EDWARD RIGGS. 97 
to look a little into the condition of the motley group 
of wretches, whose begrimed and pallid faces tell 
each a several tale of woe, and each a varying degree 
of depravity. But this is too large a subject to 
allow of even a glance in this connection. As the 
visitor stands on the ramparts of this restored castle 
he looks out on the dark and remorseless waves of the 
treacherous Black Sea. Yet, if he will turn his eyes to 
the other side of the rock on which he stands he will see 
spread out beneath him, a spacious harbor, placid as a 
mountain lake, and dotted with craft of every sort. In 
this peaceful sheet of water took place, within the 
memory of most of us, one of the most fearful tragedies 
in all the records of naval history. Russian habitual 
jealousy of the Turkish empire found a pretext in 1853 
in certain differences of view regarding the relations of 
Christian sects in the care of the sacred places in Jeru- 
salem, and the Crimean war was the consequence. The 
Turks got their fleet in readiness and started out into 
the Black Sea to take the Russians in hand. By the 
time they had been at sea acouple of days, so com- 
pletely was the entire body of men prostrated with sea- 
sickness that they were obliged to put into port; and 
they hastily sought the safe and quiet harbor of Sinope, 
hoping to get their heads level and take a new start. 
Here the great double-headed Russian eagle swooped 
down upon them. The Russian fleet pursued them into 
the harbor and a fierce engagement followed. The 
Turkish fleet was absolutely annihilated with the ex- 
ception of one ship, which fled to Constantinople to 
carry the woful tidings. I was, myself, in Constanti- 
nople at the time, and I well remember the thrill of 
horror and indignation which swept through the com- 
munity upon receipt of the intelligence. The action of 
the Russians was held to be one of treachery, and it led 
ultimately to the western European powers entering the 
