The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-18 00:00:00

RAILWAYS IN TURKEY.

Four or five months ago concession was given to
an English company for the construction of a rail-
way from Samsoun, the old Amisus, on the south-
ern shores of the Black Sea, to Sivas, the old Se-
vastia.
As the Smyrna and Aidin Railway is destined to
open out the southern half of Asia Minor, the ob-
ject of the Samsoun Railway is to Lrieg the pro-
duce of the northern half to the sea.
The mountain chain which surrounds the coast of
Asia Minor on all sides is most difficult of access on
its northern part facing the Black Sea. Almost all
along, from the, mouth of the Bosphorus to the
frontiers of Georgia, it rises precipitously from the
seashore, so that at a few miles from it it attains
already a height of several thousand feet. Only
just about the middle of the whole length of the
coast, where the rivers of Kizil Irmak and Yeshil
Irmak (Hayls and Iris) discharge their waters to
the Black Sea, the rise is more gradual, indicating
this portion as the natural debouche from the inte-
rior. It is in the bay formed. by the deltas of these
two rivers that Samsoun lies.
Situated so favourably for the Black Sea corn-
merce Samsoun has at all times played a prominent
part in it ; indeed up to the time that the Persian
trade took the Trebizonde route instead of the long
overland journey Samsoun had the lion's share of the
whole commerce. What Amisus of old must have
been can still be seen from the traces of the largo
works which were made to convert its open bay into
a capacious harbour. Under the Turks it became the
cradle of their naval power. From the woods in
its neighbourhood came the timber which served
for the construction of the fleets which ruled the
Black Sea, the Archipelago, and the Mediterranean
in the 16th and 17th centuries, and its numerous
seafaring population furnished the sailors for these
fleets.

Now Samsoun is the great entrepot of European,
chiefly English, goods for the northern part of Asia
Minor, as Trebizond is that for the Persian trade.
According to official returns the value of English
goods alone which came to Samsoun to be trans-
ported to the interior amounted to more than
760,0001. They go up to the great fair of Zillah,
which is visited by people from all parts of Asir}
Mino4 and from which they are spread over the
country. In return the district of Arghana and
Tokat send their ores, Amasia its silk, and the
borders of the rivers Iris, Halys, and Lycus their
grain, madder roots, dyes, and timber.
As soon as the railway subject began to be
mooted, the Turks cast their eyes on this point,
and actually went out of their way to encourage a
railway from Samsoun to Sivas. There were
several reasons which made such an uudertaking
highly desirable in their eyes. Owing to the diffi-
culties of communication as they now exist in this
part of the interior is almost as much sealed up to
the Turkish Government as to Europeans. The
war has not a little contributed to convince them of
the inconveniences of such a seclusion from the pro-
vince mo It exposed to foreign invasion' and they
felt that if the Russians had succeeded in taking
Erzeroum they might have walked up leisurely
through the whole length of Asia Minor
without encountering the slightest resistance
anywhere. They expect to bring the rail-
way through this part of their possessions
within the grasp of the Ocutral Governx. '.. It, and
to provide at the same time fcr the defence of their
frontiers towards Russia and Pi:'' ~ There is a
clause in the concession which p01i'.7`%3 tkis by
obliging the company to continue the-ralliver
Sivas to Erzerottan, as soon as the prop`- ,
_,.,
fast section to Sivas amount to 7 - ..ten the
capital laid out. There seems to oe a kind of
fatality about the Trebizond Erzeroum road. In
spite of the orders often and often repeated, and
in spite of the grants of money made for the pur-
pose, the road is growing worse from day to day,
so that in some casts, even in the best season, it
is danger to iwass. But the worst of this
road is, will always be, whatever is spent on
it, that for several mouths in the year it is
altogether impassable on account of the snow on
the Kolat Dagh. An extension from Sivas to
Erzeroum wouldavoid these difficulties, as it would
run on the traces of the old Caravan-road over the
plateaux of AsinMinor, which are several thousand
feet lower than the pass of,Baybout on the Trebi-
zoncle road.
Besides these political reasons there are other
financial ones which prompted the Turks to look
with a favourable eye on this line. The most im-
portant mines in Turkey lie in the district which
will be traversed by the Samsoun-Sivas line. Indeed,
the whole country around and beyond this latter
place is teeming with all kinds of ore* These mines
yield now scarcely anything • in most cases the
maden-mudiri, or superintendent of the mines,
squares his accounts, so that the profits pay the
working expenses. The explanation of thisunsatis-
factory result lies in the circumstance that no con-
trol can be kept over the working of the mines, and
that the superintendents are changed almost eviry
year, and therefore must make their fortunes as
quickly as possible. The railway will bring the
mines quite close to the central Government, and
the profits will accrue to the capital instead of to
the pockets of the subordinate agents of the Cie-
vernment.
The company formed in England for the con-
struction of this line sent out last summer Messrs.
Austin, Graham, and Drew, civil. engineers, to make
the necessary surveys ; wi 11 them came out likewise
Mr. Edward Price, the well known contractor.
Based on these surveys, the concession was asked
from the Turkish Government, and readily ob-
tained. Toe line will be 250 miles in length, and
the outlay is estimated at 16,5001. per mile, so
that the whole capital required will be about
4,500,0001. The capital is to be raised by 20/.
shares. Tho Turkish Government prom'sos to
take one-third of the shares and place them in the
country. An interest of 7 per cent. is guaranteed
on the capital laid out, and all the ground required
for the lice, stations, &c., whether Government or
private property, is to be given to the company
gratis. You can judge the interest taken by the
Turkish Government in the Samsoun line by the
favourable concessions granted to the company.
The line will not follow the shorter but more pre-
cipitous road now commonly used into the interior,
but make a detour to ascend more gradually. It
will go round the bsy of Samsoun through the fer-
tile grain district of Charsumbett until it touches
the town of that name on the Yeshil Irmak (Iris)
Then it will ascend by the valley on the left banks
of this river as far as the town of Amasia. At this
last named place it will cross the river and proceed
on its right bank as high as Tokat, the great smelt-
ing place for the ore of the mining district. There
it will cross again over the left bank, and strike
across towards the range of Tshamlu Bel, through
which tunneling will be necessary. Having passed
this range the railway descends into the valley of
the Halys to Sivas.
The difficulty of the line will consist in the cross-
ing of the mountain range of Tshatnul Bel ; but it
has been found that by making a detour a hitherto
lit‘ le known valley can be taken advantage of, which
will considerably facilitate the work.

THE HAVELOCK "SEMORIAL FUND. —A meeting is to
take place to-morrow, at I)rury Lane Theatre, with the
view of raising sub,,cripti.ns for the erection of a statue
to the memory of the illustrious General Havelock.
Iris Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge will pre-
side on the occasion, and we have reason to believe that
among the military men of distinction who will be pre,
sent, will be General Peel, the new
.Minister at War.
There can be no doubt that the meeting will be great,
both in regard to numbers and rank, and that the
amount subscribed towards the object fyr which the
' meeting is to be held will ba alike worthy of the illu•-
trious man, to peepetuate whose memory it is to be
raised, and of the country in whose service he lived,
fought, and died,—Moriting Aareiliser,