The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09

stream is here known as the deViFS current,
not because of it's destructiveneSs, but from
the fact of the crimes which its waters nave
concealed. What takes place in the Seragllo
is rarely KNOWN, but enough has, been DIS
covered from time to time to make certain
the fact that hundreds, If not thousands or
wretched human beings have found g, grave
In. the devils current. Women OF the harem
who become troublesome, emale favorites
who have lost their influence. are sewn up
in sacks, with a large stone at the bottom,
placed on board a boat, carried fifty yards
from the shore, and dropped into the water,
the DEVILS current bears them away, and
the oozy bottom of the Marmora receives
them. ViZierS, who have become too power
full, are invited by the Sultan to a banquet;
they come, and in a private room are
their bodies are dropped into the devils
current, and they are never heard of again.
Mutinous pashas, would-be revolutionistS
anybody and everybody who. from one
cause or another, become offensive to the
Sultan are always in danger of this Internal
current.
The narrowness of both the Bosporus and
the Dardanelles offers immense .advan-
tages for fertilization, and, although these
have not been improved by the Turks to the
extent that their perilous situation de-
mands, there are still extensive lines of de-
fensive works on both straits. A few years
ago the Notifications of the Dardanelles
were examined. at the request of the Sui
tain, by a Russian inspector general OF forts,
who recommended a number of changes
and additions. It is understood that these
have been made and that the Dardanelles
is now in a position to resist any fleet that
may attempt a passage. 1t is, however, a
fact that, except at Alexandria, modern
ironclads have not yet been tried against
the better class of land Qualifications, and
how far the forts of the Dardanelles may
accomplish the purpose for which they are
intended is yet to be determined.
TURKEYS SECRETS.
Travellers are not permitted, of course,
to inspect the forts, and the Turkish gov
eminent preserves as a state secret their
positions and strength, but it is understood
that between the Mediterranean and the
Marmora there are over forty strong de-
fensive works, whose guns command every
mile of the course, so that a hostile fleet
would be compelled to run a gantlet of
Notifications forty miles in length. The
Notifications begin at Kum-Kaleh, at the
entrance of the Dardanelles, and from that
point a cross-fire of forts covers the strait
clear to the interior sea. Nor is the Bos-
porus less ably defended, for from Poiraz
Burmr clear to the Belger Beg forts,
1anked by those of I~stayros on the Asiatic
side and those of Ortakoy in Europe, water
batteries and forts are to be found at every
point where the stream makes a turn.
There are seven bends in the course of the
Bosporus and each is defended by two great
forts and a considerable number of water
batteries. AT the narroWest point OF the
stream are the two noted castles, Rumti
Hissar, or Castle of Europe, and Anatolia
H1SSar, or castle or ASIA. once Oh trenn6n-
dous Importance, these are now antiquated,
but remain as relics of the age when the
lords of the lower empire deemed them am
ply sufficient to protect their capital
against all incursions by water from the
north. The scenery along the Dardanelles
is not of particular interest, for, save at a
few points, the shores are low, but that on
the BosporuS is of an entirely different
character. This stream cut its own way
millions of years ago through a range of
mountains which formerly connected Eu-
rope and Asia, and on either hand I the
shores are steep. Sometimes they are pre-
cipitous, but in general the slope is suff1-
houses, and on these aScentS are TO be
found not only the country homes of the
wealthy pashaS, Turkish and Greek mer-
chants of the present day. but also the re-
mains of villas of twenty centuries ago. for
even before Constantine chose .Byzantium
as his capital it was a wealthy city, and its
merchants and princes erected on the
shores of the Bosporu palaces and pleasure
houses, planted groves of fruit and shade
trees and terraced the slopes for gardens.
At every turn, as the excursion steamer
from Constantinople winds through the
dark green of the plane and olive trees
shines the brilliant white of a marble kiosk,
while here and there jut out the gray ruins
of some castle or palace built when people
acknowledged Constantine, or Julian, or
Justinian as their sovereign.
The sovereign rights of Turkey in the
Bosporus and DardaneiIes are not absolute.
Once they were. but that was in the days
when Sultans locked up foreign embassa-
uOIS III tie 1dSttS VI ZIG 4OMCIS. i ne
demands Of western Europe for commercial
intercourse with the East and the growth
of Russian power to the north have led to
important notifications in the Sultan's con-
troll of these two straits. Formerly only
such ships as the Sultan pleased were al
lowed to pass, but now the Dardanelles and
the Bosporus are open to the ships Of ev-
cry land. Every treaty. however, which has
been wrung from Turkey has had one i'm
portant stipulation. that no ship of war of
any nation should be allowed to pass either
the Bosporus or the Dardanelles without
the Sultan's permission. and this permission
has been rarely granted. In the last Turko-
Russian war the British fleet passed, with
the consent of the Sultan, into the Sea of
Marmora. and came to anchor among the
Isles of the Princes. east of Constantinople,
but this was rather a diplomatic measure
than a naval necessity, the object being 10
prevent the victorious Russian army, al
ready in sight of the city. from occupying
the Sultan's capital. The Sultan is, there-
fore. the lord of the straits. and no better
idea can be gained of the Turkish apprecia-
ton of the value of these passages than
the fact that among the Suitan's imperial
titles. and that not the least important. is
lord of the Bosporus and master of the