THE GREEK ARMY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1254, 3 June 1886, Page 3

THE GREEK ARMY.

The Vienna papers publish an analysis of the article which appeared in the “ Akropolis ” of Athens, revealing the wretched condition of the Greek army The writer of this artic'e is an officer who acted as special military correspondent to the “ Akropolis. ” He went through the Greek lines from Tirnavo in Thessaly to Milonnas, on the Thessalian frontier, and there, having the plain of Sssslona before him, observed through a telescope all that the Turks were doing. He says : “ I saw what the Turks had done to resist an invasion, whi’e on our side nothing had been done, either for offensive operations or defence. For two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon the Turkish soldiers are hard at work, drilling in companies and battalions or mamevring In brigades and divisions ; and in the interval they are busy throwing up earth works, making fortifications and levelling roads. They have fortified every piece of rising ground, and placed batteries which command every road aod pass through which onr soldiers could advance. Our Greek troops, meantime, saunter idly about the camp. Their heaviest work is sentry duty at the outposts. There is no roaiueuvring among them, and there is scarcely any drill. They have not erected one fort or placed a single battery in position. Lieut-General Saponlzakis, who has the command in this region, has not come to inspect Milonnas. He is hardly known to the majority of the troops on the frontier ; while, on the contrary, Acbraed Eyoub, who commands on the Turkish side, Is inspecting and encoursgii g them. The centre of our army is several leagues from the frontier, onr troops are scattered, and the roads in this season of rains a’ e mere quagmires. We have only 5000 men at Tirnavo and 7000 at Larissa, The Turks have blose to the frontier twenty-one infantry battalions and twenty batteries of artillery, and 13,000 reserve troops within an hour’s march of their camp.