The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-03-21
: ~CoNSTANTINOPLE.


At this moment, when the attentio
of Europe isconcentrated on the Turk
ish capital, the information given b.
the English writer, James Bryce, re
garding the city, is peculiarly interest
ing. Constantinople, he says, in
book just published by the Harpers, i
on the great highway which connect
the Black sea with the Mediterranean
and separates Europe from Asia. Thu
it commands at once two seas and two
continents. When the neighborine
countries are opened up by railway
it will be the center from which linet
will radiate over European Turkey
and Asia Minor. With q foot, SO te
speak, on each continent, the power
that possesses it can transfer troops OF
merchandise at will from the one tG
the other, and prevent any one else
from doing it. 1t is guarded on both
sides by long and narrow strait-N
E. the Bosphorus, and to the S. w. the
Dardenelles-each Of which can, by
the erection of bat cries, possibly by the
laying down of torpedoes, be easily
rendered impregnable to naval force.
For the Bosphorus, as is generally
known, is fifteen miles long, with bold
rocky hills OH either side. and chan
mel which is not only winding but is
no whers over two miles, and in some
places scarcely half 8 mile wide. And
1t possesses 8 splendid harbor, land
locked, tideless, and with water deep
enough to float the largest vessels. On
the land side it is scarcely less defensi-
BILE being covered by an almost contin-
uous line Of hills, lakes and marshes,
with comparatively narrow passage
through them, which offers great ad-
vantage for the erection of fortifica-
tions. There is no other such site in
the world for an imperial city. In
other respects it is equally fortunate.
Although the climate is very hot in
summer, and pretty keen in winter, it
is agreeable; for the air is kept delici
ously fresh by the seldom falling
breezes that blow down from the, Eux-
inc or up from the Egean sea, and the
sea itself is great purifier. 1t con-
sists of three main divisions. First,
there is the old city, the city ofConstan-
tinople, which the Turks now call
lying beteewn the Golden
Horn and the Sea of Marmora, and
down to o point of land,
the point which was the site of the
first Megarian colony, and which
marks the entrance from the sea into
the long strait of the Bosphorus.-
Secondly, over against Stambonl, on
the other side of the Golden Horn, is
(1alata-a long, low, dirty district, run
ming along the waters edge, and full
of Greek sailors and bad smells. Be-
hind and above Galata, rising up the
steep hill, is the quarter called Pera,
where Europeans of the better sort
live, and all the. European shops are to
be found. The third and last division
in Asia, on the further side of the
Bosphorus, opposite both Stamboul
and Galata, consists of series of towns,
the chief of which is Scutari, forming
an almost continuous line of houses
along the shore, and virtually part of
the great city, though separated by
more than q mile of water-water
which is sometimes SO rough that the
steamers can not cross.
Constantinople is city not of one
nation, but of many, and hardly more
of one than another. The inhabitants
are not less than SOO.C1o or 100000,
and of these about half, some say rath-
er over half, are Mohammedans. This
half lives mostly in Stamboul proper,
and in Scutari, while Pera, Galata and
Kadikeni (Shalecedon) are left to the
Christians. Nearly equal in numbers
to the Mohammedans are the Turkish
Christians, Greeks, Armenians and
Bulgarians. The Armenians seem to
be the most numerous (they are said
to be 200,OcO, and many of the veal
thy merchants belong to this national
ity; the Bulgarians, however are, ac-
cording to the report of the American
missionaries, who are, perhaps, the
best authorities, really the most teach.
able and progressive.
The term Dardenelles, meaning the
fortification in distinction from the
straits, is sometimes used to cover the
four principal castles, or corts, two at
the entrance to the straits from the
Archipelago and two at its narrowed
point, and sometimes the latter two
only. The strait of the Dardanelles is
about 45 miles in length, and runs in
q southeast direction from the Archi-
pelago to the Sea of Marmora, be-
tween which it forms the only water
connection. The strait varies in
width from AZ miles at the southern
entrance TO 500 yards at its narrowest
point. The two forts at the southern
entrance Kun Kaleh. on the Asiatic
shore, and Sedil Bahri, at the extreme
southern end of the Thracian Cherso-
nese. The southern forts were built
in 1859 by Mohammed Nv, TO defend
his fleet from the Venetians. They
are in good repair, and their value as
practical defences has recently been
augmented by several battries on the
Roumelian shore. The northern forts,
Tchanak Kallessie and Kilid Babri, to
which alone the term Castle of the
Dardanelles is applied by some writ
ers, by virtue of their position, of
their equipment and of their powerful
shore batteries which support them,
are Cnnstantinoplc's best defences.