New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-20

ing like leather or as In his case, nothing like
stee-cased, turtle-baclIed forts He is putting
up twelve Of them round Namur to block the rush
Of the French toward Germany, and eight of them
round Liege to block the German advance towards
France. They are odd little forts, hardly visible
above the surface. Even against melinite his
fortresses are guaranteed to stand They are in
the first case planted like an island in the midst
of lake Of concrete, which hardens into solid
rock, against which shells will burst in vain. Tho
fort itself is turtleshaped like the earlier IRON
clads in the American war, and the sloping root
is of the hardest steel. Each fort is armed with
two immense guns revolving in turret, exactly
like the armament Of our latest ironclads. ID
would, indeed, be difficult to describe General
Brialmont's system better than by saying that he
anchors round the position which he wishes to
defend a fotilla of non-seagoing ironclads, fitted
with turrets protected by armor plates, and each
manned by the ordinary fighting complement Of
first-cass man-of-war, after deducting those
whose duty is to sail and not to fight The largest
Belgian fort will have a complement Of 400 men,
the smaller forts will be sufficiently manned by q
garrison of 200 They will cost when finished
four millions sterling and, If adequately supported
by territorial army will effectualy bar the pas
sage Of any invading force The Belgian door will
be closed in 1880 The question Of supplying a
field force sufficiently strong to support the forts
engages much attention. The King is pressing hard
for applying the principle of universal military
service. His Ministers proposed 10; the Liberals
generally approved but the Uericals, fearing loss
Of votes in the country, where the principle Of
compulsory military service is unpopular, opposed
the Government, and the proposal was dropped.
1t will be revived again, however, and if the King
can manage it the Belgians will before long be
passed through the mill like the rest of the CONT
nent
NJ. de Laveleye talked much and well about the
prospect in France, but it was evident that no
could not assent to the comtemptuous estimate OF
the forces behind General Boulanger that prevails
in Ministerial quarters at Paris. Not that NJ. dc
Laveleye is Boulangist; far from it But he
remembers the discontinue Of all the well-informed
persons when Cavaignac went down before the
Third Napoleon, and is loath to prophcsy as to
what is possible or is not possible in that land
Of the unbebnown, General Bouanger, OF
course, has no name like that Of Napoleon with
which to conjure But he represents raIlying
point for all discomfort; and if all the Monarch-
ists all the Bonapartsts, and all the stupid people
rally round him, he will be formidable indeed.
The man who commands the SURFACES Of all tha
stupid would come in at the head Of the poll
everywhere. But even if General BoulangeI
achieved momentary success with negative
programme, NJ. de Laveleye does not think that
he could make war with Germany; while as to the
possibility Of sudden descent upon England.
that he regards as too ludicrous for discussion
But the fact that SO intelligent an observer as NJ.
de Laveleye who knows England down to the
ground, should believe that it would be well for
us to adopt compulsory military service for all
our youth is an unpleasant fact which hardly
harmonizes with the optimism that hitherto has
been universal But it is always optimism limited.
This year they say there Will be no war. Nor
possibly the next But some time, possibly if
Bismarck were to die-therel Bismarck is every
wherein Paris in Liege, in Berlin-rcgarded as
the keystone of the arch Of European peNe. But.
after Bimarck--? w. 4. STEAD.