TURKEY AND RUSSIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 176, 20 May 1854, Page 8

TURKEY AND RUSSIA.

(From the Melbourne M. Herald.) The subjoined extract from a second edition of the Times of the 20th January, contains all that is really new from the seat of war,—or rather from the territories of the author of the war: — . "Russian advices have reached Pans, horn St. Petersburg of Jan. 12, which describe the position of affairs as affording little hope for the maintenance of peace. The Emperor is described by those who have an opportunity of observing his movements, as being in a state of religious exultation, regarding himself as the chosen instrument, under God, to drive the Moslem from Europe, and only regretting that he should have allowed so many years to pass by without fulfilling his destiny. "The populace at St. Petersburg have worked themselves up to the highest pitch of fanaticism, cheering the emperor, whenever he appears in public, with the wildest enthusiasm, and denouncing as traitors all who dare to speak of peace. " The only minister supposed to advocate a peaceful course is Count Nesselrode, and he has entirely lost his influence with his imperial master. Count Orloff, on the other hand, who is the emperor's dearest friend, is eager for war." To the above we may add the telegraphic messages published in the London papers of the 19th and 20th, as under. Two private despatches from Vienna and Berlin announce that the Emperor of Russia has positively rejected the propositions of the Conference of Vienna. There seems little doubt that the entry of the fleets into the Black Sea would be regarded as a hostile act by the Emperor of Russia, and the state of public feeling manifested great irritation against Fiance and England. Odessa, Jan. 17. —No vessel returning to port has seen either English or French ships. No more cargoes are to be allowed to be shipped. Prince Woronzoff has been pensioned. Constantinople advices of 9th state that on the sth Lord Stratford de Redcliffe issued a tranquillizing circular, stating that the object of Admiral Dundas was the protection of Turkish interests, without disturbing friendly relations with Russia. On the 10th. 26 cannon were to be sent to Trebizond for batteries there. Fourteen Russian ships of war had been seen steering towards Sebastopol. The houses of the Greek and Jerusalem patriarchs have been burnt in the late conflagration. Armaments continue. A portion of the allied fleets will take up a position at Sinope and another off Sebastopol. A Tuikish division is at Varna. More reinforcements expected from Abbas Pacha. Hope of peace small. Friendly relations resumed between Persia and England. Prospects of a reconciliation with Turkey exist. The Prussian Commodore Schroder has been suddenly called from Smyrna to Constantinople. The Trieste Gazette has advices from Krajova of'l3ih. Gortschakoff is daily expected there. The Russian head-quarters" were at Radovan. No engagement since the 10th. 35,000 Turks were concentrated at Kalafat. Bucharest, Jan. 15. —Prince Woronzoff is dangerously ill. The Battle at Citale.—ln proportion to the numbers engaged, nothing like the carnage and bloodshed of the battles fought on ihe 6th, 7th, Bth, 9U>, and 10th inst., have been heard of in Europe since the taking of Ismael. The battle, which began on the 6th, was introduced by a series of combats and skirmishes, the result of an attempt made by the Russian commander to inarch a force into Lesser Wallachia, to suppress the insurrection which had taken place amongst the people in favour of the Turks. The Ottoman commander felt bound in honour to resist this proceeding, and sent at first light horse and afterwards infantry and artillery to oppose the advance of the Russians. The Russian advices received through Vienna state that when the Turks attacked them at Citale on the 6th, their own number was about 10,000; a letter, however, dated Krajowa, January 4, reveals that at that time the Russians had 22,000 men between that town and Kalafat. The critical battle was fought on the Bth, when the Russians

lost the enormous number of 5,000 killed and ■wounded. The bayonet and the Minie rifle were, as at Oltenitza, the weapons most in request : although the artillery did great execution on both sides. As at Oltenitza, also, the Kussian officers suffered severely, and it is said, that two Kussian generals were badly wounded. On the 10th the Turks, having driven the enemy to Krajowa, were led back to Kalafat. The frost had broken up, and the ice on the Danube having almost entirely disappeared, no further difficulty was experienced by the Turks at Kalafat in maintaining their communication with Widdin. Rapid Pkogkess of the Wah. —A letter from Orsova, of the 7th, informs us that on the last clays of the old year there was fighting on three points —namely, Kalafat, Turen, Giurgievo. The Russians would not tolerate the circulation of any reports in the Principalities about the event, but gave out themselves that " they had held all their positions." The Russian hospitals were filling with the wounded, who, to avoid excitement, were brought into the town in the night. This precaution, however, only stimulated the imagination of the people. From Bucharest we learn that on the Island 2nd instant, waggons full of wounded were arriving both by night and by day; and as the city would hold no more, the villages round are made to take charge of the sufferers. Shameful Treatment of English Engineer by the Russians. —Of the Turkish fleet destroyed by the Russians at Sinope, among the frigates riding at anchor was one belonging to the Pacha of Egypt, officered by three English engineers, and two English stokers, together with a great number of the crew, were made prisoners by the Russians. They were taken to Sebastopol, and thence transported to Odessa. Although the engineers wore the uniform of officers they weie treated as common Russian sailors, that is, most shamefully, being kept in strict confinement, and with the allowance of 8£ copecks silver, or 3d. per diem. On their arrival at Odessa the Consul-General represented the facts to the authorities there, and required that the chief engineer, at least, should be treated as an officer and a gentleman ; but to all his remonstrances the authorities turned a deaf ear, and it was said intended to inarch them all eighty miles into the interior on foot. The ConsulGeneral has reported this case to our ambassador at St. Petersburg, whose remonstrances have been most energetic ; but it would appear that they have met with as little respect as those of the Consul-General. Were the authorities to acknowledge the rank of the officers, it would cost them twice 8j copecks, or the large sum of 6d. per diem : hence one reason for such atrocious conduct. The chief engineer in question is the chief engineer of the Pacha of Egypt's dockyard at Alexandria, well-known to many of Her Majesty's steam-vessels, and to those of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, for the facilities he was always ready to afford where assistance was required in cases of derangement of machinery, &c. Now, when it is considered that within a few days of the time when thp chances of an unequal war threw these unfortunate gentlemen into the power of the Russians, a Russian frigate was actually being repaired by English engineers—and that shamefully too, in one of Her Majesty's dockyards— such conduct in return is, to say the least of it, most dastardly, and shows that the Russian authorities, in executing the piratical designs of their master, carry out their work in the true spirit of the profession, and, as usual, wreak a miserable revenge on their unfortunate prisoners. —Since the above was in print, we learn that the Parvas Bahari, a small Egyptian frigate, was on her voyage from Varna to Sinope, when she was fired into by a Russian frigate of much larger size, and, after an obstinate defence of four hours and a half, when her captain and all her officers were either killed or wounded, she struck her colours. Mr. Bell, the chief engineer, was sent for by the Admiral Konnloff, and requested by him to take charge of the vessel to Sebastopol ; and it was added that, if he succeeded in taking her there, he should be immediately set at liberty. By dint of great exeftion he succeeded in taking her to Sevastopol; but on her arrival in the"harbour she sank—the wonder being that she had not sunk long before at sea. Instead, however, of Mr. Bell obtaining his release, as promised he, with his sub-engineers and stokers, was thrown into close confinement, with the miserable pittance, as staled, allowed him—Prince

Menscbikoff, the commander at Odessa, paying not the slightest regard to the promise made by his admiral. It may possibly be too much to expect the leader of a Russian invading horde to understand the principles of honour, or to feel the necessity of keeping a solemn promise made by an admiral under the circumstances narrated: but when the facts of the case were laid before the imperial advisers, it might have been expected that, for the honour of the Emperor, immediate orders would be despatched for the release of the whole of the prisoners. Turkish Civilization.- —The Sultan has founded an hospital for wounded and decayed soldiers and sailors, upon the plan of Chelsea and the Invalides. The men who have suffered amputation in consequence of |he wounds received at Sinope are already designated as the first inmates. Operations of the Combined Fleets.-— When the combined English and French squadrons weighed anchor on the 3rd of January from Beicos Bay and entered the Black Sea, they proceeded on a cruise to the eastward, along the coast of Anatolia, as farasTrebizond. The Turkish Government took this opportunity of sending several of its ownline-of-battle ships to transport considerable reinforcements to the army in Asia. The fleet and convoy thus despatched consisted of nine English and seven French ships-of-the-line, besides steam frigates and the Turkish squadron. The Trafalgar and the Valmy, with the British frigate Arethusa, remain to guard the Bosphorus. The Retribution was despatched (with a French officer on board) to Sebastopol to demand the surrender of the two British subjects, engineers, who were taken on board the Turkish steamer captured by the Russians, and at the same time to convey to the authorities at Sebastopol an intimation that the fleets had entered the Black Sea for the protection of the Turkish territories, and that it would be desirable to avoid any steps calculated to interrupt the pacific relations of the European states. The result of this mission of the Retribution must soon be ascertained ; we are curious to learn whether she received at Sebastopol any return for the hospitality so largely bestowed on the Russian frigates at Portsmouth, and whether Captain Drummond succeeded in the object of his voyage. We must, however, observe that no distinction can fairly be drawn between British subjects who have chosen to enter a foreign service and the natives of the country they serve. If Englishmen choose to act as engineers or firemen on board Turkish or Russian ships, they are lawful prisoners of war, and must share the fate of the flag under which they are taken. Considerable doubt appears to have existed in the fleet as to the policy of the cruise on which the Admiral agreed to start, for it was highly improbable that they would fall in with any Russian ships along the coast of Asia : the fleet would be off a lee shore with the north-east wind prevalent at this time of year; and the Bosphorus itself, in the absence of the squadrons, is imperfectly guarded. It is possible, however, that the Admirals have a more definite scheme of operations than has been allowed to transpire; and at any rate their future movement will be governed by the further instructions they must ere this have received. In the present state of affairs we can conceive nothing more important than to have a definite and precise system of operations in view, adapted to the emergencies which may arise. It is no demonstration of our resolution or our power to send ships to sea merely to buffet the currents and squalls along an unknown and dangerous coast; and it may become of the highest importance to have the large maritime power now collected in those seas perfectly available for any ulterior purpose. We, presume, therefore, that, after this cruise to the eastern Boast with the Turkish convoy, the Admirals will place themselves again in communication with the Ambassadors at Constantinople, and that the fleet will proceed to the west. The anchorage of the Bay of Kavarna, on the west coast of the Black Sea, about 20 miles north of the fortress of Varna, is one of the safest roadsteads on the coast, and though open to the south-east, it is well protected from northerly and western winds. It may be said to cover the entrance to the Bosphorus, and would generally enable vessels to make the northern coast of the Black Sea. — Times, 19th January. Poland insecure to Russia. —The Patrie of Monday states from Warsaw, that of the

three divisons of the Russian army of Poland, which had received orders to march for the principalities of the Danube, only one had left, the two others having received counter orders, it being considered dangerous to draw so large a force'Vvom Poland. If this be true, it shows that the Czar is beginning already to feel the insecurity of his position. OiKCAssiAijr Aid to Turkey. — A letter from Trebizond, of the 16th ultimo, states that Schamyl is at this moment organizing an array in Daghestan. The Abasians had united with him, and will henceforth follow his plans. He has induced several Polish officers to desert, and has by the means of the rifles received from Constantinople armed a corps of 1200 riflemen, composed mostly of Polish deserters—excellent soldiers. He had, moreover, formed an army of reserve, with, supplies of provisions and ammunition. Little Wallachia. —The population of the five districts composing Little Wallachia are in a state of indescribable excitement. At Bucharest, it was thought that the Wallachian militia would soon be broken up, with a view to the absorption of the men in the Russian ranks, as it was found impossible to do anything with them while they retained their national organization. Above 500 of the WaL lachian soldiers had gone over to " the enemy," that is to say, at the risk of their lives had rallied to the standard of their liege lord the Sultan. A number of the Wallachian clergy, had been so bold as to leare out the name of Nicholas I. from the liturgy of their church, substituting that of the sultan Abdel Medjid. The French Emperor's Decision.—Louis Napoleon is said to have declared that any further secession on the part of Austria would be regarded as a meditation of hostility, and that should war become general through her conduct, the French would not decline the alliance of either Hungarians, Italians, or Poles, but that the recognition of these nationalities would become the settled policy of France, and receive her support. The preparations making in all parts of France show that as far as the Government is concerned there is little, if any, hope of the maintenance of peace. The agents for the purchase of cavalry horses have received orders to provide 400 horses per regiment for the present season instead of 120, which is the number provided for the ordinary service of the year. An order has also been issued by the Minister of Marine, dated the 14th inst., for the arming of 12 additional ships of the line. Besides this, the following ships are at the present moment getting ready for sea at Brest, viz.—the Tage and the Jeinmappes, ships of the line of the second rank; and the Breslau and the Inflexible, ships of the line of the third rank. The extraordinary levy of sailors for the manning of the navy, ordered in the ports of Brittany, has caused great confusion among the merchantmen of those ports. Russian Efforts.—The "Russian Government had given notice to several commercial gentlemen and engineers interested in Russian railways, that it was not intended to proceed at present with these undertakings. "In fact," —the Observer says—" the works are about to be suspended, and all the money and men required for their construction will be devoted to carrying on the war." The enthusiasm of the entire people of Russia in favour of their Emperor's cause is described on all hands to be uuiversal and unbounded. The Scene of the Russian piratical Attack.—The temples, palaces, and porticoes erected at Sinope by a powerful reign of kings, have been levelled with the dust. Nought remains of so much magnificence save a dirty oriental town of a thousand wretched houses, surrounded by crumbling walls and tottering : towers of Byzantine construction. The ancient | capital of Pontus under that great man Mithrij «ates Eupator, and the birthplace of that great j beast Diogenes the Cynic, originally a colony of | the Milesians, shows indeed but few traces* of | such illustrious antecedents. Many fragments I w ancient architectural' art, however, such as I broken columns, mutilated cornices, and halfI Ceiaced inscriptions on architraves and sepulI cnral stones, have been made use of in raising I these feeble fortifications, and they still attest j What Sinope once was; while the quarries above I |>c town, whence one of the calcareous beds in I V ie trachytic rock, overlaid by a black volcanic I j!! ma!ion' seems to have furnished its building I materials, tell an eloquent tale of its sudden | downfall, for large blocks lie there hewn and

ready for removal, some actually on theiv way to the city. We saw also the picturesque ruins of an aqueduct, designed by Pliny the younger, to supply the Sinopians with good water from a distance of sixteen miles; and the ancient mole can be distinguished under the sea, enclosing a considerable space along the shore, and leaving only a narrow entrance for galleys; but many of the great square stones composing it have been worn and displaced by the action of the waves, with the aid of that universal destroyer, Time.— Correspondent Da ily Neios. Deschtption of Omeb, Pacha.—The special correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Shumla, describing an interview with Omer Pacha, says : " Take away the huge moustache, which half conceals his mouth, and the grey beard beneath it, and you might fancy at first glance yourself talking to a "fine old English gentleman," who had never performed any more warlike exploit than running down a fox. There is a kindly good-humoured gleam in his eye, an honest candour, which puts you at your ease, because you feel that he is so ; not merely a rude soldierly frankness, but an approach to bonhomvnie, though without the smallest want of dignity. On a longer acquaintance you discover that the outlines of his face bear the impression of Herculean energy, and even of audacity, and there is a massiveness about the wrinkles even, that nothing save a fierce struggle with time could have produced. If there be any truth in phrenology, one would say that his whole intellect was lodged in his forehead. In moments of excitement, when his eyes flash under the cover of his large eyebrows, as they sometimes do even in ordinary conversation, his appearance reminds one more of a roused lion than any man I ever saw. His manner is that of a polished gentleman— his courtesy untiring, his patience inexhaustible. His observations, even upon topics which one would suppose possessed but little interest for him, bear evidence of great acumen and varied information. I was surprised by his accurate knowledge of English home politics, though, when speaking on the subject with an Englishman, he shows some diffidence in pronouncing an opinion, and generally throws his remarks into an interrogatory form. Regarding her foreign relations, he, as might be expected, speaks with more boldness, and expresses his confident belief, that any hesitation she shows in grappling with Russia now is but postponing the struggle to a period when she will find herself less prepared for it, and will perhaps have to meet it alone ; for he does not entertain a doubt that two powers representing principles so opposite to one another cannot subsist side by side without a collision, which must end in a combat a Voutrance. There can be no indelicacy in repeating this, as he has made use of the same language to most Europeans, English as well as others, who have visited the camp during the past summer and autumn. Beyond skirmishes he does not anticipate the resumption of extensive hostilities before spring, as the severity of the winter and the bad state of the soil, render bivouacking impossible, unless, indeed, the Russians should attempt to pass the Danube on the ice, a feat which is not to be looked for from tacticians whose want of enterprize is notorious. A Hostii/e Peace !—The Retribution, the English war steamer which was despatched to Sebastopol before the fleets, to demand the surrender of the English engineers captured on board the Medari Tidjaret and the Egyptian frigate by the Russians, had on board an English and a French officer, who respectively bore to the Governor of Sebastopol the following- letter from their ambassadors :— " TO XHK GOVKKNOK OF SEBASTOPOL. "Conformably with the orders of my government, the British [French] squadron, in concert with that of France [England], is on the point of appearing- in the Black Sea. The object of the movement is to protect the Ottoman territory from all aggression or hostile act. I apprise your Excellency thereof with a view to prevent all collision tending to disturb the amicable relations existing between our governments, which 1 am desirous of preserving, and which, no doubt, your Excellency is equally anxious to maintain. " To this end, I should feel happy to learn that your Excellency, animated by these intentions, had deemed it expedient to give the requisite instructions to the admiral commanding the Russian forces in the Black Sea, so as

obviate any occurrence calculated to endanger peace. "Redcxiffe. " [Baraguay D'Hiixiehs.]" The letters of both Ambassadors are precisely in these terms, and with the last word underlined as above. Russian Pkowess and Exaggeration.— To revert to the late operations on the Danube we find that the Russians, with their usual fertility of invention, have contrived to extract the bulletin of a victory out of the several reverses inflicted on their arms on the 6th of January ; but they utterly fail to account for the fact, acknowledged by themselves, that the Turkish army—which they pretend to have routed on the first day—should have attacked them on three following days with increased vigour and success. It is stated, indeed, that the Turkish commander received le-inforce-ments from Sofia, consisting in part of the Egyptian contingent, and that the Russians were harassed during the action by several feigned attempts at another passage of the Danube. The truth seems to be that these engagements were warmly disputed on both sides, and that both Turks and Russians held on the 9th and 10th pretty nearly the same positions as they had on the 6th. The report that the bulk of the Russian army had been driven back on Krajova is not confirmed : but, on the other hand, the Russians have, as yet, entirely failed in making even so much as a demonstration against Kalafat. A great deal has been said, and is still believed, of the immense military resources of Russia, and, on paper, we see that she boasts more than half a million of armed men and 1,000 guns, said to be fully equipped for the field. But, whether these forces actually exist or not, it must he acknowledged that a great element in the utility of an army is the promptitude with which it can be brought into the field Seven or eight months have elapsed since the Russians crossed the Pruth, and four since war was declared. The Turkish Government, with far inferior means of transport, has brought up large bodies of men even from Egypt and Asia. Yet the Russian forces, on the scene of action, are still not only incapable of commencing positive operations of war, but even of holding the positions to which they have attempted to advance. It was of vital consequence to the success of any future undertakings they may undertake, to prevent the Turkish army from establishing itself firmly in Kalafat. Yet for many weeks, no attempt was made by Prince Gortschakoff, [ to operate beyond the Aluta, and when at last i General Aurep advanced to the Danube, he met with a reception he was little prepared to encounter. If such are the delays and weaknesses of the Russian armies on a theatre of war contiguous to their own territory, chosen by themselves, and well known to them in all the wars of the last century, what could be expected of them in the event of great military operations against the assembled forces of Europe ? Everything we have practically seen or known of their achievements in the last few years denotes great exaggeration, and falls infinitely short of the exertions of the Russian armies which took so great a part in the struggle against Napoleon and the termination of "the last European war. — Times, Jan. 19.