The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-16 00:00:00

THE MA.RTELLO TOWER AT LEITH.

This tower is about to be fitted with cannon, and
three guns, 32-pounders, have been sent from
Woolwich Arsenal, 'and are now in the docks.
There has long been word of putting this fortifica-
tion into a defensible state, but somehow nothing
was done till now. The tower was erected during
the late war, and cost £lO,OOO. Of course the
building was intended to defend the entrance of
the harbour of Leith ; .it ought to have been to
keep back shipping whose object was a cannodade
of the town, for the harbour is tidal, and was at the
period very shallow, precluding the entrance of
large vessels. But invasion being the grand idea,
the purpose might have been to pummel transports
containing an enemy's troops. The form of tke
tower somewhat resembles a peck, broader at the
base than at the top, and somewhat oval in confor-
mation. The work is not high, and, indeed, .being
intended to operate against ships in the offing, alti-
tude was opposedto the object in view. The cannon,
says the Greenock Advertiser, are not protruded
through embrasures or worked in casemated
chambers, but are placed on what may be termed
the roof of the underlying barrack and magazine,
accessible by a door above the flood-tide level. The
ordnance will no doubt be mounted on swivels, and
by this means a large power be available from a
very contracted platform. A tower stood at a place
called Martello, which gave singular trouble to some
war ships, and suggested the creation of such struc-
tures in this country. A number of these works are
set down On the English coast, but we apprehend
they: were rather intended for signals in case of
danger than defence against an enemy. On the
other hand, the tower at Leith is to be held a small
fort: What kind of resistance might be made by
the work to an enemy.is of course untested, and can
be but reasoned from analogy. • Only a part of the
platform has any bearing or defence, as the rest
faces the sands to the south-east, where it is unlikely
even boats could navigate. And it looks as if a
few cannon well pointed from a war-ship would
sweep the roof of cannon and artillerymen, while a
replacement of the materiel would be precluded.
Still, that result escaped _from, three well-plied can-
non would give annoyance, though not formidable
as an agency of destruction. To protect thoroughly
a waterway against a squadron of ships requires a
large number of guns, and those in the best posi-
tion, for the work of obStruction must be quickly
done, else, under favourable conditions, the bat-
teries may be passed, and especially may this im-
portant movement be quickly made by war steamers.
In short, there would require to be an iron shower
descending in a plump—heavy and flush, and even
red-hot balls, so as, if possible, to reach the maga-
zines of the craft and effectuate a blow-up with its
devastation. Hence the ponderous and many de-
fences of Sebastopol and Cronstadt, and the nu-
in,erous forts of Cherbourg, not only sweeping the
approaches, but precluding an advantge on any
single point. The castles of the Dardanelles, near
Constantinople, fulfilled a similar service, and the
squadron of Admiral Duckworth was successfully
obstructed by the huge marble balls of the Mussul-
man gunners—there being in the expedition no land
force to reduce the works on shore. Leith is fur-
ther guarded by a battery or fort near Newhaven.
but the works are anything but formidable, and
miserable mouldering..ridges of mud seaward arc
really a sorry sight in strategy ; indeed, owing to
changes in harbour arrangements, this affair seems
less fitted than ever to be of service. A strong free-
stone-platform fronting the docks, and which is
now removed, had more the appearance of efficiency
than the Martello Tower, or the " Battery," near
Newhaven. It has been proposed_ to fortify the
island of Inchkeith, and, at one side at least, heavy
batteries would be specially serviceable for the de-
fence of Leith Roads, and the harbour and docks.

DROUGHT IN ItUBSIA.—The St. Petersburg jour-
nals state that in consequence of the extraordinary drought
and heat which have prevailed in different part of Russia
this summer, extensive fires have taken place in several
forest* and plains. In the neighbourhood of St. Petersburg
woods have been burnt down, and large cuttings have had
to be made in others to check the progress of the conflagra-
tions. In the vicinity of Narva, Moscow., Roschentwenski,
and Poulowsk great damage has been done. -The telegraph
between Novgorod and Tver, on the St. Petersburg to Mos-
cow line, was destroyed in one of the lines, . ,