CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

Dunstan Times, Issue 799, 10 August 1877, Page 4

CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF THE WAR.

A contributor to the Pall Mall Gazette, who apparently writes with considerable knowledge of this subject says:— The Emperor, like his father, takes trouble badly. His cheeks are sunken and his eyes are dull 5 his carriage has lost much of its firmness and dignity, he is prematurely aged. This may be ■caused by hard work as much as by anxiety, for he works now as hard as, ■or perhaps harder than, any of his Ministers. Every morning he rises at seven, takes his walk on the Palace Quay at eight, and from that hour until nine at night, with the exception of one hour for eating, he is at work in his Chancellerie. He has been driven to warlike measures by the party powerful in Russia politically and financially. The majority favorable to peace have no voice. The prime instigator of the policy of Russia has been Prince Goi'tschakoff, who boasted that because he made so good a stand against combined Europe in 1850, the same effort can be repeated in 1877. But on the imminent approach of the struggle, the old man hesitated to confront Turkey alone. He has outlived his time, and is no longer fit to rule the policy of the Empire at such a crisis. In fact he lias resigned his office, and his resignation has by this time no doubt been accepted by the Emperor, and either 'General Ignatieffor Mr Walonieff (the present Minister of Domains who for many years was Minister of the interior) will be appointed in his place, The Emperor hesitated at first between Count Schouvaloff and Mr Walonieff; but it is uncertain whether the latter will not consider himself too old for the responsible position. Mr de Reulern, the Minister of Finance, finds himself overwhelmed with the labours of his position, and his health is seriously affected. He will shortly, at his own request, get temporary leave of absence, and General Greig, the Controller of the Empire, who was formerly adjoint to the Minister of Finance, will take up the direction of financial matters, assisted by Mr A baza as his adjoint. Had it not been for the advice always given in the 'Council of Ministers by the Grand Duke Constantine, De Reutern, Walouieff, and General Greig, the war would have begun long since. As it is, the disturbance caused to trade by the expectation of war has been disastrous. During the last three months if I have seen one commercial traveller [ have seen fifty who have said, “We have only come here to settle out-standing affairs and get our monev; we will take no orders for goods.” In the south of Russia the people are leaving their homes for the interior, looking forward to a total stop of the export trade. The people are everywhere alive to the disastrous effects to be expected from war, but this only makes their unanimity in advocating it more serious. Thsy have counted the cost in advance : it may be starvation and ruin ; it will probably be national bankruptcy. It must be great loss and suffering to one and all ■of them ; and yet it is in spite of his own will and the will of the Ministers that the Emperor is forced forward towards war, and the wealthy men encourage him with assurance that they will provide the money for campaign. As to the army, that at Kischeneff does not really exceed 180,000 men ; that in Asia perhaps numbers 250,000. The former, I have good reason to believe, is a demonstration to begin with the occupation of Bulgaria; the latter is intended to fight. The Soldiers are generally stigmatised as cowards, dependent on vodka for their nerve. The same was said of them in 1854. It is true that among army stores forwarded to head quarters the supply of spirits is astonishingly prominent. But I pass to the worse vice of disaffection. The much discussed illness of the Grand Duke Nicholas was no illness but gunshot wounds. An attempt was made to assassinate him by a scldier, and he received a bullet through his arm and another • grazed his side. My information on this point is indisputable, but I cannot give my authority. It was hushed up ■ most successfully at the time to the ■ extent of the interception of half a ■ dozen ’private telegrams of my own • alluding to the event. As to the navy, and the pQpoJihos so much praised in the Times a little while ago by the Russian correspondent of that journal, I need only quote ipsissima verba of the European uttered within the last ’three months to one of ’his Ministers. —“ My navy is very much like the army of Napoleon 111. at the commencement of the German war—very large on paper, but very small when found.”