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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1870-09-30, Page 7eigh or past favours, 4 Rants �.t Seaforth they have (at. haud tent of UGGIES, &C., &C., !trpju1 and v.uNTER WORK, FOR CASH. chlwoil to give i\T ed to. d 'first door dry, Main St. IORRISON. AIJ LIFE ENT FOR - Eimpany of Canada, allote.. insurance nsuranceCompany. 1 Insurance Co., ociety of England, - the profits. ever4tive E. .(-t promptly s;ettied. i;ted to coasalt the seeurity and in the nauranee on all de - END a and to be re -paid most Suitable and El others to pay off Chaxges, and ex- EQU ITA.BLE INES.. for Family Use, as rpoges. are kept cd- Fhreaded and Dou- Maehines can be ,at guaranteed, an4 .t•s gratis. T4( )NS Insurance aq: e Depot, North .I2I— OF ;fez- •-• • y thair cuatomers tat they have re- . v.rt plcel by A. Abeirii fritan IJ ire tla- nlihand a large ,(TPIr1/44 an FLOtJta and all Inge for Groce- will Le delivered fratafort It, liz;zpur for Flour hes_t & 529y. TTER 'giana.te to thd pub- rth the sale • W'S POWER. I ttri.,;:et, S(Eiu.are • 1924f subscriber,: Lot about the ist Id Heifers. • The ;r1: y, pay charges, -ALLACE. -TED. at the eye of any iereabouts of one ;al ((gad. about 15 apon his\Vidow- f nattati( n to e Officre„ When, !atship of Tuck- pB:KLIa, esboro, P. 0. 145-3-- .. StPTEMBER 30, 1870 --,The Fortifications of Paris. The late Prussian successes :make the safety of Paris the decisive question of the war. Paris being the politicarlicart from -which France receives nearly all her vitali- ty, she natura)4y regards its capture by an invading army as her death blow, and con- centrates all her energies in putting,it in a state of complete defence. The occupation of Paris by the Allies' after the disa,strons battle of -WaterlOo in 1815, was the natural consequence of a defeat; which seemed to paralize France and leave her za the mercy of he enemies, but its successf61, and al- most bloodless, accompliahment was due to the unprotected state of the French Capital. The combat at M011 Ste ar tre was short and bloody, for it was evidently not intended as anything more than a show of resistence which the French army considered due to its honor before the foe could crown his vic- tory by the -final conquest of the Capital. Since the day of Wellington and Blucher - vast changes have been. made in the French Metropolis, and to such an extent was it fortified Prior to the revolution of 1848, and under the Ministry of Mr. Thiers, and later, during the reign of Napoleon 111, that the loss of a dozen Waterloos by France - would still leave, Paris secure against a series of disasters in the field. THE ENVIRONS OF THE CITY. From all sides of Paris 'branch. the great roads. laid down by the Imperial Govern- ment to every part of the empire. In all eases these roads are made to pass under ,the guns of the fortifications, besides being cov- ered and commanded by the series of detach- ed forts that crown the eminences in the vicinity of Paris. in like manner the roads are so carefully located as to be completely protected by the fortifications. The main line of the _Chem - in. de fer du Nor passes through St.- Denis after leaving Paris, and is unapproachable by an enemy until it enters the open coun- try to the north, being protected to the west side by the River Seine, and on the east side by- the fortified canal St: Denis and the town itself, which latter is surrounded .by formido-ble works. The line to Strasbourg, destined to play such an inportant part in the presentrwar, is also secured for several miles by redoubts which command it nem the neigbouring heights. All the Southern and Western: lines of railroad are secure, being covered by the Seine and, strong de- tached forts, so that a surprise by a sudden seizure of the railroads by-, an invader, and the rapid concentratien ef troops at points near the city, _would not endanger Projs. The readiness with which troops could be massed in advanced positions outside the city lines by means of these railroads contri- butes very nauch to the defence of Paris, and would render regular siege approaches difficult. The junction of the Seine and the Marne occurs about one mile from the city, on the south-eastern side. The latter river, like the Seine, is very tortuous, and has many snaall islands along its channel. Numerous villages dot its banks. Of those in the im mediate neighbourhood of Paris, may be - mentioned Neuilly-sur-Marne, Nogent-sUr- Marne, Ohampigy-sur-alarne, Bonneuit-sur- Maine, Oreteil, and St. Maur les Fosses. Immediately north of the confluence of the two rivers ektends_ the celebrated Bois de Vincennes, with• its immense castle, and fortified ban acks, and magnificent forest. To the north east of the city, and on the great road from Paris to Metz and May - elate, lies the Forest of Bondy, well known in connection with the history of the Frenc-li aapital. In like manner to the west and south-west, are the Bois de Bou- logne and the Parc de St. Oland, the former on the left bank of the River Seine, and the most popular resort of the citizens .of Paris, as it is close to the city and elegant- ly ornamented, the latter on the right b6ik and about two miles outside the forafi-\ cations, surrounds the Palace of St Cloud. Monmartre occupies the most command-, position in the neighborhood of Paris,1 anth was the scene of the last struggle ,'be- tween the troops of Napoleon I.- and the Prussia -ns under Blucher. The country on the eastern .side of Paris is undulating, ridge shelters the north and east side of the city, while the centre isnearly level. A glance at the map shows the positian of the detached ft-A-ts.,, which. occupy the sum- mits of the high ground, particularly on. the 'east and south skies. MAD"; ROADS AND RAILROADS LEADING NROM PARIS . —.THE FORTIFICATIONS. Paris is completely surrounded by a bas- tioned enceinte, with a crest Of nearly fifty feet high. This enceinte consists of several main. Forts, traced to suit the peculiar don - formation of the ground, and fon-Us a kind of pentagon with .unequal sides. On thes'e main forts are. traced over ninety bastions, varying in proportions, but maintaining a -.uniform shape throughout. The scarp of the works is faced with a kind of soft stone, laid in regular courses, and -backed by rub- ble masonary. The height of the scarp is 31 feet, the ditch is 77 feet wide,,and the counterscarp is 18 feet deep, and' slopingat an angle of forty-five degrees. A simple with a berm separating its crest froni the top of the counterscarp, and thus forming a covered way, extends outside the ditch. The perimeter of the enceinte is over eight French leagues in length; and a considerable space is left for military pur- 'poses between the works and the'Nty.., In- side the enceinte runs the . grand military - road. from which the bastions and curtains of the fortifications are reached by ramps or slopes. In some of the interiors of the bastions, cavaliers of earth work are eon- structed, by'which 'a defilement of the ad- - iPining terreT/eines and the military road, as well as a searching fire over the grdaind' is obtained. By Means of the adoptiOn of extended lines of front, p -tected by bas tions constructed on the same right line, the task of approach to a besieger would be ex tremely difficult---; as no salient point is pie ,,sented which he can envelope or on which he can. 'concentrate his attack. 'This is a reason why' the French Government ex- press their confidence in the security , of Paris, as it would take an immense force to invest the place, while the besiegei's would in no place be strong enough to resist the repeated sorties en force of the garrison. Paris is nokdependent for safety on the bastioned enceinte above described. A sec- ond and exterior line of defence has been es- tablished by which an approach to the first or interior line of works is prevented. The -exterior line of defence consists of 16_de- tached forts, each one so constricted as to render it an independent defensive posit -ion capable of resisting a siege. These detach- ed forts are, constructed about a mile and a quaiter from' the enceinte; and about. the same distance apart, and are connected by military roads, so that an impregnable cord- on is drawn around the city. It is calcu- lated thdt an attacking'army would occupy a front of over 30 miles in extent before the investment of theplace would be in any way effective. This fact, coupled With the well- known military spirit and training of the people. ma,kes a siege of Paris, in the ordi- nary 'acceptance of the term, almost an im- possibility, he facilities enjoyed by Paris for trans- porting troops, -ammunition and supplies from point to point withrn her limits, rend- er the task of defence in the hands of a com- petent coMmander far from difficult. Good roads and citiy railroads encircle and inter- sect Paris in every direction, so that a much 'smaller garrison is requiredtilt= the im- mense extent of fortifications would lead one to believe. The cost of the work is es- timated at over two-thirds of the value of the city they protect. In 1841, the Gov- ernment obtained a grant from the Cham- bers of $30,000,000 for the work. Since then they have been constantly strengthen- ed., and the extensive repairs now being made, on. which many thousands of work- men are engaged, are intended to complete the great work. - Six thousand Pieces of ordnance can be worked fromi the defences of Paris, and with the additional works now constructing, and the immense improvements in artillery, it may be said that " the safety of Paris is as- sured." Nothing but a repetition. of the events of 1815,when the defeated Emper- or of France was betrayied and deserted by those .whom he raised to power, and the -keys of the city were handed without a struggle to theconqueror, could endanger Paris. HOW FAR CAN PARIS STAND A SIEGE 7—THE ACTUAL SITUATION. Even assuming that the place will not be sufficiently victualled to sustain a month's siege, it cannot be starved out until it is invested, and it seems to be admitted that the circuit of the cordon -of forts which sur- round Paris is toO great to 'admit of com- plete inveitment by any force which the Prussians w ould have availatle for the.pur- pose, after deducting for the daily increas- ing detaehments that will be.required to guard .their communications against the levies rearshallinweverywhere to intercept them. The enceinte of this CORDON OF FORTS exceeds twenty:six miles, and the circle commanded by the heavy naval guns, with which they are being armed, -won kl,probab- ly increase the circuit of a complete invest- ment to about forty -miles, and in. the face of the 150,090 men occupying this circle of forts, and possessing"the advantage of in- terior l.ine of communications, the Prussi- ans could scarcely afford to divide or extend their forces to, the extent required for a complete investment. The French seem to consider the west and north-west of the cor- don. too strong to be assailable, and to be of. opinion that the portion.s of the enceinte most likely to be attacked are these to the north and past, lying between the Seine, at St Denis and the Marne, near its conflu- ence with the Seine, immediately east and south:of the Bois de Vincennes. This con- stitutrs a line of defence about _nine miles in, le gth, defended by eight or nine in- suatel fOrts, with nu9ielous redoubts in their' intervals, all aijI to be armed with a proportion of the l ea.viest rifle guns used in the navy, and as this line of forts is distanitfrom nearly four to five miles from the Place de le Bastile and Boulevard de Magenta, to which must be added the further distance which the range of their heavy mins wbuld command it is evident that no portion .of Paris lying with- in latebarriers could be effect -6,11y bombard- • ed until the exterior line of forts was brok- en through. 1 And if the hastily construct- ed earth -works that defended the south of Sebastopol were able to keep out the French and English for -twelve months, is it too much to expect thatl the far strong- er works that defend Paris should occupy the Prussians for half as many weeks 7 And, after she weeks of unsuccessful as- saults, delivered with the lavishness of life they have hitherto displayed, What would be the . LOSSES THE–OF PRUSSIAN ARMY besieging the place? At Sebastopol the guns of attack and defence were equally matched, and were our ordinary siege and naval smooth -bores at Paris, those used on both sides will be rifled ; but the French forts will be armedwith the heaviest naval guns some of them 400 and 500 • Pounders, while, according to -the: journal. of the' Uni,- ttd SerVice fistitution, the Prussian siege $,; duly tici,?ziw projectile of 'fifty-seven pounds, witka:ellogo of one-te4th ; and, with the railway broken up in -their rear, how many Weeks will it fake the Prussians 111 XPOSITOR. to place a si ege train, even ef such guns as these, in position against St Don's'? I ani told that,,according to the "arithmetic of sieges," dss sieges were before the intrcduc- tion of rifled guns, forts such as those around Paris might be expected to hold out Fix weeks ; but what effeot will the ereploy- ment of rifled guns of a power so imprece- dented in siege operations as those with which the woks of Paris are said to be armed, have in prolonging the duration of the defence? 1 am not aware , of any ex- periments on the penetration in made earth" of any rifled ordnance heavier than the Armstrong 110 pounder, the penetra- tion of which gun was determined by exper- iments instituted by the Select Committee of Ordalice in 1868. The result was as follows,: Penetration in made earth of 110 pounder Armstrong, 21 feet 3 -inches ;. 40 pounder Armstrong, 14 feet 11 inches ; 32 pounder smooth bore, 9 feet 3 inches. A paper on the results of these experiments,' by Captain Boileau, R. E., is published in. the Journal of the Untted Service Institu- tion 'for December, 1865. LUMBER! LUMBER THE undersigned have on hand at their Mills, half a mile North froth the Village of Ain- leyville, 500,000 feet of Good DRY PINE LUMBER, of the following different kinds; viz t —inch, inch and a half, and two inch, clear. .A large lot, (over .100,0000 inch ancl a cluarter, and inch and a half flooring, both dressed and und.er. dressed ; half inch siding, common boards a -n4 plank, 12, 14 and 16 feet long. Board and strii LATH, all of which will be sold ivt redaolie prices. They have lately added a first-class planning machine, to their other machinery, and intend keeping dressed lumber of all kinds constatatly an hand. The public may rely upon being able toprocure any of the above articles of Lumber at their Mills, so long" as it is here adve•tised. Parties sending lumber to the mill can have it dressed on the shortest notice and lowest possible terms. M. & T. SMITH. Ainleyviile, Feb. 11, 1870, 114-tf DISSOLUTION OF PARTNERSHIP. MHE PARTNERSHIP heretofore existing be - 1. Hugh Steele and James Young and carried. on under the name of Steele & Young, has this day dissolved by mutual consent. Witness . S HUGH STEELE, W. H. McCRACKEN. JAMES YOUNG. Aar Hugh Steele having purchased from James Young his interest in the business, keeps the shop and books, collects all accounts, and settles all against the firm. The business is still carried on by HUGH STEELE. Ainleyville, September 19th, 1870. 446 -3 -- FARM FOR SALE. rIOR sale—an excellent farm of 25 acres, 21 cleared, well fenced, with a good log house-, frame stable, young bearing orchar& and a first class well and pump, beim, the east corner of lot No. 6, 1st Con. Township of Hulled, Co. Huron. Gne half mile from the Huron Read, 5 miles from Clinton and ,k from Seaforth. This farm is well situated for a gardener. Will be sold either with the present crop or without. For further particu- lars apply to the proprietor on the premises. ENOS MORTON. Seaforth, June 17, 1870. I31-tf THE SIGN OF THE GOLDEN rpHE subscriber begs to inform the public that he has just received a great variety of Sad- dles and TRUNKS Which he is prepared. . to sell At Prices Almost Unparelleled. COLLARS Of every desci,lption, warrant ed not to hurt the horse's nee.k. • In the way. of Harness OF ALL RINDS, He is, as heretofore, in a position to give his customers as good value for their money as any other establish' n ent in Ontario. Quality of work and. material, employed, indis- - puta,ble: tW-• SIIOP OPPOSIT E . KIDD d; JOHN CAMPBELL. Seaforth, Jan. 31. 1870. 52-tf. MING GOODS. New Suits, New Dress Goods, Boots & Shoes. ALSO A NICE STOCK OF, CROCERI ES, _Bontltron, on, s. e-eafo7:1h, April, 14, 1670. 52-tf- T-400IKQDT POIR, IRIIG4 LS! NEW 'GOODS JUST RECEIVED, EMBRACING THE LATEST STYLE a In English and Canadian TWE ED B WM. CAMPBELL, Merchant Tailor, New York House, SEAFORTH, ONT. GENTLEMEN, ATTENTION Hats that are HATS! A Fine Assortment of G-ENTS' HATS OF THE VERY LATEST FASHIONS, JUST RE- CEIVED AT THE NEWYORK HOUSE WM. CAMPBELL. SEAFORTH, July 28, 1870. 54-- Seaforth Foundry ZAPFE&CARTER DESIRE TO CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE PUBLIC TO THEIR • CASH FOR ECM! MHE subscriber begs leave to tender his thanks to his numerous for their liberal patronage during the last three years, and also to state that he is still'prepared to pay the • Highest Cash Price For any quantity of Good Fresh Eggs Delivered at his shop, Main Street, Seaforth D. D. WILSON. SEAFORTH, Feb. 28, 1870. ' 125-tf. CUSTOM TAIL 0 -RING. • MHANKING he public for their liberal patron - 1_ age extendecl to us since commencing busi- ness, we hope by strict attention to merit a con- tinuance of the same. 01.TrETII\TG1- Parties who may require Cutting clone, -cam _ have it executed with Accuracy, Neatness, and Despatch, at MODERATE PRICES, SUTHERLAND BROS. SalavonTat, September 1, 1870. 82— • SEAFORTH FURNITURE WAREROOMS M. ROBERTSON Importerand manufacturor of all kinds of HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE Such as SOFAS,, LOUNGES, CENTRE TABLES, MATTRASSES, DINING & BREAKFAST TABLES, BUREAUS, CHAIRS, and BEDSTEADS, In Great Varity. Mr. R. has great conidence fn offering his goods to the public, as they are made of Good Seasoned. Lumber. and by First -Class :Work- men. , COFPINSIWADE TO ORDER. On the. Shortest Notice. WOOD TURNING Done with Neatness and Despatch- Warerooms : TWO DOORS SOUTH SHARP'S HOTEL, - Main Street. Seafarth, Jan'y 2„1st, 1870. 5741. T0 MERCHANTS, TRADERS, &c. &c. The subscriber has just received a large assort. 0.e ment of IV DAY BOOKS, LEDGERS, JOURNALS, Blank- Books, Bill Books, Ceunting:House Diaries, g) Pocket Diaries for 1870, Bibles, Prayer Books, Psahn BOoks—and rt; large assortment ofmiscellaneous books in splend- did gilta bindings, suitable for Christmas and New Year's Gifts. Sabbath 'School Books ! Reward Tickets, &c: 1:711 • pa. Plain and .P.aney Note Paper and Envelopes *ad 0.& Pens, Ink, Peimills, -School Books, etc. *II • Musical .Instruments These machines possess many improvements on any heretofore Made, They are manufactur log Machines of TWO SIZES, one especially constipated. for travelling; the other a smaller size, `calculated more especially for HOME USE. So far as their large machine has been intro- duced, it has given the VERY BEST SATIS- FACTION. They manufacture the Pitts' Im- . proved Horse Power. 1. addition to the above, the sithscribers manu- facture almost etery article in their line, such as . SAWING MACHINES, I Capable of sawing from 50 to. 60 cords of wood per day. 'STRAW CUTTERS, , of .a Superiarkind. GANG PLOWS, The Latest Improved. CULTIVATORS AND PLOWS, Which cannot be surpassed. --o-- EVERY DESCRIPTION OF -C_A-SrriNG-S 1 MADE ON THE SHORTEST NOTICE ---0 . They have &highly approved patternfor. SCHOOL DESKARONS. . REPAIRS IN ALL BRANCHES Attended to -Promptly: g' They cm -Ploy, no Agents, and can therefore give thepurchaser...the advantage of the coma =Sion. . . . They employ none-butthe leg skilled' labor, and materia!, which' warraOts... them -in 'guaran- teeing satisfaction. - - - &TENDING PURCHASERS WILL PLEASE GIVE U8, A GALL BEFORE BUYING FROWOTHERB. ZAPFE & CARTER. Seaforth, September, 1879. --= 143-1y— Accordeons, Concertinas, Violins, Violin Strin Rosin, Bridges, &c. Briar and Mereschaura Pipes, and. Fat Goods of all kinds. A large assortment of TOYS For Girls and. Boys,. At LtiMSDEN'S Corner Drug and. Book Stor Seaforth, Jarev: 21st, 1870. 3-5 GOOD NEWS ! —FOR THE—. People of Seaforth \EW RAKERY! AND CONFECTIONERY STORE. er - 0 -A, VAN A GI- IT '(LATE OF STRATFORD,) BOGS to inform. the inhabitants of Seaforth that he has opened a Bakery and. Confection. ery Store, in the prerafsei lately occupied. Ca,rinichaePs Hotel, one door South of Mr. F. Veal's Grocery Store, where he will have on hand at all times a choice assortment of -a Bread, Fancy Cakes, Wedding Cakes, Confectionery, &c. Alpo ICE CREAK and_ all kinds of SUMMER DR iuNsKtSolmsucehr. sitppiid as :od4 W.eater,Lemilywi onade,476 -; e Bread at their HesidenCes; C4 -17E iME Oideri foils EDDINC SAKI& =Is*. cii;N;A, NA.G: SEAVORTH; -*Tune 30, .1870. r Plies for TEA-PARTI ProtnptiyAtended to),