The Evansville journal., 1870-08-20

Past Treves the road goes on to the.
nuch disputed fortress of Luxem-
bourg, and that PROVINCES neutral
frontier. But there are now only a very
few Prussian troops at Treves. The
main concentration Is at Saar-Louis,
which faces Metz and Thionville, the
French points where troops are mass
cd. and from which decisive move
ments are likely to be made. The
French. in order to reach the Rhine,
mnst gain one or two battles on the
frontier. and then can they effect a
march of eighty miles, through bro
ken country, constantly encounterlng
fresh troops?
THE JOURNEY TO MAYENCE.
Nothing but military trains are now
running from Cologne 10 Mayence. l
waited yesterday several hours for our
chance to come forward to this point,
where yesterday $4,000 soldiers ar
rived. You can judge of the condi-
tion of the railways. While we were
waiting at the station at Coblentz we
saw much of the Prussian soldiers
manners. The reserve and landWehr
forces were the most amusing. The
day was hot, and they certainly drank
a good deal of beer; but | fancy their
merriment was sincere. There was a
company of pioneers, fine, massive
men, with long, shaggy boards,
come down from Westphalia. and
although they were loaded with heavy
axes, knapsacks and blankets, and
stationed in the hot sun, waiting for
the train, they kept up a continuous
roar of laughter. There was also In
the reserves, just come In,
group of artisans. who had
among them little foolish looking
felleW whom they were Initiating.
They placed him in the centre of the
group, then burst into the CHEEKY
notes of Wallenstein' " Lager" and
marched around hira rapidly, each
humping him on the helmet with
their gun butts. The pride of the
district and town was especially no
ticeable. While the excitement was
at its hight there would be a wild
{" Hourrahl Oh" outside, and host
of the usual blue bloused, tired fell
lows would stalk in and at once ad-
yertise themselves. Hourrahl We
are from Rolandseck, or "Remagen, |"
or whatever it might be, and the
favorite song of that town was
then and there sung by them
with unlimited gusto. To them
succeeded others. Gd inJfaitun1.
The PRESERVES and the LAND
wehr F" forces, belonging to the work
ing Glasses generally, arrived at the
station with only small bundles. done
up in canvass or red handkerchiefs.
Each of these bundles and I saw
literally thousands ofthem-was num-
bered, the owner given a correspond
ing ticket, and then they were thrown
pell NELL into baggage vans. There
were not twenty trunks In all the bag
gage. Every one seemed to have ta-
ken nothing from home save clean
shirt. pair of stockings and bottle
of beer. The trains were dangerously
crowded. dozens of men sitting on the
tops of the cars and clinging on fear
fully as we whirled along the precipi-
tous and curving Rhine banks. Above
CoblentZ the enthusiasm was great
er than from Cologne up. Corps
of young ladies decorated witt
badges served the thirsty veterans
with cold coffee, water and beer
at every station; and the air
rang with shouts. At st. Goar
one old woman insisted on a soldiers
taking along her coffee pot, and burst
into tears when ne would not accept
it. At Binge oruck long baggage
teams were filing up the hill, and a
host Of batteries were drawn up,
waiting their transfer to the train
which was yet to come from Mayence.
Nou uWIx Il
twenty-three years old. There was
not beard enough in a whole regi-
ment to grace French Sdpeur. The
funny little sanitary corps wagons,
with the old red cross flag waving
above them, were rattling along the
line, taking their proper places; and
hosts of spectacled students from Ber-
lin, with the cross sewn on their
sleeves, were smoking and arguing in
the station.
At Mayence the Rhine runs be-
tween fiat and uninteresting, but
very fertile banks. Two new pom
toon bridges have just been laid down
to facilitate transportation, and a
large number of steamers are con-
stantly lying to points above, bring
ing the Baden soldiery to the front.
Mayence is blessed with much quaint
ness Of wall, tower and street; the
house roofs In the towns centre kiss
each other. The peace garrison here |
is 5000 men. mostly from the other |
end CT Prussia, and at present the |
number Is increased to %, 900. Rail- |
read communication is entirely |
broken, save toward Frankfort.
and even IN that direction is uncer
tain. The town is not really Prussian
IN feeling, there still being & large
FRENCH population, and the rule be-
Ing that OF Hesse Darmstadt. In the
Luxembourg excitements Of 1867,
Maayence was strongly French and
quite. rebellious against Prussia. 1t
mas been Frussisn only once; when
retaken by kalkreuth from the
French Republicans IN 1893. The
peace of Campo Formio In 1877 made
It French again, and in 1914 it was as
slgned to Hesse. The fortifcations
here govern tho Rhine in a very re-
markable manner. The old cathe
dral, built In the tenth century, has
served as hay magazine for French
armies, and In 1914 was used as a
slaughter-house. Mayence has an
enormous military hospital, one of
The best arranged in Europe. Gus
tavus Adolphus, the celebrated, built
fort here, and remnants of it are
still to be seen. The Romans consid-
cred the town tho strongest strategic
position on the Rhine, and its pres
ent Importance is probably greater
han that of Coblentz. The Bavari-
IN troops will march through here in
,ase. the fighting begins near Saar'
Louis, and the Crown Prince is ex-
'ected here in few days.
THE NAVY OF pRussIA