The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1853-08-04
The Ottoman Empire---COnstanti-
nOple and lis Defences.

decidedly OF Warilke character, and
should hOstilities take place, Constantine
pie promises TO be the central point Of at
tack and defence, we can hardly furnish
our readers with anything of greater
present interest than the following. 1t i.
furnished by the correspondent of the
London Times, who is evidently CONVEX.
SAINT with military subjects generally, and
especially with the subject matter of thi.
communication. lie has apparently at.
tertively examined the capabilities of de.
fence Of that city, in case Constadtinople
is attacked. The following is his de-
scription of these defences
1t requirers very favorable wind, OF
the assistance of steamboats,, to enable q
feet to penetrate into the Dardanelles.- -
The mailboat takes sixteen hours frcm
the entrance Of the strait to the Golden
Horn-the port of Constartinople The
fortfcationS raised at the Dardanclles
have, moreover, added still more formil-
able detenccs to those created by nature.
Two formid able batteries, well armed, are
erected ct the very entrance of the strait.
at the point of which the waters of the
Black Sea fall into the Mediterranean
! These batteries are called 'Scddil- -Balsar'
and 'Kumkalessi' The system of bat
! terics on the two sides is continued on the
strait itself. These batteries are mount
ed with 400 guns and served by a bri-
gade of artillery, commanded by q Pasha
A regiment fthe brigade is lod gcd in bar
racks on each side, and well exercised by
handling their guns, for, as is well known,
the artillery IS the best corps in the Turk
ish army.
Among the guns by which the passage
OF !ho Dardanelles is defended, there is
one that deserves particular notice. Such
guns bear the names Of kemmer1iEs in
Turkey, and cast stone balls of the weight
of 10 quintals. The charge of gunp0w-
der Is nearly one quintal. The battery
In which the kemmerliks are placed is
called 'SultanVcts Battery Of the Sul-
tam 1t is situated cn the Asiatic side,
near the residence of the Pesha, who
commands the brigade l. is the largest
battery at tie Dardancl,cs 1t contains
lO2 pieces of artillery, Opposite to it
on the European side, are two batteries,
the 'Aamasia, placed side by side with
the Kiln Bahar,' with Sc guns. The
latter contains the largest piece of artil-
lery IN Turkey. It is a kcmmerlik, which
casts stone balls Of y qu;utals' weight.
The point on which these batteries IS E.
rectcd is the narrowcst in the Dardanel-
les. Any ships which should endeayor
TO force the strait, would, consequently,
have to pass under cross Of fire of 200
pieces Of artillery, without counting oil
the others which they might meet in their
passage
The DsrdancIles could stop a French
or English feet which should cndeavor
to reach Constantinople' 1t is through
this strait, which forms the southern mar
itime gate Of Constantinople, that the
combined fleets Of Great Britain and |
France must pass to arrive at the capital, !
OF beyond i, TO protect it on the side of
the Bosphorus and the Black sea. It isl
through the Bosphorus, which forms the
northern maritime gate, that the Russian
feet, coming from Odessa, would have to
enter. Now, let us see what are the means
Of defence on the side Of the Boshporus
and the Black Sea- This is the most
important subject under existing circum-
stances. 1t is the point the most menaccd
because it is by that, that the Russian
feet viii arrive from Scbastopol, in easel
should make a serious attempt by sea to
take possession Of the capital Of Turkey.i
he Russian feet in the Black Sea is
composed Of I3 ships Of the line, Of
which q are Of 100 guns, frigatcs of6O
guns, coryettes, and 10 vessels Of IN
.erlor size. This feet is supplied with
park OF artillery of large calibre, but it
5 deficient in steamboats,, which renders
is erolutons difficult, and might become
dangerous, particularly in the neighbor-
rood Of the Bosphorus The navigation
'f the Black sea offers, in fact, much
langer. The winds are inconstant in that
ga. They cannot be depended on for
many days in succession. The wind va
les from one point to another, and raises
uch swell that feet at sea could
With difficulty escape, for there is, in fact, }
10 harbor Oh the Asiatic side, and Varna +,
) the only port on the European side /
apabie Of receiving ships of large ton !
age. But Farna is very strong place, =
elongng to Turkey, and TO which the :
russians could not have access easily :
he black Sea is, moreover, frequently !
nd suddenly covered with thick fog, >
0 thick that it is impossible to see 100 .
ards ahead, and, consequently, large r
hips navigating together, run the risk Of e
llling afoul of each other, or of running @
n the shoals. The banks of the two
des Of the Bosphorus are covered thro'-
ut the pear, with the wrecks of ships .,
nd dead bodies which the sea has =
lrown up. y
Numerous modes of defence have Gre fc
ted, moreover, bv artificial means TO de K
ne the entrance Of he B2pborus Il