The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-26

ance from the outside Of gigantic umbrel-
las, have been placed at tue exposed sa-
hehts In order to sweep the approaches to the
WORKS. Eacn Of these cupolas appeared to
contain four guns-two for each flank In
many cases the ingenuity Of the French engi-
neers has enabled double tier of artillery
hre TO be brought TO bear on positions out
side. 1t has been stated on excellent authority
that the total amount expended by the
French In fortifying Paris and the frontier
since lS70-'7l has reached the enormous sum
OF Gl35,OOO, 600 = I'd, after seeing the forts
round Paris, it is quite easy to believe that
this figure is below, rather than above, the
actual cost incurred in constructing these
stupeudous works of defense.
The weak part of the scheme is undoubt-
eddy to be found in the large area which the
detenses cover, and which requires a CORE
spondingly large garrison to protect it.
Accepting the estimate of Col Denfert
the defender of BelfOr), who laws down
l 200 men per kilometer of defended ground
as minimum necessary strength, this
would bring the numbers of the garrison
up to 10000 large force to keep idle
behind 1ntrenchmentS at time when every
fighting man will he worth his weight in
gold at the front Col. Denfert's estimate,
moreover, is only based upon the necessities
of passive defense, and takes no account of
the mobile troops which would have to be
maintained for sOrtie purposes and keeping
open communications. This difficulty was
fo"eseen by NJ. Theirs, Gems. Changarnier,
Billot, and other opponents of the extension
of the Paris Notifications, when the mill
tary commission of 1874 proposed them to
the Chamber. In their anxiety to prevent
any part of the defenses being dominated
by ground outside, the French engineers
have not known how or where to stop. One
work has led to another. Even now final
ity has not been reached, and at q time
when war may break out any day there
still remain too dangerously large gaps in
the line of detached works, the delay in
defending which it is difficult to account
for. One of these gaps, about eight or nine
miles wide, lies to the south of Paris, be-
tween Fort VilleIeuve st. Georges ian iso-
lated fort dominating the Seine valley
and Fort Palanseau, which is a powerful
work situated at the east angle of the
intrenched camp at Versailles. The other
gap, and a far more dangerous one. has
been left between Fort Staine and Vau-
jOurs, in the open plain TO the northeast of
ST Denis. through which the traveller
| passes on his way by rail from
| Calais to Paris. Three main lines of
| railway lead from the eastern frontier of
France direct to this gap, which is fully nine
miles wide. According to a French author
ity Uieut. Col. Hennebert) it is proposed to
but long day both by rail and on horse
back in this section of the defenses has con-
WINGED the writer that owing to the nature
of the ground, which in this case is favor
able to the attack, this corner, even when
artificially protected, must always consti-
tute a weak spot in the Paris defenseS The
fact of the existence of this vulnerable
point is, of course well known to the Ger
man staff, and has been made the subject
of Il h,1t ~ a
German press.
Such is brief description of the fortifi-
cations of Paris, which, incomplete as they
still are. would even now render a close in
vestment of the place as it was invested in
1870 matter of sheer impossibiliOy Ac-
cordlng to the calculation of a recent Ger
man writer, twenty German army corps
about 900, 600 mem would now be necessary
for an investment which was maintained
throughout the winter Of 1S70-'71 by forcs
which never exceeded $4,000. What ac-
ton the German staff would probably take
to meet this altered condition of affairs it
is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss
1t only remains to say that the new fortifi-
cations of Paris have not been made with
out much opposition both on military and
financial grounds. When, however, the
last word has been spoken against them,
it is impossible not to feel that the exueri-
ence of the past is justification for their
erection. In that terrible struggle for
which the French are preparing with such
admirable fortitude, and which, as far as
France is concerned, must be a struggle
for national life or death, the Notifications
round Paris, inclosing as they do three in
trsnched camps, with vast stores of war
nlGterieL, will be tremendous source of
moral and material strength. The COM
manders of the field armies, upon which
after all the fate of the country will de-
pend, cannot fail to find their hands
strengthened for offensive operations when
they know that they leave behind them in
their citadel-capital an impregnable nation
al stronghold, for the safety of which they
need have no anxiety, while they go for
ward to meet their enemies at the front.
*''The Balance of Military Power.in Europe.
By Col Maurice, R. A. To this sum must now
be added the e20, 900 which NJ de Freycinet
obtained. from the French Chamber after only
two hours debate last December.