News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-17
IN THE DELTA.
TIE FRANCO-CHINEsE WAR.
Importance of SOntRy-DinicuItics which
the French Will Have TO Meet.


A glance at the map will show the i'm
portance of Sontay to the French by
whom it has just been captured. 1t is,
in fact, the key of the Red River delta.
The town is on the right bank of the
Red River, the citadel being about
mile from the river. The intervenil 6
space is occupied by number of ham
let's, containing altogether about
eighteen thousand inhabitants. On leaN-
ing the river the traveller finds road
which traverses these villages. 1t Is
some of these villages, doubtless, that
have already fallen into the hands of
the French. He first encounters the
ramparts OF earthworks. Then the road
turns, curving around the fortress until
the visitor arrives at the north gate OF
the citadel. The wall of earthworks is
separated from the regular ramparts by
bank or causeway about one thousand
four hundred feet wide, on which other
hamlets have been built. Between the
encircling road and the citadel can be
seen eight barracks, where the Anna
mite troops are in garrison.
The citadel, which the Chinese were
believed to hold, has the form of
quadrilateral, each one of its sides being
about two thousand feet long. 1t is
built of bricks and masonry, with
bastions in the middle of each side. 1t
is a fortress on the Cormontaigne plan,
aud was erected toward the close of the
last century by French engineers. 1t
has four gates corresponding to the four
points of the compass, the principal
ones being the south gate, looking to
the Red River, and the north gate,
facing the interior of the country. In
the centre of the citadel is a pagoda, at
the left is the house of the Governor
General, at the right that of the man.
DARN who dispenses justice and at each
angle is military post. Between these
are the administrative bureaus, the
prison and the rice magazines. The
most populous of the villages surround
ing the citadel are those situated between
it and the river. Admiral Courbet's
troops have probably had an easy con.
quest of the place.
Bacninh is one of the gates to China.
1t is a provincial capital, its principal
building being the citadel, stone struc-
ture much out of repair and used as the
residence of the Kings Viceroy and the
Imperial Commissioner. 1t is from this
town that the French may expect the
| Chinese to advance, if any serious re-
s;stance is made by China. After the
| capture of Sont&y the French troops
| will be obliged to advance to Hung Hoa,
where their forces would be weakened
by the necessity of keeping up their ex-
tended line of communication. BY the
time they had reached Lao Kay, one of
the Black Flag headquarters, which it
would be necessary to reduce in order to
maintain control of the river, their lines
would become very attenuated indeed.
| At this time the Chinese at Bacninh
would menace the flank of the French
forces and could be continually bringing
UP troops from Yunan and Canton.
Until Sontay and Bacninh are occu-
pied the French cannot hold possession
of the delta, far less operate beyond
| The citadel represents the Importance
of these towns. All Tonquinese towns
have citadels, a necessary measure III
past times. 1t wac truly said, 'LG citd-
Gel est tout la UilLe rien." for in the
days of varying fortunes, when towns
were constantly destroyed and rebuilt
only the citadels remained. On the
northern frontier in the citadels of Gao
Bang and Lang-Son there is joint mill
tary control, having both Chinese and
Annamese generals. The vagueness of
the frontier means an element of danger
hereafter. On the River Claire the Yel-
low Flags and on the Songkoi the Black
Flags have been established since 1866.
They are the remains of the Tapping
Rebels, who from 1910 overran Kwangse
Kwangtung, and later went north to
Nankin. Those Black and Yellow Flags
were driven over the south Chinese-fron-
tier and settled in the debatable land
between China and Tonquin.
1t is by the steamer from Haiphong.
which leaves every week for Canton,
that most of the news regarding the op-
erations in Tonquin is received. Haip-
hong is a seaport town, with trade with
the centre of Tonquin, and is an i'm
portant position, commercially speaking.
Hanoi, the French headquarters, is
divided into TIE citadel, a quadrllateral
of three-quarters of mile on each side,
the elevated ramparts on the east and
the town. The town itself is quite an
important one. 1t ordinarily has so, 00C
Inhabitants Seventeen French war yes
sells command the river above and below
and quantity of junks. On the oppo
site banks are a number of smaller YES
) sells containing stores of provisions and
| munitions of war, protected by the gunt
: of the vessels. The river here is abou
? quarter of mile wide, and a little
: island near the south bank is used for
t park of artillery.
| POOLE, WHO WAS HANGED IN Dublin
| 10 1,roho oh1xy tho Loot mon who will how.