, 1870-08-27
THE INVASION OF FRANCE.
0halons and the Region Round.
i Description Of the Country.
Notes Of a War Correspondent.
tPReA OCR owN CORRESPONDENCE


tPReA 0CR owS CORRESPONDENT
NEWPORT, L l Aug. e.
So.hinS that can wKite from the watering
places will be more oppoftune than sone
,ecolecdons Of the country round about
Thaloua, which has, perhaps, been already
BY great battle. There are
plenty Of maps 10 bs had, allowing tho region
pf the campaign and the relations Of the soads
and streams, but what your readers are in
need Of is some general acconnt, not OF the
history OF this geography, but Of the to7ograr
phJ Of The country, nj 1t would 4Eecs sou
il you could SEQ 1t. Suppoae you
were one Of the numeroua prussiap spies you
have been reading about. and had gone down
from PARIS to Chslons just before this waF,
then Lad visited The camp Of Chalons, near
by, then lad virited the old city Of Rheims,
where the Donrbons used TO be crowned; then
lad passed to Conpiegne, where the Emperor
has chateau and forest, AMI had then re-
turned to Chalous and proceeded to Stras-
bou1g, You would thus Lave gained, so Tar aa
four eye IL concerned, clearer notion OF
the land to te fought over than much read
ing could have impaired to you-
It was just this trip that made nearly At
the close Of the eeTen weeks Wat betNeen
Prussia and AueteiA- easly in August, 1866: +!
had started out to see the fighting, II tfat had
been possible, but. while I Was get oE tho |
Ansn1e, lhe sonseancaees 91,, 81 the rsd o1ths 1s
Psussla, aud France was already showing that !
nneaev jealoury Of her Northern neighbofb .
succtss, which is the haue Of the French
character. It looked ''likelJ' that the next
light Wu1.ld 10 between Prussia and France,
and Judged it proper 70 take IN the Camp OF
ChAlos.s On my way to ssrastourg, Frankfort,
AID Berlin, that might be familiar with the
culcition and equipment Of tho French army
in care Of = tripartite contcat.
Eerirlng these things At this llatanee from
slAlI lot he able to speak technically upon any
point. At Washington | hare the Ffsnch
focsl a Guides johannes" Which are well illus
tratesl With pictures, and are minute upon the
whtlu region; but here we must take water
inS-plxce lrck.
THE WAR RAILWAYS.
The railway aystem Of France, instead OF
being matter OF successive growtht, MAS
| planned at the same petiod Of time, aud
Chi. tlS developed by Louis phiilirpe.ths SAME
sovereign who fortified the city of paEis, and
the most lrnly u citizen hug" any country in
| tt1al Wieh Of every American, thas, it france
| cannot BE- magnauimous aud patient repub-
! lie, she should choose tie Orleans family to
succeed the present circus-rider, whose laat
tricE seems to be played. They d. all thugs
in France, under I'll goveEnments. upon uni
|
r4llxAyr, calling them the Northern, Southern,
Eastefu,- Nesterr, and Midland. These
all concentrate at pArls. aud are Of uniform
gauge. They arc united " the ci.e,nin ds fer
le teinture, Or grlle taiiIoal, WHICH passes
around Paris between the inner and outer line
OF fortifcations. and eau be used for a
junction zaiway" in time OF peace, and for
moving troops from fort to fort in time OF
war, As this railway system waH developed,
eeIne notifications grsw out oft, aud thus the
| kr% t1S$,r1
teok separate organization and name. Il IL
called the paris + StrasbouEg Railway. To
muve from any part Of the Gertnan frontiers
UPON Paris hy line Of rail the prus-
tians must uee the sttastourg 1soad and
its brauches For their centFe aud trunk,
depending. as they approach nearer tho city,
ruon the Northern Hallway, also. Tie depot
OF the Nortberu hallway in paria stands upon
the outer circle OF bouleEardst aud is. per
llspr, the most imposing railEay depot in the
woria. built Of soft white limestone, aud
adorned Ill sEcnt with statues OF all the cs.iet
upon lis route. These statuen are female fig
l.Ies, iron, eight to ten feet high, exch bear.
isg civic crown and leaning on a shield
whlrh latter carrles the armn Of tho city rep
tented.
Tho strastousg station il Luta rl.ott distance
11eu, th,: iuner hIe OF t,uleyAr1e. au3 il faco'
With its fine gable Of iron. e1a>s. and etont
the arfow.-st1aisht Boulevard SebaEtopol. e.
tLat it is we'll adapted to show ofr troops II
, | the Pa1irfans ar they march - embark to
: tue campaign. The tfa;us WHICH leave th.
station proceed either on the Basle {Swityer
l-nd) arm Ut tne 1oad, OF On the strasboutt
arm. The latter is the line essential to ou
trip, and We will enter the cars.
lie depot haa grand aisle Of approach 10
Il carriages, vide entrance, many eiiclsas II
! lite ciotl, Wearing the wora sirasbourg" il
I .Aeit cal~, and amongst there are Arrays tw'
a interpreters who speak GeEoIau and Eng1sh
: You buy your tlckes, acco:d.ug to your means
for either the tirst, second, or third class caz
Il | risSee, and According ~ your ticket ii th
= up in separate caEcs OF compartments TIL tn
- .Atb are reajs. and at the cry ct ~ Irem.eT-e
the tr.t class peapls bolt cut in advsuea an
= ket their carr. Attsr three minutes they cE
u . $etntIe. and in si1 minutes - 1rolssen'e.
= When ,oul turn comes, you Mil leap out an
+ nun with The rest. and find place directly. i
" one OF the short carriages, built like stret
cab, With high ceiling, two aeats to each ca
9 riage, hAn the people riding bacl
sr ~arl, the doors il the ssdys. and
D. rail running outside, down nea1 the wheel
i. whese tie cuuductosn walk. Eac1! carriage
nj Isle1led with its clas-. The t1.st-class ca
IN ri1ges a,e well upholstered and eosv Il
~ | a.co1a-cl3sB aIo comfortable as Uur ordinal
-. Ant licaI carl. Tie tintd-clase atc ike q
~ ct1iEfant cars rs to board seats anu boal
4.oois, ard o!ten tlzee or foar compartment
hi ;-1e t,rAru inso ohe: IN these last cara Il
d Sfencll rrivates will 50 to tile var. To take
a 1ekimeAt Of = thous and men. will perna
he :! rtelntze fotsy OK these ca1s va could csr
OF the sarae nu:nle Ct in twelve OF tiiteeB OF 0
m 'oug cars. Tie French locomotive ID ELL;
" affair, With 10 curerlng for the engineer: .
,e. .o tr.a1ek. iua EeE pfaco hy the wlsds
M s,l.L nice guile-hook ia yo1r Aaild, costi
ne / hree tzanlr, and in five minutes atser =
IN yuu Are ci1, yon have encountered the
IN n EoRE1s1c2Egoxs OF PARIS.
"a" The i11er flne Of fortiiicatio1s IL merely
| ,}ltcH Aufl fAtrnfrt 1f eDI nsId hGNu k3oI
~ hui1t With ralient, and REGISTERING angles
st command she zosds Which cross It by pay
VI c4utesasa. There ars ion gales on NJ I
nd roa1A where they cross, to Assiss the "octro
yer ur tex collectors OF the city Vt 1arls who II
en- toll out Of all wlucs and provisions for
but LoLent oil Tie cisy. The sAnlsis 1one in cs
eGs lGWI Ut 1fauce. Ibis .lner lite OF wall q
,act | I,teh ueEer Lad gun mounted on it Til
u.. rteEett var teGan. aud children al"ays Gu
an,, The ditch and slopea for their p'ay-sEou
~ ~ The ditch is about eighteen feet deep; th
'. ~ will neser be tight on this line, 40 the {
=''" vii fall before aug suck issue can be Left
l,s defenders. When the outer forts Are
ried, ii ever. down will 90 the capital
In ten minutes, more, Jumping over
her fiece Of meadow country. with houses
villages thick upon 1t, AID few trees g1oa
anywhere, NC Eave passed the outer line
-ns ia,t,Ecations; there are asoiated fo1ts
w. uTcn the most commanding sites Nhl:h
ere: 10 fouLl, built OF cut stone and brick.
hoo slitnte the only considerable defence of f.
BARI aud most Of tlem are mounied now, a.
s Vi watr. with large guus. ALI in all, parl
ahts nearly 40 well defended IL WAS Richmond
ring our war. High hills surround the cit
), on irregular distances, but there arc SO many
and, !ages. aonfcs ana n1Aaosacto1es sstaoa9s
R,,. between md aInougat the forldcatio,l
n-,n present. That there Is coVe1 10, tsittni-
- almost up to the guns. II is
:. y, ~, probable thst FaTis Will stand siege =
~ ~ population IL hard on to two and qus
u millions, aud to feed this immense mutt
oasn no suppiy Of provisions is adequate. while
.rics, numLer II tne Le.iege1 Houid make it
Tron. for them TO oyerAwe their g2rrison, and
body who il familiar with the caprlces att
rays: petltes Of the Pa1asiau populsce, can u1
Fts Of stand lust re. olt Is always easier there
Ulcer resistance. The fortltcattous o. ia1as
,nder sixty mi,1irrs OF francs originally, znd
say, executed according to the ssggess,o'
h,,,1 Napoleon, Nho said in his memoirs q
LII Helena that il he h.d fortified Paris SO Il
,-.h- could hs.c defended itec!t, he could have
| the field ia l51i, and skEed liA atdlcatlon
ne, EE1wErS PARIS AND fuALoSs-
eu ID Passing through to the outer fotts. We
o.an' el due ess,nsrd ur tie valley 81 tie
'cke'' MART, which IS seldom out q tlght A.
n the way to chalons. Good. hard, limestone
IL the a.e aluavs il. eight. aid the alucdnct O
Metz, Ourr q rIns right lessde The soad tos 7
plov roiite, seulite drinking water to Pazis.,
anh III, .i.e,s between laris aud the hhln
Ire, or. liz high pitts rear Ch.lons thez
the Dise ths Aisue, .ul the Narne: the
t.aing into tie oike aboxe above Comp
aud lie Marie and the oiee boVirg int
tent sei, e b. low aud above raris respect
liver ULe Mtnse .n1 the Moselle, which LIE IA
.astaaTi. dow north~1fd parable! t
Khi1e; sll are howinE streams, Ike the
II Mr. rcit mac, harrow, clear. and used Tor q
writ md canal rover. They are al ferdah
re- ;h.u uppe1 waters in several places.
- | si.p.. ana the Marne ale, however, bIt