Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-10-29
The Dardanelles.

| h Z B. -
| The old gates of Janus were opened when
Rome was at war; and their modern proto
| types, the Dardaneles straits, are open only
when state OF war makes treaty stipulations
void, and the Porte deems it to be necessary to
admit his allies through them to protect his
capitol. The accounts we have are that they
are now open for the passage of the British and
French fleets.
The Dardanelles, from which the strait or
Hellespont derives its name, are four strong
castles built opposite to each on the European
and Aslatic coasts; and are the keys of Con
stantinople. Two of these castles, the old
castles, were raised by Mahommed H., soon
after the conquest of Constantinople, in 1853
the other two, the new castles. were built in
the middle of the seventeenth century to pro-
tect the Turks against the Venetians. The
latter command the entrance to the Helespont.
and the distance from each is about two miles
and q quarter; in four hours sail M the strait
are the old castles, which are about three quar-
tiers OF q mile apart. These are well mounted
with formidable batteries All along the Eu-
ropean shore to the Marmora the aspect of ma
ture IN its ruggedness corresponds with the
frown OF the guns; but the scenery on the Asi.
attic shore is beautiful. The region abounds
too, IN places famous in classic story Here it
was Leander paid his nightly visit to Hero; here
the Inflated hosts OF Xerxes crossed on O bridge
OF boats; here Solyman crossed on a bare raft:
and, III modern times, here Byron swan from
Sestos to Abydos
These famous straits have been more than
once passed. In ITO the Russian SQUADRON.
under Elphistone, appeared before the tower
castles and the admiral actually went by with
out damage. But the other ships did not follow
him, and he returned, with drums and trump
cts sounding. A British fleet under Admiral
Duckworth forced their passage in 1907 Duck
worth, IN his dispatch to his government Civ.
ing an account of this fact acknowledges that
he ran narrow chance. He set sail on the
morning Of the 10Th of February. At a omar.
tcf before nine the whole squadron. under =
Tremendous fire, had passed the outer castles.
at half past nine the leading ship, the Canopus.
entered the narrow passage of Sestos and Abv.
dos, under a heavy cannonade from both cas-
ties, receiving stone shot of 500 pounds weight.
Each ship, as 1t passed, had to endure this can
nonade. The admiral remained before Con.
stantlnople until the Sd of March, when his
squadron of ten ships returned In this inter.
val the Turks had been SO busy that the castles
were made " doubly formidable The admiral
weighed anchor in the morning of this dav
and every ship was in safety outside Of he
passage about noon" The admiral. in his
dispatch, expresses his most lively sense Of
hls good fortune, and admits that had the Turks
been allowed week longer, ait would have been
very doubtful point whether a return would Law
open to him at ALL He lost AZ killed and 235
wounded The Turks were so indignant at the
escape OF the British feet that they believed
the governor Of the Dardaneles was bribed bv
Duckworth, and beheaded him.
The Dardaneles are said to be in such n
formidable condition rs to be impregnable.