The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, NOV. 24, 1876

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 124, 24 November 1876, Page 4

The Clutha Leader. BALCLUTHA: FRIDAY, NOV. 24, 1876

As was remarked by Bishop Nevill at the Dunediii aieeting* on Monday nig'hr, the world is at this moment, standing with bated breath contemplating* the worn of our allies, the Turks, in Bulgaria. "J t is not," he says, " alone the fact that so many thousands have been slain, and so many hundreds taken into captivity, which causes the feeling wliich is uuiveivul in the world. It is that things have taken place so revoli/ing-, that modern times, at all events, have not seen the like. Uf course it is unlit for me to describe that which has taken place. We know, however, that these thing's have taken place to such an extent that we are entitled to say this is no mere massacre. Mere massacre ! Good heavens ! that one should even have lived to be able to say that, by contrast with that which has occurred, v mere massacre is a comparatively trirlinu* thing* !" a sense ot decorum prevents a speaker or writer,frorn even naming many ol the iniquities and atiocities committed, while the vocabularies of the whole world have. been ransacked in vain to hud words adequate to express the sense of abhorrence they have excited. Henceforth may a combination of all that is vile, cruel, and disgusting in the most degraded iorms of humanity be characterised as " Turkish." In the light of the recent atrocities no other word would convey the same intensity ol abhorrence. And yet the I urk is our ally. To maintain his

integrity and power, British blood has been freely shed, Briiish gold ha. been poured lino hir treasury by scores of millions Surely tbis is a. most unholy alliance, one that should at once be severed. Jf the entity of kingdoms and the •' balance of powder " amongst the nations of the earth cannot be maintained without having* recourse to such Turkish measures, then the feelings and cry ot common hit inanity will be — perish ihe kingdoms, and pel ish the balance, of power! No stafj of uiter chaos could he productive of disasters worse than have occurred to ihe Bulgarians. These have not been the result of m i«

ineiifury pas.-ion on the. part of savages broken louse from restraint, but have been premeditated and ordered by the Turkish power, carried out by its soldiery, and for the doing of which the leaders have, been coin mended mid rewarded. The cool apathy of the Briiish Government in the matter has caused intense di>satisf.iction throughout the king-dour, and we are sure this feeling will also be shared by the Colonies. Whatever may be the secret motives and ultimate aims of the Emperor of ttussia in this matter, the words of his speech at Moscow, reported hy tele graph, will meet with a hearty response throughout the civilised world. He says, ** I wish the c»'iilereneeTo agree on the settlement of the Eastern question ; but if I cannot obtain rigutful guarantees, I am determined to act in* dependency, and I am sure the whole of Russia wiil respond to my s'immons." Ihe "settlement ot the fclastern question" may in his case mean the extinction of the kingdom of Turkey, and if so, certainly he could not have chosen a more fitting time for having his wishes given effect to, for after the inhuman atrocities committed by that power, ie need not look for support either by men or money.from Great/Britain, and the Minister who should attempt^ such a

thing would have but a short term of office. It is not at all unlikely that the ultimate outcome of all this may be the extinction of the kingdom of Tv key, and the atrocities perpetrated by its rulers in Bulgaria will afford sufficient excuse for Great Britain preserving a neutral attitude in the matter.

Should the weather prove favourable, Balclutha will to-day be the centre of attraction for a large number of the inhabitants of the surrounding districts. The arrangements for the annual Show which have .been in progress tor some time have all been satisfactorily completed, and from the number of entries which were made last evening, we have every reason to believe the exhibition of horses and cattle, and dairy produce, will be superior to anything ever seen in the Clutha, while the show of sheep will be similar to that of former years. This satisfactory-, state of matters is no _ doubt partly dae to the. enhanced value of the prizes offered in some of the classes, but it may also be attributed to the increasing attention now being given to the breeding of stock, and the desire manifested by the settlers of the Clutha to excel in this department They have every chance this year, as a more favourable season for grass they have' never experienced, and therefore stock, is in very forward condition. We therefore anticipate that the Show will be a good one, not only as regards "the number of entries, but also as to the quality of the stock shewn. Considering that we have mil way communication from the east, and have the prospect of the same accommodation from the west, and considering also the. favorable climate and soil of the Clutha, w« know of no spot so well favoured for establishing a first-class annual Show. It is gratifying to know therefore, that the exhibition of to-day will show an improvement upon those of past years, and we believe it only remains for the latent energies aDd resources of the settlers to be stirred up and utilised in order to secure the annual Clutha Show a position second to none in the Colony.