The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-10-27
THE CRIMEA-sEI,AsTAPOL.

OF the whole civilized word is turned with |
painiul anxiety TO the. State of affairs on the
European Continet, and the position of the
powers Of Europe en- the war question, it |
may not be entirely uninteresting to notice |
hc locsliiyand peculiar advantages of some
ofIthe principal cities and towns mentioned
in the reports from the seat of war. The
public were Justified in supposng, that the
movement Of the allies was mere ruse, and
that they were for from being in earnest in
their hostile demonstrations towards Russia.
The late dispatches, however, from the scat
Of wtr, have shown this opinioR to have been
erroneous, and il seems now that the Crimea
has had the honor of having the first battle !
fought in its limts, BY the allled forces.
The peninsula of Taurida, or the Crimea
is formed by gulfon the Black sea and an
other on the Sea of Azof, which CULTS are d.
vided by a narrow is,hmus..which connects it
to the main land ofRussia. These gulfs then
form the.northern boundary of the Crimea'
The eastern shore is washed by the Azofand
is separated from Asia by the straits Of Yen
ikali. or the Cimmerian Bosphorus, and the
southern and western coasts are bounded
by the Black sea. The soil 'and climate of
that part of the Crimea which borders on
the Black Sea are represented by travellers 20
be the most desirab e. Winter is hardly felt,
and thd primrose and crocus appear in bloom
even in January. NJ. Palla5, aleurned trav.
eller in work entitled Tabteau Phsyique de Ia
Taurida says Of tho products
y'The most delicate fruits arrive at maturi-
"ty, many exist already in the,,province; ;oives
"and fg-trees need not be exported from 9TH
ser regions; lund the orange, the lemon, and
"the citron, if a little labor be bestowed on
"them, resist the cold Of winter"
OF the people, he says:-"rhe simple life
Of the good Tartars, their cottages cut in the
"solid rock, and concealed by the thick foli-
"age of surrounding gardens, the flute Of the
"shcpherd, his flocks scattered on solitary
''hiils, remind the stranger of the golden age.
The traveller leaves the people with regret,
"and envies the destiny of mortals ignorant
"of war, the frauds of trade, and luxury nc
"companied with all its vices" Alas, "ig.
norant of war" no longer!
About the end of the 18th century, the
II,
Taur!ca As it was then called, and drove out
the Venetians aud GenUese colonies there.
The Crimea the had its own Khan, or gov.
ernor, who was, however, dependent on the
Sultan Of Turkey, and depended on him for
confirmation in. his dignity. In l774, the
Russians compelled the Turks to recognize
the independence Of Crimen, and then nine
years later, in 1888 it was annexed to Rus
sio, and has continued in possession of that
power until the present time. No doubt one
result of the recent victory by the aDics will
be the transfer of Crimea to one or other of
the victors. Which ono of the three it will
bs,.will probably not be known until the..war
is over ard a final disposition OF the spois is
had. Future transactions may place the
Crimea again under Russian control.
The principal towns In the Crimca are
Simpheropo, Kinburn, Psrekep, or Orcnpi
Feodosia, Eupatoriu, and Sebastaool Fec.
dtsa Is a fortress on the isthmus which con.
meets the Crmea With the continent and Sc.
bastopo! and Eupatoriu are points of vast i'm
yortance to the Commerce of the Black Sea
Sympheropol was once the residence OF the
Khan, and was the Tartar capitol Of the Cri-
mea. The Tartar name for il was Akmet.
chet. 1t contained at one time about 90,
900 souls.
Ss5astdpol from ils situation with relation
10 tho sea and the surrounding country, is the
most important point in the Crimea. II has
heretofore afforded a very coed temporar,
refuge for the Russian fleet, aud is onl,
twenty four hours sail from the Bosphorus.
We copy the following xcs llent dcscTip.
tim o. Sebastopol. from all exchange. 1t is
without credit, but as is correct in its mar
features we presume it is also in the details
SssAsroPoL.--Ths port of Sebastopol con-
sists Of bay, running in south-easterly di,
rection, about four miles long and a mile
wide at the entrance, diminishing to 400
yards at the end, where the "Tchernain
Retchka," or Black River, empties ITSELF
The average depth is about eight fathoms, the
bottom being composrd OF mud in the centre
and gravel at the sides On the Southern
coast of thissay are the commercial, militia
ry, and careening hsrbors; tho quarantine
harbor being outside the eauance. All
those taking southerly direction, and having
deep water.
The military harbor is the largest, being
about one mile and. a half long, by 300 yards
wide, and is completely land locked on every
side. Here il ~ that the Black Sea fleet is
mssred in winter; the largest ships being
able 20 lie with oil her stores on board close
to the qusys. The small hsrbor which con-