Evening Star Newspaper, November 22, 1854, Page 1

‘THE EVENING STAR PUBLISHED EVERY AFTERNOON, (Exomr? sUNDAY,) 48 the Star Buildings, corner Pennsylvamsa avenue and Eleventh street, , By WALLACH & HOPE, WIA be served to subscribers in the cities of Wash- ings, Alexandria, Baltimore and Phila- éctphia, a: SIX AND A QUARTER CENTS, pays- be weekty to the Agents. To mail subscribers the wabecription price is THREE DOLLARS AND FIFTY CENTS a year in advance, TWO DOL- LARS for SIX MONTHS, and ONE DOLLAR THE WEEKLY 8TAR. This exeeliest Family and News Journai—consin ng & greater varieiy of interesting reading than < found in any other—is poviished on Saturday. tingle copy, per spnum. ecco Ae) ro eeceteeweeee sees H OG- Case, invaniaBcr im apvance. QP Single copies (in wrappers) can be procured a the counter, iipmediately alter the issue of the paper. Price—rmage cents. e383 for THREE MONTHS. 0G-Sinetz coriss ons VOL. IV. WASHINGTON = cn nn try 5 D. C., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 1854. NO. 591. PosTMaeTERs who act as Agnts will be alowe a commission of twenty per crut. oe A re A SEBASTOPOL. Scott, in his book on the Crimea, nays: The port of Sebastopol consists of a bay running in a south-easterly direc- tion, about four miles long and a mile wide at the entrance, diminishing to 400 vards at the end, where the ** Tchernaia Retchka,” or Black River, empties itself. The average depthis about eight 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 har- bors, the quarantine harbor being outside the entrance—all these taking a south- 7 direction, and having deep water. he military harbor is the largest, be- | ing about a mile and a halt long by 400 yards wide, and is completely land- locked on every side. Here it is that the Black Sea fleet is moored in the win- ter, the largest ships being able to lie with all their stores on board close to the quays. The small harbor, which contains the naval arsenal and docks, is | on the eastern side of the military har- | ber, near the entrance. | The port is defended to the south by !six principal batteries and fortresses, |each mounting from 5/ to 190 guns; and | the north by four, having from 18 to 120 | pieces each; and Lesides these there are ; many smaller batteries. |; The fortresses are built on thecasemate i principle, three of them having three | tiers of guns, and a fourth two tiers. | Fort St. Nicholas is the largest, and |mounts about 100 guns: on carefully counting them we made 16. By great interest we obtained permission to visit | this fortress. It is built of white lime- ietone; a fine sound stone, which be- | comes hard and is very durable, the same ; material being used for all the other forts. | Between every two casements are fur- naces for heating shot red hot; we mea- | sured the calibre of the guns, and found | it to be eight inches, capable of throwing , Shells or 68-pound solid shot. There were in the military harbor of : Sebastopol 12 line-of-battle ships, eight i frigates, and seven corvettes, comprising ithe Black Sea fleet, independent of ‘steamers. i _ The town of Sebastopol is situated on , the point of land between the commer- _cial and military harbors, 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 great- est width is about three quarters of a i mile, the streets entering the open steppe jat the south. It was partly defended on ; the west towards the land by a loop- ; holed wall, which had been pronounced } by one of the first engineers of Russia as perfectly useless, and plans for complete- ly fortifying the place in that direction {were said to have been made; but } whether the 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 be- | sieging army arrives. These, however. | being hurriedly raised, can neither be of | sufficient magnitude nor strength to of- fer a serious resistance to a long-contin- | ued fire of heavy artillery, and, unless } these fortifications are on a most exten- | sive scale, and embrace a very wide cir- cuit, they may be commanded from so many points that, attacked with heavy j guns of long range, their speedy reduc- | tion becomes a matter of certainty. None of the sea batterivs or forts are | of service for defence on the land side. | Indeed. the great fort St. Nichola, has not a gun pointed in that direction, and ‘such an aimament would be perfectly useless if it existed, as that part of the hill on which the town stands rises be- hind it to a height of two hundred feet. In fact, all the fortresses and batteries, both to the north and the south of the great bay, are commanded by higher ground in the rear. The streets of Sebastopol are built in parallel lines from north to south, and in- tersected by others from east and west: and the houses, being of limestone, have a substantial appearance. The public buildings are fine. The library erected by the Emperor for the use of naval and military officers is of Grecian architec- ture, and is elegantly fitted up internally. The books are principally confined to naval and military subjects, and the sciences connected with them, history, and some light reading. The club house is handsome externally, and comfortable within; it contains a large ball-room,-which is its most strik- ing feature, and billiard rooms, which appeared to be the great centre of at- paste ; but one looked in vain for read- ing rooms, filled with newspapers and journals, such as are found in the clubs of England. MAP OF SEBASTOPOL. There are many good churches and a fine landing place of stone from the mili- tary harbor, approached on the side of the town, beneath an architrave sup- ported by high columns. It also boasts an I alian opera house, the first perform- ance for the season at which took place during our visit; but we cannot say much for the singing—the company be- ing third rate, and the voice of the prima donna very much resembling, at times, a cracked trumpet. The house itself was badly fitted up. ‘Lhe eastern side of the town is so Steep, that the mast heads of the ships cannot be seen until one gets close to them. Very beautiful views are ob- tained from some parts of the place, and it is altogether agreeably situated. A military band plays every Thursday even- ——— a — =| ing in the public gardens, at which time | f : the fashi ble in { num- Yer Reference to tmportant Points and Po-| 6. Fort Alexander, with 90 guns. | 14. Southern bay for small ships, only | 20. Aqueduct. | 26. Batteries. ae = see H bers. ‘ sitiens en the Map, look for the Corres-) 7 Battery of Sebastopol, with 50 guns, it of a mile wide and 4 mile long. 21. Tunnel through the rocks, 800; 27. Signal stations. As Sebastopol is held exclusively as a i ey of 8. Fort Nicholas with 200 guns, in, 15. The town of Sebastopol. feet long. | 28. Fort Constantine, with 110 guns. | military and naval position, commerce Ruins of Chersonesus. 1. Rui i F 2K 2 . . ;_ | dues not exist—the only articles imported 2. Cbureh of St. Valdemir. ne ae | is Artillery Inlet. 22. Kalafater Inlet. 20. Fort Catherine, with 120 guns, in by sea being those required for material 3. Quarantine Bay. : 4 . Arsenal. 23. The inner Bay of Sebastopol.— three tiers. of war, or as provisious for the inhabit- «ne Hospital. 10. Dwellings of = dock laborers. | 18. Barracks. . | Place of Anchorage for Russian ships of | 30- aoe of 30 aan on ae 7 aide of the military har- 5. Quarantine Fort with 60 guns, on} 11. Dry and Repairing Docks. | 19. Fort Sebastopol. and wall. The | ¥ar- mG 2 “ar 3h. English steamer Kury, and Rus- bor, opposite to the town, is a line of the wall of which the first guns of the} 12. Hospital. . | fort circular, with 50 guns, and the only} «24. Inkerman Lighthouse, .. . . | sian schooner. ., ‘ dburidings: consisting of: barracks, some | gllfes were directed. = 13. Magasine, 7 i defence of the town on the Iand’side. 250° Bakery fr army ‘wnd’navy. "139% Biacke rypapeee! eo 32 eer2c09 ye [eexcLusien on HOWRTM PAG}