New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-13

In view of the ia ct that the success of the allied
Frcgch ard English and the defeat of Russia IN the
present war depends on the result of the conflict be-
tween the fleets of the former and the great fortified
seaports Of the latter, unusual degree OF atten-
ton is row paid to the relative power of these oppos-
ing mems of attack and defense. 1t is admitted TO be
an open question whether places Of such strength as
CrCnstadt md SeyastopOl can be taken by any num-
Der Of ships with any number OF guns thai can be
brought against them But, without expressing an
opinion on that question at present we wish to Sug
eost that so far the Russian military and naval re-
sources have not been found when brought to the test
exactly so contemplate used to be ,old they
were before the war. The Russian armies were
said to exist on paper only; we have found
them excessively slow in marching, as they always
we're but after all they arrived on the scene of
action in pretty good condition and pretty full num-
bers. The Russian ships in the Black Sea-
especially were said to be badly built and miserably
mauned; and yet in the chase of the Fury two Rus
sisn frieates, Russian tuH nearly outsailed Eng
lish steamer and both their build and handling were
admired by the rulers of the waves If the case
mates without ventilation and the stone walls which
cannot sand the concdsson caused by their guns
being fred. which we are led to expect at Sevas-
nature as the ships and soldiers, many true John
Bull will be doomed to awful disappointment when it
comes to on attack upon them.
Cronstadt and Sevastopol, the two centers OF the
Russisn naval establishment, are fortified in the
strongest manner known to modern military science.
Both of them owe their formidable appearance main
| " to the system of Count Montaembert French
engineer of the last century Montalembert proposed
in the place Of simple ramparts with guns forming one
single line OF fire, large stone buildings of two three,
and in some cases even six stories every OF them
10 be yaulted in b0mbproo and TO contain an equal
I number of guns firing out OF narrow embrasures.
I Tie details Of this systematic partial eXasgeraton
of its principles by the authOrthe objections urged
/ against IT, cannot of course be here debated How
ever the evident superiority of fire from double
or triple line disposed in many tiers of guns one
above the other, has caused lis application in almost
all modern constructions wherever it could be done.
Cherbourg in France, Alesssndria in Italy, Ehrel-
breitstein, Linz, kGngsburg, Tim in Germany are
more or less msdfed applications OF some OF Monta-
1 lemberts fundamental principles. Large casemated
buildings with two three tiers of guns have been
found admirably adapted for detached forts, and es
pecsly for strand fortiicstions where il is essential
to oppose equivalent fire 70 themass of iron poured
out from the broadsides of two and three deckers
Thus CheIbourg Brest, aud almost all extensive for
tilted harbors are provided with casemated batteries
Of at least two tiers; Seyastopol has almost all its
batteries disposed in three tiers Crons;adt has
two three tiers, and in two forts even as many as
four tiers.
Tie fact that these new-fashoned constructions
have not yet in any undergone the test of real
attack, would be alone sufficient to keep alive doubt
as their actual defensive strength But these new
forts shock much in every detail of their compo
son all the notions of men who admit in iortifcations
of no possible progress beyond Vsuban and Cormon
| taigne that at the present day there hun
dreds Of good soldiers and sailors, nay even eng-
neers who hold them in utter contempt This is
partly the case even in France, where the Cormon-
tsgne party carried their point when the plsn of the
fortifcaiionsof Paris was discussed But nowhere DO
these preudicss prevail more than in Eusland where
the lsrge majority OF officers axe extremely deficient