RUSSIA AND TURKEY AT WAR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 315, 27 April 1877, Page 4

RUSSIA AND TURKEY AT WAR.

The following telegram, under date London 23, which we (baity Times) received from the Press Agency last night, though it doe* not specifically state *j, places it beyond doubt that Russia and Turkey are •tmr:—

"Lcsbosf, April 23. "The Busman Embassy has left Stambonl.

"The Car has reviewed the army, urged bravery, and hoped for its speedy and glorious return." From late exchanges to hand, we have compiled the following particulars of the numbers and condition of the rival armies:— TBB RUSSIAN ARMY. The head-quarters of the Russian army of the Danube are at Kis-chenck. The army is ready to take the field at a moment's notice. A thousand horses have been bought for the train, a bridge for crossing the Danube, boats, barges, steam launches, and torpedo boats to operate against the Turkish gunboats have been provided. Masses of ammunition of all lands are heaped up. Long trains of railway waggons are standing in sidings at •very station as well as here, awaiting the word which will set them all moving. Nothing, in short, neems wanting. The bridge lying here is capal 1 3 of passing the whew army over the Danube in one day. There are enough boats to put a smalt army over the Danube. There are 13 enormous steam launches large enough to cross the Atlantic, two large barges, seven smaller boats*, five torpedo-boats, and masses of other things, showing that everything is looked afier to the smallest detail. Six corps have been mobilised besides the army of the Caucasus, numbering €5,000 men. This makes altogether about 275,000, with 900 guns. Of this force, two corps (the 7th a«id 12th) are at Odessa and Sevastopol, four, viz., the Bth, 9th, 10th, and 11th, rre in Bessarabia. The army, therefore, which would be the first to move against the Turks, numbers 120,000 men, with §0*)0 cavalry, 72 batteries of artillery and 720 funs, ready for action in European Tnrey, without counting the army of Caucasus, which would probably operate against Asiatic Turkey. The foregoing is summarised front the Jktih/ JV«w:* correspondence. The Pullrwc/w CwrsafQmdvnz of Vienna, according to telegrams in The; Time* of Feb. IJ>, gives what it considers authentic data, received from various farters, of the military forces which Russia has ready for war against Turkey. We summarise from the account as follow*: —The mobilised Russian armies eons's' at this moment ef 20* infantry divisions oat of 48, three brigades of riflemen out of eight, nine divisions of cavalry oat of 20, 150 batteries of field, horsy, and mountain artillery, besides a siege train of over 500 heavy guns. Thi» fibres comprises twofifths of the whole arr.iy. It has in readiness to pass the frontier 35 batteries of field artillery, and a *ie;;e train of about 2CO heavy guns, 115.000 men, among them 95,000 combatants, and does not include some 5000 men who do permanent garrison duty on the frontier. F»r the defence of the Black Sea there are 100,000 men, 80,000 of whom are combatants. In addition, too, there is the Southern Army, the total effective of which, including commissariat, sanitary service, Jfec.., numbers 200,000 men, of whom 130,000 are combatants. Also, there is the reserve for the Southern Army, troop* of which reserve are, like the rest, fitted out to take the field, and may at any moment enter into the first tin;?. They number together 75,000 men, with 60,000 combatants. As a reserve of Cossacks, : ten regiments of the second category have ! been mobilised. With some batteries of ! arfctHery, they number 10,000 men. with : 8000 combatants. Finally, in the depots, ' some 100,000 men are kepi: ready to swp- ! ply the losses in the mobilised anny. In all, Russia has more than 600,000 men on foot, of whom about one-half are ! ready ©n the frontier tines, and only waife- I ing for the order to begin. This state- ! ment, so far as it can be controlled by information from other sources, is a tolerably correct one.

TKffi TPBKI9H JkRSnT. The most contradictory account* have been published regarding the Turkish army. One account in particular which waafately published attracted ranch notice, and! was to the effect that the writer had made a personal visit to the place* where the army was chiefly located, and generalfy found only thousand* where it was imderstood there were tens of thousand!). A letter m the Catoyw fttrxtl!*, dated Rnatchttk, the !>th, says:— ** The ansioustyexpected S4 guns have at length arrived at Varna, and also a portion of the heretofore absent ammunition. The Turkish Army haa now a very different appear? ne© t© what it had four weefes ago. Jt stilt. indeed, tack* many things the Redifs, for whom simple arminj and better clothing are urgently necessary; hat, on the whole, no* means have Wen neglected for putting the Army and fortresses into a proper condition. Unfortunately these exertion* bejpun rather too late, and time and money are now wanting for procuring everything and which mast, therefore, remain unsuppfied."' Id » tetejsran* from Euatchuk. under date l£th, which appear* in The Turn?, it is stated chat the troop* stationed in the village* on the Danuoe, who. numbered 6%0€0» men ©n the r;lst of January, hav*? received reinforcements, increasing their ■trangth to> TuvWO men. The garrison of this town (ftnstchulc) numbers from 10,060 to- 12,000 men. According to intetligence received from Toultcha, the mfinary force m the Bobrudsha district, which, on the 31st of January, wast estimated at about 2(000 strong, haa bees in -eresied to 4000 men.

Tito correspondent of Tht Hum with

! the Turkish Army telegraphs on February 28th from Shuuila :—" The garrison of \ Shumla amount* at present to only 14 i battalions, G squadrons, and 4 field batteries. Yet it is said that all the chief | positions in the Balkans are occupied by | troops, which, amounting in all to 40,000 men, are intended, in the event of war, to Jbe concentrated round Shumla. The ■ passes of the Balkans are occupied by infantry and mountain artillery. The newworks of the intrenched camps are constructed so as to be permanent. Tiie arms are so far food, consisting chiefly of heavy breech-loaders. The state of health of the troop 3 is more unfavourable ; the medical arrangements are bad." The Commander of the Army of the Danube, Achmet Eynb Pasha, whose incapacity was sufficiently established in the late war, has little trust reposed in him either by the generals under his command or by the troops. In military circles it is believed there will te war, although it is not desired. From Giurgevo, The Times 1 special sends: March 2nd—Of all Turkish fortresses the greatest importance is attached to Silistria, as far as, at least, the strength of the garrison is concerned, which consists of 24 battalions of foot, 24 field guns, and two squadrons of horse, amounting in all to 20,000 men. On the part of the Turks, it is believed that Silistria, in the event of war, will be called upon to play a prominent part ; still the fortified works leave much to be di sired, as they neither conform to the rules of modern construction, nor are they suited to the nature of the surrounding country, but the armament is very good. For provisioning the plac?, comprehensive measures are being taken, and contracts for the delivery of large quantities of provisions are being entered into. The commander of the fortress is Muschir Achmet Pasha, who is said to possess little genius, but much energy. The Turkish fleet, under command of Hobart Pasha, is in a very high state of efllclency. Mt.DIUT PASHa'.S OPINION".

The editor of the Neapolitan Journal Botum has interviewed the exiled 3fidhat Pa»ha, and in answer to a question respecting the probability o7 war, the Vtzter said :—"A war with Russia is inevitable and imminent, even after peace is concluded with Servia. Russia would have crossed the Pi-nth long ago if .she had not been deceived by fatsj notions regarvling the condition of Turkey. Turkey will offer a desperate defence with her anny of 600,000 good soldiers.' 1 Russia, in the Turkish statesmanV opinion, connot draw back, and he himself builds hopes upon the result of war, and does not believe that t'xe war can be localised. Austria will, he thinks, be drawn into it by her various populations, and will take part in the struggle for ti'e reason that the inhabitants of Ihdmntia ami Croatia will provoke disturbances whereby she may W compelled to intervene. Mid hat Pasha expressed a belief that Prince Dismarek is the author of the present situation. He greatly eulogised the Sultan, aud, in c»nelu»ioci, said that without a complete revolution of the customs oif the Musjul«»»an» r. resurrection of t'le Ottoman nation was iuipossib'*;. TrKK'-iY asp p.:i:sia. To the foregoing it may be ttrat there ar-j di : ttc;ri*tes between Turkey and Persia, that Russia is cok'Ui.tj: the aid of Persia. a>td the latter in not averse to enter on a campai,;». The coiicctitntttoii of the available Turkish forces along t : ic Russian frontier has leiit the long frontier line between Persia and Turkey almost unprotected, so that, even with 20,000 men or so whom the Shah can collect, something might be done. As there arc chronic differences between the two States, it would be easy enough to swell them up into *■*».*>.*.!» b*Mi.