FORTIFICATIONS OF VARNA. 279 



hundred yards further advanced into the country, 

 has been constructed. This new hne is very 

 extensive, and would require an immense force 

 for its defence. Varna is a place calculated to 

 contain and give shelter to an immense army, in- 

 tended to fall upon the rear of an enemy attempt- 

 ing to pass the Balkan. 



The fortifications consist of a line of field-works 

 strengthened with reveted, but very low, escarps 

 and counterscarps. The escarps are about four- 

 teen and the counterscarps ten feet high. The 

 parapets are made of fascines with occasional 

 embrasures, particularly in the bastions. The 

 front which I examined was towards the country, 

 and consisted of two very small bastions, at an 

 enormous distance from each other, and connected 

 by a very long curtain with a re-entering angle ; 

 a caponiere in the ditch, and a remarkably nar- 

 row covered way. I could discover no guns 

 mounted anywhere except a few just in front of 

 the sea-wall of the town, which I understood were 

 put there in order to fire a salute to the sultan 

 when he visited Varna ; but some very fine ones, 

 about 42-pounders, were lying about near the 

 landing-places. The sea-wall appears to have been 



