Sebenico

"The express steamers take only four and a half hour to reach Sebenico from Zara. Nature has hidden away the magnificent land-locked harbour of Sebenico so securely that it would be hard for an enemy to find the way in. There is but one entrance, through a winding channel, guarded by the old Venetian fort of St. Nicolo. […]. Sebenico rises from the sea and climbs the mountain-side, a picturesque medley of harmonious form and colour; dominated by the ancient castle, fringed with the masts and lateen sails of fishing-boats along the water-side, glorifed by its unique cathedral rising in the midst. The winged lion above the gateway was placed there by the Austrian Emperor to replace the original, which the French, under Napoleon (anxious always to wipe out the sign-manual of Venice), had thrown into the sea. Sebenico is one of the naval stations of Austria, and has also its training-school for cadets. In time of war it would no doubt form tha naval base from which the Austrian battleships and cruisers could suddenly appear and pounce upon their foe, with always a secure haven to return to where no enemy could follow without annihilation (pp. 56-57)".