Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-02-03
ALSACE AND LORRAINE.
Short Sketch Of PrussIa's Ncwly-ACqulred
Territory.

! These provinces are demanded by
| Germany as a portion of the price
! France should pay for peace and as a
guaranty of her future good behavior.
| The Rhine provinces, of which these
| are part, have long been a bone of
| controversy between these countries;
France cOveting those held by Ger
many and Germany those possessed
! by France. On the breaking out of
! the war it was evident that behind
the preteXt of Napoleon lay his wish,
| and the desire of his people, to read
just the Rhine settlement. Had he
| succeeded there is no question that
| the German Rhenish provinces would
have been annexed to France, instead
of which she loses Alsace and part of
Lorraine. The part of the latter
claimed is the portion known as the
departments Meuse, MOselle, Meurthe
and NOsges.
Alsace lies between the Rhine on
the east and the NOges mountains on
the west, and is divided into what are
known as the Upper and Lower
Rhine. AlsaCe and Lorraine together
extend north to Rhenish Bavaria and
south to Switzerland, and contain
about 1880 square miles. This vast
area is particularly rich and prOduc-
tive; it abOunds with mines and is a
great manufacturing center. The
principal cities are COImar, StrasbOurg
and Mulhausen. The population was
Celtic at the time of the Roman
conquest, but the Alemanni crossed
the Rhine and Germanized Alsace.
1t was integral with the German en-
piTe until the peace of Westphalia,
when portion was ceded to France.
In 1861, Louis XIV. seized Strssburg,
and by the peace of 1897 the whole OF
AlsaCe was ceded to France. But this
transfer did not change the character
or language of the people, for ever
since Alsace became French territory
the inhabitants have preserved their
German nationality and still speak
the German tongue. Their books and
newspapers are printed in both Ger
man and French.
Lorraine anciently was an extern
sive province. 1t then included all
the territory between the Rhine, |
Scheldt, MeUse and SOane rivers, and
its important history commenced
about the middle of the ninth CEN
/
tensive; for the region now known as |
Rhenish Prussia was separated from
Lorraine in the tenth century, and |
the remainder was divided and |
known as Upper and Lower Lor-
raine. The latter subsequently be- |
came an Austrian possession, and nov /
forms more than half of Belgium and |
two provinces of Holland. Upper LOr-
raine was governed by its own Duke |
until 1876, when it was transferred to |
ex- King Stanislaus Of Poland. On |
his demise, which OccErred in 1766, it |
was united to France and called the |
Province of Lorraine. More recently |
it was divided into the departments |
known as the Meuse, Mo ele, Meurthe /
and NOsges. In those departments /
both French and German are spoken;
hut in some localities only one of
those languages is common among the /
people. Being Of German origin,
they are more German than French
in their customs and traditions. The
contain the cities of
Metz, Epinal and Nancy. The
first named is an ancient and for
titled city on the Moselle, at its con-
huence with the Saille. The fOrti fica-
tiOns are constructed on an extensive |
scale. There are in the city two mill
tary schools, one for artillery and the
other for engineering. Besides these
there are pOWder-mill and one of
the largest and best regulated hos
pitals in Europe. The principal bus
iness conducted in the place is the
Of lace and brushes.
Nancy also pOsSpssns extensive mani
chiefly for the embroidery
Of cambria and WOolen goods. 1t is a
very old town, and stood a prOtracted
siege in 1477, at which Charles the
Bold was killed. Epinal is the capital |
Of the department of Vosges. Stras-
burg is fortified city, the capital of the
Lower Rhine, and is about three hum
dred and twelve miles from Paris.
The fortifcatiOns are very powerful,
and the Rhine is bridged at this place.
The population Is nearly 60,000. The
city contains extensive manufactures
and is connected by rail with all parts
Of France and Germany. COlmar Is
.he cotton manufacturing center Of
France. The population of Alsace
and Lorraine can scarcely fall short of
three millions.
The foregoing will give our readers
some idea Of the importance of the
German acquisition by the peace
about to be concluded. 1t will be
seen that Alsace aDd Lorraine once /
belonged to Germany, were wrested
rom her by France, and may now be
regarded as substantially recovered
ly the ancient owner.