The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-03
NOTES OF THE E4R.
How Paris is Protected-Descriptio Of
the FortificatIons-The City Safe from
Prussfan Shells.

In 1886, after the Bourbons had oeen eApeli-
ed md their cousins OF the Orleans family had
ascended the French throne, a law was passed
BY the Chambers ordering tie construction
and repair of fortresses, and granting a sum
of l4O, 900, 900 francs for constructing double
line of defence around the capital. The plan
agreed upon provided for double line of de-
fences, the interior to consist of continuous
enclosure (enceinte continnee,) and the outer
line OF series Of detached forts, each COM
plete of itself and independent of the other,
and yet all so arranged as to afford each other
the amplest assistance in the event Of an
attack Their fires sweeping each other, 1t is
necessary for an enemy to pass between them
before he can attack the inner walls, whose
guns also sweep the open space between the
forts.
TIE INNER LINE.
Tie inner line Of works consists OF series
OF bastions, which present ninety-four angular
fronts. The line is irregular, but surrounds
Boulogne on the west, and touching the Bols
de rincennes on the southwest. II is twenty
two miles in circumference, and Is probably
the longest continuous line Of bastions In the
world. The wall, which forms part oil the
bastions. is also terraced, and has an escarp-
ment OF thirty-four feet faced with masonry.
Each OF the angular faces q. e. bastionsl has
a medium length OF 1000 feet. In front Of the
whole, and entirely surrounding the city, Is
continued tosse, or line Of wet bitches, lined
with masonry, and of depth OF eighteen by
width of twenty feet From the bottom Of
these bitches to the top Of the embankments
crownipg the walls, Is height Of about forty
. MI ta,t 1rtn hor ta1
them an average of about ten guns each,
which will make total of $40 for the ninety
four angular faces This agrees with the
dispatches from Paris, which report 1000
guns mounted on the ra,npLris since the
battle of Woerh. About one hundred gates
pierce the ramparts, the bitches being covered
BY drawbridges which Gun bt removed al O
moments notice, or destroyed in two minutes
By the cannon In the basIions. At different
points in the rear OF the line are placed extern
sre magazines. we'll supplied with ammuni-
ton for the artillery, and amply protected
from the shot Of the enemy. Since tile acces-
sion of Louis Napoleon these magazines have
been entirely remodelled, and are now abso,
lutely impregnable TO shot and shell. Until
the present war broke out, there was not u
gun mounted upon the ramparts, nor was the
encente complete. To-day every bastion Is
bristllng with cannon. and the entire inner
works are in O complete state OF preparation
for an enemy. The heavy guns will have be-
fore them a clean sweep Of from one and q
half to three miles. so that even if the Prus-
slams succeed in forcing passage between the
outer works they will be met at the onset by u
concentric fire from two Of the forts and from
the ramparts.
THE DETACHED FoRTREssEs.
These are fifteen In number and are OF va.
rious sizes. They cover a considerable length
Of the Seine River, which on the west makes
deep bend forming broad peninsula. On
the southeast the junction of the Seine with
the Marne is also covered by fort. Tne NJ
teen forts combined present ninety-three
fronts. Each fort is O separate and distinct
work, intended to rely upon itself in case Of
necessity, though receiving support from the
works that flank IT, all are casemates, anf,
combined, mount twenty-three hundred guns
Of all kinds and calibres. Their armaments
have been in them for long while, so that
little work has been required fOr them since
there was prospect Of Paris being besieged.
Each has It's own magazine, barracks. store
house and supply Of water, so that should one
be captured the two on each side would not be
inconvenienced in the slightest degree, while
the tlankers would be free from the flank fire
Of the two forts referred 10.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
AS announced from Paris. the garrison. in
the event Of q siege, will consist OF 100000
men. A great deal Of unnecessary sorrow is
being expressed at the prospect OF PrusSian
shells battering down the splendid ediices OF
Paris. 1t is exceedingly doubtful If any of
their shells fall much beyond the inner line Of
works. and for the reason that they will not be
able to construct batteries near enough to the
outer fortresses to throw shells into the Tuile-
ries, unless they bring six numbered FOUNDER
guns with them, and we doubt much II their
Siege artillery contain guns OF any such call
bre. Furthermore, to surround the walls or
Paris would require much larger army than
the Prussians now have. Five hundred thou
SAND men may dc it, but half that number
cannot. They may occupy all the avenues OF
approach, but each force Of occupation would
be SO far from the others that by rapid masSing
the French would stand fair chance OF thrash
ing the beslegers in detail.
The Prussinn Plan Of the Campaign
Against France-A Singular Staie-
ment.
correspondent of the New York Herald,
in a letter dated Carlsruhe, August 10, says:
You. no doubt. remember how it was all
along. until barely week ago, expected that
the French would take the initiative In this war.
wonld either cross the Rhine at StrasbOurS or
move across the Bavarlan frontier and carry
on the war in the enemys country. You also
probably recolect how every one believed that
ihe prussians would take the defensive, would
first occupy the line upon which they would
have Landau as a centre, then fall back on
Moselle, and finally make a stand at Mayelce.
astlv. YOU cannot have forgotten (tor 1t Oc-
curved within the last few days) how astonish-
ed the world was when the Prussians, and not
tbe French, look the initiative; and then. in
stead of the war being carried into Prussia BY
Napoleon, it was carried into France by the
Prince Royal The latter change Of tactics
every one put down to accident. or, at any
rate. to the fact OF The French not being ready
to cross the Rhine when they ought to have
done SO.
Well, I have. within the past few hours,
been shown an official document which proves
beyond all doubt that from the very first the
plan OF the campaign determined upon at the
Prussian headquarters was exactly line 1or
line and movement for movement what is now
being carried on.
bismarck and MoltkG never Intended that
shot should be fred IN Germany. They knew
A month ago exactly th.: state OF forwardness.
or rather the state oil backwardness, OF the
French army. Wherever horses or provisions
were being gathered together for the French.
there was Prussian ..-5ent takin,, stock OF
the same, At Berlin, and. indeed, throughout
Germany, there was but iuur persons admitted
TO know the plan OF invading France, and not
allowing France to invade Prussia. THESE
were Bismarck, Multar, Dlumenthel ana
1h-, King. The ilIca wIs. OF course,
t,,stered that the French would certainly In
yaIe "Fatherland," TOR oy 30 doing Inc
naIional spirit was rendered all tue more
t.n,n THE sscreL was well kept, SO well