange) and Thus
weihe, east of Dieuze. Several towns to the
east of this boundary, however, such as
Pfalzburg, have become completely CALI
cized. Thence the boundary proceeds to
Morsberg (Marimont la Haute). The south
ern and western villages of this district are
| French, the eastern and northern German.
The advance of the French language here is
shown by the fact that formerly German was
spoken on the banks of the Seille as far as
Marsal. The boundary extends in Lorraine
up to the borders of the department
of the Meurthe, and then enters that
of the Moselle. In the former department
there are 116 communes, with 65, 500 inhabi-
tants. In the department of the Moselle the
linguistic boundary passes along the river
Med, leaving Faulquemont and Kriechingen
on the right, and thence proceeds to the
Kanner, a small stream that flows into the
Moselle. The German portion of this de-
pertinent comprises about 434 square miles,
with 266 communes and 189, 400 inhabitants
About ninth part of the originally German
portion of Lorraine has been Gallicized since
the French annexations of 1852 and 17G6