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 THE VARIOUS KINDS OF WAR VESSELS 235 thus be propelled more rapidly. The parandaria were heavy- boats, probably not differing much from the sailing barges or mahoons still used in the harbour of Constantinople, the Bosporus, and Marmora. The name 'galley' was in the fifteenth century applied to war vessels propelled by a single bank of long oars on each side. Leonard employs the term dromon, not, as it had been used in earlier days from about 500 a.d., as a generic term for war ships, 1 but to indicate the large caiques, usually of twelve oars, which could not be classed as triremes, biremes, or fustae. Probably the majority of the vessels in Mahomet's fleet were not larger than the ordinary bazaar caiques which ply between Constantinople and distant villages on the Bosporus or the Marmora or are employed in deep-sea fishing. 2 Mahomet, leaving Adrianople in the early days of April Turkish with the whole of his army, overspread and ravaged the arrives country which had not already been swept by the vanguard ^aUsf of his force and arrived on the 5th of that month before the Apnl 5 - city. He encamped at about a mile and a half's distance from the landward walls. Apparently, before the arrival of the main body of Mahomet's army, a sortie was made by the Greeks and Italians against those who had arrived, and this was pos- sibly led by Justiniani. 3 They met at first with success, wounded many and killed a few Turks, but when Mahomet arrived the advantage of the besiegers in numbers was so overwhelming that no further sorties were attempted. The bridges leading across the foss to the Gates were broken down ; the Gates were closed and were not again opened so long as the siege lasted. will be noticed that the second man sits a little forward of the first, and the third of the second. 1 Ancient Ships, by Mr. Cecil Torr. 2 I have been indebted to Yule's valuable notes on Marco Polo for his researches on the construction of ships. Unfortunately, Mr. Cecil Torr's monograph on Ancient Ships (Cambridge, 1896) does not bring their history so late down as the fifteenth century. For the period of which it treats it is simply perfect. 3 Crit. xxv.