THE TURKS IN THESSALY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVIII, Issue 11367, 7 September 1897, Page 5

THE TURKS IN THESSALY.

"While the tortuous labyrinth of diplomacy is being laboriously threaded by the Ambassadors at Constantinople, and the Sultan is alternately interposing fresh obstacles and making ironical appeals to the Powers to hurry matters, something strange is happening in the conquered province of Thessaly. The Turkish army of occupation is said to bo decimated by disease, whose nature and causes are not, however, mentioned, The fact that the hardy, frugal, honest and well-behaved Turkish soldiers should have succumbed so readily to disease tends to discount the stories that were circulated of their soldierly qualities and powers of endurance. Indeed, Mr Wilfrid Pollock, who represented the Morning Post at the front during the recent hostilities, has helped to dispel that illusion by a little book he has issued descriptive of the campaign. The war he bluntly characterises as “ the most absurd in modern times. Except for General Smolenshi’s dignified stand for some days at Yelestino, it was merely a discreditable retreat of the Greeks from one magnificent position to the other.” The Turks, in these circumstances, were -not called upon for any display of valour, or discipline* or power of endurance. “ Not once,” writes Mr Pollock, “ did the Turks turn their cavalry on to the Greeks when in disorderly retreat, and they had several opportunities of doing so. Instead, they waited for days before they followed up their successes.” All the “ gush ” about the magnificent qualities of the fighting Turk is neutralised by a little bit of candid common-sense. The sad plight of the troops in Thessaly ought to hasten the negotiations for the evacuation of Greek territory. The Turks know that they must comply with the will of the Powers, yet they contest every inch of ground. Some weeks before the Sultan agreed to evacuate Thessaly a Russian statesman said: “ Turkey will yield on every point. Thessaly will he evacuated, and the portion of the province granted to Turkey will not exceed one verst. Ko Thessalian town will be surrendered to the Sultan.” The absolute verificatioil of this prediction encourages the hope that Turkish obstruction to the final conclusion of the terms of peace will very soon cease, and the Greeks will he left to the possession and development of their territory.