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

ORONSTADT,

a town, fortress, and port in the Government of St.
Petersburg, 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,
lies the castle or fortress of Kronchlott, built by Peter
the Great. This fortress and the mole bristle with guns,
and the harbour itself is approachable only by one chan-
nel, 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 has 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 harbours,, lying to the south of the town.
The outer, or military harbour, which is entirely
surrounded by a massive and strongly fortified mole, is
a rectangle, stretching out into the s ea, 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 am:her 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, Ste. 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 valich there is besides
an excellent 'roadstead, immediately o utside of the port,
which is defended also by the citade 1, constructed on a
rock in the middle of the sea of Kronstadt. All these
harbours are well secured, but in consequence 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 of April, or some-

times even later. - In 1849, the sea son commenced on
the 15th May, and ended on the 26;th November. At
the beginning of that year there were 37 sailing vessels
in the port which had wintered them. 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, &e., 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 tons 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 with the mer-
chants' port, and is 1,800 fathoms long, Government
vessels are enabled to take their stores, munition, &e.,
directly from the storehouses, • The town is very regu-
larly built, and contains many fine, straight, and well-
paved streets, and several public squares. The houses,
however, with the exception of thoso 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, which are sub-
dividedinctoanfaolus is rdthisetriolcdtsitalßiaen palace,tweent built by Prince
Peter's and
Catherine
Menschikoff, who took this island from the Swedes in
1703. It is at present occupied by the school for pilots,
a large establishment, where 300 pupils are educated
for the naval service, and twenty for the• merchant
service. The Naval Hospital is a large and well-regu-
lated institution, with accommodation for 2,500 pa-
tients, and a separate buildings for officers of the
navy. Among the buildings are the aeltniralty, exchange,
custom-house, barracks, a Protestantgymnasium, various
schools, an invalid asylum for 60 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 pre most numer-
ous. The inhabitants derive their chit support 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
theo
ftlitselacnrdowarne) tFillortl72All.exaAndtetr anhend the battery of St.orthern extremity of
John ; the latter is built on piles in the Neva,