Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-10
Visit to sebastopoI.

diminishing to four hundred yards at the end,
where the "Tchernaia Retchka," or Black
river empties itself The average depth is
about eight tathoms, the bottom being COM
posed of mud in the centre and gravel at the
sides. On the southern coast OF this bay IS the
commercial, military, and gardening harbors,
the quarantine harbor being outside the en-
trance. All these taking southerly direction
and having deep water.
The military harbor is the largest, being
about a mile and half long, by four hundred
wards wide, and is completely landlocked on
every side. Here it is that the Black Sea feet is
moored in the winter; the largest ships being
able to lie with oil their stores on board close
to the apays. The small harbor which con-
tains the naval arsenal and DOCKS is on the east
ern side of the military harbor, near the en-
trance. MgsgA
The port is defended to the south by six
principal batteries and fortresses, each mount
ing from, SO to 100 guns and the north by
four, having from, 10 to 100 pieces each !, and
besides these, there are many smaller bate
2 res. E3ah tla 3&He as ~
The fortresses are built on the casemate
principle, three Of them having three tiers OF
guns, and fourth two tiers. Fort st. Nicho-
las is the largest and mounts about 100 guns !;
on carefully counting them, we made 1876.
BY great interest we obtained permission to
enter this fortress. 1t is built of white lime
stone; q fine sound stone, which becomes hard
and is very endurable, the same material being
used for all the other forts. Between every
two classmates are furnaces for heating shot
red hot we measured the calihre of the guns,
and found it to be eight inches, capable of
throwing shells or GO pound solid shot.
Whether all the guns in the fortress were of
the same size, it is impossible to say, but my
belief is that most of the Notifications of Sc
bastopol are heavily armed. We entered Fort
st. Nicholas through the elegantly furnished
apartments of the military commandant, sit
uated at its southwestern end.
At the period of our visit there were certainly
/. not more than $50 pieces of artillery defending
the port towards the sea, and Of these about
800 could be concentrated on ship entering
the bays Other batteries, however, are said
to have been since built We took some
fyouble to ascertain these facts by counting the
guns Of the various forts, not always an easy
matter, where any suspicion Of our object might
have subjected us to grave inconveniences
Sebastopol is admirably adapted by nature for
q strong position towards the sea, and it will
be seen from what we stated above that this
has been fully taken advantage Of to render it
one .of the most formidably Certified places in
that direction which could be imagined.
ts We are we'll aware that the casemated for
tresses are very badly constructed, and though
having an imposing exterior, that the walls are
filed in with rubble. The work was carried
on, under Russian engineers, whose object was
to make as much money as possible out OF it.
They were, moreover, found to be defective in
ventilation, to remedy which some alterations
were subsequently made; but admitting all
their defects, they are still strong enough to in
. So atto nt,
feet before their guns could be silenced. And
when That is accomplished, supposing there are
now $50 pieces, there would still remain 500
guns of large calibre, in strong open batteries,
half of them throwing shells and red hot shot,
INDEPENDENT of mo .-tars. This is force of ar
mament against which no fleets have been
tried, not only with reg.vd to the number OF
guns and weight of metal, but the nature OF
the projectiles; any single shell hred point
blank, and striking between wind ana wafer,
being sufficient to sink ship. .ss,., !,
IfSebastopol can be 80 easily taken by the
allied fleets alone, and without land forces, as
some people appear to imagine, IL would DC
very satisfactory to know what amount of re-
sistance it is expected that Portsmouth could
offer to an enemy, with her seventy or eighty
guns, not above fve-and-twenty of which are
heavier than 80 Founders? !.
We do not mean to assert that it is impossi-
BILE to destroy Sebastopol from the sea alone |;
but we believe that it could only be accom-
plished by an unnecessary sacrifice of life and
ships with our present means, and that it would
be nothing short of madness to attempt it, I'M
less we had a reserve feet on the spot, suffi-
ciently strong to insure the command OF the
Black Sea in case Of failure.f
In speaking of the means OF defense at Be.
bastopo, we have left the Russian feet out OF
the question. This, however,is not to he treated
either with Indifference or contempt; foi; while
we are ready admit that neither in the STRENGTH
of the ships in the quality of the Sailors nor in
any other respect, can it be compared for an in.
slant with those of England and France, yet
there can be no doubt Of the Russian seamen
being well trained in gunnery, nor Of their be-
ing endowed with kind Of passive courage,
which would lead them to stick to their work,
when not called upon TO exercise their seaman
ship, in which they are very deficient.
There were in the military harbor Of Sebas-
topol twelve lne-ofbattle ships, eight frigates,
and seven coryettes comprising the Black Sea
feet independent Of steamers We visited,
amongst others, the Twelve Apostles, Of 100
guns and the first lieutenant accompanied us
over her. She was remarkable fine looking
ship, in excellent order, and very neat in her
fittings.
The town Of Sebastopol is situate on the
point of land between the commercial and
military harbors, which rises gradually from
the waters edge TO an elevation Of two hundred
feet. 1t is more than mile in length, and its
greatest width is about three quarters of mile
the streets entering the open steppe on the
south. II was partly defended on the west, to
wards the land, by a loopholed wall, which had
been pronounced by one Of the first engineers
Of Rassia as perfectly useless, and plans fol
completely certifying the place in that direction
were said to have been made but whether the
work has since been carried out We know not
though we have deep conviction that strong
d.fences will be found to exist there by thu
time besieging army arrives. These, how
ever, being burriedly raised, can neither be o
sufficient m agnitude nor strength to offer sc
rious resistance to a long continued FIRE
heavy artillery, and unless these iortIication
are on most extensive scale, and embrace
vary vide c;rcuit thew nav be commando