The constitutional union., 1861-01-25
THE CTTY OF .SAVANNAH AND ITS DE-
 FENSES.
Savannah is the seat of justice and

Savannah is the seat of justice and the lar gest city in the State of Georgia, and con- tains 10000 inhabitants. 1t IS situated on the southeast bank of the Savannah river, on high bluff, forty feet above the low water mark. It is twelve miles distant, in direct or air line, from the ocean, and eighteen miles, following the course of the river. Ths city is regularly laid out in the form of a paralle- logram, with streets (many of them wide) crossing each other at right angles. There are ten public squares in the city, containing two acres each, at equal distances from each other. These squares and many of the streets are bordered with trees, and particularly ot the genus known as the z Pride of India, which give them beautiful appearance.- The monument erected to General Greene, and especially the one to Count General Pu- laski, who fell in the attack against the Brit ish at Sava1%ah, are beautiful and tasteful structures.
 Many of the houses are of brick, and con siderable number of them, including the principal public buildings, are elegant. The city is lighted with gas, and we'll supplied with water from the river, raised by two pow erful steam engines into a reservoir one hun dred and twenty feet above the surface of the river, and distributed through the city in iron pipes On the east and west of the city are marshes, and pine barren extends two miles to the south. The city affords good facilities for vessels in distress, having dry-dock capa- ble for taking vessels two hundred and thirty five feet in length by sixty feet over all, and everything necessary for repairing vessels. There are also ways for drawing up vessels of three hundred tuns There are twenty feet of water on Tybee bar at high water, with a fall of six feet
 The city was founded in 1733, by General James Oglethorpe, and others. 1t was taken by the British in ITS, but they abandoned it in 1782 On the 10th of January, 1920, four hundred and sixty-three buildings were destroyed by fire-four million dollars worth of property destroyed; but it has been rebuilt with additional beauty
 The city is guarded on its sea approaches by fort Pulaski, built on Cockspur island, fourteen miles from Savannah, at the mouth of the Savannah river The site of the for tifcation was selected by Major Babcoek, of the United States engineer corps, about twen- ty-siX years ago, but it was not till 1851 that the work of erecting the present massive ma sorry fortifcation was commenced in earnest In that year, Captain Mansfield, now Colonel Mansfield, of the inspectors generals depart ment, took charge of its construction. The fort was finished a few days ago at a cost of $953 900. The fort is of pentagonal form, covering several acres; its walls are forty feet high, and present two faces on the sea approach, with ranges of fire radiating at op- posite angles. The fort is embrasured on the front and channel side for one row of guns under bombproof casemates, with an addition al tier of guns open or ca ror Jttte
 The salient points and fanking approaches in the rear of the work have no embrasures for heavy cannon, but are thoroughly covered by enflading muskct loop-holes, which rem ders land or e9calading attack extra hazard ous to an enemy. The full armament of the fort, when 1t shall have been brought within its walls will consist on the lower tier of six ty-liye thirty-two pounder iron pieces, and the upper tier with tilty-three twenty-four pounders, four eighteen -pounder fanking howltzers, one thirteen-inch mortar, twelve eight-inch columbiads, and seven ten-inch mortars-in all one hundred and fifty guns. We understand, however, that not more than one-half the number of guns required for its fall armament are in the fort, and these are dismantled. The colulab;ads to which refer ence has been made, are very destructive weapons of long range and adapted to use spherical shot or shells.