New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-30

their frontier on the Rhine against
the Germans. Its greatest attraction IS
its cathedral, built some eight hundred
years ago, whose spire is nea1Sg hve
hundred feet high, or higher by many
feet than st. Peters at Rome, or the pyra-
mids of Egypt. From IT'S top can be seen
| the famous Black Forest over in Prussia
the Foret Noire, called by the Germans
Schwartzwald, and by the Romans Silva
| Nigra, which was, until the discovery OF
| America, the most extensive and remark
able forest of which the civilized world
had any knowledge. III Julius Caesars
time that commentator says it was nine
| days Journey through it, north and south.
| As an interesting fact in connection with
| the great cause of the war, it may be
| stated that the first abortive attempt OF
young Louis Napoleon to revolutionize
France took place in Strasburg, little
over thirty years ago. On that failure OF
his to restore the Imperial dynasty he and
his accomplices were allowed to go scot
| free, and he was sent to the United States.
A better man than Napoleon-John CAL
| vin-long resided in Strasburg. A noble
bridge, like that building at st. Louis,
crossed the Rhine here, which is wide and
rapid, to the fortified German town Of
| Kehl; but the Prussians blew it up, and
bridge Of boats, as of yore, will
have to be resorted to in cross
ing Among the images worshipped
in the cathedral at Strasburg is one
called Ste Joan, or the reliques of that
unhappy girl, Joan Of Arc, who was born
not far of, in Lorraine, in the village of
Domremy-she who was burned for a
witch by the English and worshipped as
a saint by the French. Let us leave
Strasburg, with the remark that there is
one street in it called Brand Straase Fire
street,, from the fact that in 1348 a huge
bonfire was made where it runs to burn
the Hebrews, and two thousand We're con-
sumed.
Seventy-fo miles west Of Strasburg is
Nancy, the beautiful capital of Lorraine,
near the Meurthe, occupied by the P1rls-
slams. This province of Lorraine is most
lovely one. It's name thus originated ::
When the sons of Louis-le-Debonnair
divided the empire Of France between
themselves, in S13, Lothaire united to
Italy the whole eastern portion of France,
from the sea of Provence to the mouths Of
the Rhine and the Scheldt. This long and
narrow strip, which included the whole
Germanic population of interior Gaul,
was called Lotharingia, or the Kingdom
of Lothaire, whence the German 10th
ringen and the French Lorraine. The
little town of Phalsbourg, strongly forti-
fed by Vauban, is at the foot of the
Vosges, on the western or Lorraine side.
This Vosges forest, of course, like all
European forests, is an insignificant thing
when compared with those of America.
But from the tops of the Saverne noun
tains of this forest can be counted doz-
ems of rich and beautiful manufacturing
villages, all in the hands Of the Prussians
to-day. Returning to Nancy, as Ma
poleon would doubtless like to do, you
see in the midst of its royal square fine
mon ument to Stanislaus, Duke Of Lor-
raine and Bar, and King of Poland.
The palace and sepulchres Of the ances-
tors of this renowned house, are still
here exhibited and perhaps few of the
proudest of Europe have produced more
illustrious names, among whom may be
mentioned Mary Of Scotland, and the
Cardinal of Lorraine, so famous in the
Council Of Trent Space forbids a
description Of all the important
places on our map. We should have
skipped from Strasburg to Chalons, a
distance of somewhat over two hundred
| miles, which the Crown Prince has ira
versed. In the immediate vicinity of Cha
Ions, where it has been thought great
battle would be fought, one Of the most re-
markable events in the history of Europe
occurred; the overthrow, the humiliation
of the forces of Attila, King Of the Huns,
by the Roman patrician, Etius, about
the middle Of the fifth century. The
fierce barbarian at the head of troop of
savage nations, and leading in person five
hundred thousand picked warriors, had
desolated all the northern provinces of
the Roman empire; and now, in his ex-
terminating career, fell upon Gaul.
Etius, almost the last great captain of
the empire, by the power of tactics and
the force of military skill, pressed back
the barbarian King from Orleans to the
wide and open plains of Champagne; and
it was here that awful victory was won,
which saved Europe from barbarism.
After whole day of butchery night
closed in, and more than two hundred
thousand men lay dead on the field of
battle! 1t is fully described in Gibbons
Rome. On this route, which the Prus-
slams are taking for Paris, the incompe-
tent and unhappy King Louis XVI made
his remarkable flight from the capital in
1892. He reached Farennes, near Metz,
some two hundred miles from Paris,
when he was recognized, stopped,
sent back, guillotined A widely diff
ferent scene was enacted in this same re-
gion in 1914 by Napoleon in that heroic
struggle the campaign Of Paris. And