The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-04-04
COnstantlnOple's Gates.

| SOuSNhhuhVPhO p"''S'
TIE vapt importance of the Bosphoru'
as the gate or passage to Constantinoplt
from the Black sea, and of the Darda
nelles as its gate from the Mediterranean
had been fully recognized by the Roman
and Greek emperors Gibbon tells us
that the emperor Constantine built
forts at the Euxine entrance to the BOs-
phorus in order to stay the incursions OF
pirates, who had been in the habit OF
sailing through the Bospherus, the sea OF
Marmora, and the Helespont to ravage
the coasts of the Mediterranean; thence
in due time TO escape to the channel
through which they had come, to
their practically inaccessible harbors
in the Black sea. In modern time,
Europe has never, hitherto, been
threatened from the Black sea, ex
ccpt by the Turks themselves, who, tC
prevent return expeditions orexpedition'
OF any kind from the west against Con
stantinople, constructed the forts, tower
or castles, IA they are variously called
off the Dardanelles. The castles con
structed by Mohammed H., at tn
narrowest part of the Dardanelles, wer
the advanced posts of the Ottoman
empire on the south European side. Thu
Ncnetians, however, disregarded them t.
the point OF approaching them yer.
closely. Accordingly, Mohammed ".
to keep the Venetian galleys from sailing
10 far along the channel built much
| ,,o,ro. thn ,,outh Iho nnut Ic-nna an tl,t
European, the other on the Asiatic side
which have been known as the
new" ones in contradistinc,ion to the
sold."
The story OF the Bosphorus is less in~
tereSting than that the Dardanelles,
from which, however, it cannot well be
dislocated. II must sometimes have
been supposed that the Bosphoru3 and
not the Hellespont w8s the scene OF
Leander's celebrated performances, fol
on rock opposite Scutari, iacing the
entrance TO the Boophorus, stands
tower, which is often, without reason
called "the Tower of Leapder." The
Turks call it " the Tower OF the Virgin :
and in it, according to & Turkish legend
WIS confined the lovely daughter o
Mohammed- Sultan, Mehar. ;Schegid by
name, of whom IT had been predicted by
. mysterious gypsy that she would din
by the bite OF serpent. Mehar-SChegid'
reputation for beauty spread until i
reached the cars of the prince OF Persia
who cane to Constantinople determined
By some means to gain admission
to the tower. He contrived, by
bribing her attendants, to get con
vcyed to her a bouquet ofsymbolical flow
ers, expressing to her, in language she
perfectly understands, the passions with
which she had inspired him. But like
CIeopatra's basket of fruit, Mehar>
S'chegid's bunch of flowers concealed an
asp Mehar Schcgid was stung. Her
servants, remembering the cypsy's pro
phechy, uttered loud cries Of distress,
and, throwing open the doors OF the
tower rushed irantically out, declaring
that all was lost Then the prince OF
Persia rushed in, seized Mehar-Schegid
in his arms, and sucked the wound in
her shoulder until he had extracted from
il AL the venom left there by the asp.
The sultan, when he heard the young
mans noble and interesting conduct,
declared that he should be his son.in-law
and the prince of Persia made Mehar-
Schegid his wife, and lived with her very
happily for 4 number of years and
had many children.
1t need scarcely b, said that the first
passer OF the B0sphorus from shore to
shore was To-, transformed into helfer
| through the amOrous prosecutions OF
Jupiter, and driven into the sea by the
maddenng attacks of gadfly. 1t has
already been mentioned that across this
branch of the great historical and myth
ological canal, which, from Agamem-
mons siege of Troy at one end to No
manned lis siege OF Constantinople at
the other, has been the scene si such
world.important conflicts, the army OF
Darius crossed. The only entry of a
military force from the Black sea into
the Bosphorus since the time OF COnstan-
tines Black sea enemies, the pirates,
occurred in 1888, when the Russians,
after making explanations on the subject
to the western powers occupied the Turk
ish capital in friendly manner with the
view Of guarding it against the sultan
rebellious vassal, the viceroy of Egypt
The Russians kept their hold in so fal
that thev quilted Constantinople az they
had promi,ed to do. But services of tbi'
kind are not to be forgotten that, al
though the Russians made no sign o
wishing to remain in Constantin0ple, they
took away with them, when they left, {
secret treaty known as the treaty o
Unkira.Skelts SSH by which the port'
granted to Russia alone, among th'
European powers, the right of passing
with vessels of war from the Black Sc:
to the Mediterranean, and from th
Mediterranean to the Black sea. Be
sides being protected, or placed in al ad
mirable position for being protected
against approaches both from the Medi
terranean and from the Black sea
Constantinople was at one tint
guarded against further advances by
a chain drawn across the mouth o
the harbor. the so.calied Colder
Horn" lbe chain was supported al
intervals on piles, and the distance from
point to point along which it EXTENDED
measured FIVE hundred yards. 40
other CITY in the world is 50 admlraoly
situated az Cons!sntinople ior isttipE
in trade and keeping out wal before
,ho ;ntrodnction OF steam navigation It's
uns;,;nn w was even finer than now. For
every wind, from whatever quarter IL
micIt blow, brought ships to Its port;
now @ from the Black sea, with rich pro-
ducs u Of the east; now from the White
=. Mediterranean, with the m inu-