C 173 )

Near Urdingen, the river forms a considerablere-entering sinuosity favourable for the esta-blishment of batteries, on the left bank to com-mand the opposite plain, and the island, a littlebelow the town, affords a convenient place forcollecting and concealing boats and other ma-terials for constructing a bridge.

The village of Wiessenthurn, opposite toNeuwied , commands the right bank of the river,and the island a little lower down affords thesame advantages as that near Urdingen.

Detachments of the corps of pontoneerswere sent to collect boats, timber, cables, ropes,anchors, &c., on the river Moselle , and thesewere placed in depdt, at Winengen, a village onthe left bank of that river, at about two leaguesfrom Coblentz. The planks, beams, &c. wereprocured from the neighbouring forests, bysawyers of the country, and working parties oftroops.

The Austrians being in possession of Ehren-breitstein, the bridge equipment could not beconducted down the Rhine without being ex-posed to a very destructive fire, from numerousbatteries established at that important post.The boats, &c., were therefore transported, oncarriages, to the bank of the river near Wiessen-thurn ; and it is instructive to learn that boats