Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-29
GIBgALTAR'S RIVAL.
. FORTRESS IN FRANCE.
, psnsstfui tiss,sr,e Place Cpknswn 70
ns., Teursss-- iss eeesesseni rsrsnRsisv.
New York T1mes.I

Inch am about to refer will be
lpovn TO most readers Of the Tines.
These who remember Cnsar's Com
reniaries will remember Visonfio. and
,,rhsps identify the place with the
modern BeSaneon. But where is Be
arcon
lake the map Of France and follow
,hs broken line that wanders, forming
Il, eastern boundary, thousand miles
som the Straits Of Dover on the north
70 here the Alps come down to the
Mediterranean coast at Nice. Midway
bslwesn these two extremes You will
ind the sncica; province Of Franche-
Coute; midway among the three mo-
Seru departments into which il IS d.
,idcd YOU will find the Department Of
Ae Doubs; and midway, from north 20
,eu.h IN this department, you will find
RsssUcon among It's hills. BeSancOn was
,hs capital Of the ancient province, and is
rev the cher tieu. or State capital as
o. should call 1t, Of its department.
pr The new railroad through the Jura
rouu.alns it is forty-one miles from
tbs nearest Swiss station, lie Locle
ard from the fortress OF Montfsucon.
Shich stands upon hill little to the
cas-, Of Besaneon. on any clear morning
vou can see the SHOWS OF Mont Blanc
shruc N the sunrise. one hundred and
,h-ee miles away as the crow flies. a
hv5rte excursion TO NeuchAtel, an
hour beyond lie Locle, and to the beau
nal corges Of the Arouse torrent,
vhich comes tumhling down to the lake
through green canon in the limestone
foci.
have called Bessncon an unknown
esri;A.. II is such 70 American tour
i,ts. ST least, because it is not situated
uron any through route from PARIS.
Iyr- IN the outposts of the Jura
mountains, the currents Of through
-alroad travel pass it By on either
hand; the stream bifurcates st Dion.
,he northwArd branch flowing TO Basic
a1j the Rhine, the southwark 70 Lyons.
savoy, and Italy. But those who pass
Il BY. three out Of four, dare say, are
bound for less interesting places than
BesancOn.
Nature has in some degree isolated
:h, spot by strong barriers Of noun
tain and riyer, and 1t would seem as II
With the purpose to make It a fortress.
A fortress Bessucon has been from
times far earlier than the dawn Of bis
tory; for the enTironlnc mountains and
,he mighty loop Of the river cast round
;te town have made il from the first =
refuge both against wild animals and
against human enemies. Upon this pc.
nn,ula, or Presque lie, has been
Wsced every kind Of warfare,
offensive and defensive, that IS known
10 Europeans. Yiolet-le-Duc, in one
o. the most delightful and learn
al Of stories, The History OF a
Fortress" sketches wildly the whole
development Of the art Of defence from
the stockaded stronghold OF primitive
man down 10 the great fortified works
Of our own DAY. one may read that
book. as ! have done. with the map be-
fore him, and finish It in the full con-
sIction that a definite locality is de-
scribed and that it is locality near
Besancon. if not BeSaDcOn itself. This
Is lot the case. but Deioe himself
never produced stronger illu-
sion Of reality than hat OF
this perfect work of the histo-
mans art. work so charming
that you think it cannot be true.
and yet so deeply learned and thorough
that the marvel remains how It can be
so charming. Bat II IS not accurate to
speak Of NIolet-ie-Duc's writing Is 10
any real sense Elusive. The facts were
as lie describes them. The sieges. as
ssults. defences. repuises. stormings;
the story Of attack. from sings and
cat4pults 10 the riaed guns, all that
history can tel rs Is told in his pages.
Whether the scene Of all Is cartOgraphi-
cally sssignsble or not as Besancon is
no matter. The realities are the same.
And they have actual ' occurred IN the
history Of this place itself.
For. as ] have said. BesAncon has
been a fortified place ever since preh.s-
toric settlers began 10 defend themselves
from prehistoric invaders. Ever since
the glaciers Of the Jurs retrested."
saws Mr.. Css;Rn, the accomplished
librarian II besancoD, permitting hu-
ma beings 10 exist IN these regions,
tie site Of NesontiO, now Besancon.
must have been = refuge for mem
Unless II be Gibraltar, there IS not
stronger natural fortress IN Western
Europe nor, may add, Is there Al
other that stands where defence is even
now more needed. BeSanco0 commands
the main route by which from time i'm
memorial the incurslons Of enemies
have been made from the northeast, for
the Valley Of the Doubs Is al open and .
eyer-,emptiDg pathway from Southern
Germany 10 the warm and fertile plains +
Of Burgundy. The course OF the river
Is q singular one. Ii takes s deter
mined start due northeast from its
source in the JurA, and follows long.
straight valley for nearly a hundred
ulles. forming for a considerable part
OF ills Ouelft INC DoNuAAIa pebNSfA
France and Switzerland.
Then, within thirty miles ofthe Rhine
at Hasle. II Is hesded of by spurs Of the
Jura and wheels sharply upon Itself.
Ii marches straight back through France
IN the opposite direction. flowing due
southwest $50 miles 70 the SaOne.
From the eastern frontier of france 10
Burgundy THIS Valley Of the Doubs is
the natural highway Of invasion. a
fault in the mountain barriers Of East
ern France leaves a broad gateway at
Beliort between the northern limit Of
the Jura and the southern limit OF the
VoSges, and from near this point the
Valley Of the Doubs leads straight down
toward the heart of France. The
river seems 70 become conscious Of the
TACT by the time II reaches BesaDcon,
for here il throws out mighty loop
three miles IN circuit, making a pear
shaped peninsula OF meAnder with a
neck but $50 yards broad. This loop
resembles IN contour the meanderings
-. r ~