The Lyttelton Times.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 198, 23 September 1854, Page 4

The Lyttelton Times.

Saturday, September 23, 1854. Let us turn for a short time from our own little politics to the one question of incalculable interest which is now convulsing Europe. England and France are plunging into a momentous war, the consequences of which will be felt all over the world; —a war which resolves itself into a struggle between the freedom of the West and the despoticm of the East, between civilization on the one hand and barbarism on the other. This struggle has not begun too soon ; for sooner or later the two great elements of European society must have come into direct collision. The sooner the insidious advances of Russia are exposed and braved, the less difficulty will there be in checking her unjust aggressions. Fortunately for us, the progress of civilization in these days has a directly opposite tendency, with respect to war, to that which it had in the days of the classic world. Christian civilization inculcates moderation; Heathen civilization encouraged effeminacy. In our day Intellect and Science have a large share in bringing war to a successful issue ; —Barbarism in the north of Europe has lost the power which freedom gives, and has not attained the skill which free intellect commands. If this were not the case, Attala and his Huns were less to be dreaded by the Romans of old, than the Czar of all the Russias and his millions of Serfs would be by the civilized inhabitants cf Western Europe. The instinctive feeling that the war which has just broken out is one not of nation against nation, but—if we may so speak—of one age against another, has drawn those hereditary foes, England and France, into the closest bond of friendship. And ! this feeling will be a pledge of unbroken friendship as long as a common enemy so terrible and so odious to all the feelings and interests of both shall have power to make itself feared by the weak or to rouse the indignation and jealousy of the powerful. It may be interesting to many of our readers, if we attempt to trace, as briefly as possible, the steps of the belligerent powers from the breaking out of hostilities to the present moment. The principal seat of

[ war is in a country whose geography is not ! generally known in detail; and the different scraps of news which reach us from time to time are so disconnected that it is difficult to understand from them the general plan of operations. After a long series of fruitless negociations, by which it now appears that Nicholas only wished to gain time, the first aggressive step was taken by the Russians. They crossed the Pruth in July, 1853, 200,000 strong, and occupied the Principalities of Moldavia andWallachia, tributaries of Turkey, lying between the Pruth and the Danube. Prince Gortschakoff, the Com-mander-in-Chief, took up his quarters.-at Buchai-est, the capital of Wallachia, about 40 miles north of the Danube. Still this aggression was not immediately considered a casus belli. Turkey and the Western Powers remonstrated, and the English and French fleets lay at anchor in Besika Bay, just outside the Turkish waters. But while negociations went on preparations for the worst were made on all sides. Armed Turks began to pour into Constantinople ; and the Spithead Review and the camp at Chobham answered to the ceaseless activity in the Champ de Mars at Paris. Omer Pacha fortified Silistria, a town on the southern bank of the Danube, about 80 miles from the shores of the Black sea, and formed an intrenched camp at Sehumla, a strong position about 60 miles south-east of Silistria. The Czar played the old game. He negociated, made useless offers, gained time, and finally refused to accede to any reasonable terms. Between the 28th October and the 4th November the Turks crossed the Danube in four places, near Kalafat, Oltenitza, Guirgevo, and Kalarache. Two divisions of the Ottoman army beat back generals Danrienberg and Perloft towards Bucharest, after vigorous contests in which the Russians, though greatly superior in numbers, were defeated with great slaughter. The Turks then retreated to the southern bank of the Danube in perfect order—heavy rains having set in and the north bank being unhealthy. They established a chain of posts from Schumla to Widdin, a town on the south bank of the Danube, to the west of Wallachia, and stationed videttes all along the river from Widdin to Silistria, a distance of about 250 or 300 miles. The only place they held on the north bank of the river was Kalafat, which is protected by the guns of Widdin. Beyond one abortive attempt of the Russians to cross the Danube, nothing more was effected during the first campaign. The Russians strengthened Bucharest and encamped around it. Such were the positions in which the two armies prepared to pass the winter.

Meanwhile the Black Sea and its hitherto comparatively unfrequented shores become scenes of great interest. Squadrons of English and French steam-frigates are sent to protect the interests of their respective nations on the European and Asiatic coasts. The Fort of St. Nicholas on the boundary line between the Russian and Turkish Dominions in Asia is captured by the Turks and held against five successive attacks of the Russians by land and by sea under Prince Woronzow. And then comes the catastrophe of Sinope. We need not now dwell upon this unfortunate battle, or rather massacre. Admiral Nachimoff, loaded with honors by the Czar, has earned amongst English seamen the reputation of a pirate. About the same time the Turks were sigl nally defeated by land at Akhalzic on the northern border of Turkish Armenia, and again at Sabaltan, en the frontier of Georgia.

These were heavy blows scarcely compensated for by the revolt of Georgia and Armenia against the Russians and the descent of the Circassian hero Schamyl from his mountain fastnesses. General Guyon arrived in haste from Aleppo to take the command of the Turkish army in Asia, whose disasters arose chiefly through their being badly officered. General Guyon is an Ent glishman, and Hungarian General, called by the Turks, Kurschid Pacha. These reverses had the effeqt' of inducing England and Fiance to order the combined fleet to enter the Black Sea, though without any hostile intent. Its very presence there however was calculated to re-assure the Turks, and to intimidate the Hussians. ; ' • ' The present year opened with a brilliant victory gained by the _ Turks at Kalafat. The Russians had advanced as far as Citate within three or four hours' march from Kalafat, and had begun to entrench themselves in that position. On the 6th January, Ismail Pacha marched out of Kalafat to prevent this ;—totally routed the Russians and drove them back to ward s Kraj ova. According to the Emperor's inspiriting custom, the Russian General Count Aurep was superseded pour encourager les autres. After this engagement the position at Kalafat was strongly entrenched by Achmet Pacha in expectation of an attack by the Russians in strong force. In February, diplomatic relations ceased between England and France on the one hand, and Russia on the other; and Austria began to concentrate a large army on the Servian and Bosnian frontier. The people of Sweden, Denmark, and Prussia began to exhibit discontent at the temporising policy of their Governments, and to express their sympathy for the Turkish cause. All this time negociations were still going on between the Western Powers and Russia; and autograph letters passed between Nicholas and Napoleon, which only exasperated both parties. In England and France preparations were made for war, and troops were sent to the Mediterranean. On the 11th of March, Sir Charles Napier sailed for the Baltic, and war was only suspended to await the answer of the Czar to the ultimatum of the Western Powers. In the meantime Lower Epirus had rebelled against Turkey, and Greece had sympathised en masse with the rebels. King Otho's Government being too weak to] put down the movement, an irregular army of Greeks and rebels was formed on the southern frontier of Turkey, threatening her with a new danger. On the 15th March, Prince Gortschakoff endeavoured to possess himself of an island opposite Turtukai, about 40 miles to the west of Silistria, but failed in the attempt; the Russians being defeated with the loss of 2000 men. This attack, however, turned out to be a feint, for on the 23rd of March from 35,000 to 50 3 000 Russians crossed the river from Brailow to Matchiri, about 100 miles to the north-east of Silistria, not far from the junction of the Pruth with the Danube. General Liiders formed the siege of Matchin. Another Russian detachment crossed the river at Ismail, and occupied Tultsche the tete-de-pont of that Russian fortress, about 40 miles from the mouth oP^ the Danube. Thus the Russians gained theiVj footingin Dobrudscha, the northern extremity" of Bulgaria. The seat of war shifting towards the east, the garrisons at Widdin and Kalafat being no longer serviceable so far away, were recalled, and orders were given for a general advance eastward. This was the position of affairs in the east when, on the 27th of March, war was declared against Russia by England and France. From this, point we will resume on a future occasion.