The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-11-22
The DardlHlclIcs.

Rome was at war, and their modern proto
types, the Dardanelles straits, are open only
when war makes treaty stipuations void,
and the Porte deems it necessary to admit his
allies through the m to protect his capital. The
accounts we now have are tlnt they are now
open for the passage of the English and French
fleets
The Dardanees, from which the strait or
Hellespont derives its name, are four strong
castles built opposite each other on the Euro
pean and Asiatic coasts, and are the keys OF
Constantinople. Two Of these castles (the old
castles) were raised by Mahommed H. soon
after the capture of Constantn"ple, in 1853
the other two (the new castles) were built in
the middle of the l7th century, to protect the
Turks against the Venetians. The latter COM
mand the entrance to the HelleSpont, and the
distance apart is about two miles and quar-
ter. In four hours sail TIP the strait are the
old castles, which are about three quarters Of
mile apart. These arc well mounted with for.
mdable batteries. All along the European
shore to the Marmora the aspect of nature in
its ruggedncsS corresponds with the frown OF
the guns; but the scenery on the Asiatc shore
is beautiful. The region abounds too, in Pla-
ccs famous in classic story. Here it was Lee
ander paid his nightly visit to Hero; here the
Il-fatcd hosts of Xerxes crossed on a bridge
of boats; here Solyman crossed on raft; and
in modern times here Byron swan from Scstos
to Abydos.
Those famous straits have been more than
once passed. In ITO the Russian squadron
under Elphistone, appeared before the tower
and castles, and the admiral actually went by
without damage. But the other ships did not
follow him, and he returned with drums and
trumpcts sounding. A British fleet under Ad-
n,rable Duckworth forced their passage i'll SO7
Duckworth, in despatch to his Government
giving an account of this fact, acknowledges
that he ran narrow chance. He set sail on
the morning Of the 10Th Of February. at
quarter before nine the whole squadron, under
tremendous fire, had passed the outer castle !;
at half past nine the leading ship, the Canopus,
entered the narrow passage of Scstos and Ably
dos under heavy cannonade from both castles
receiving stone-shot of 500 pounds weight
Each ship as it passed had to endure this can.
unnade. The admiral remained at Constanti-
Hople until the Sd of March, when his squad
ron of ten ships returned. In this interval the
Turks had been so busy that the castle were
made "doubly formidabe.' The admiral
weighed anchor in the morning Of this day,
and "every ship was in safety outside of the
passage about noon." The Admiral in his
despatch expresses his "most lively sense Of
his good fortune, and admits that had the Turks
been allowed a week longer 'it would have
been very doubtful point whether return
would lay open to him at ALL" lie lost az
killed and 235 wounded. The Turks were so
indignant at the escape of the British fleet that
they believed the Governor Ct the Dardanelles
was bribed by Duckworth, and beheaded him.
The DardaneIIeS are said to bc in such for
midable condition as to be imprcsnable.
Boston Post