The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-03 00:00:00

THE KUSTBWDJI

_
In our articles, under the above heading; Wet
12th and 13th of last March, we pointed out the
manifold advantages and the great political import-
ance of the proposed canal from Rausova to Kus-
tendji. Oar readers will remember that, on the
terms of the late treaty of peace oei.-ng made public,
we at once treated the pretended abandonment by
Russia of the left bank of the Danube, and her ap-
parent sacrifice of territory in Bessarabia as a per-
fect sham. It was plain to. us that our tricky and
"3 plausibly affecting to yield
much, had conceded nothing but what she might
easily recover whenever it suited her to resume
her aggressive policy towards Turkey. The pro-
ceeding of Russia on the Danube since the peace,
her destruction of the fortifications of Ismail, her
occupation of Serpent's Island, and her retention
of Belgrad, in Bessarabia, have fully justified our
suspicions, and ought to have opened the eyes of
the most credulous believers in Muscovite honesty.
A glance at the Prussian military map of the
country lying between the Danube and the Black
Sea (as published by Mr. Wyld) will
_convince every
dispassionate man that so long as Russia retains
Bessarabia the true line of defence for European
Turkey is from Rassova or Chernavoda to Kus-
tendji. In support of this opinion we extract the
following passages from au able paper originally ad-
dressed to the Admiralty by Captain Spratt, R.N.,
and which was lately read before the Royal Geogra-
phical Society, and also at the recent meeting of
the British Association at Cheltenham :
" Being under the impression that the future deve.
lopment of the wealth of the countries bordering oa
the Danube will lead to the adoption of some mode of
transit across the Dobrudscha istbmus, and to the estab-
lishment of a port of refuge on this part of the Black
Sea, I communicate my ideas of what seems most
prAct.cable at that locality, after a thorough examina-
tion of the country and survey of the harbour of Kus-
tendji.
"As a completion of the project a breakwater would
be required, first on a small scale, and enclosing a sheet
of water as a mere mercantile harbour. Hereafter some-
thing on a grander scale might be carried out by an out-
lying breakwater, and thus eventually form a magnifi-
cent naval station or harbour of refuge outside the met.-
cantile one, if desirable.
" Galatz would then come to Kustendji, and Odess*
would have its rival as a military and mercantile depot,
if the advantages offered by the locality were thus pro-
perly developed.
"The mercantile or inner harbour could contain 200
or 300, vessels, if the upper part were deepened by
dredging. As the bottom is sand there would be no
difficulty in obtaining five or six feet of additional draught
of water—say in all 27 feet. •
" Having in the foregoing succinctly set forth the
principal engineering requirements for the establish.
ment of this simple and comparatively inexpensive,
yet most important, link of communication between the
Danube and the Black Sea, and shown the local re-
sources for converting Kustendji into a commercial de-
pot of importance, I am induced to venture further, and
to touch upon its high erategical importance in a mili-
tary point of view.
"First, then, as Kustendji stands on a promontory,
it seems to me that a semi circle of earthwork redoubts,
with entrenchments in its rear extending from the sea
cliffs on either side, would speedily and easily, with a
few guns of good range and calibre, render Kustendji
very formidable by land. The crest batteries on the
cliffs, if properly armed, would make it- equally formid-
able by sea.

"Secondly, I would suggest the construction of simi-
lar inexpensive fortifications over Chernavoda (near Ras-
soya) ; likewise at certain points on the chain of lakes and
swamp which extends more than hall way across the
isthmus, and especially on the abrupt and high land on the
south side of the Kara Su Valley. An enemy advancing
from the north, and requiring to maintain his communi-
cation with Moldavia or Bessarabia by the Dobrudscha,
would be Anhle to be cut off by the Turkish forces at
Kustendji and Chernavoda. •
"The swampy islands on the left bank of the Danube
render it impo:sible for an army to cross that river at
any point between Hirsova and Silistria. This conside-
ration increases immensely the strategical importance of
the proposed line of defence across the Dobrudscha Isth-
mus for the *ippon of Silistria and other Turkish posi-
tions on the right bank of the Danube."
We understand that eminent Dutch engineers,
probably the most competent authorities on such a
subject, declare that it will cost less to construct a
canal from Rassova to the Black S!,11 than to deepen
and keep open the Sulina Channel. We have little
doubt that the commission fur the improvement of
the Danube, about to assemble at Bucharest, will
arrive at the same conclusion, and will recommend
the Western Powers to relinquish the costly project
of rectifying, deepening, and dredging the Sulina
Channel. The proposed canal will much more
effectually secure the objects of the Allied Powers.
It will confer inestimable benefits on these regions,
develope the natural riches of Wallachia. and Bul-
garia, and put it out of the power of Russia again,
by coup de main, to obstruct the trade of tile
greatest river of iurope.
The firman conceding to an international com-
pany, designated thcAbd-nl-Medjid Canal and Rail-
road Company, composed of Turkish, English,
French, and Austrian capitalists, the right to open
the canal in question bears date the 20th May,
1556. It contains three clauses, which well merit
the attention of the coonnercial public. One esta-
blished free ports and entrepots at both extremities
of the canal. Another provides that all nations
shall be treated on a footing of perfect equality ;
wliile the third secures to the company the option
of constructing a railroad from the Danube to the
Black Sea :