The variety of costume, the confused jargon of a dozen different languages, the vehemence of oriental and southern gesticulation, and the bustle of uninterrupted traffic, combined to present a scene of which some slight conception may be formed by imagining the frolic mummers of a bal masque turned loose amid the wonders of a country fair. The peculiar reputation of the resident portion of the community had procured for this improvised town the proud and singularly appropriate titles of Friponville and Coquinville, by one of which it was universally designated by our Allies; names equally applicable to our own bazaar at Kadikoi, and infinitely more expressive than those of Donnybrook or Vanity Fair, with which that refugium peccatorum was christened.
Besides the bay and town of Kamiesch, this sketch embraces the bay of Kazatch, the principal station of the British fleet in these waters, and the Lighthouse at Cape Chersonese.
FORT NICHOLAS.
The prudent jealousy of the Russian government in excluding foreigners from Sebastopol had rendered it extremely difficult to obtain any reliable information as to the exact nature of the defences of the place. Of these, by far the most important were those destined to repel an attack by sea, as the approach of an enemy from the land side would appear to have been a contingency scarcely at all contemplated.
The following infoi-mation in reference to the seaward forts has been selected from various sources; and, though far more scanty and meagre than could have been desired, its accuracy may be depended on; and it may perhaps be considered both interesting and useful en attendant the fuller and more satisfactory particulars, which we may anticipate from the I'ecent occupation of the town by the Allies.
Besides smaller batteries, the principal of these forts may be thus enumerated: the Quarantine Battery, at the head of Quarantine Bay, is the first on the South Side; next comes Fort Alexander, which commands the entrance of the Main Harbour from the south; while Forts Nicholas
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and Paul defend the opening of the inner harbour on the west and east. On the North Side, Fort Constantino corresponds to and crosses its fire with Fort Alexander, while two other batteries, to the east of the former, answer to Forts Nicholas and Paul. All of these forts are solidly constructed of masonry; and each of the four larger ones consists of three tiers of guns one above the other. The number of guns mounted in these works has been so variously stated, from eight hundred and fifty, the lowest computation, up to twelve, and even fifteen and sixteen hundred, that it is difficult to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion on the subject. The material employed in the construction of the batteries was a species of soft limestone, which it was supposed would be unable to resist the heavy fire of ship's guns; but the events of the 1 7th October set this question at rest, and amply vindicated the discretion of the Russian engineers. Another objection was, that the tiers of guns were placed too high above the sea, and in an engagement with ships would only damage the rigging; but it was forgotten that the shallowness of the water, at the base of the forts, would not permit ships to come within a distance at which the guns could no longer be depressed to the required range. The casements, too, were said to be so ill ventilated that the artillerymen would soon be suffocated by the smoke of their own guns, and no longer able to work them; but this assertion time has also disproved.
In fact, prior to the commencement of the war, there was an unwise disposition, prevalent amongst nearly all English writers, to depreciate everything Russian, and stories palmed off on credulous travellers by officious and chattering laquais-de-place were gravely admitted as incontestable arguments against the strength of a place on which every resource of the empire had been lavished for years.
The following account of Fort Nicholas, the subject of this sketch, is taken from Dr. Koch; but it must be premised that his estimate of the number of guns mounted in this and the other batteries is unquestionably exaggerated: —
"At the period of my visit, one of the inner forts, called the Nicholas Bastion, just at the east of Artillery Bay, was nearly finished, while the one opposite was^building.
" We were permitted to make a close inspection of the Nicholas Bastion. My heart grew really sad when I saw here nothing but implements of murder. The bastion forms a half-moon, and has three batteries above one another. The entire building was bomb-proof. I was surprised that
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