Hawkes's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1877.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3906, 24 April 1877, Page 2

Hawkes's Bay Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1877.

I>r view of the imminence of war between Russia and Turkey the English papers have been discussing the question of the strength of Russia, and the possibility of Turkey being able to cope with her powerful enemy. There seems to be great diversity of opinion on the question, and it is somewhat difficult to gather whether Russia is most regarded as a State possessed of great strength, or as being really weak, notwithstanding the vastness of her territory and the immense number of men she can bring into the field. As to the extent of her territory, that is no doubt an element of weakness, since it necessitates the maintaining of a large army for home purposes and thus drains the | resources of the empire. It is also j admitted, even by those papers which speak of Russia as a strong Power, that her army, besides being underpaid and tinderfed, is neither well equipped' nor well provided with artillery and transport, "while so much of her fleet as she has in or could bring into the Black Sea is not equal to the Turkish fleet. " Nevertheless," remarks the Spectator, " when all this has been conceded, Russia remains a very formidable Power. Her ruler cannot dispose for any effective purpose of the • eighty millions of people ' who are so often paraded, and of whom one-third at least diminish rather than increase the strength of the empire. But he can dispose of forty millions — that is, of as many as the Emperor of Germany can — with an authority which for war purposes is irresistible. Of this population, eight millions consist of adult males liable to be used for war, very brave, and as submissive to authority as any people in the world. Of these eight millions, one million has received as much military training as makes them excellent soldiers, 350,000 are soldiers on a level as to readiness for war with any ordinary troops, and about 70,000 are the equals of any troops in the world. The Czar, therefore, though he has not a million of men to flood Turkey with, has an army of ;i quarter of a million which he can advance beyond his own frontier, which he can supply for campaign after campaign with fairly drilled men, and which is supported by sufficient artillery, and by any requisite quantity of light and active cavalry." The conclusion the Spectator arrives at is that while, with all R\issia's strength — much of it real, though its degree has been considerably exaggerated — she could not cope with either England, Germany, or France, it "would be irrational to believe that Turkey could defeat or even arrest her progress if Russia made a descent upon Turkey. The difficulty to Russia, it is admitted, would be the question of iinan.ee. The transport of her army and the conveyance of supplies would be a costly matter, and the means could not be provided without the suspension of the payment of her public debt, and the suspension also of specie payments for public works, civil administration, etc. This would, of course, be very damaging to Russia's credit, and injurious to her commercial relations with other Powers. But it is argued that in time of war such considerations weigh but little when balanced either against a craving for conquest or a conviction that the country's honor is at stake. •• That Russia," says the Spectator, ■■could not light a protracted war against a great Power without repudiating her debt — that is, without paying interest in paper roubles, valuable only when peace returned — we quite believe, but that she could for two years keep a quarter of a million of men constantly in. the field, re-supplying their places as they fell from her million of half-trained men, we believe also, and anyone who comprehends politics knows how formidable such a Power must be." It is idle to suppose that Turkey would be vanquished without a struggle, and perhaps a deadly one too, but if the two belligerents are left to light it out by themselves, the Mussulman will in the end have to yield to the Russ. In any case, such a war, even though confined to the two Powers, cannot be regarded in Europe otherwise than a.s of grave moment, and its phases will no doubt be watched with an interest scarcely, if at all, secondary to that which attached to the Franco-Prussian war. So long as England is not drawn into the quarrel the interest will not. as far a.s the colonies are concerned, be mingled with uneasiness ; but should it happen that a war between Great Britain and Russia becomes inevitable, there is no little reason to apprehend an unfriendly visit to those colonies from some of the Russian war vessels which it is said are always hovering about the mouth of the Amoor, a proceeding which, the Spectator says, " would be equivalent to the Chinese practice of making insulting faces at your enemy," By which we may understand that in a war with England the " worrying of the Australasian colonies would have no material effect upon England ■ but nevertheless the blow might be made serious enough to the colonies.