The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-07-27
account of its wealth and its population of

account of its wealth and its population of
10000.
In the eleventh century already the city car
ried on an extensive trade with foreign coun-
tries, including England, in the produce of the
country, which embraced wine, corn, flour,
malt beer etc. But intestine troubles and the
intolerant spirit of its magistrates, with other
causes, finally effected the city's ruin. In 1892
it ceased to be free city. Duns Scotus died in
Cologne in the year 1908, and was buried in the
chapel of the Minorities, and Rubens was born
here in 1877, in the same house in which Mary of
Medicis died in 1912 The population in 1861
was only 113,0S3, of whom about 1000 were Pro-
testants. The manufactures are important, and
embrace that of eau de cologne, of which
1900 600 bottles are exported annually, and in
the manufacture of which thirty different firms
are engaged. Three railroads branch out from
Cologne-one to Aix-la-Chapelle and Belgium,
one to Dusseldorf and Northern Germany, and
one to Bonn.
The advance line of isolated forts is similar
to those about Paris. There are eleven of these,
but they are not sufficiently completed to pro-
tect the city from modern ordnance. The
taking of the city would be an easy under
taking unless guarded by large army in the
open field, but such an army could be rapidly
udbbCu uG OhAo pOAhbi uhiCoo ulNOlbOu ny opera
tions elsewhere.
The Line to Aix-Ia- ChaHeIle.
There are two small rivers flowing northward
between Aix-la. Chapelle and Cologne, the Erft
and the Roer. Aix-la- a-Chapelle is situated 40
miles southwest of Cologne, on the railway line
from Liege to that city. These two rivers are
the only obstacles between the Rhine and the
frontier in a line of operations from Cologne to
Aix-la-Chapelle. The Erft is not of much ac-
count, but the Roer shows special facilities for
defensive line from Duren Julich across the two
main carriage roads and the railroad. The
frontier north of Aix-la-C Chapelle is protected
so long as Holland is friendly to
the North German Bund-by the Meuse
with its forts at Maestricht and Vedlo.
The Importance of the unfortifed town
of AiX-la-Chapelle as strategic point
will be understood by a study of the topgraphi-
cal pecularities of the country. The Ardennen
Wald, with its irregular mountains and valleys
cuts off any eastern passage at any point be-
tween Luxembourg and Liege. From Liege the
railroad and fine macadamized road pass
through Aix-le- Chapelle to Cologne. From
Brussels TO Liege the passage is easy, as is also
the passage from Paris to Liege, via Valencien-
mes, Nous, and Brussels, in which route valen-
ciepnes, lie Quesnoy and Maubeuge would be
used as bases of supply. The use of any Belgic
route, however, depends principally on the atti-
tude of Belgium in the contest.
AiX-la- -Chapelle has some $1,000 inhabitants
and Is surrounded by wall with ramparts and
bitches. Its principal manufactures are those
of woollen cloths, for which the city is famous.
In the market place is bronze statue of Charlie
magne, who made the city his favorite resi-
dence, and whose successors in the empire were
crowned here until the sixteenth century Two
treaties of peace were signed here, one in 1858
between France and Spain, by which Flanders
was given over to the former, and the other in
174s, which terminated the Austrian war of
succession. congress was held in the town
in 1918.