New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-20
HUE. THE ANAMESE CAPITAL.
From the ST. James's Gazette.

| frons The 81 Jamess Gazette.
We ore told that the French propose sn I'M,
NOT be easy to succeed for Ponthua THEN, as the OIL
cias call It, one of the formidable fortified towns
the seacosst The river is but small and only nsyi-
gable for craft OF light tonnage 1t T. no more than Iou
bar OF hard sand and this is commanded oy strong
fort with regular glacis and ditch Oh sdone
| and lime, and a Largo number or guns mounted et
Sarbee Outside the bar there plenty Of water bat
this season OF the year there always esdE ce s viii
be able to render little assistance 70 the Ianu ioroes
The attacking body VIII PROBABLY Hr Se : I miles between
the sea-cOast and the town. There Is indeed royh
road but very sGTTS Cne By Tanpa bridges
which IL would be almost superfluous labor 10 Destroy
altogether Hue is said to contain 100000 Inhabitants
bmt Of these the vnss majority, usual in Oriental
capitals dwell without the walls The interior OF walled
town is VAST citadel square in form and measuring
about five miles in permeer. II Ia built Ia Vauban,
and was constructed by the great Emperor Ola Long.
in the beginning OF the century from plans furnished ~
French engineers The river flows under It's walls on the
west SOUTH and canal thirty Yards wide anu Tour
feet deep encrclcs the other two sides BranoneS
OF this canal pass aide and How round the roya paIne
the arsenal and the so tn, o
The enoente Is marked by well made glacs all round
There rampant OF hard earth elsed on the outsue
with bricks, fosse thirty yards brond, and covert
way Each angle is hanEed by four bastions intended
and some in bar5et}e There are four gates
each faoc built OF solid masonry over ehoi OF tnel
seventy feet high bridges are built over the
river and the canal opposite those gateways Draw
| pished TO ella Long by the Erenchmen.
Tho place looks very inpo'ipg rom tne outside oI
a charming promenade but the view within Ia very
dismal and the interior LOOKS more ike desert than
capital city. Within the ramparts live the mandarns
the garrison and the princes ~ the blood royal The
Iv ther buildings are the public Offices granaries
he sons the arsenal besides the novels OF the lew
tradesmen who ale allowed TO come IN 10 sell Yea ana
and ca SG %%r ADD to e he general
rest is waste OF uncuyated land. But within these
walls there Ia secont line OF deiencr-a fortress within
tho fortress. This occupies perhaps quarter OF the
whole II IA also qundrangnlsr aud is the citadel
nropery so-called II is styled the Thang-noI Lise
the outer walls. It has s rnmparts and bastions,
moouned ut every available point with guns anu II
resoutey defended would be much harder to take than
gigantic outer works inside thls Is the Imperial
Palace OF which his late Majesty hardly ever stirred
It's distinguished from gfar by lts yellow ROOF, that
being the Anamesc royal color. The princes o. tue
blood daub their palaces red IN Tue ms
Majesty lives with his queens. ana none Out the guards
and those employed IN tue royal serNlse are allowed 70
enter IT, II al arf has displayed suHicleht sklI
10 be called ia TO cArcue repairs In the palace he Is
detained there as prisoner or ne by the sue Oh the
palace stands temple cOsecratel 10 the ancestors OF
the Emperor aud there he performs what worship
10 him consistent with MS mSgniicenSe cut
Gus rulc-OI iontal or un-Oriental according 10 the
pOnt OF view In which you regard t-proydes that any
woman OF whae en oi ay good ootinr O'
Tho grannrics Of Hue Wnin the ramparts are one OF
enormou. area and two or three fresh buildings
added every year. the tribute comes In from the prov
so 600 men Tor dozen years The treasury Ia building
OF which wonderful stories are told II Is vast reser-
|
a window high mp In the side toward the palace
Through this window ia thrown annuauy-sO the tale
eoe,-a log OF wood followed out and stuffed with
ingots OF gold and roneaus pf money. Wnat goes In
10 POSSESS themselves Of Hue. Inc guardians that
watch over this fabulous treasure are Vlgant and
lncorruptibls. They crocOdles.
The arsenal OF Hue Is IA vast rs the granarea In
1923 when Dr. Crawfurd went there "a ambassador
from the Governor General Of India, be In this
arsenal great OF old ship gns-Englsh French,
Uutrh and Portuguese. But there were also whole
parks OF brass ordnance made In Cochin China IT om
metal dug I'm TOng-kng mines. The models were
French guns aud they were mostly howitZers and
mortars. Crawfurd nine 93-pounders with Cha
Longs name cast them. The gun-carriages were
neatly painted and contrary to Oriental habit the guns
abatement IL ont by the letters Of many mission
arir, I'm the Annales dc Propagation de Ia Fol"
ono enthusiastic father declaring that tho pieces were
SO highly polished that they shone IN the sun ike silver
guns ns them In order remains 10 be seen,
They are not wanting IN pluck IN fact great part OF
the Anamcse soldiers drill consists In tests OF hs
courage. -, 49,.
resistance but ~ has many weak points The chief OF
these Ia It's vast size. At least 10000 men are
ouired 10 garrison IT, That number Will be iorthcom-
Ing without doubt bat they may not be able TO resist
an pther source OF danger. Modern Held artillery
would probably be sufficient 10 batter them de- not
withdrawing their enormous hicknessi and the d6brs
would Ia MI the ditch and so remove another din
Finally it Is almost certain that the Anamese
will be unable find sufficient men capable OF working
the eight hundred guns mounted round the fortress
Their great ally at this season OF the year Is the
healthness OF the climate: II prolonged resistance
TO rel tire banned. Indeed II seems probable that the
sudden resolve attack Hue Ia prompted much by
desire 10 combat disease by active operations by
notion the fall OF the capital Will terminate the war