Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-01-31
ConstantinopIe Defenee,c..
| CITY THAT HAS BEEN EESIRGED TWENTY
THREE TIMES AND TAKEN SIX TINKs

A CITY THAT HAS BEEN EEsIEGED TWENTY
THREE TIMES AND TAKEN SIX TINKs
CoNSTANTINoPLE, Jan. 1.-The defences O
Constantinople are hardly worth talking about
There is ridge OF heights fifteen miles To the
north of the city that stretch over a line Of
seventeen miles from point near the Black
sea 10 the Sea OF Marmora. Some batteries
and other works have been erected on theu
cannon mounted, and bitches dug. Even al
they were as formidable as they ought 90 be-
we have no army TO bold them. HaSty Ieyie.
of citizens cannot be depended on. The Rus
slams would carry them in any event and
would push for the heights OF Daoud Pasha
and the plateau behind CaSSim Pasha and the
plateau behind CaSSim PaSha. These positions
overlook all Stamboul, and from them plunr-
ing fire could be directed into ii that i'm a few
hours would render il untenahle The Cru
saders and Mohammed II. brought the Greeks
10 terms by the heavy cannonade they kept up
upon them from these commanding elevations
Neither of them have any fortified lines that
would give the Russians trouble. The fact
that the city cannot stand siege is doubtless
the reason why an effort is being made to
bring the Russians To a halt by an armiStice
C0nstanilnoplc has undergone more sieges
than any other city in the world. Ii has been
beSieged twenty three times twice 10y the an
Client Greeks; thrice 10y the Roman Emperors;
once by the LatinS, the PerSianS, the Ayarrs
the SclayeS, and by one of its dethroned SOW
ereignS, Michael PaleolOguS: twice by the Bull
garianS; once by Byzantine rebels; seven
times times by the Arabs, and three times by the
Turks Ii was taken but six times: by Aici-
blades, the Roman Emperors ScptimuS, Seve-
rus, and Constantine, the Dodge DandoIo and
Count Baldwin, the Emperor Michael PaleOlo-
gus, and Mohammed III.
In bI2, under Constantine IL, il was bPSiegel
Tor seven years 10y the Arabs. They made the
surrounding country desert uprOotng trees
dwelling villages and habitationS, aud con
yertlng the fiOuriShing enyirOuS into a waste
Then came the Crusaders in l20l The dcyas-
tation committed 10y the French and Venetian
champions of the cross exceeded even that of
the Arabs. They burned the richest and tho
largest quarter OF the city, and inflicted such
blow on 1t that il never recovered its former
wealth and prosperity. They prOfaned the
Cathedral OF ST. Sophia, broke into the tonhs
OF the Byzantine EmperorS, dragged out their
skeletons. and scattered their bones in the
streets. They fired the public libraries, ridi-
euled the Greek religion by decking their
horses with the veStmentS Of the clergy and
their heads with the pOntifical tiaraS.
Were ii not for the Incompatible beauty and
advantages OF It's situation, COnStantinopld
could never have risen again from its ashes
and survived such terrible calamitieS. What
now is most TO be apprehended is that il the
conditions OF peace prove very hard, and tho
Sultan il obliged to cede a large extent of ter
rtOry to the Russians, the partiSanS of the de-
posed Murad may attempt revolution and
the dethrOnement of Abdul Aamid. Ii Is easy
by methods often practiSed in Ottoman history
to put a reigning Sultan out of the way. His
own SeryitorS may strange or poison him, or
his guards betray him. There has not been an
hour since the present Sultan was on the
throne that plots have not been devised to
open the way 10 a successor. Not long ago 80
or more OF MuradS body servants were seized
in the Palace of Tchirigan in the dead of night
and Strangled on suspicion of conSpiring for
ms restoration To power. The court party is
deseryedly unpopular Damat PaSha, the
brother in law OF the Sultan, has marred the
plans of the wiseSt generals; has pilfered right
and left and obtained such complete control
OF the Sultan that his majesty is no longer
master of himself.-L Phdd. Press.