The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-12-20
EUROPEAN LETTER.
(rrom our regular correspondent.

= (From our regular corresponient)
ST. PETERSBURG Nov 81, 1879
, As polite concession to the vehement IL
: dignation excited throughout Germany by th
scandalous attack upon German wo.ian re
Gently published in the Wie,iouostic, of s
Petersburg, the Russian police authorities hav
suspended for three months that journal
privilege of street sale IL appears that III
wrath aroused in Tcuunlc minds by the art
Gle alluded to which, ns will he remembered
stigmatized the marons and maidcls Of tn
Fatherland, when Of lively disposition, II
"prancing cows crowned with rose wrcaths,
and insolently asseveratcd that they were no
altogether human beings at any ,me"--ha
brought d0~n upon its author very delug,
of ratc letters from all parts of the German
empire. One of these, which may serve rs ,
specimen, has been made public 10y its recipi
ent, AS well rs the reply which it elected from
him:
BERLIN, Both Oct.--It is lucky for YOU, sir
that you reside IN city far distant from Der
lin, ohrrwis, would punish you in highly
exemplary manner for your abominasle article
uIpu "'lHtH AZ, lioNCNtl, tHC WIS
lance separating us prevents me from sodoing
consider yourself ~ having been properly
thrashed by me- b. Nochstetter, l32 Orameir
Strassc."
The Russian feulleionst, however deticien,
he may he in good taste. is certainly very
funny person, rs the following answer to the
above convlnclngly demonstrates:
PETERSBURG, 4th Nov-lIonored sir: AT
the very moment in which you raised your
cuugel to belabur me, succeeded in drawing
u revolver from my pocket and in shooting
you dead on the spot therefore request you
to consider yoursely shot. My address is No.
IA, Wladimirekaia."
Despite the serious pecuniary embarrass-
men,s with which Russia has been hampered
ever since the conclusion of her war with Tur-
key, the Cars Government contrlves to find
money wherewith to construct additional for
,iications, Of u very costly description upon
the "Ystula line" of her western frontier
The defences of lvangorod are tn be strength
ened by SIX new forts, now being rapidly built
upon either bank of the Vstula. four upon
the right bank about II mile further westward
than the ou,,nost lines of the old fortress, and
two upon the left bank constituting tete de
pOnt to the whole position and atlordng pow
erful support to the Dembin citadel. One of
the forts on the right bank will command the
main line of railway. The "Vistula line"
will when all the new works shall tie com.
pleted, be guarded by three strongly fortified
positions, namely, by Ivansorod, the Alexan-
der citadel, and Novoyeorgievsk The Alex
ander citadel is not considered to be impreg.
nable, or even exceptionally strong. II was
constructed with view to the destruction of
Warsaw, which it commands. When the En-
perOr Nicholas gave orders for its erection he
observed that it would serve, lat the least
symptom Of an insurrectIon, to level Warsaw
with the ground so utterly that there should
be no excuse for building 1t up again. |; il
regarded by Russian and German engineers rs
only possessing certain relative Importance
through the fact tina, it serves as u nucleus and
point de reunion" to the extensive system of
earthworks surrounding 1t in every direction
A second fortified line on Russa's western
frontier supporting the three Vistua for
lresses. is formed by the works Of Brest-Liic
vski and Zamosk. The former of these strong
holds is in reality an entrenched camp. capa-
bic OF accommodating vast army, besides its
own proper garrison. CA s.