War Notes.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 84, 4 September 1914, Page 6

War Notes.

DEFENCE OF PABIS. iParis is surrounded by fortifications 'conprising three distinct lines of defence. The first consists of a continuous Jine of ramparts, forming a circuit of about 22 miles, and beyond these two separate rings of detached forts on the surrounding' heights, the outer ring extending for about 75 miles, and at about 8 miles from the ramparts, the intermediary forts varying in distance from the outer from 2 to 5 miles. The inner line of fortifications confines Paris to something resembling a pear in shape, with the stalk to the west. Paris is one of the greatest fortresses in the world, and an enormous army would be required to invest it. During the Fruneo-UcrnUm war of 1870, the investment of the city was completed by September 19. The Prussians made no attempt to storm it, preferring to starve it into surrender, .knowing that it would be impossible to maintain food supplies for 2,000.000 people a grea lenfth of time. In Bismarck's 'words, the Parisians were left to stew in "tlieir own juice,'' and sorties from the beseiged city were of frequent occurrence, but they were ineffective. The invaders began to bombard Paris on December 20. and this was continued until January 1!), 1871. An armistice was signed on January 2S, and on March 1. peace was ratified by the Assembly. The fall of l'aris practically ended -the war of 1870, but on the present occasion the capture of the French capital would, as an Italiau newspaper remarks, ''only be an episode" in the struggle. With the Russians threatening lierlin, and the British naval blockade cutting off practically the whole of Germany's trade, the. {>erliia us could not afford to keep a great army in the neighborhood of Paris for four months, even if the French and British forces failed to defeat them. To - starve the city wouhl cause too much ! delay, while an attempt to take it b.v storm would mean a frightful loss or life and possibly end in failure.

POPULATION* OF GERMANY. Some interesting particulars regarding the population of the German Einpirt are given (says the. Westminster Gal zette) in the German Year Hook. 11114. The (Herman Empire in Europe covers an area of 208,777 square miles. Thh population of the Empire is now about ' (18,1)00,000. Its growth has been continuous (luring the past century, particularly since the foundation of a new Empire in 1871. At present it increases at the rate of 800.000 a year, due mainh to the surplus of births over deaths, and to a small extent to immigration from neighboring countries. The emigration of (iermans into foreign countries is much smaller than the emigration from England, but there is, nevertheless, a large number in every habitable part of the globe. -All Europeans as well as oversea* countries have more or 'ess p a large German population, running very olten into six ligures. The aggregate number of Germans in 'he world in the current year, as far as cm, be estimated, leaeelis 100 millions. Large numbers of foreigners live in Germany. Austrians, Hungarians. Voles, Russians, I'reneh. Italians, Dutch, Danish, to a large extent •ottle permanently in Germany, because opportunities are greater there than I Vj their own countries. The foreign population proper in Germany amounted at the census of 3!)10. to 1.20!1.K78. .More than 50 per cent, were of Austrian nationality (034,!)»»), Dutchmen came next with 144.17.'), followed by Russians with 137,111)7, and Italians 1()4.'204. Of British nationality there were 18,310 people as against l(i,130 in 1!)00. The great number of these foreigners are unskilled laborers. Like all other nations of today, Germany lias become a nation of town-dwellers. Almost thvce-lift'ls of the population live under urban conditions.

The nnmhj'V of people engaged ill agricultural pursuits lias remained stationcry since, the ben-inning of the last century, while all the increase of population (inline tile past lift.v years has gone to swell the town population. When the Kmpire was founded in IS7I. there were only eight towns of over lOO.<MM inhabitants, whereas' the number of towns in 11)13 was 11.10. Towns of owr 500.0 IK) inliaiiitaiits in 1!U0 were: r.er:in, •2,1)71,257: Hamburg, 031,035; Munich, 5!)t1,4<17. Leipsig. : Dresden, 543.338; Cologne, 5H5.527; and Breslau. :>12.!U0.

A WAR FIEND. In letting loose this Hood of legal murder and sanctioned rapine, William of (.'ernuuiy is responsible for all the evil it has done to his neighbors, and for all that it will wreak by recoil upon his own people, ami his mouthing.-; about Divine right and peaceful intention only add an indescribable halo of hypocrisy to the greatest criminal in history. Other war-iiemls have claimed their victims by the thousand; this one already numbers the fallen, on hi.-, own side, by the hundred thousand, and before the conflagration is over the number of slain may run into the staggering figures that lie beyond the million, greater than the whole population of New Zealand, .lust think of that toll in human lives, and remember the Kaiser could certainly have checked his ally in the earlier mad stages of tile A\istro-<!erinan evil career. As the (allied phrase aptlv put it. lie could have obtained peace by a press of tile button. Instead of that, f he pressed the other button, and thereby initiated a war which sends men like sheep to the oiiainbles, and which can have but one good result—the ultimate extinction of the llohenzolleru dynastv.

fiEKXIAX AND RUSSIAN' Silll'S. 'ierniany is hoping to bring new ship.; into her hiding navy. The latest Eng-li-h mails contain liie news that tuo of the four (ierinan dreadnought-- under construction, which wer- to have joined the licet at. the end of the summer were already so far advanced that they could be placed in the Si'l'v ice ininiediatelv. These two were the Koenig, a lKittlcshi;> of 2ii..">7."i tons, ten 12-inch guns and 22 knots speed, and the Dei ll'linger. (iermany's greatest battle cruiser of 28,0'11 ton-, eight twelve-inch guns, and 3l or 32 knots probable speed—if not more. The other two battleships, the Grosser Kurfust and Markgraf, were also "practically completed."' liussia has also four powerful Dreadnoughts, of 2.'UM)H tons and 23 knots speed, launched and completed at St. Petersburg. Tile interest-, ing experiment lias been made in these ships of putting three huge guns in each turret instead of two.

. CATHEDRAL TOW ICR OK .UAUXKS. The cathedral tower of Malines, damaged by the German fire, is a massive structure, three hundred feet high. It Was designed to he built to five hundred feet, but was never completed. The - - £ + l ' i 1 ' 1

altar-piece by Van Dyck, and a pu'pit of.carved oak, dating from the seventeenth century. Another beautiful building-is the .sixteenth century church of Notre Dame, the pride of which was Ruben's masterpiece, the "Miraculous Draught of ' Fishes." There was another Rulicna in tlie church of St. John. The Court of Justice is really a palace, built for Margaret of lAustria, when she reigned in the low countries as regent for Charles V. The importance of ilalines in time of peace arose from the fact that it was a busy railway junction, handling trallic to and *rom Antwerp, Brussels, Louvain, Liege and Client. But it had another intei est, because the Koman Catholic I'rn at. 1 of Belgium had his seat here.

BOUUV,\"E. Boulogne is a fifty minutes' run from Calais, by the Northern of France. Kailway, and lias a population of Hi,001). The town is divided into two parts, the Haute Villi*, or old town, on the height of the east, and the far larger Basse Villc, or lower town, which includes the harbor. The Haute Ville is enclosed by ramparts, dating from the thirteenth century, 430 yards long, and 350 yards broad, flanked by round turrets, 55 feet high. Three or four gateways aro still extant, the south-western gate having disappeared since 1588. The harbor is increasing in commercial importance. In 1870, extensive operations with the view of enlarging "the port were commenced with truly Gallic impetuosity, but the completion of the work was deferred through the lack of funds. The cathedral was erected from 1827 to ISfiG, and the lantern surmounting the dome is crowned with a colossal statue of the Virgin, which is the most conspicuous object in the town. There are over a thousand English residents iu the town. The East Pier stretches into the sea for 650 yards, and is a favorite promenade on summer evenings, especially at full tide, when tho. boats are entering or leaving the port. Most oi the. shops are in tlie Hue Victor Hugo and Rue Xationale. There is a museum in the Crand Rue, and also a library '.'ontaining 50,01)0 volumes. T'ne town possesses a fleet of 250 fishing boats, whose gross catch during a good season is valued at £OO,OOO.

PARIS XOT THE END OF IT ALU People who imagine that the war is a race between the Germans to get to Paris, and the Kusians to get to Berlin, take a very hasty view of tile situation. On tile present indications no one can attempt to form any estimate of the chance of tin; invading army (Herman or Russian) to reach cither Paris or Ucrlin. but one is justified in asruniing that even the occupation of Paris would by no means terminate the resistance of France, liven in the FrancoGerman war of IS7II, the newly-raised armies of the French provinces made a. very creditable showing, notwithstanding the fact that the regular armies had been destroyed or broken, and that tlie capita! was under seige. And a little better management and better luck would have made these "raw levies 7 ' a verv formidable force.

SEA SUPREMACY THE FIRST FACTOR. lint what France accomplished alone in tile dark days of the Franco-German War is small in comparison to what France could do and would do to-day. It is conceivable that the French armies might leave Paris undefended, and yet might turn the tide upon the invader. The main fact is that, at present, tlie sea is opened to France anil closed to Germany. There are great French ports that could be made bases of supply and that could be fed from oversea, where France has what she im.« not in IS7o—a great naval and industrial ally, whose ships can pour into France a steady stream of men und war equipment turned out by Lord Kitchener's new army organisation and by British arsenals and armament (inns.

An occupation ot' Paris would he a blow to France's commercial life and organisation, yet probably it would not be so exhausting as a prolonged blockade of German sea ports. Russia's advance on Berlin is not more important than the maintenance of Britain's command of the Xorth Sea. iAs long as Britain's Navy is snpn me. the war in France oau be maintained. French strategy is 110 longer compelled to make Paris a queen in the game.

LOSSES IX BATTLE. Lord Kitchener, speaking in the IfoiiHc oi' Lords, said iliat tin- British troops at Mona were for thiriy-six hold's in irontiict with a superior force, and maintained the traditions of British soldiers, with the utmost gallantry. It is stated that the British force, which numbers upwards of 100.WM) men, had over "20l;0 casualties, but considering tile heavy fighting which tqpk place, this must be regarded as a light loss as compared with the casualties sustained by the British troops in previous campaigns. During the (Peninsula campaign, the British forces under Wellington) won many brilliant victories, Imt their losses were exceedingly heuvv. In the battle of Talavera. July 27. 'iSffil, the British had 4150 killed and wounde<t out of a total of 22.!H!-1). At Ailment, May lii, ISII. tilev had :i(i:m casualties; at Jladajos, March, ISI2, iifilO; at Salamanca, •Inlv "2"2, 1 SI2, :il:i'2; at Vittoria, .Tune 21, 1813, 3SWI; anil at the Pyrenees, July. ISKS, 4054, and in no case did the total British force approach the number of troo|is now at the front. At the battle of Waterloo, Wellington had 24,01)0 British troops in the allied army, ami their losses in hilled and wounded thatday were 5472. Inkerman, in the Crimea. is kmnrn as the "soldier's battle."' A huge Russian force, numbering 42,0'iid, issued from Scbastapol in the early morning, taking advantage of :i dense fog, and surprised the British and French troops in the trenches. After an heroic struggle, the Russians were driven hack Willi terrible slaughter, their casualties being ovor 5000 killed and over 10.000 wounded. Tim British had -2(1411 killed and wounded out of 85(H). and the French 1500 out of 751 M. In the battle of Colenso. in the South African war, the British casualties were 11 Ili killed, and wounded out of a total of 15.11,-00 troops.

T)ATRV FACTORY POXTKI FICTIONS. At ,111 extraordinary general mooting: of th« Nonnanby Co-operative Dairy Company. the proposal to make a levy on tlic output towards tiln Patriotic Fund came up for consideration, and it was divided to contribute to tie- Fmpirr' Defence Fund monthly. until 'lie end of May, 1915, one-half per cent. of tlic value of produce shipped, 011 :i basis r.f Is per 1.1) for butter and (Id per l.b for cheese.

The Tikorangi Patriotic Fund, which was started at the animal mootim; of milk suppliers to the Tikoraiiai dairy factory, notf amounts £IOO. This sum pcmliture to be at the discretion of the is to be sent to the Premier, the exDepartment. Ths contributions ranged J - I- Pin - , : ! rV:

KAIOCHAO. AUSTRALIA* S Uli'iaKSlONS. Ono (Jay in Juiu> last, wten an early norwcrn sunum:' ■i .w warming ihe air, Mr A. T. Sauiida.-i, of iswrtli Adelaide, stepped ashore li'uw uu; -North Uernuui liner A-riuco Luijwiy, on arrival at Ismg-tau, lroui Tmng-tau ia 'the line tittle town w.iieii lite Uennana during liliiuir Its jcar# occupancy, have 'built on Mm uui|uir.\i uu.ntory ot 'iviiiociiaiu. iiu uWii.ii.suiiiLatecl. owne lin'|rw»ioiib to a member ol the Sydney ' ljaiiy

law nii.u i : liu.n on both slopes of ■a iciud ol punmsu>a, tho end ol which, and ail adjomuiy .siand, iuaiic the vnuer 'entrance 10 urn nay. After .pas--m-.i mj'to tho bay, the snip readies an "artificial litubor, ioiiiiL-U by two sami-circii-iav OreaKivauri-j »weeping oait from Uie 'shore. Within ibis iiiaruor is a small island used as a naval depot, with a 'floating dock oi ouoimoug capacity attached', while juiuug irom Uie shore is a isplendid stone pier, lllwiro were live Oeiiman warships m port, inciting the (ineiseiiiau and c'cuarnhorst, about which so much lias been heard latel,-, 'and the Leifaig, supposed at present, to be near tlie Caiiior <jan co»st.

Tsing-lau appuirtd to the visit'.'!' to he little more than a naval a-rauu/i, ami most of lite buildings wei'e administrative. There were very lew shojs. "Tlie streets were beautifully laid out .with trees and llvwer-beds, ar.d tho uwwn 'business pari, yl the town climbs up the ■slopes away Irom the harbor, the residential portion being situated on the other slopes looking .towards the sea. At the pier was a big IbmnburgAnierika Jiner, wJuc'h toad junst landed troops and stores from (1-ei'imuiy. Tlrero were a number of GVrnia-n tro-jis and 1 naval men about the town, but no forts were to be seen by the visitor. About tlie centre ot the town was a big hill, on which the Oenuans have, made largo plantations of trees. At tin? summit woi-o ilugstalfs and a wireisci telegraphy- station, but viistors were everyw'Uero warned oil' by the turniha.' worth, "Eiiitritt Vorboten." On Uie siin&'reward side of the the visitor saw a large dry ditch, protected on each side by wiro enfcangleanents a,bou'; 301't broad.

_ 'flio Cluniwn iu 13u> neighbourhood oi IVing-tim, H-liu harre a quarter oi their own, aru d'escnued as in.erior .specimens of their race. Although in accordance witli (it-man ideas, tlie atrecU of tile Chinese quarter arc. spacious ami airy, too litiwin -.become dilapidated. 'J'Jio OliiiHfcu appea-red to <be kupt nio,--ouglily liu hand, sind a wuraiw of th ui ar« employed as rpMiee apd soidioiv;. Ulr Baunders was of opinion thai. the .Japanese would have groat oitliculty in getting into 'i'riiag-taa Iro:ui the 'seaward; 'but there. vas 110 'apparent Teai-o.i why their troop», unco landed in Uune,ghboiU'li.ioit', »nou:d not -utku the pla L e from snoreivank. The tkTaun population was about 7'OOU. Tho dry country .runin! a/bout ijrofi'Lij'iul wheal

During the sojourn ol .the Priii/, .Lei! 'wig she was visited by many t,enn.:i..i; 'l'.'om tile garrisoiM. Tliev'ivere men 'line .physique, with pleasant, soeia'ilij 'manners. As the liner .baeKcd aw.tv ■troni the pier «, strong wind threatened ;ti> l|)low her agaiu.it tiiu knife-tike bows 'of tho <Tui.ser Leipsig, moored against 'tho far end of the pier. There was immense commotion, and the cruiser'.-, 'lines hail to bo cist away, so that s.u'could draw backwards irom tlie finer.

The Austrian cruiser Kaiseriu ElizaI f beth, which has been ordered lo assise 'tho German fleet, wiw at Shanghai wsiea 'the I'riuz iiudwig called there." f-Jie was 'described as a .-iii.ul vrVstri, smart in r>pearancc, an:!- painted' olive-green.