THE INVASION OF TURKEY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 319, 1 May 1877, Page 3

THE INVASION OF TURKEY.

(From this morning's <: Daily Times.") RussiC appears to have declared war on ie '_'-' nd or 23rd April ; of the actual detrition of war not a line has been telerapued. Th.e London telegrams of the 6th, which were published in our issue of esterday, showed that Rus&ian troops ere pouring into Roumania, that many ad arrived at Galatz on the Danube Joumanian side), and that the Cossacks ere marching on Kalafat, which is some 50 miles farther away from the Russian arder. Quite an excitement was caused ! town yesterday, when extras were sued giving the result of the first battle, id stating that the Turks had been nited. The names in the telegrams iving considerably altered in the spelog while in transmission, it could not at ie time be found where the righting took [ace. A study of the atlas, however, resiled that the rival hosts in Asia, or porting of them, had encountered one wither. The Russians have entered the urkish districts of Akalzik and Kars in rans-Caucasia, and appear not to have it more than 100 miles within the Tursh borders. At Batoum, on tiic coast 'the Black Sea, tney—not the Turks ere routed with loss of 800 men, nl at Ardham, which is some 50 Jes inland, they are said to have mimenced hostilities. The point at aicL the Russians crossed the frontier is the Russian town and fortress of Gamri • Alexandropol, from which the cele•ited fortress of Kars is about 45 miles '.S.W. The country is a rugged one of ftr mountains and high plains, and acnling to the London papers of the benning of March, the weather in the disict was th jn particularly severe. Batoum late years is beginning to become iin-

irtant for its trade. Ardalian is simply l underground village, and a c.istle which had was in 1830 dismantled by the assians. Many of the Armenians emiit.'d with the Russian army in 1830, tfsrring Rus.sian despotism to Turkish pressba, and settled in Russian Ar--tiiii; the great majority of the inhabi:.ti of the new city and fortress of A!exliropol —built by the Russians on the 1 Turkish town of Gumri, on the left ak uf the D.lni C :ai. a few miles above junction with the Arpa—are Armiiiiaus. ; Alexandropol a Russian army, un.kr ecommand of L:>riuenskev, comprising Hi,OOJ nun, or ,000 fighting men, with 3 ) bat caries of

iila.'tillery and 2 >0 big guns, have been icioued for months pas:. Tae foru\s-; Item of fKars are situate <>n a high solute plain some GOOO or 7000 f.-et uv« the sea, and besides the great :.u\d advantages of position, the 'i u:ks Vi this year strengthened the garrison cli war mate-rial, about .""50-.'tins of !arge y.' and modern construction, and so nloes not appear to have received the lention of the Russians, who have made : the Black Sea shore. On March 7th : Times correspondent at Ka s wrote it "This point is reckon.d to he nost impregnable, unless the Russians w a 1; : _;e ar-uy ;,, invest it before adding •■■! Erz i'.j;uii anil Trebizonde, ich ;. ilus.-:ian> are not able to do. : " .e 7" ' f February, in a leader. s;;ys : "0 p riis would spring front the ii| .in Asia Minor. Since it would

< . •_■■'.LinL.'vr our way to Indie, it jit giv<. :' < • to embarrassing disputes tu the custody of Egypt." Turning to the military operations in irope, tlie Russians, it is mentioned, ve not occupied Kalafat. T.is position i Roumanian one, anil in March it was egraphed to the London papers that tiic rfcs had an intention of occupying it. e denial given to the Russians having sscil the Danube shows that it must be ehateable point whether they have done aad it may be pointed out, according the telegram, London 26th, that some the invading Russian forces had then ehed Galatz, which is on the banks of Danube.

I . itn'ousCaptain Barnaby, when ■ ■:■' ■ f, about eight weeks ago, was : '.'..• present seat of war in Asia, • i!.:. as he is making a stay in ■■!•■.. ..ill be giving the British ■ : n the war and the country. •i ediccioiis were made by various . ns at the ame when the lerai ciy vwis that Russia did not ind to go to war, that war would be deretl in the middle or latter end of ril. It appears that on the 4"th of ■rch tiie Russian military authorities sod placards to be posted up at Kichef and < (ddessa, asking merchants and trs to submit terms for the delivery of [a fpuutities of provisions in the ion? Roumanian towns between J assy

' tiiiuv.'vo, in the month of April. letacr the offers would be accepted was he tune doubted, but after events show t serious business was meditated. '£ the estimites of the forces that Rushas at her disposal for inva ling Asiatic key, two of them agree very closely, iug d >wri the army at between 115,000 120.00), and the actual combatants at ttlj over 90,000. Tae Tim:s, in an "tial, says tiiat Russia can send be--1 t.u C uic isus, 130,0)0 nun. The e authority says it is doubtful whether 'k-'y can plac j in line 160,000 men in U P- V , and 100,000 mm in Asia Minor.