The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1878-04-25

Before the end of 1906 Russia had
driven Selim into the arms of France
and Alexander was filled with alarm.
He besought the British to undertake
another of those diversions which be-
gan to sound so disagreeable in the ears
of Englishmen--to send fleet of theirs
which was cruising in the Egean Sea
up to Constantinople and to compel Sc
lin to Telinquish his alliance with
France and make terms with Russia
and England. The Grenville Cabinet
were rather glad of an opportunity of
obliging Alexander, to whom they had
refused both money and soldiers, and
whose friendship it was important to
retain, and they gave orders to SirJohn
Duckworth, then cruising off Ferrell,
to join Admiral Louis at the mouth of
the Dardanelles. Mr.. Arbuthnot, the
British ambassador at the Porte, offered
the final terms to the two courts of Sc
lin as soon as he heard of the junction
of the two squadrons off Tenedos, on
the 26th of January, 1907. They were
declined, and from certain threats about
making hostages, Mr.. Arbuthnot feared
for his own safety and that of all the
English in the place. He arranged with
the captain of the Endymion, which lay
at hand, to invite all the English mer-
chants and the whole legation, to din
ner on board his ship, on the Goth of
January. They went, wholly unaware
that they were not to land again. When
sitting in their dinner dress, they were
told that their families and merchan-
disc must be left to the mercy of the
Turks and the generosity of Sebastiani.
They had little appetite left for dinner,
No communication with the shore was,
however, allowed, and by 8 in the eve
ming, when it was very dark, the En-
dymion was under way. The Turks
did not find it out, or melest her pas
sage down the Dardanelles, and she ar
rived in safety at the rendezvous at
Tenedos. The strong and rapid current
makes the passage comparatively easy
that way. The difficulty is in passing
the other way up to Constantinople. A
strong south or southwest winds neces-
sary for this, and the fleet had to wait
until the goth of February. A terrible
fire had destroyed the Ajax, of seventy
four guns, in the interval, with the loss
Of two hundred and fifty lives. Seven
line-of-battle ships remained, and fol-
lowed each other at intervals into the
mouth of the strait. Neither the stren-
uous efforts of Sebastian nor the explo-
sion of the Ajax, nor any other warn
ing that the English we're coming, had
reused the Turks to make the slightest
preparation. The ships sailed proudly
up the strait, undelayed by the fire Of
the forts at the narrowest part Of the
channel, and belching out flames and
cannon balls as they went. They took
and burned some of the Turkish ships
and appeared before Constantinople to
the horror of the whole population,
who were absolutely without the means
of defense. The Divan would have
yielded at once, but Sebastian prevent
ed it, and instigated negotiation that
proved fatal snare to Sir John Duck
worth, Notwithstanding express warn
ings and instructions from Lord Col
lingwood. He was unwilling to destroy
the city and shoot down the defenseless
inhabitants, and he allowed himself to
be drawn on from day to day, exchang-
ing notes and receiving promises, in
stead of fulfilling his threats. Mean
time not moment was lost by the
Turks. Women and children worked
day and night at the defenses, and in a
few days the whole coast was brlstling
with artillery, and the chance was over.
The British officers had seen through
their glasses the placing of the cannon,
the arrival of the ammunition, the lining
of the coast with spirited troops, and
the Judgement Of garrisons in the tow