The Turco-Russian War.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2241, 12 May 1877, Page 2

The Turco-Russian War.

TllK following interesting items are condensed from various English and Continental newspapers to hand by the last San Francisco mail :—

KALAFAT. By advices received last mail, the Turks were in force near Kalafa;, on the Bulgarian side of the river, Kalafat being held by Roumanian troops. Osman Pasha, the Turkish Commander, had G3 battalions of infantry, two cavalry regiments, and 78 field-guns, of which 28,000 men were at Widdin. |The troopsj arc armed with the Martini-Henry rifles. At Widdin, theie are ample materials for pontoon bridges, and 5000 men are engaged strengthening the fortifications.

SILISTRIA. There were 20,000 Turks at this post. Contracts for the supply of large quantities of provisions have been entered into. Achmet Pasha commands the fortress, and is said to be a man of energy, but not much '"'will' WAR WAS DELAYED. The winter was unusually severe, communication being interrupted in all directions by heavy snow drifts. The melting of the snow rendered the roads nearly impassable. The alluvial soil on the plains of Bessarabia and on the banks of the Danube rendered the country impracticable for military operations until the middle of April, and war was declared on the 22ud or 23rd.

RUSSIAN PREPARATIONS FOR CROSSING THE DANUBE. At Kkhenev the Russians had sufficient material to construct a bridge capable of crossing a large army over the Danube in one day. There were also enough boats to put an army over the river. There arc 13 enormous steam launches, large enough to cross the Atlantic, two large barges, seven smaller boats, live torpedo boats. The force consisted of 275,000 men with !)00 guns. RUSCHUCK. The new works have been armed with heavy breechloaders. The garrison consists of 10,000 men. Torpedoes have been sent up, and the eastern face is armed with 4S Krupp guns. SHUMLA. All the chief positions in the Balkans are occupied by troops, which, amounting in all to 40,000 men, are intended in the event of war to be concentrated round Shumla. The passes of the Balkans are occupied by infantry and mountain artillery. The new works of the intrenched camps are constructed so as to be permanent. The arms are so far good, consisting chiefly of heavy breechloaders. THE PRIDE OF THE RUSSIAN NAVY. As to the worth of what navy the Russians possess, let us hear Mr Reed : — As regards the actual effective condition of the much-vaunted vessel Peter the Great, he makes the following statements :— " She is so weak that if driven through the water at a speed greater than eight knots, she shakes to such a degree as to leak in an alarming manner. Although the extent of her longest voyage is the distance between Cronstadt and Revel, her boilers are already under repair, and a commission which was lately assembled to examine her has expressed an opinion that all the large steam pipes should be renewed. As to her present capabilities for either offensive or defensive purposes, it is sufficient to say that when her heavy guns are lired, rivet-heads fly about unpleasantly. I think I have said enough about this ironclad, the pride of the Russian navy." As regards the Popepkas— the two Russian gunboats in the Black Sea —he says that "it is literally dangerous to fire the guns on board of them. During a recent practice on board one of them, near Otckakof, the following results were obtained :—At the first round almost every man ou board was knocked down ; the whole of the superstructure on deck was blown aAvay, and the deck itself, which is iron-plated, was considerably bulged in a downward direction.

THE TURKISH ARMY. Major General Sir Frederic J. Goldsmid, in a lecture on " Inland from Constantinople to Calcutta," estimates the total military force of Turkey at 148,680 on a peace footing, exclusive of 300,000 of a Sedentary army," composed of 12 years' service men, enrolled for a farther period of 8 years, but only liable to be called out in the event of Avar. 148,000 is added for reserve, 75,000 for auxiliaries, 87,000 for irregulars, making a total of about 460,000. The fleet consisted of 20 ironclads, and 70 other steamers. There Avere 30,000 sailors, and 4000 marines in the navy. The Persian army was supposed to consist of 105,000 men, composed^, of 30,000 cavalry, 79,000 infantry, and 5000 artillery. HOBART PASHA.

He is a man of bold decisive action. He advised the Porte to demand an explanatio from Russia of her intentions, and if thn Avas refused, that Turkey should instan is declare war. He said he -was prepared t 0 sAveep the Black Sea of Russian cruisers, de destroy her trade, and bombard or blocka her ports. AUSTRIA. No one knew Austria's real mind. It was regarded as significant that she Avas fortifying the Dalmatian Shore against possible attack from Italy.