WAR NEWS BY MAIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 426, 8 September 1877, Page 2

WAR NEWS BY MAIL.

THE BATTLE AT PLEYXA AND OTHER, RATTLES. A S'. Petersburg telegram -states that ISO,OOO fresh troops arc already on tit',' way by rail to the. .S"..t of war, and the L'uavds follow in ten ikvs. These include 8000 cavalry, :><koX) 'infantry, and 2.0 ca'inou. Of the Laudwehr only t!ie picked regimi eo o> Rnl.a \>. In the operations south of the Ralkaup, a loss of 12,000 kill al and wouu led was inflicted on the Rns-ians. Tue enemy were drivi n from liie ioca'itu.s south of the mountains, and ia.v and order re:t.red. Before the end of.lnly. ih<: Russians had concentrated 100.000 troops nron::d Plevna, eiioug'i to dispense wirli the garrison, and completed the iuves'tnent of Rustchuk, advancing near enoiigii to throw shells into the fort'.lk; it ions.

The bomh ;r fluent of Si]isf ria. caused .several fiiv.s iu iii:; town on Jnlv 'M<t. Tnc Russian ri-ht win;. 40,000 siron-.', attacked < (.small Pasha at Plevna. Tin; Turkish fore was .•stini ted at. HO.OOO ; they occupied a .-trios <>f p >sitioiis which. iial.nr.illy siro;i.:. uer also a"ti.',cialiy fortified in every avail tide spot, a horseshoe in front of Pie'-na, with the flanks ivMin;.j o:i rho river. T,o Russian f..roc consisted ..f i lie Ninth Army Corps, under Ueiu rd .ivaid.iner: l'\ : i Division, and Kith Pri.'a ie of the 'ind ])ivis ; on. under Prince Sehaho>ky, with t.iree i.riUii'lts of cavalry, and 10J gm.-. It, wa* arranged that <leee:al Knidin r should

attack tit! Ttt - k s i c ■nitv at Ci.rvnei and the northern il ink of the cu'.r nched position civ.r llilmw, while Skaholoi]

eld in eheelc the strong Turkish force

at Lo'.ao, which was at I a; e.xtie ni'y of tin; Turiiish lines. {'>■•;. ■■r..l Krud n.-v iie-.i-an til!; liaif'e a!r".ii hah'-past- nin-' o'clock, and after a 'on;' homliar Im.'iit. he succeeded in fsil-nein'4 I'm Turkis cum n at C'iiv or, In. c mid not expo tin; in;an:ry fro.n ;no eariiwon-. il" spent, t io whole afternoon in unavaiiinendeavours to force t0" northern Hank of the Turkish posifK.i, d< s.isun:; after dark, wilho ir, I ;ivH; gained anything mat. rial, hut having hints If snilereh cons'derahl.; 1 ss. I'rine: Schiko>ky

:i.lnitit nmin carried Rulx-n. plant iu>; four 1.-iii-t'.-ri'.-s <>: i t.'io l'i-l.'o beyond, and bombarded the nearest, Turkish position, which was ;\n < art li wu;!:. armed uila Ci! nor,, in front of an en! ivnc'ii il village. \fier rii hour's cannonade ! e silence 1 the Tu kis'i euus. aa.l his mf nery. after a loll:;- and Moody e .nt 'Si, envied both the earthwork an I village. T i;.' s <m;i:l Turkish position, consist in.' ol: a redoubt and a series of entrench.d vineyards, strongly lu Id, was then attack, d. and nltiniat. ly cai-i-L .-d, but with a titiii >!<• effort, and very sewre l"s;. owinv: to iiiavy Turkish artillery iir ■. Tar Russians, uioioovai'. were unable to utilise the cap'vr.vd position. About 4 o'clock a reserve brigade was brought no. and an attack made on the position immediately Plevna. The attack eoiiiiniied until nearly sunset. The Turkish infantry was in ;;reaf force in a continuous line und.'i'siie'. 1 r ol' the trenches. Despite the most stubborn etibrts, n<> impression could lit.- in'd > upon that line, and two companies of Russian infantry did work round to r' c rhpt of t ie Turkish tienehis. and entered the town of Plevna, lint it was inipossiiilj to fold it. The .Russian batteries pushal boldly forward into position, hut were compelled soon to evacuate the hazardous spot At sundown, the Turks made a continuous forward movement., and recaptured their second position. The Russian infantry mad >, a succ'ssion of desp■■rate stands, and died like heroes. The Turks gradually iv-took everything thi-y had Ins'. The tie; dim,' lasted loir; after ni Jit fail. Willi darkness the Ij.-ishi-Ijazouks took possession of the l.ii'ik-iiold, and sle.v all tiie wounded. The Russians held ■ the heights about j Dado/ac, Init the J>;i.ilii-Ij.-izu»ka worked i round to their rear, a.nd fell on the j wounded collected in village*.

A com.'six ndent tjlegrapl.s that Prince Sch:ikosk\'s division w;>s utterly routed. He had n<>r, a man left to cover his re'na', and tlie Turks struck without stint. Tuey 11ad the upper hand, and were determined t i show they knew how to make the most of it. They advanced in swarms throng'i the disk to their original position, e.iptur, d the Russian cannon b fore the batteries could be withdrawn, and Turkish shi lis began one ? more to wlus'h; over the lidge above Radisiona and fa'l into the villages bthiml, which were n w crammed uirli woiimlei), w in liad wended their painful w=iy over the ridge. The badly wounded mostly lay where they fell. Liter, in the darkness, a baleful sort of " Kr mkentranger " st irinud over the battle-tield in tin; shan-i of BashiBazouks, who spared not:,ing lingering on the ridge. Till the moon ros< , the staif could hear from below, on the still ni_dit a : r, cries of pain and euire; tie; for m-rcv of bloodthirsty fanatits. It was indeed an hour to wring the stirn st hearts. The correspondent goes on to say : " The Turks had our range before dark, and ,we could -watch the flash of flame over

against us, ami then listen to the screan of shells as; they tore by uo. The souik of riue-bullefs was incessant, and tin escort and ; retreating wounded wcii struck. It will give some idea of the dis organisation to say that when a compaii; was told off to cover some of the wonndei in Radislmod, it had been made up u nun of sneral regiments. About 1 o'eloci the stall' (jirtted t'ie ridge, leaving i littered with groaning men. Movin gently, lest we should tread on the pros trate wounded, we lost, our way, as \vi had lost our army. Wo could find li; rest for the soles of our feet, by reason <i acinus <f Ras! i Raz u'<s swarming ii amongst tin- scattered ami retreating litis si.uis." At le.igth, at 1 o'clock in tli inoniiiig, having lieeii in the saddle sine 1 o'clock on the previous morning, \\; turned into a stubble liehl, and, niakiii: 1) ds of reap d grain, correspondent an 1 ' Cossacks ahke vested under the stavi,; Rut we wen; not even then allowed Iji rest, for an alarm ciuib that the Baslir R .zonks were upon us. We had to roivj up and tramp away. What in the mnri, ing was a line army was nmv a handful t we try Co-sacks. General Krudiner se ? word in the morning that he had h s severely, ami could make no headway and had resolved to fill back on the lin of the river < Isira, Fighting was renewu the following day. with further losses 4 the Russians. The defeat, had a mostd4 moralising ell' ct ; the panic extendi' 1 through the Russian army as far as Sn ; (ova. where a few Cossacks arriving sai, 1 t''e Turks were closely following then, The people of Sistova thereupon rushe (>)( ))i,r.« ( ; across to Siniciiezi, followed lr the Cossacks, who tb-d. On the ron . they came upon a c mvoy of Russia ■■ transport waggons, and .spread a pani,; among the drivers, wl.o, leaving thei j e'nirge, ran in all directions. Next morn I ing order was restored by the arrival of : ] large number of prisoners at Sistova, sail ( fo have been captured in an engagenieii ( by the division of the Czurwitch. Tit j Russian killed and wounded are estimate 4 at 121.00'). The defeat has eoinpletel, i disarranged the Russian plan of opel'i. * tions. Osnian Pasha did not follow U .» t!ie victory, bin- is awaiting reinforce niciits."'

On (he; same day tin; Russians attacked j gj R iouf Pas'aat I'Mvi-Sa-m. After Hovel 2

hours liM'itin:.-, Jlantif Pisha retreatei ja] upon Karalioun, hut Sulioinan Push ) coming up repulsed the eiieiny at Kski tm capturing several iruns and inilict 3 4|> iiilt coiisideralile loss tin the RnsniariH. i *:

A despatch from Suknm Kaleh, d:itei ; August 2, says tin; Turkish frigate inadir-h lionihai'ili'd the Russian batterk'.' at TVs iioruie'dva on the UOh ult., V

silencing every Russian gun. The MiUl ;t1 malio'i was considerably damaged, alKj | several of the crew were l: ; "ed MK&* wonnd-d. Near Tehamfehiva then; wore GOi.fc*'. Turks in a iril.ied position, owing to tin * advance of !he Russ,an army, hut Hoharl , Pasha einharked the i.-nf.re force safely , on the I-it insf. under cover of the gUii'*, of tin* lleet. This completes the with- - drawal of the Turkish army from Can j > ee--. ; a. ll'ilijivt Pasha has command 1 e entire I.t'ack Sea, forces, consisting m L.'J men-of-war and transports. , u After suil'ering many di feats south nl r-) the l'.alkms. the Russians have btrongl) o'. forlilied the S ipli.-i Pass. ' ' t^ Twenty-live thousand Turkish regulars t were ord Ted fi 1 lhileho;lo Varna. „ T.k* Servian militia, .'iO.OJi) strong, has , hen called oat, and pasted as frontlet 1 guards. Au.slvia will innhilis" 00.000 men, and <j has issued a loan of L'l>,ooi>,<)oo florins t< cover tiie cost of mohilisation. ] .M-h( in t Ali's army at Rasgrad, minilieriu-;- 'KhOOO, is opposing the 'RtiHsiau • • [lositinn on the River Loin. ' The Turkish division from Luvatz occupied Selvi unopposed. Tin; Turks at Plevna have vei.-eived reinforcemeiits of 4000 Alhanian cavalry. The Russian forces are lietween Selvi , and Tirnova, holdini; a .strong defunwivo position.

Ceneral Comlci is charged with the , . duly of protecting the southern outlets of the I'alkan passes. A Vienna telegram >ay.s sfrategolically the most, important news from the Heat of war was the occupation of ttelvi. This i xposes Tirnova and the passes. (.5 ueta! Clnnrka's corps is said to lie .short of provisions and ammunition. htistchuk is no longer invested from the hind side, and communication with , Simiifla is opened. Ceiieral (Joiirka sent word to Tirnova, that his forces .are too ~ scattered to protect the Christians in ' various places against certain massacre. M-hcniet Ali lias appointed Hasoti « Pasha Chief of Artillery, and Dlim Pashti ( Commander at Varna. Ruth are Prus- i sians. J There is much sickness in the Russian |

army. j !u Dobrudseha, camps of 10,000 men * will lie formed. Eight squadrons of Russian cavalry | attacked Lovatz, but. were repulsed, with | MOO killed and GOO wounded. j The Turkish loan of one million h;ifl | been floated. | A Bucharestt legram, dated August 12, l s-iys an eminent persona-'e there; had an | iircrview with the (irand Duke Nicholas, j who iidniits the troops were somewhat ,| demoralised. lie said there was no pro- ] liability of the resumption of operations for three weeks, when a reinforcement of ; 100 000 nie'i would arrive. i Shackosky's and Krudiner's position is ' confronting' Plevna, and Dragomiroff's ; division is between Timova and Lovatz. | This fo:ce h probably sufficient for pro- J t-etion, l>nc utterly inadequate for re- J newal of t!ie offensive. . J It is esfimat d now that from GO.OOO to | 70 000 Turks are on the Lovatz and i Plevna line, and will t:\ke a gre;it iLal of 1 beating. ■•IS