Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-08-31
THE DEFENCEs OF PARIS.
A Description of Outer aud Inner Works.
pLAN on ME FoRTIFICATIONs.

is what was adopted by the Government,
and carried out. 1t provided for double
line of defences, the interior to consist oil
continuous enclosure (CRcCinte c0nttnuee)
and the outer line of II series OF detached
forts, each complete of itself and indepen-
dent of the other, and yet all so arranged
as to afford each other the amplest assist
ance in the event of an attack. Their fires
sweeping each other il 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 torts.
THE INNER LINE.
As will be seen by the map, the inner
line of works consists of Il series of bastlons
which present ninety-fOur angular fronts.
The line is irregular, but surrounds the
entire city, going through the Bots de Bou-
lorne on the west and touching the Bots
de Nincenncs on the southwest. 1t is
TWENTY-FIVE miles in circumference, and Is
probably the longest continuous line of bas-
lions in the world. The wall which forms
part of the bastions is also terraced, and
has an escarpment of thrty-four feet, faced
with masonry. Each of the angular faces
q. G., bastions) has medium length of 100
feet. In front of the whole and entirely
surrounding the city is Il continued fossc,
or line of wet bitches, lined with masonry
and of a depth of eighteen feet by width
of twenty feet. From the bottom of these
ullCIleS 10 lllt iOll vi lllt
browning the walls is height of about
forty-five feet. The bastions will have
mounted in them an average of about ten
guns each, which will make a total of $40
for the nincty-four angular faces. This
agrees with the dispatches from Paris,
which report 900 guns mounted on the
ramparts since the battle of Woerth.
sAbout 100 gates pierce the. ramparts, the
bitches being covered by drawbridges,
which can be removed at moments no.
tice or destroyed in two minutes by the
cannon in the bastions.
At different points in the rear of the line
are placed extensive magazines, well sup
piled with ammunition for the artillery,
and amply protected from the shot of the
enemy. Since the accession of Louis Ma
poleon, these magazines have been entirely
remodelled, and are now absolutely inn
pregnable to shot and shell. The old mill
tary roads of communication (rOiUcs strdtc-
gigues) constructed during the reign of
Louis PHILIPPE, no longer exist the city
limits having been extended TO these inner
Notifications, and in fact, all the ground
from the old wall, which can be seen
traced ON the map, and at which the octroi
duty was collected, to the bastion, having
been laid out i'll streets and boulevards,
which are for the most part built up.
In place of these routes there il a line
of railroad directly in the rear
of the Qualifications and entirely around
them, by means of which troops can be
thrown from one part of the line to the
other with great rapidity There is no high
ground i'll front of the works excepting
that on which stand the outer fOrtresses.
Tie entire zone from the detached foIss to
the bitches is II clear, level and almost open
country. We have already been informed
by telegraph of the destruction of the Bots
de Boulogne and the Bots de Nincennes
and the tearing down of buildings and
clearing away of gardens to give the guns
a clear and unrestricted sweep. Much as
is to he regretted the destruction of so much
that is valuable and interesting in nature
and art, it is undoubtedly necessary to a
proper defense of the city.
At no point along this line of inner
works, with but two exceptions, are the
bastions beyond cannon shot of the outer
walls. The exceptions are, first on the
north, the fortress of La Double Couronnc
du Nord, covering st. Denis and about
three miles distant; and next, Fort de No
gent, on the east Communication be-
tween the two lines is always perfect but
TO make it more assured we find it stated
that they will be connected by lines OF
bitches perpendicular to the bitches
surrounding the rampartS. This viii
involve a gigantic amount of work and
will hardly be finished before the Prus-
slams arrive before the city-that il, il
they do get before it, Nevertheless it is
undeniable that such connection will be
of immense advantage to the garrison as
enabling troops 10 reinforce the forts rap
idly and with little risk OF life in the midst
of an engagement, 1t j. a. well 10 say
here that only the artillerists are jan the
bastions at any time before an actual at
tempt 10 storm the line. 1t is not proba-
BILE that snch an assault will ever be at
tempted by the Prussians should they he.
seige the capital, as ii does not offer the
slightest chance Of success.
Until the present war broke out there
was not gun mounted upon the ramparts
nor was the eHcicHte complete. To-day
every bastion is bristling with cannon, and
the entire inner works are in n complete
state of preparation for an enemy. We
have no knowledge what size guns hav,
been mounted, but they are doubtless Of
heavy calibre, ranging from thirty-siX L
siXty-four Founders. These will have be
fore them clean sweep Of from one and &
half to three miles, so that even if the
Prussans succeed in forcing passage be
tween the outer works they will be met a
the onset by cOncentric fire from two Of
the forts and from the ramparts.
How TO FALL AsLEEP-We copy the
following recipe, which we find in am eX.