As the
vicissitudes of the tides are scarcely felt in those seas,
the constant depth of the harbour allows goods to be landed
on the quays without the assistance of boats, and it has
been observed that in many places the largest vessels may
rest their prows against the houses while their sterns are
floating in the water. From the mouth of the Lycus to that
of the harbour, this arm of the Bosphorus is more than seven
miles in length. The entrance is about five hundred yards
broad, and a strong chain could be occasionally drawn across
it, to guard the port and the city from the attack of an
hostile navy.
"Between the Bosphorus and the Hellespont, the shores of
Europe and Asia receding on either side include the Sea of
Marmora, which was known to the ancients by the denomination
of the Propontis. The navigation from the issue of the
Bosphorus to the entrance of the Hellespont is about one
hundred and twenty miles. Those who steer their westward
course through the middle of the Propontis may at once
descry the highlands of Thrace and Bithynia and never lose
sight of the lofty summit of Mount Olympus, covered with
eternal snows.
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