The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-16 00:00:00

TEE TLARACIAN GIBRALTAR.

The Trieste Journal has the following remarkable ar-
ticle, the author of which is supposed to be an exceed-
ingly influential diplomatist in the East :

" Between Enos and Rodosto lies the province of Swrid
shi, an irriguous and healthy range of shore, traversed by
a small ridge of mountains in the south, over which, in the
direction of the Sea of Mariaora, the Kuru Thigh and the
Tekir Dagh rise as it wore like the cavaliers of the whole
bulwark of the mountains, at tae base of which the road
from Constantinople runs through Sill wri, Rodosto, Ayuad-
shik, Keshan Ruskoi, and Kawala, to Salonica.
" From Keshan luskoi a branch road leads to Enos,
which is situate at a short distance from the mouth of the
Maritsa, in the 2Egean Sea. The river Erkeneh, which
merges into the Maritza at Ipsala, encompasses in the far
distance the whole tract, which forms a narrowing bend
towards Rodosto. From Rolosto there is a road that opens
out near Araba. Ber,Tas, or Tshatal, into the high or main
road leading from Stamboul to Adrianople, to which latter
place there is also a road from .r.nos through Ipsala and
Dimotika.

"In the south the designated province rests on the
mean Sea, with the Gulf of Saros in the west, which is
separated horn the Dardanelles by the ancient Chersonesus,
that far-extending tongue of laud whereon is situate Galli-
poli, and upon the Sea of Marmora in the East.
"'This, again, is protected on the east by the narrow pas-
sage of the Bosphorus, and on the south-west by that of
the Dardanelles or the Hellespont. The islands of Sainoth-
raki and Imorus ale situate, as it were, like sentinels be-
fore the Gulf of Saros.

"AL the northern mouth of the Hellespont, which be-
tween Kilid-Bahr and Kaleh•Sultanieh is scarcely a quar-
ter of a German mile broad, lies Gallipoli, a town contain-
ing 18,00 J inh4bitants, at present principally occupied by
the French ; whilst Scutari, the tete du pont of Constanti-
nople, nearly six miles &Auit frokh_ Beycos.Bay, on the
Asiatio coast, is occupied-by the English.
" The main points of political interest—for the English,
Asia ; for the French, Europe—are clearly demonstrated by
this occupation. The English have thereby taken upon
themselves the bolder, the French, however, the safer part.
The reason hereof is to be found in the fact that England
rules on the sea, and that the English reserve squadron
(known by the denomination of the home squadron), howso-
ever equally the nautical strength of both the protecting
Powers may be divided in the Black sea, is three times
stronger than that of the French. This circumstance also
renders it easy to be understood why the French in the
East must generally dance to the tunes of the English
whistles.

" la the front protected by the River Erkeneh, in the
left flank near Euos by the Maritza and the bogs of
Karaasmak, in the right flank near Rodosto by the rivulet
Tachora, Stijl, and Constantinople itself ; in the rear by
the sea and the combined fleets which rule over it, whilst
the plain of Erkeneh rises lilts a glacis towards the pro-
montories of the Tekir D.igh and Kuru Dagh, and the road
along the coast from Stamboul to Constantinople passes
along the base of the glacis, the position between Enos
and Rodosto (the latter place containing 26,000 inhabi-
tants), together with the landing and retreating points,
Gallipoli is by nature one of the strongest ; in the
hands of the French engineers it will become still
stronger, and when it is further considered that the fleets
will constantly have the supply of provisions, ammunition,
and new troops in their po weraud that when once the despot
at Toulon are organised, 10 steamers of from 1,200 to 2,000
tons will be enabled each time to bring up an additional
8000 to 10 000 troops, and that by planting their large ship-
guas on the fortifications, as the Americans did during
their attack on Vera Cruz in 1819, in their disabling and
breach-batteries, where they introduced their 3i-pounders
and paixhans taken from their ships, these fortifications
will receive an enormous superiority by the calibre of their
artillery and their great number over the inferior baieg-
ing cannon of the assailant—the deduction may safely be
made that the position of Gallipoli, occupied by good
troops, under an able commander, is, according to the
given conditions, an almost invincible one.
" From Enos to Rodosto the distance is 19, from Rodosto
to Constantinople about 18, German miles. About half-
way between Enos and Rodosto lies the village Malgara.
From hence to Dschifr-Erkeneh, on the Erkeneh, where
its northerinost bend begins, the distance is about 19, but
from the southernmost curve of this river to Rodosto, it is
only three German miles. The whole tract of land bounded
oy the Maritza and the Erkeneh, independent of the land-
tongue of Gallipoli, encompasses about 108 Garman square
miles, of which 80 belong to the mountainous part, and
about 30 consists of plains—the former is the more impor-
tant in a military point of view. The tactical points
which deserve particular mention are Enos, Ipsala,
Dimotika, where the road from Salonica, which runs along
the western bank of the Maritza, crosses this river ; fur-
thermore, Dschifr-Erkeneh, Ayrobol, Swendukla, where
the road from Adrianople to Stamboul leads across the
Erkeneh, Sarlar, Redosto, Aynadshik, Malgara, Keschan-
Rustoi, the aforesaid mountain heights, together with the
two higher ridges, and the very small neck of the land-
tongue of Gallipoli, which would serve as a last hold
(support).