Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1878-03-30
COnstantlnOple's Gates.

nelleS as It's 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 Hellespont 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 times
Europe has never, hitherto, been
threatened from the Black sea, ex-
cept by the Turks themselves, who, to
prevent return expeditions orexpeditions
of any kind from the west against Con-
stantinop!e, constructed the forts, towers
or castles, as they are %variOusly called,
off the D~ardanelles. The castles con
structed by Mohammed H., at the
narrowest part of the D~ardanelles, were
the advanced posts of the Ottoman
empire on the south European side. The
Venetians, however, ~disregarded them to
the point of approaching them very
closely, Accordingly, Mohammed ~,
to keep the Venetian galleys from sailing
so far along the channel built much
nearer the mouth the castle-one on the
European, the other on the Asiatic side
which have been known as the
"new" mes in contradistinction to the
cold"
The story OF the Bosphorus is less ins
teresting than that of the DardanelIes,
from which, however, it cannot well be
disIocated. 1t must sometimes have
been supposed that the Bosphorus and
not the Hellespont was the scene Of
Leander's celebrated performances, for
on Il rock opposite Scutari, facing the
entrance to the Bosphorus, stands a
tower, which is often, without reason,
called "the Tower of Leander." The
Turks call it " the Tower of the Virgin"
and in it, according to a Turkish legend,
was confined the lovely daughter of
Mohammed. Sultan, Mehar, Schegid by
name, of whom it had been predicted by
q mysterious gypsy that she would die
by the bite Of serpent. M~ehar.Schegid's
reputation for beauty spread until it
reached the ears of the prince of Persia,
who came to Constantinople determined
by some means to gain admission
to the tower. He contriyed, by
bribing her attendants, to get con-
veyed 10 hers bouquetofsymbolical flow
ers, expressing to her, in a language she
perfectly understands, the passions with
which she had inspired him. But like
Cleopatra's basket of fruit, Mehar>
Schegid's bunch of flowers concealed an
asp. Mehar Schegid was stung. Her
servants, remembering the gypsy's pro.
phechy, uttered loud cries of distress,
and, throwing open the doors of the
tower, rushed frantically 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
it all 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 s~0n.in-law;
and the prince of Persia made Mehar.
Schegid his wife, and lived withher very
happily for a number of years and
had many children.
1t need scarcely be said that the first
passer of the Bosphorus from shore tc
shore was 10, transformed into q heifel
through the amOrous prosecutions O.
Jupiter, and driven into the sea by the
maddening attacks of a gadfy. 1t hal
already been mentioned that across thi'
branch of the great historical and myth
illogical canal, which, from Agamem
mons siege of Troy at one end to No
manned HIS siege of C%onstantinople a
the other, has been the scene Of sucl
: world-important conflicts, the army o
Darius crossed. The only entry o!
! military force from the Black sea int,
= the Bosphorus since the time OF COnstan
tines Black sea enemies, the pirates
, occurred in 1888, when the Russians
after making explanations on the sublec
! to the western powers, occupied the Turk
a ish capital in a friendly manner with tn,
view of guarding it against the sultan
0 rebellious vassal, the viceroy of Egypt
The Russians kept their hold in so ia
that they quilted Constantinople as the,
had promised to do. But services of thi
kind are not to be forgotten that, al
3 though the Russians made no sign o
wishingt to remain in Constantinople, the,
took away with them, when they left,
secret treaty known as the treaty o
Unkira-S kelessi, by which the port
9 granted to Russia alone, among tn
" European powers, the right of passing
t with vessels of war from the Black Sc
{ to the Mediterranean, and from tn
c Mediterranean to the Black sea. Be
sides being protected, or placed in an ad
L mirable position for being protected
g against approaches both from the Med
= terranean and from the Black sea
: Constantinople was at one tim
guarded against further advances b
; a chain drawn across the mouth G
the harbor, the so.called "Golde,
e Horn" The chain was supported a
y intervals on piles, and the distance fror
t point to point along which it extender
$ measured five hundred yards. n
. other city in the world is so admirabl,
situated as Constantinople for lettin
in trade and keeping out war. Betor
u the introduction OF steam navigation il
y position was even finer than now. Fo
every wind, from whatever quarter
: might blow, brought ships to its port
J now from the Black sea, with rich PR
y duce of the east now from the " Whit
Y sea-" or Mediterranean, with the mani
features of the west. The windin
u course of the Hellcspont or Dardanellt
is ~variously estimated at from torty-fv
u to sixty miles in length; averag
= breadth, three miles breadth at ma
- rowest point, where the ram with tn
y golden fleece, Leander, Xerxes, Alexar
y der the Great, and the Turkish invader
IL of the fourteenth century crossed, an
= where MOhammed IL, in the middle
70 the fifteenth, constructed his forts, TOW
% ers, or castles, from six hundred to eigt
p hundred yards; breadth at point whel
Mohammed ~, in 1895, constructe
the new castles, four and a half mile
The Sea of Marmora is one hundred an
' twenty miles long. The Bosphorl
y is from sixteen to eighteen miles Ion:
average breadth, one mile and a hal
q breadth at narrowest point, where Il
a Greek emperOrs and first sultans co
n structed forts, where Darius built h
h bridge of boats, and where the Crusade
n embarked. six hundred vards.--EPa