The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-03 00:00:00

TEE BALTIC

is what is termed a close sea, occupying the centre of
Northern_ Europe, separating Sweden and the Danish
islands from Germany, Prussia, and Russia, and extend-
ing from 54 deg. to 66 deg. N. lat., and from 10 deg.
to 30 deg. E. lon. Its great. length and comparatively
small breadth give it the form of an extensive gulf, the
low and comparatively narrow tract of land which forms
the southern part of the Danish peninsula of Schwles-
wig. The Baltic is connected with the ocean by a large
gulf called the Cattegat, which separates Denmark from
Norway and Sweden ; and by three Straits, the Sound,
the Great Belt, and the Little Belt, which may be con-
sidered as three gates by which the Baltic is entered.
The surface of the whole Baltic sea, according to
the calculations of German geographers, is upwards
of 160,000 square mi!es. The southern coast of the
Baltic is low and sandy ; and the shores of the Gulf of
Livonia are low and commonly sandy, though in a few
places interrupted by a rocky beach. The rocky coast
becomes general at the entrance of the Gulf of Finland ;
and it preserves this character along this gulf and that
of Bothnia, and even to the south of the latter, to the
entrance of the Sound of Kolmar, which separates the
Island of Oland from the continent. With the excep-
tion of the innermost recesses of both Gulfs, which are
low and sandy, the whole of this extensive coast is
rocky, though commonly low, rising in very few places
to more than 50 feet. Theobasin of the Baltic is one of
the most extensive in Europe, exceeded only by that of
the Black Sea, and by that to no large amount. The
drainage of more' than one-fifth of the surface of Europe
goes to the Baltic. Perhaps in no iuhabited country in
tare world such a quantity of snow falls as in the countries
round the Baltic. Hence the freshness of its waters ; 31b.
of water from the North Sea contains 747 grains of salt ;
but the same quantity from the Baltic does not yield more
than 389 grains. Its comparatively small depth may
perhaps in some degree be attributed to the numerous
rivers which flow into it, and of which it may be termed
the estuary, ar►d the greatest part of its surface is filled
up by the bars formed by rivers, which, in spring time,
are exceedingly turbid, and carry down vast quantities
of earthy matter. Its depth is greatest where no
great nvers enter, as near the island of Thrnholin, and
between it and the coast of Sweden, where it is 110 to
115 fathoms deep. while in general it only attains from
40 to 60 fathoms. To its freshness and shallowness it
is to be attributed that the shores of the Baltic nearly
every year are covered with ice, which, from the end of
December to the beginning of April. shuts up the har-
bours, straits, and nap, and interrupts navigation. In
the Gulfs of Finland and 13otlinia the freezing begins
Boone' and ends later. In 1658 Charles X. of Sweden

marched an army over both belts to the conquest of
Zealand ; and in 1809 a Russian corps passed from Fin-
land to Sweden, over the ice, at the narrowest part of
the Gulf of Bothnia. The waves of the Baltic do not
rise so high as in the North Sea or the Atlantic, but they
break much more abruptly. The current of the Baltic may
be compared to that of a wide river or large estuary ;
commencing in the remotest extremities, and its course
being towards the outlets of the sea. The current (from
rivers discharging into the northern part of the Gulf of
Bothnia) is very rapid in the strait ; it becomes less so
where the gulf eniar,es, and divides afterwards at the
Aland islands into gfterent branches, which, however,
again unite, and the stream is felt over the whole sur-
face in the central parts of the sea, until it makes its
exit through the three straits, being most sensible in the
Little Belt. As in most wide estuaries, when a strong wind
has blown directly into the entrance for some time, it
changes the current, and causes an influx of water from
the open sea ; and such a temporary current is said to
exist sometimes even at the entrance of the Gulf of Fin-
land, alter a long prevalence of north-west winds. The
difficulties in the navigation of the Baltic arise partly
from the narrowness of the. sea, and partly from the nu;
merous sandbanks along its southern and eastern shores,
where shipwrecks are more frequent than in any other
part ; it being said that two per cent. of the vessels which
visit the Baltic annually are lost. Besides, the harbotirs
are shut up for three or four months by the ice, and thus
the navigation is interrupted for nearly one-third of the
year. Another disadvantage is the shallowness of the
harbours on the southern coasts, and the complete want
of tides, No vessel drawing 20 feet of water can enter
any harbour as far as the Gulf of Finland, and must of
them admit only such as draw 15 or 16 feet ; conse-
quently the vessels visiting these ports average only be-
tween 200 and 300 tons. The harbours to the north of
I the Gulf of Finland are much deeper, and admit vessels
of 600 tons and upwards.

-
TEE OATTROAT
is the general passage for ships going from the North
Sea into the Baltic, and a toll is here paid by wayof cour-
tesy, to the Crown of Denmark, which, in return, erects
lighthouses and keeps them in proper repair. After pass-
ing Zealand, the sea spreads widely to N.E., and at last
branches out into the two extensive Gulfs of Bothnia
and Finland ; the latter extending 200 miles, almost
due east, till within a short distance of Lake Ladoga,
with a mean breadth of 70 miles. The waves of the
Baltic do not swell so high ES in the ocean, but they are
more dangerous and harassing to shipping, as they suc-
c.ed each other with greater rapidity and impetuosity ;
while its small depth, amounting on an average from 15
to 20 fathoms, but in many places hardly half so much—
the shallowness of the Russian shore —the rugged nature
of the Swedish coasts—and the sudden and frequent
changes of the wind, render this sea formidable to navi-
gators. The Baltic has a very perceptible current, and
when the wind blows strong from the north the water
becomes so fresh as to be even fit for drinking or
preparinT meat. Even in the hottest summers the
Baltic is cooler than any other sea. Heavy gales of
wind are frequent, particularly iu the Gulf of Finland ;

land it abounds likewise with roclas and shelves,: which
render its navigation extremely. hazardous. More than
25) streams fibw into the Baltic. During; winter navi-
gation is closed ; and' as that season approaches the
weather becomes 'tempestuous. 1 ,Reiel, Baltic-port,
Hapsal' Pernau, and Arensburg, are, shut up by the
I •
ice in November or Deeember ; and are generally
open in February or March. Riga is blocked up in
October or November, and opens either in March or
April. Narva, Cronstadt, and Frederickshamm, shut in
October or November, and open in April.; but at Pe-
tersburg the ice frequently continues tir:n till May. The
coast is rocky and dangerous, and all the Russian ports,
except Revel, are inconvenient and unsafe for loading
and landing goods.
THE GULF OF F1,N142,7D.
Its length is 73 leagues. Its breadth varies from 4to
20 leagues ; its depth from 50 to ''6o fathoms, in mid-
channel ; in the bay of CrOnstadt, it§ eastern extremity,
it is only 2 fathoms. Its currents vary with the wind. It
contains numerous small islands, the principal of which
are Dago, at its southern entrance ; and Kotlin isle, on
Which Cronstadt sfandi.'

'G(MILAND,
called by the Swedes GOttland (i.e. Goodland), and not
Gotaland (i.e. land of the Goths), is an island in the
Baltic, extending, more than 70 mi,les in length from S.
to N. ; and is about 22 miles across where widest. , Its
surface is computed to be 1,118 (or 1,126 British) square
miles, or somewhat less than Gloucestershire ; 'and its
population in 1846' was 41,575. The coasts are low
and generally unbroken ; one-fifth of the island is under
Cultivation, chiefly prochicing rye and barley; it has
also considerable hop plantations, and the climate is
rather mild for' so high a latitude. Wisby, the capital,
and the seat-of as-bishop, is situated on the western coast.
and has a population of about 4,000 inhabitants. About
15 miles south of it is Kliutehamn, a good harbour,
whence, on certain days; a post-boat goes to the island
of Oland. On the west side, and on the east, it has har-
bours with depth of water for steam war-vessels. The
island is, hilly on the coast, but level in the interior.
Mr. Rohert Chambers recommends this island as a settle-
ment for British agriculturists. Ho says :—" Situated
in the midst of the Baitic, extending between the 57th
and 58th parallels,—the latitude of Abderdeenshire—
and being one mass of limestone, nowhere rising above
180 feet above the sea, it presents a fine soil and climate,
as is expressively enough- shown by the fact that the
grape, walnut, and mulberry ripen in favourable sea-
sons, and that horses and sheep remain abroad all win-
ter." Mr. Laing
,remarks that " from its geographical
position, it is a padlock upon the gulfs of Finland and
Bothnia, which, in the hands of an effective power, could
lock up the Russian navy as in a pond, and secure the
free navigation of the Baltic."

CRONBTADT,

a town, fortress, and port in the Government of St.
Peter,bure, from which city it is 47 'versts, or about 31
miles distant ; it is built at the S.E. 'extremity of Kot-
lin, an island in that part of the gulf of Finland, called the
bay of Cronstadt, about 16 miles from the mouth of the
Neva, on which river is situated St. Petersburg, the capi-
tal of the Emperor of Russia. This island, a bed of chalk,
formerly called Retouzari by the Finlanders, is 7 miles
in length and about one mile in breadth. At the en-

trance of the harbour, on an island opposite the citadel,
itel the castle or fortress of Kronchlott, built by Peter
the Great. This fortiess and the mole bristle with guns,
t.nd the harbour itself is approachable only by one chan-
.iel, which is fortified • with a double line of guns ; these
works constituting Cronstadt "the Malta of the Baltic."
The passage between this place and Cronstadt is 2,000
paces in width, and hai'ample depth for the largest ves-
sels. Besides its importance as the great naval station
of the Russian fleet, Cronstadt is the harbour of St.

Petersburg. All vessels proceeding to that port are
searched here, and their cargoes sealed, and such as are
too large for the shallow waters of the upper Neva un-
load their cargoes at Cronstadt, and transport them in
smaller craft. The channel is marked by stakes the whole
way, and vessels built at Petersburg are placed on a
" camel " or kind of raft, by which their draught of
water is lessened one-half, and then floated down the
Neva, and over its bar, on which there is often only
seven feet water. Cronstadt, which is built in the form
of an irregular triangle, is strongly fortified on all sides.
It has three harbour; lying to the south of the ttlwn.
The outer, or military harbour, which is entirely
surrounded by a massive and strongly fortified mole, is
a rectangle, stretching out into the sea, and is capable of
containing, besides smaller vessels, above 35 ships of the-
' line. It is now, however, so shallow at low water, that
many of the ships are obliged to anchor in the middle
harbour, which is intended for the fitting-out and re-
pairing of vessels. It contains the slips, a powder ma-
gazine, a manufactory of pitch, tar, &a. The third,
west, or innermost harbour, which has space for 600
merchant vessels, and runs parallel with the middle har-
bour, admits only merchantmen, for which there is besides
an excellent roadstead, immediately outside of the port,
which is defended also by the citadel, cosstructed on a
rock in the middle of the sea of Kronstadt. All these
harbours are well secured, but in conseguence of the
freshness of the sea water, no vessel Can be Preserved
in them above 20 years. They are besides detained a
great part of the year by the ice in the bay of Kronstadt,
which prevents vessels from entering after the end of
November, or leaving before the end April, or some-
times even later. In 1849, the season commenced on
the 15th May, and ended on the 26th November. At
the beginning of that year there were 37 sailing vessels
in the port which had wintered there. Vessels are re-
paired and built in the large canal of Peter the Great,
which runs directly into the town between the
middle and merchants' harbour. It is 2,160 feet long,
56 wide, and 16 deep ; the side abutments, &c., are
of solid masonry, and it is filled with water by means of
sluices, which is again pumped out by steam engines. It
was commenced in 1721, and finished by Elizabeth,
daughter of Peter the Great. Near it are the various
docks, in which 10 ships can be repaired at once; the
foundry which supplies annually 1,200 tone of bombs,
balls, &c. ; the admiralty rope-work, tar-works, and ex-
cellent wet docks. By the new Catherine canal, com-
menced in 1782, which communicates witi the mer-
chants' port, and is 1,800 fathoms long, Government
vessels are enabled to take their stores, murition, &c.,
directly from the storehouses, The town is very regu.
larly built, and contains many fine, straight, and well-
paved streets, and several public squares. Ole houses,
however, with the exception of those belonging to the
Government, are chiefly of one storey, and built of wood.
The city has three gates, and is diVided into two parts,
the commandant and admiralty quarters
sub-
ivided into four districts. Between quarters, which are
he Peter's and
Catherine canals is the old Italian palace, built by Prince
Menschikoff, who took this island from the Swedes in
1703. It is at present occupied by the school for pilots,
.L large establishment, where 300 pupils are educated
for the naval service, and twenty for the merchant
4erviee. The Naval Hospital is a large and well-regu-
for officers of the
lated institution, with accommodation for 2,500 pa-
tients, and a separate buildings
navy. Among the buildings are the admiralty, exchange,
custom-house, barracks, a Protestantgymnasieln, various
schools, an invalid asylum for GO female, the nobility's
club, and the house of Peter the Great, where he resided
for sometime ; but with the exception of a few old oaks,
which he is said to have planted with his own hand,
there are do remains of the former garden. The per-
manent population of Kronstadt, exclusive of the gar- '
rison, the pupils of the naval school, workmen, and
sailors, is not considerable ; during the summer it
amounts of 40,000 individuals, of various nations ; of
these, next to the Russians, the English areniost numer-
ous. The inhabitants derive their chief sepport from
the-fleet, trade, and shipping. The town presents an
appearance of great activity and bustle during the
summer, but in winter all is dead and stagnant. The
town and port were laid out, and the buildings far ad-
vanced, by Peter the Great, who founded Kronstadt in
1710 ; but it did not receive its present name (the town
of the crown) till 1721. At the northern extremity of
the istend are Fort Alexander and the battery. of St.
John ; the latter is built on piles in the Neva"