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that his troops, when first collected, had been very unformed and 
unreliable. 
As the denouement was so thoroughly artilleristic, I may perhaps 
here remark, without intruding my opinion on the general question of 
muzzle and breech-loading, that the working of these breech-loaders 
with this projectile and fuze, against this object, and at the rate 
here ordered, seemed nearly perfect: the ease of loading and security 
to the men could hardly be equalled, and the smoothness and clock¬ 
work regularity of the whole operation not easily surpassed. 
I may add, as details, that the copper ring gas-check in the 
breech-closer answers perfectly, and seems as good as ever after 
100 rounds (slow ones); and that the lead coating seems to adhere 
firmly to the shells; I did not hear the sound of any detached pieces 
on discharge, and I noticed in the town various shell-fragments 
which had passed through stone walls and kept their lead complete. 
Metz, 
in itself a kind of magnified Thionville, that is to say, fortified by 
Yauban in his first manner, with more added outworks, with higher 
ramparts and deeper ditches, finished with more commanding 
cavaliers and more massive traverses, enclosing a very much larger 
and remarkably handsome city of 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, having 
the same unlimited command over the running water of its ditches,—• 
all which contributed to its name for impregnability in the old days,— 
possesses, in addition, the following advantages of vital importance in 
the present day, and probably also for the future; 
It is furnished with a fair supply of good bomb-proof accommo¬ 
dation ; 
It can inundate and drain at will a large part of the adjoining 
country; 
On the ground not inundable, it is protected by a chain of mutually 
supporting permanent detached works, (amongst them the original 
D’Arcon’s lunette), forts, crown-works, redoubts, &c., of very im¬ 
portant size and profile ; 
Lastly, on the commanding heights which approach the 
Eorts? Ced 'tow 11 and constringe the valley at this point, there are 
established self-supporting advanced forts of the newest 
French design; four principal ones, St. Quentin, Plappeville, St. Julien, 
and Queuleu, at an average distance of 3,000 yards from the enceinte, 
and at heights of 500, 470, 190, and 150 ft above it, with two subsidiary 
ones at heights of 130 and 50 feet. Until two adjoining forts from 
amongst those four be taken, Metz cannot be regularly attacked, nor 
even much seen; and the ground before them is rather unfavourable 
to a besieger; though much more nearly level with them than is that 
behind, it generally falls away so as to leave but a narrow front for 
the attack : yet there is nothing at all impossible about the place, to 
a besieger with plenty of time and means. 
These forts were yet unfinished when the German armies drew 
