THE INVASION OF TURKEY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4743, 1 May 1877, Page 2

THE INVASION OF TURKEY.

Russia appears to have declared war on the 22nd or 23rd April; of the actual declaration of war not a line has been telegraphed. The London telegrams of the 26th, which were published in our-issue of; yesterday,-,showed tnat^ Kussian troops werfc pouring into Koumania, that many had arrived at Galatz on the Danube (Ronmaman side),' and that the Cossacks wera marching on Kalaf at, which is some 400mileslarther away from the Russian.border! Ouite an excitement was caused in town yesterday, when extras were issued giving thejresult of the first battle, and stating that the Turks bad been routed. The names in the telrerams having considerably altered in the spelling while in transmission, it could not at the time be found where the fighting took place. A study of the atlas, however, revealed.that the rival hosts in. Asia, or portions of:them, had encountered one another. The Russians have entered the Turkish districts of Akalzik and Kara in irans-Oaucasia, and appear not to have got at most more than 100 miles within the Turkish borders. At Batoum, oa the coast of the Black i •fSET 110* tbe Turks-were routed with loss of 800 men, and at Ardahan, V/hich is some 50miles inland, theyare said to havecommenced hostilities. The -point at which ths Russians crossed tho frontier is at the Russian-town and fortress of Gumri or Alexandropol, from which toe celebrated fortress of Kars ia about 45 miles W-S- W; The country.is a rugged one of lofty mountains and high plains, and according the London papers of the beginning of March, the weather in the district wai then-particularly severe. Batoum-of late years fabeginnmg to become important for its trade. - Ardahan is simply an underground village, and a castle which it had was in 1830 dismantled by the Bnf^'Manyof the Armenians emigrated . with ; thei Russian army in 1830, preferring Russian despotism to Turkish oppression, and settled m Russian Armenia; the great majority of the inhabitants of the new city and fortress °f/i ex? 1?(!r^ ol-b r vljitby the Russians on the tli r^'n^ f Gum, ri > on the left bankot ttT*i £hai, afewmiles aboveits junction .with the Arpa—are Armenians. -At Alexandropol a Russian army, under the command of Lieutenanc-General Lorisamenskoy, comprisina 115 000 men or 90,000 fighting SenSsl batteries of field artillery and 250 big guns, have beer, stationed for months past. 'The fortress andtowri of Kara are situate on a high desolate plain some 6000 or,7oooft. above tie sea, and besides the great natural advantages of positwn-the Turks have this year 8w l^ d - he fifrisonwith war material, construction, and so. far does not sppet;- to have received the attention of the Russians M£ hV? V£w2 6 fe **" Black Seashore. On March 7th th 9 Times correspondent at Kars wrote^that "This point is reckoned to be almost impregnable, unless the Russians leave &■ large army to r invest it before advancing on Erzeroum aiid Trebizonde, which the Russiaus are not able to do." The Times of February, in, a leader, says •— •* . & c.ril3 would 8P"n& f rom the camnaiffn in Asia Minor. Since it would- be said to endanger our way to India, it might give rise to embarrassing disputes as to , the custody of iigypt." ' ' to the military operations in Europe, the .Russians, it is mentioned, have not occu' pied .Kalafat. This position is a Roumanian one, and in March it was telegraphed to the London papers that the Turks had an intention of occupying it.. The :denial.given to the Russians having crossed the Danube shows that it must be a debateable point whether they have done so, and; it may be pointed out, according to the telegram, London, 26th, that some of the lnvading^ussiari forces had' then reached I™ ' mch Kon the banks of the Danube. ±he adventurous Captain Barnaby, when last .heard of, about eight ! ago,; was doing the present seat of warlinAsia, and no doubt as he is making a stay in the country, will be givingthe British public a book on the war and, the country. Several predictions- were made by various correspondents at the time when the general cry was that : Russia did not. intend to go to war, that war would be declared in the middle ?f, la™r; ell<l of-April. It appears that on the 4th of March the Russian military authorities caused placards to' be posted up at Eicheneff and Oddessa, asking merchants and others to submit terms for the delivery of large quantities of provisions in the various Roumanian towns between Jassy and Giurgevo, in the month of April.; Whether the offers would be accepted was at the time doubted, but after events show that serious business was meditated.: ■■;■■ . ■•■.; ■'

Of the estimates of the forces that Russia has at her disposal for invading Asiatic lurkeyi- two of them agree- very closely Hon^nl"o^ tae army at between 115,0C0 and 1.40,000, and the actual combatants at a little over 90,000. > The Times, in an editorial, says that Russia can send beyond the Caucasus, 150,000 men. ; The same authority saya it is doubtful whether Turkey rcan place in line 160,000 men in Europe, and 100,000 men in Asia Minor.