THE New Zealand Hearld AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XV, Issue 5043, 15 January 1878, Page 2

THE New Zealand Hearld AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

Tin: history of the campaign is now little more than a record of disaster for the Turks. The army which fought in the Shipka Pass so long aud so valiantly, is now doubtless on the way to Russia, following the defenders of Plevna, and now we hear of 25.000 men being captured at Antivari and 8,000 at Nissa. We cannot help feeling sceptical as to these numbers. Antivari is on the coast of Montenegro, and if the statement is correct, must have been taken by the Montenegrins. But, in the first place, the Turkish garrisons in that quarter have been greatly reduced to strengthen the army in Bulgaria, so that it is exceedingly unlikely that so large a force as is spoken of would bo loft at Antivari ; secondly, the Montenegrins are hardly strong enough to take a town so powerfully garrisoned, as such a number of prisoners implies. Nissa is on the borders of Montenegro. However, the fates are against Turkey. The town of Shipka has been taken, and the Turks do not seem to intend to make a stand at Adrianople, but propose to retrofit, to their last defence at the lines which guard Constantinople itself. The Russians will not even consider the proposals for an armistace until the conditions of peace are laid down, which indeed is the usual practice, although Russia seems to have made some promise to the contrary. England, we are told, protests against the nonfulfilment of this promise, while the fact that three Cabinet Councils have been held within a week shows that the situation is regarded by the English Government as becoming critical. Remembering Khiva, and the solemn promises Russia made and broke as she intended, the wonder is that England would have trusted to any promise. Will she do now what she did when Khiva was annexed— accept the situation >