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    September 23, 1854.] THE LEADER. 9O7

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    The Baltic, The Black Sea, And The Crime...

    upon them , tbey bad been confined nine months m this prison , and on our entrance , anxiously asked Dr . Haase for some information of tbeir coming fate . Two finer countenances ¦ could scarcely be imagined . " The rooms were tolerably lighted , and , for a Russian prison , clean and pretty well venii ' a ' ed . " The night before our departure from Moscow , Dr . Haase called to take leave of as , having done so once before in the day during oar absence . Addressing me , he said , ' I was anxious to see you , as I wished to give you something in remembrance of your visit to tLe prison , and I thought nothing would be so gratifying to you as a set of the chains you saw knocked from the legs of one of those poor prisoners . ' It was with extreme pain that I felt myself obliged to decline a present intended to give me pleasure ; but I explained that it "was my intention to visit many other countries , and that in going through the custom-houses I should J'un the chance of being taken for an escaped convict , or , under the most favourable view , be regarded as a very suspicious character . He fully appreciated my reasons , and then grasping the bands of both my friend and myself hi bis , he embraced us on each cheek , and bade us adieu with a blessing . "

    Views of the " Volga : " Tli-e views of the Volga are ever changing , ever charming . None of its scenery mounts to the sublime , but most of it is beautiful , with a great deal of the picturesque . As religion exercises so powerful an influence over the social habits of the peo-ple , even placing its stamp upon tbeir manners—as it is the chain wherewith an empire is held in the bonds of slavery , and the weapon aimed at the independence of surrounding nations—so does the church be--come a prominent feature in the physical appearance of the country . All that is picturesque on the Volga is derived from the form , the colouring , and position of the churches . The ¦ villages built of wood , many of them , admirably placed , would nevertheless be totally devoid of effect , from their sombre and monotonous colour , producing none of that play of light ar . d : sbade , necessary to produce striking contrast ; but the church with its domes , generally green , supplies all that is wanted , gives life to the sober shade of the surrounding houses , and character to the ¦ whole . For this reason a traveller , describing a hundred diffident views on the river , Including the surrounding country , can scarcely avoid introducing into each the domes and cupolas of the churches .

    ¦ " it is this boldness of the Russian church which cannot fail to strike the passing stranger , for it is pushed forward politically , socially , an £ physically . It meets him at every turn : if he go into a town and shut his eyes , still there is the tolling of a great unmusical bell ; opening item , he stands before the edifice itself : get to any part , of the country , and the welLfriiovrn domes are there ; enter the peasant ' s cottage , the familiar picture of a saint stares him in the face ; seek the inner room , and then another is ready to receive him . All this is policy : the Church is the great engine by . which the State is moved , and the object is to Keep it ever prominently and conspicuously before an ignorant people . " Here is a description of a Don Cossack ' s louse : — " Early on the morning of the 1 st of September we landed " at the village of Vetlianka , inhabited by Don Gossacks , situate on the right bank , which here becomes ratlter higher . While in search of provisions we entered the house of a Cossack soldier ; the man was not at ¦ home , but his good wife was baking bread , of which we purchased a loaf just drawn from the ov « n . Whether AndreV olfactory nerves were more sensitive than ours , we know not ,

    but certain it is , tliat immediately after we had quitted the house , he made his appearance with alarge piece of mutton , pasty , which lie was dexterously throwing from one hand to another , thereby indicating that . it was rather too hot to be pleasant . This process caused a rich odour to fill the air , and led us to return , and endeavour to purchase the remainder of the savoury dish , which promised so good a breakfast . The Cossack ' s tetter half vras , however , unwilling to part with the meal prepared for her husband , but a handsome premium upon the value , and . a present of a dozen useless empty bottles , was a temptation too great i : o be resisted . . " Tlie house of these decent people was a true oasis in the great desert of Russian dirtiness ; every tiling was scrupulously clean , the seats , the table , the floor , were White , from scrubbing ; and even the beams above had undergone the samo process . It is said that occasionally a child torn , and brought up in the midst of vice , yet becomes conspicuous for exalted virtue ; so this Cossack woinan stood forth a bright example of cleanliness in the midst of the nni-< versal filthiness which surrounded her . In the neat little room where we bad been received , hung the cap , sword , and musket , of the husband , and by their side a nice guitar , shoeing that refinement of taste . accompanied the virtue said to be so near akin to godliness . "

    The following account of Sebastopol ¦ wilL be read with interest : — " The port of Sevastopol consists of a bay running in a south-easterly direction about four miles long , and a mile wide t \ t the entrance , diminishing to four hundred yards at the cnd ¦ where the ' Tchernaia Betchlca , ' Black River , empties itself . The average depth ig about ¦ ei ght fathoms , the bottom being composed of mud in the centre , and gravel at the sides- On . the southern coast of this bay are the commercial , military , and careening harbours j the quarantine harbour being outside the ontrance . All these taking a southerly direction and having deep water . " The military harbour is the largest , being about a mile anil a half long , by four hundred yards wide , and is completely land-locked on every side . Here it is that the Black Sea fleet is moored in the winter ; the largest ships being able to lio with all their stores on board ¦ close to the quays . The small harbour , which contains the naval arsenal and docks , is on the eastern side of the military harbour , near the entrance . " The port is defended to the south by six principal batteries and fortresses , each mounting from fifty to a hundred and ninety guns ; and the north by four , having from eighteen to a hundred and twenty pieces each ; and besides these are many smaller batteries .

    " 1 ho fortresses are built on the casemate principle , three of thoin having throo tiers of guns , and a fourth two tiers . Fort St . Nicholas is the largest , and mounts about a hundred and ninety guns : on carefully counting them , we made a hundred and eighty-six . By great interest wo obtained permission to enter this fortress . It is built of white limestono : a fino sound stone , whkh becomes hard and is very durable , tho aurae material being used foe all the other forts . Between every two casemates are furnaces for heating shot red hot ; wo aneaaurod tho caliber of tho guns , nn < 3 found it to bo eight inches , capable of throwing shells or sixty-eight pound solid shot . " Whether all tho guns in tho fortress were of the same sizo , it is impossible to say , but any lelicf is that most of the fortifications of Sevastopol arc heavily armed . Wo entorcd Fort St . Nicholas through tlio clegnntly-furnishcd ajartmonts of tho military commandant , situated at its south-western end .

    " At tho period of our visit there wore certainly not move than eight hundred and fifty piecca of artillery defending the port towards tho son , and of tliewo about throo hundred and fifty could ba oomcoutvated on 11 ship ontoring tho buy . Other butterios , however , are said to hnvo boon since built . Wo took some trouble to ascertain these fuels by counting tho guns of tho various forts j not always an easy mnttor whore- any suspicion of our object might huvo subjected ua to gravo ineonvenioncoa . Sevastopol id admirably adapted by nature for a strong position towaida tho sea , and it will bo Been from what vyo huvo Htnted above that thia has boon fully taken ndvnntngo of to render it ono of tho moat formidably fortified plavoa in t liat cUroolion which could bo imagined . " Wo are well awaro that tho catenated fortresses are very Wily conatructed , and though having tvn imposing exterior , that tho walla urn filled iu with rubble . Tho work was carried <> n vindex Ruauian engineors , whoso objoct was to make- iva much money aa poaaiblo out of it . They wore , moreover , found to bo defective in ventilation , to remedy whioh Homo iiltorutiona were subscquontly made ; Imt admitting all thoir defects , they arc » tSll utrongon . ou . gh to mihet flomo amount of injury on an attacking fluot before tlici * guna could bo allowed . And

    when that is accomplished , supposing there are now nine hundred and fifty pieces there would still remain five hundred guns of large calibre , ia strong open , batteries , half of them throwing shells and red-hot shot , independent of mortars . This is a force of armament against which no fleets have been tried , not only with regard to the number of guns and weight of metal , bat the nature of the projectiles ; any single shell fired point blank , and staking between wind and water , being sufficient to sink a ship . " If Sevastopol can be so easily taken by the allied fleets alone , and without land forces as some people appear to imagine , it would be very satisfactory to know what amount of resistance it is expected that Portsmouth could offer to an enemy , with her seve nty or eighty guns , not above n ' ve-and-twenty of which are heavier than thirty-two pounders . " We do not mean to assert that it is impossible to destroy Sevastopol from the sea alone , but we believe that it could only be accomplished by an unnecessary sacrifice of life and ships with out present means , and that it would be nothing short of madness to attempt it , unless we had a reserve fleet on the spot , sufficiently strong to insure the command of the Black Sea in case of failure . *

    " In speaking of the means of defence at Sevastopol , we have left the Bussian fteefc out of the question . Thrs , however , is not to be treated either with indifference or contempt ; for , while we are ready to admit that neither in the strength of the ships , ia the quality of the sailors , nor in any other respect , can it be compared for an instant to those of England and France , yet there can be no doubt of the Eussian seamen being well trained in gunnery , nor of their being endoTved with a Knd of passive courage , which would lead them to stick to their work , when not called upon to exercise their seamanship , ia which they 7 are very deficient . u There were in the military harbour of Sevastopol twelve line-of-battlc ships , eight frigates , and seven , corvettes ; Comprising the Black Sea fleet , independent of steamers . We visited , among others , the Twelve Apostlesof a hundred and twenty gunsand the first

    , , lieutenant accompanied us over her . She was a remarkably fine-looking ship , in excellent order , and very neat in her fittings . One thing which instantly struck us , was tbe absence of hammock-hooks , but we learned that beds were luxuries which the Russian sailors never dream of , the decks forming their only resting-places . ¦¦' . ' On descending to the sliell-room we examined one of the shells , and found it fitted with . the common fuse . _ Now , as at that time it was 'believed that the Russians possessed a percussion or concussion shell , superior to any in the world , we were anxious to ascertain whether this was really ' the case ; but from the inquiries we made of the lieutenant , we are convinced that such a shell existed only in . imagination ; that the common fuse "Was in use * throughout the service ^ and may be so to the present day . The ports of the ship were marked with lines at different-angles , by -which to facilitate the concentration of tlie guns .

    " We thanked our conductor for his politeness , arid in doing so expressed our admiration , of the ship . ' Yes , ' said he , fahe is worthy of your praises * -. She was built on the lines of your Queen , now in the Mediterranean , by a Russian architect educated in one , of the royal dock yards of England . ' " There is the same speculation and corruption going on in the ship-building , as in all other departments in Russia ; and at Sevastopol everything ^ which proves defective in a ship is attributed to a destructive ¦ worm , about which the officials interested in doing so , relate tales almost as wonderful as those of the great sea-serpenfc . When a ship's bottom becomes prematurely rotten , as unseasoned timber is of course out of the question , the worm is the * cause of the mischief ; but how this singular creature has managed to pass through the copper without leaving a hole , no one attempts to explain . In the Baltic , where no worm exists , the destructive quality of the fresh water is equally great . " The town of Sevastopol is situate on the point of land between the commercial and military h arbours , which rises gradually from the water ' s edge to an elevation of two hundred feet . It is more than a mile in length ; and its greatest width is about three quarters of a mile , the streets entering the open steppe on the south . It was partly defended on the

    westtowards the land by a loopholed wall , which had been pronounced by one of the first engineers of Russia as perfectly useless ; and plans for completely fortifying the place in that direction were said to have been made ; but whether tlie work has since been carried out we know not , though we have a , deep conviction that strong defences will be found to exist there by the time a besieging army arrives . These , however , being hurriedly raised , can neither be of sufficient magnitude nor strength to offer a serious resistance to a long-continued fire of heavy artillery ; and unless these fortifications are on a most extensive scale , and embrace a very wide circuit , they may be commanded from so many points , that , attacked with heavy guns of long range , their speed y reduction becomes a matter of certainty . " None of the sea batteries or forts are of tlie slightest service for defence on the land side . Indeed , the great tort , ' St . Nicholas , ' has not a gun pointed iu that direction ; and such an armament would be perfectly useless if it existed , as that part of the hill on which the town stands , rises behind it to a height of tiyo hundred feet . Jn fiict , nil the fortresses and batteries , both to the north and south of tho great bay , are commanded by higher ground in the rear .

    <' JLhe first and all-important consideration , in reference to nn attack on Sevastopol by laud , is to ascertain where au army would find the most desirable place for disembarkation . Theodosia has been named amongst other localities , nn < l it has certainly a beautiful harbour and many other conveniences , but tho distance from the scene of action is a serious drawback . Tho troops would have to march over about an hundred and thirty miles of steppe . as it "would be necessary to keep to tho north of tho mountains , where their progress could bo eaail y arrested . Should wet weather set in , this steppe would become in si very short time quite impracticable for heavy artillery and baggage , as ther « are no roads whatever , and our little experience of rain showed us how rapidly tho country became converted into a state closely resembling an Irish bog .

    " Yalta is another port where men and material might be safely landed , and -where birt h ' ttle opposition could be offered ; but although united to Sevastopol by a good road , this ia in many places cut out of the face of the perpendicular rock , and could not only be defended by the enemy with facility , but a few hours work would render it quite impassable . " Between Yulta and Balaclava , on the southern coast , there is no available point ; but iff the latter port could bo talcen , and t ho surrounding heights secured , every requisite foe advantageously carrying on opcrationsagainat Sevastopol would be at once obtained . Distant only about ten miles from that town , Mid connected with it by nn excellent road , Balaclava so mflfiitoly surpasses all other places for tlie attainment of " tho object in view , that thero cannot bo two opinions on the importance of possessing it , and its admirable harbour would . be of incalculable value to the fk'uLs .

    ' Nature has , however , rnado jt so strong , that if tho Russians have fully availed thomselves of tho facilities for defence , it might become a work of some difficulty to di . ilodca them ; but it is very doubtful whether they have liml auflicient time to erect batteries which could hold out long against tho force that could bo brought to bear on them . " Supposing tho wnolo of tho batteries defending tho harbouv to bo destroyed , no aliijis could ontci' with safety until all tho positions ou tho ucighta which surround mid ovorhaug it had boon carried . " The const between Balaclava and Cupa Chorsonosua being nbrupt and preci pitous , furnittheu no suitable localities for tho required purpose , but nomo or tho buyu on tlio northern boundary of tho Choraonisaean pumnaulu may poauibl y bo found available " VV ( . to tlio allied nnnica in possession of tlio CnoraonnHUH , tliey wouM find plenty ot water , for tliora uro two good sources towardn lJtiladuva , though inueponiiont of _> t . Oho ot those has boon eurriml by an nquuduct to Suvn » toj ) i ) l , and Buiipllua tlio rosurvoir , noar tho public gardens of that place . Deotroyinc thin umunluct would bo of no m'ryicu lownrau reducing tho town , mb tlmt from Iiibrmun would still remain , im . l tlio grout Uting Ijhbiu contains an iminonao quantity : bouillon which tliura " ••<> well , ? nn < l » omo Himiil stroiuna « U tho hand of the military hurbour , wlionco tlio plnou I ' orjJiurJy druw Us only , though not very l > 0 " Anoth « p in for attacking Sevastopol mi g ht Iw ii . I «|» lo « l by landing to the north of tho buy of Inkerinun , destroying or taking Fort koiwliuitliio , mid ho other biittwoH fromtho roar , and thence bomba . duig tho navuFaraonal , thoUmn , . mil uhl i *; mid , Indeed , tliu in tho only alternative , if a fouling cannot bo olluctcd in tlio GJioraonomij * .

    September 23, 1854.] The Leader. 9o7

    September 23 , 1854 . ] THE LEADER . 9 O 7

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 23, 1854, page 19, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_23091854/page/19/