38 
MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF 
present era of artillery, the citadel itself would have a very small chance of 
a long defence. While on the summit of Ehrenbreitstein, I was much 
interested in what seemed a very, true remark of the serjeant who accom¬ 
panied us, and who noticed that my attention was directed towards one of 
the outworks on a hill that commanded our position. His remark was, “ It 
would be ‘all up 5 (‘kaput gemacht’) with Coblentz if that were taken.” 
I need hardly add that the outwork is a strong one, and combines every one 
of the means of defence which the Germans so well know how to develop. 
I visited the interior of the casemate barracks on the summit of the rock 
(in which, by the way, I saw no guns), and was much struck by a simple 
method adopted for increasing barrack accommodation. In the centre of 
the casemate, and in line with the crest of the arch, the soldiers’ beds are 
arranged in two tiers. The iron cots are so constructed that they can be 
placed one above the other, the feet of the upper tier fitting into sockets 
Side Elevation. , End Elevation. 
in the top of the lower tier ; and thus twelve men can live in a small case¬ 
mate without any crowding, and this arrangement of the cots allows a free 
circulation of air about them and through the casemate. The cots can be 
folded up, as the ends move on hinges or pivots, and they are kept rigid by 
means of a quadrantal bar ( a ), which also strengthens the light frame of 
the cot. 
After visiting the interior of Ehrenbreitstein, I went round the exterior on 
the east and north-east sides, and there saw the formidable aspect of the work. 
The great masses of masonry, pierced with embrasures, looked very imposing, 
and perhaps, strictly speaking, more striking than formidable in a land work. 
The most prominent part of this mass of masonry is a semicircular bastion 
crowning the steep and almost precipitous slopes on the east side. This work, 
with its twenty-four embrasures in three tiers, offered to long-range and 
powerful guns a height and extent of masonry that, once shaken, would be 
liable to complete destruction. 
On the other side of the river, I was able to see a German fort of modern 
construction. This was Port Alexander, which is so well known by name in 
this country, and which holds a very high place in the estimation of the 
Prussians. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the interior on the 
following day. This magnificent work is a striking example of the German 
