The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News, and "The Echo." THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1877.

Auckland Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2332, 6 September 1877, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED "The Evening News," "The Morning News, and "The Echo."

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1877.

fforthe cause that lades, assistance, For the wrong that needs lesistanco, For tlie future in tie distance. And the eoo&that me «»» do.

A CABLE dispatch from our London special correspondent to-day reports that Sulieman Pasha has suffered a defeat with one wing of his army. Previous telegrams had° announced" that the Russian force holding the North end of Shipka Pass were being surrounded and cut oil' from their communications with Gabrova. This will be understood by a consideration of the configuration of the country. Colonel Baker describing the Pass says :— " it is accessible from the north by several routes leading up the spurs, sothat an army occupying one spur could easily be turned by an enemy passing up another. Arrived at the watershed (about 4,000 ft. above the sea) the descent begins to the south." We have already been informed by telegram that Sulieman Pasha succeeded in scaling the heights, which would give him command of the various spurs leading down to the Gabrova road. Gabrova, it should be mentioned, is a town on the Northern slope of the Shipka Balkans, about 20 miles S. W. of Timova. Its population is 7,000. The Russian force holding the pass, which is numerically much smaller than that commanded by Sulieman, would be posted in one or more of the routes mentioned by Colonel Baker. The Turkish General, while engaging hem in front, has pressed forwaid a large body of troops by another route to fall on the road in the rear of the army holding the Pass. This, avc take it, is the operation which has just failed. When opening out on the road the Turks have encountered the Russians in force and been driven back with heavy loss.

The other matter referred to in our special correspondent's dispatch is one of the utmost moment. To trace tlie course of events which have led up to the present crisis in France, however, would occupy a considerable amount of space, and owing to the complicated character of French politics, would probably not convey any very clear impression to those who are unacquainted with, and little interested in the constitution of foreign political institutions. A few months ago we gave a resume of the events which culminated in the resignation of Jules Simon, the President of the Liberal Cabinet. The immediate cause was the interdiction by the Gpvemment of the sittings of the Paris Catholic Committee, aud the subsequent passing by tlie Assembly of a resolution moved by the Left, and accepted by Jules Simon's cabinet, expressive of a determination to put down ultramontane intrigues as dangerous to the peaceful relations of France with

foreign powers. The numbers by which this resolution was carried, 361 to 121, should have convinced President McMsihon that the Assembly represented true Republican principles, and would not tolerate any machinations opposed to the liberal Government of the country- McMahon, however, is not the kind of man to bend his own will to the exigencies of politics, and relying upon the Septennate (his seven years term of oilice) he shortly afterwards picked a quarrel with the Ministry over the prees laws, and asserted his own irresponsibility to the Assembly and his supren o duty to France, whatever that might mean. The Ministry resigned, and stormy scenes ensued in the Assembly and the streets of Paris. M. Gambetta was foremost in his denunciations of the unconstitutionalaction of the President. Toallaypublic excitement, McMahoniasued a proclamation dec'a n:g his intention to put down ultramontane intrigue.?, and to preserve the peace of France. He allied together a Conservative Council, but being in a large minority in the Assembly the Government came to a dedlock, and after various attempts at Ministerial reconstruction from the Right, Me. Mahon declared his inability to work with the Assembly, and dissolved it. Every precaution had been taken by the Government—in the deposition of, Republican officials, the prosecution of the radical press, and even the arrest of political opponents for strong utterances, against the Government, but the electorates declared by a large majority ill favour of the Republican party. Once more, the eyes of the country turned to the venerable Thiers, as the hope of poor France, torn by her terrible throes in the labour of liberty. A man whose moderation, whose patriotism and ripe experience commanded the; respect of all parties. And he is dead. Where is France now to look for the cool head to savo her from a disastrous outbreak between the ; impcriousnesH of the President and the rovolutianaryisni of the extreme Left? McMahon " has declared himself superior to the will of the people ;is represented by the Assembly, and he must either bend, or representative government goes to the wall. The position is indeed critical, and in looking to the Right and the Left, we can discover no name which stands out as likely to lead France safely through the conflict in which she has been plunged by the re-assertion of the old spirit of Imperialism which unhappily protrudes its hated form into every movement made by a great nation to work out the problem of liberal government.