The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-29 00:00:00

THE BALKAN RANGE AS A 3ILLITARI

DEFENCE.

Yesterday evening, the second meeting for the
present suasion of the Royal Geographical Society took
place at the rooms of the Haitianßural Society, Regent-
street, and wu very numerously attended. The chair was
taken by Lord COLCILISBTER, R.N.
After the usual preliminary business, the SECRETARY
(Dr. Bhaw) read a pap:r by General A. Jockmus, on a
journey into the Balkan, with a description of the defiles
through that celebrated intidaitain range and a comparison
of the routes pursued by Darius, Alexander the Great, sn,•
Marshal Diebitch, illustrated wills a variety of diagrams
by Mr. Peterman. The journey was commenced from Con-
stantlnople on the 2S:h of Sept., 1547, and in its progress
the course of Darius Hystaspes was traced in considerable
detail. The Russians in 1825 and Darius 2,390 years be-
fore, it was obsers ed, passed the Danube at a point where
the river beg:us to branch off, denominated Ismstacha.
On arriving at Aidas, where Alexander was supposed to
have entered the Balkan, the writer held friendly inter-
course with the chief of the district; and found Ahisti to
be the chief place of importance in the vicinity, in a military
point of view. lie then traversed the different routes of
the ILlkaa seven times, front the coast of the Black Sea to
Tirnova, on the west. The population in the mountain
ridges appeared remarkable for their superiority over the
Byzantine Greeks; the fact being explained by former
warlike habits, and by the conversion of the most energetic
among the men to MahomAanism, and their marriage to
the finest women among the subject tribes, who preferred
the lords of the soil to the s:mple Rayahs. Generally
speaking, the missionary societies affected but little good
by their efforts; thcie cl;ief converts being among
the Jewish rabble, many of whom relapsed when
they found that the now reliTion did not pay.
As regarded the number of passes, it was remarked that
Hammer,a Turk, had laid down only five, whereas the
writer nsd found thirteen; and it was a curious fact that
Diebitch passed the Hcensusby roads unknown to the most
learned historian of the Turkish empire. On leaving a
mountain pass Kaman was seen secluded in one of the nest
inaccessible parts of the Balkan, into which were descents
which a few courageous men might defend against a whole
army. Since the last Russian war Kaman had become the
natural centre in lien of Tirnova. course of the Rus-
sian army was traced from Varna to Adrianople, where
Marshal Diebitch concluded the peace which has just been
broken.

Mr. HOOO cansidered the :paper which had been jun
read v,ry important, both in a geographical and in a mili-
tary point of view ; correcting, u it did, a serious mistake
with regard to the number of passes. He observed the
other day that in a map published ►y Mr. Wyld only five
passes were given, and the same error was to be found is
the Austriargnap. He regretted that no mention bad
been made of the mineral resources of the Balkan, in
which formerly there were mines of gold and silver, and
where at present there were mines of gold, iron, lead,
copper, and salt.
A vote of thanks was awarded to the author of the paper,
and the meeting separated.