of Edinburgh , Sessio7i 1875 - 76 . 143 
The engineering problem to be solved by the European Com- 
mission was the removal of the bar which obstructed the Sulina 
mouth of the Danube, which, in 1856, had a varying depth of 
channel never exceeding 11 feet. The design of Sir Charles 
Hartley — the engineer to the Commission — consisted in piers so 
constructed as to confine the current of the river in its passage into 
the Black Sea. At the date of my last notice the north pier had 
been extended to the length of 4640 feet, and the south pier to 
3000 feet, and a maximum depth of 17J feet instead of 11 feet had 
been obtained. I, however, suggested in that notice, that as the 
Danube must continue to bring down an enormous mass of detritus, 
so in course of time the works which had proved so successful must 
be extended; and it appears that this has been found necessary, as 
the south breakwater, completed in 1871, has been extended to 3457 
feet in length, and even with this additional length it is, I think, 
not improbable that in the course of time still farther extension 
may be required, for the Sulina mouth of the Danube will still dis- 
charge the same amount of water, bearing with it the same amount 
of alluvial matter, estimated in high floods at about 70,000 tons in 
twenty-four hours, the deposit of which at the extremity of the 
piers will still have a tendency, though in deeper water, to form a 
bar. 
The works have, however, proved most successful, and reflect the 
highest credit on Sir Charles Hartley, by whom they were designed 
and executed, and the following is a summary of the results that 
have been obtained. 
The total length of piers executed is 8789 feet, at a cost of 
L. 185, 352, being L.21 per lineal foot, in an average depth of 14 feet 
at low water. The navigable depth of the channel over the bar 
has been increased from 11 feet in 1856, to 20 feet in 1873. In 
1853,2490 vessels, of 339,457 aggregate tonnage, left the port; 
in 1869 there were 2881 vessels, with a tonnage of 676,960. 
Thus, while the number of vessels increased only at the rate of 
16 per cent., the tonnage, due to the greater draught, had been 
increased at the rate of 50 per cent., a good practical proof of the 
value of the improvements. The number of shipwrecks at the 
mouth of the Danube has also been greatly diminished. 
VOL. IX. 
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