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

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 3, 1854.

HE SEVENTEENTH PUBLIC DRAWING.
The C ,NSERVATIVE LAND SOCIETY.—At the Officeg,
33, Norfolk-street, Strand, at 12 o'clock, on SATURDAY, the Bth of
April, the 17th panic drawing, to regulate the order of rotation, fcr
choice of lots on the :society's Estates in various counties, wilttake
place. Shares taken up to the time of drawing will be included to
the advantages thereof. ,1 embers haling uncompleted share 4, and
shareholders with shares numbered under 1,000, which will be soon
entitled to be placed on the Order of Rights by seniority, are re-
(pleated to refer to their pass-books, to ascertain that their subscrip-
tions be not in arrear on the Sth 'of April.

CHARLES f,EIVI3 G RUNE ISE N, Secretary.

VINGINEERS', MASONIC, and UNIVERSAL
MUTUAL LIFE ASSURANCE SOCIETY:

345, t,trand, London'.
WAR RISKS ON AN ENTIRELY NEW PRINCIPLE.
ANNUITAM'S ADMITTED TO A SHARE IN THE PROFITS.
NO charge for Policy Stamps.
Credit given for half the premiums.
• -•- —•

Assignments and Transten td Policies Registered Free of Charge.
Premiums payable baif-yearly, quartetly, or monthly.
A Liberal Commission allowed to Solicitors and Agents on the
Introduction of business.
ANTHONY PECK, 111. A., Actuary and Secretary.

JAURENT'S CASINO ARGYLE ROOMS,
A (Lessee, CHAS. C. LAURENT, Onslow-house, Fmaarn-road),
-- The above Rooms and now OPEN FOR TH E SEASON.
en. will continue open every evening, with L /WREN T's.
CELEBRATED RAND. Two Quadrilles on subjects of s,ieyerbeer's
Opera—L'l tells du Nord; a'so, by H. Lalrent, the following Waltz?s
La belle Fra ,g i,se, Leonora, Vi Innis and his Dinah; and L'Etoile
du Nord Polka. Admission, I. Doors open at half-past 8. Dancing
to commence at 9 o'clock, and ter idnate at half-past

pIIRS SELL' S. —BALL SUPPERS and
WENDING BREAKFASTS SUPPLIED in the first style;
public breakfasts, dinners, and promenade suppers supplied by con-
tract; a lar.;e stock of bride cakes for immediate use, from one to
twenty guineas each ; a handsome cake for five guineas, packed and
sent to any part of the country ifrequired, and warranted to keep 12
months.—JouN R. PunssELL, 162, Regent-street, and 20, Ludgate-
bill, only.

rrH E CH•OLER A!!!
Prevented by the destruction of all noxious effluvia.
CREWS'S DISINFECTING FLUID.
THE CHEAPEST AND STRONGEST CHLORIDE OF ZINC.
Quarts, 25.; Pints, Is. ; Neff-pints, 6d. Sold by all Chemists,
Druggists, and Shipping Agents, and at Commercial Wharf, Dille
End, London.

ALLSOPP'S PALE or BITTER ALE.—
Messr3. S. ALLSOPP and SONS beg to inform the T.ftADE
that they are now registering orders for the March Brewings of
their PALE ALE, In Casks of 18 Gallons and upwards, at the
Brewery, Burton-on-Trent; and at the undermentioned Branch
Establishments:—
LONDON, at GI, King William-street, City;
LIVERPOOL, at Cook-street;
MANCHESTER, at Dude-place;
DUDLEY, at the Burnt Tree;
GLASGOW, at 115, St. Vincent street;
DUBLIN. at 1. Crampton-quay ;
BIRMINGHAM, at Market Rail;
SOUTH WALES, at 13, King-street, Bristol.

Messrs. ALLSOPP and S@NS take the opportunity of announcing
to Private Families that their Ales, so strongly recommended by the
medical profession, may b% procured in Draught and itottes Genuine
from all the most respectable Licensed Victuallers, on "ALL iOPPS
PALE ALE" being specially asked for.
When in bottle, the genuineness of the label can be ascertained by
its having "ALLSOPP and SONS" written across it.

TILE BALTIC AND ITS RUSSIAN NAVAL

PORTS.

Now that Admiral Sir Charles Napier is with the
British fleet in the Baltic, it may be interesting to know
a few particulars relative to the plaCes which may, sooner
or later, become the points to which its hostile attention
may be turned. We have therefore collected and com-
piled from the authorities a few particulars respecting
the Baltic Sea, the island of Gothla,nd and the Russian
ports of Cronstadt, Helsingfors and Revel, at each of
which a naval fleet, or division of a fleet, is now in har-
bour, and it is believed will be released from the ice,
about the present time.

and it abounds likewise with rocks and shelves, which
render its navigation extremely hazardous. More than
250 streams flow into the Baltic. During winter navi-
gation is closed ; and as that season approaches the
weather becomes tempestuous. Revel, Baltic-port,
Hapsal, Pernau, and Arensburg are shut up by the
ice in November or December ; 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 firm 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 WAR IN TEE EAST.

CONSTANTINOPLE.-- This city, the capital of the
Turkish empire, stands upon seven hills, which gives it
the aspect of the largest city in the world. It is built
in a triangular form at the extremity of the Bosphorus,
where it joins the sea of Marmora. There is a treble
line of walls round the city, of about eight miles in cir-
cumference, flanked by a double roar of houses. Con-
stantinople contains 12 imperial mosques, 350 ordinary
mosques, 30 markets, more than 300 fountains, and
100,000 houses. The population is about 600,000. The
imperial residence may be said to form a 'city within a
city, the walls being three'miles in circumference, with
12 gates, and the number of the residents is between
6000 and 7000. The marine arsenal is a.fine establish-
ment, built upon the northern bank of the harbour. The
naval arsenal is near the quay, close to which the Turk-
ish men of war are moored. A large and magnificent
barrack for sailors is built near the dockyard, in which
are large basins for the repair of ships. At Tophana is
the barack for the cannoneers, and at Scutari, on the
opposite or Asiatic coast; is nn extensive pile of barracks
capable of accommodating 10,000 troops. The harbour,
or Golden Horn, of Constantinople, is a quiet and safe
anchorage of the length of 4,000 fathoms, and the breadth
of 3,000 fathoms. Its depth is so great that the largest
ships of the line approaching the two banks can almost
touch the houses. The city is surrounded by a girdle of
natural fortifications, and her position enables her to
become the first naval and military point in tbe,world.
Two sides of the triangular promontory on which she
stands are washed by deep waters, and she is assailable
on one side only.
THE BOSPHORUS.—This is the narrow canal which
connects the Blaclz Sea with the Sea of Marmora, and
through which the rapid current continually flows out-
ward through the Dardanelles ; its average breadth is
from half a mile to two miles, and it flows between two
chains of parallel hills. The stream is fifteen to twenty
fathoms (120 feet) deep, without any shallows, and there
are some excellent harbours on either side of the stream,
particularly at Buyukdere, which would serve as an
anchorage for a large fleet. The canal is defended near
its opening into the Black Sea by two castles, called the.
Queens of Europe and Asia ; they are each mounted
with 34 heavy guns, and command the entrance to the
straits, which are about 25 miles in length to their
western or Constantinople termination. Where the
canal begins to narrow itself at a short distance from the
castles we have mentioned, two new castles were con-
structed by the Baron de Sott ; they are only a thousand
yards distance from each other, across a strait, and by
their position they can command any vessel. At nearly
equal distances along either shore are other batteries in-
termixed with the old castles of the canal. Some of
them are en flute, others at an elevation of ten or twelve
yards, and towards the Bnyukdere roads several prin-
cipal batteries have recently been erected to prevent a
hostile squadron anchoring there, provided they could
pass the defensive works of the Black Sea. Most of the
batteries are supplied with mortars for firing red hot
balls and other shot, and some of the guns are of enor-
mous calibre for throwing stone or marble shot. It has
been said that if properly defended, these fortifications
would defy all the fleets in the world. The length of the
Bosphorus is about twenty miles, and its currents are
very remarkable, one running directly contrary to the
other ; one of these is found at some depth below the
other, and on this account the navigation is extremely
difficult.

THE BLACK SEA.—The Euxine measures almost 720
miles in its greatest length from the coast of Roumelia
to the mouth of the Phasis, and nearly 400 in breadth
from Odessa to Cape Bata. It is generally enveloped in
dense fogs, which cause the navigation to be very dan-
gerous ; and it is singular that although nine large and
thirty small rivers discharge themselves into the Black
Sea, its only known outlet is through the Bosphorus.
It is conjectured that there must be some subterranean
outlet for the vast body of water that feeds the Euxine,
the strait by which it is apparently emptied being only
equal to one of the four mouths of the Danube. After
leaving the Bosphorus, and proceeding westward, the
Sea of Marmora is reached, which is about 120 miles
long, and thirty or forty broad.
THE DARDANELLIS.—At the other extremity of the
sea of Marmora, and leading into the Mediterranean, is
the celebrated passage called the Dardanelles. The
strait is about 50 miles in length, and from one to four
miles in breadth. It is, of course, the key of Constan-
tinople and the Bosphorus as regards Western Europe,
and is consequently strongly fortified. It was over this
strait, at Abydos, that the vast armies of Xerxes passed
to invade Europe, on a bridge of boats, and it also
formed the bridge over which the Turkish armies poured
their numerous hordes from Asia into the west. The
story of Hero and Leander has also given an enduring
celebrity to the strait of the Hellespont. The western
entrance, which is nearly five miles broad, is defended
by two castles, built upwards of two centuries ago, ono
on the European and the other on the Asiatic side, and
called respectively the old castles of Europe and Asia.
The latter stands upon flat ground, near the side of
ancient Troy. One of these castles mounts 80 and the
other 74 guns. The batteries are of enormous strength,
awl mounted with immense guns, carrying stone or
marble'shot, which, if properly directed, must sink any
vessel attempting to force a passage. In 1807 Sir John
Duckivorth, in command of a British naval force, hav-
ing failed in inducing the Porte to come to terms, al-
though he threatened to attack the city of Constanti-
nople, finding the Turks making very extensive prepa-
rations, set sail for the Dardanelles, amidst the shouts
and rejoicings of the Musselmans. They met with a
warm reception from the batteries of the castles, which
fired upon them immense balls of granite and marble.
One of them, weighing 8001bs., cut the mainmast of the
Windsor Castle, first-rate man of war, in two and it was
with great difficulty and exertion that the ship was
saved from destruction. Another struck the Standard,
74 gun ship, penetrated her poop, and carried away
everything before it. The shock was so great against
the mainmast as to shiver it in pieces—it fired some
powder barrels, which blew up with a tremendous ex-
plosion, destroying portions of the upper deck and up-
wards of 60 men. All the corvettes were lost. In ad-
dition to the old castles there are also the new castles
of the Dardanelles, and along the whole entrance of the
strait on either side, for a distance of 10 or 12 miles,
there are a series of batteries and forts mounting heavy
guns, mortars, and stone shot, up to the castle of Sul-
tanieh Kalessi, which mounts 100 heavy guns in two
tiers. Such are the defences of Constantinople on the
European side.
THE DANUBE.—This may be called the prince of
European rivers, as, with one exception—the Volga—it
is the largest in Europe. Its length is between 1,500
And 1,700 miles, and carries off the waters of nearly
250,000 square miles of country. At about 100 miles
from its source it begins to be navigable ; at Vienna it
flows in a broad channel, and there forms an immense
number of islands. Between Buda and Belgrade the
Danube is so broad and deep that men of war can navi-
gate the stream, and here naval engagements have taken
place between the Christians and the Turks. Between
Giurgevo and Rustchuk on the opposite bank it is two
miles broad. At the fortress of New Orsova, near its
entrance into Wallachia, is the Iron Gate, so called
from the high and precipitous banks within which the
stream is confined. Twenty miles lower down are the
ruins of Trajan's Bridge. This was formerly a most
magnificent structure. It was GO feet broad, and con-
tained 20 arches, of 170 feet tVan each, at a height of
150 feet above the level of the strum. It was destroyed
by Adrian, Trajan's successor' lest the barbarians in the
north should, by means of it, facilitate their progress to
the Roman provinces in the south of the stream. About
30 miles above Ismail, near the mouth of the Danube,
was another bridge, over which Hystaspes pursued the
flying Scythians, ut all vestiges of this have also dis-
appeared. The whole line of the Danube, from Servia
to its mouth, now bristles with forts and fortresses, all
of which have been recently put into a state of efficiency
while many new ones have been added.