The fortress of Yeni-kale, or, translating the two Turkish words of which its name is composed. New-castle, was built by the Turks as a defence against the incursions of the Russians into the Black Sea, and its. fortifications were completed in the year 1706. They are very irregular in form, and not strong on the land side, their most important feature being a long platform, which commands the passage through the straits into the Sea of Azoff. P^re Derbau, a Jesuit father, in a report made by him in 1813 to the Marquis de Torcy, then Secretary of State in Paris, of the results of a mission to the Crimea of the fathers of the order,* mentions, that at that period the seaward fortifications of Yenikale were mounted with a large number of cannons of heavy calibre, some of which would carry a ball weighing 200 pounds, made of a greyish stone, which was very heavy and extremely hard. The guns in Yenikale, when it fell into the hands of the Allies, did not exceed twenty -five, of which only fourteen were mounted, all of them being new and good, and some of them fitted with a swivel of peculiar construction. The old embrasures, however, remain in the ram • parts, and the walls, which, though very old, are of great solidity and in tolerable preservation, were loopholed for musketry.
Prince Demidofi" gives the following interesting account of the town, which is situated on the left of the drawing: —
" A steep slope leads directly to Yenikale, a little town of half Eastern, half Genoese character, now almost entirely occupied by modern Greeks. A fort situated at the north end suflS^ciently betrays, from the ignorant irregularity of its plan, that it is due to the Turks. It has been recently repaired and put into good order; one remarkable feature in it is a gate in the pure Oriental style. A large square tower, flanked by four warder turrets rising separately, calls to mind the defensive art of the Genoese.
" At the base of this tower may be seen two fountains constructed by the Turks. One of these fountains is in ruin and useless; the wall has fallen in, and the spring has dried up; but the murmuring waters of the other are still poured forth into a splendid Greek sarcophagus in white marble, wh'ch serves as a basin. The sculpture with which it is ornamented is worn away, but two figures of birds may still be distinguished. The inhabitants of Yenikale, which is situated on the sandy beach and exposed to the winds, have, nevertheless, found means to set up a few shops for the sale of canvas, tar, oars, and an immense quantity of fish, which is daily brought into Kertch. That which is not consumed on the spot is doubtless salted." The species of fish most in demand are the turbot, and enormous sturgeon, a fish which frequents waters in which there is not any large quantity of salt; and the world-renowned caviare is made here to a great extent.
The accessories of the picture are too obvious to require comment. Inside • Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses. — Mission de la Critnee. 2 M
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the walls of the fortress may be seen a long red roof to the left of the tree; this belongs to the hospital to which the wounded Russians were removed; and on the extreme left the lighthouse is just discernible, situated on a hill, from whence it is visible for a considerable distance along the straits. This lighthouse stands on the spot where the ancient Pharos was placed, a work ascribed by tradition to Mithridates, and which was called by the modern Greeks Phauari Mitridati. The ruins of the old foundation, which had then been long abandoned, were still in existence in the time of Clarke; who deplores the disuse of a work of such importance to vessels, which, in navigating the straits, were compelled to keep close to the Crimean coast for want of water towards the middle and Asiatic side of the passage. Accidents were not unfrequent in consequence, and their recurrence probably led to the re -establishment of the lighthouse. The town did not contain many good houses, and the only building of any note was a Greek church, built in the form of a cross, with a domed roof, and which, being painted green like those of the churches in Sebastopol, had a very lively and picturesque effect.