POSEN AND STRASBURG. 
487 
scheme was altered to suit his view of the general military situation, by 
bringing in the more advanced of the forts, where circumstances allowed it, 
from 1000 to 2000 yds. nearer to the place. Still, the circumference to be 
held by the defence measures about 20 miles. 
All the forts, I was informed, are to exhibit the same general idea, 
though slightly varying in dimensions—on a trace offering wide front and 
little depth, sunk low in the ground, parapets and traverses massive, case¬ 
mate accommodation copious, ditches deep and narrow and defended by low 
bomb-proof caponnieres; so far, all respectful to modern artillery. At the 
time of my visit they were hardly beyond the paper stage of existence ;* but 
I went over the sites of two of them, where the staves set up to guide the 
earthworkers indicated a very obtuse-angled lunette, with a command over 
the country of something over 20 ft., faces 60 or 70 yds. long, ditches dis¬ 
tinctly less than 20 yds. wide. The place itself was seen but dimly across the 
rolling plain from these distant positions, and its supporting connection with 
them appeared, to the unaccustomed eye, somewhat precarious. They occu¬ 
pied the crests of gentle rising grounds, and in the case of most of the sites 
these crests or swells, however little marked, commanded, by a few feet at 
least, the similar swellings and undulating hollows of the neighbouring 
country for 2000 or 3000 yds.; but one of those which I visited (where the 
original project had been altered in deference to the above-mentioned remon¬ 
strance of the Governor, and the designed fort been brought in much nearer 
to the place) was itself commanded, albeit to the extent of a few feet only, 
by the next rising ground of the outer country, from which it was separated 
by about 2000 yds. of gently sweeping hollow. This instance may perhaps 
serve as some measure of the degree to which the German authorities will 
still subordinate the new requirement of the defence—viz., cover from 
distant bombardment—to its antagonistic but primeval and inherent need 
—viz., facility for close co-operation of its parts. Yet, even with such 
abatement, the distances of the positions for the batteries of a besieger, and 
the difficulty of the objects to be attained by them, appeared to me 
very serious; and I the more recognised that the artillery of the future, if 
it be to achieve the stretch of action augured for it, must bring into play 
unexceptionable optical as well as ballistic powers. 
The present garrison of the place consists of seven battalions of infantry, 
from four to eight batteries of field artillery, some squadrons of cavalrjq a 
battalion of garrison artillery, and another of military transport-train. (This 
latter, though originally designed as part of the war establishment of an 
army corps, is now kept up also in peace time, and found admirably useful.) 
In war time it would be from 20,000 to 25,000 men, and with the occu¬ 
pation of the detached forts, not less than 30,000 men; but under such 
circumstances it is probable that an army or an army corps would be held 
ready within the precincts, which would thus become a covered! camp, 
powerful to affect the strategic relations of the adjacent territories. - 
* This was early in April, when winter was only in the act of departing 1 , and snow was still lying 
in the country ditches. Work was just beginning in earnest, and already, I should suppose, some 
considerable amount of defensive strength will have been arrived at. 
t Or “ fortified,” or “ protected.” I have avoided the employment of the hitherto usual term 
(s entrenched,” because it appears to me to have become, of late years, fully outgrown by the 
