SERVIA'S POSITION WHEN THE LAST MAIL LEFT.

Evening Star, Issue 4312, 21 December 1876, Page 1

SERVIA'S POSITION WHEN THE LAST M AIL LEFT.

(Argus' Correspondent.) While the negotiations have bee* going on at Constantinople, supposing that they are going .on at all, there have been some very important en* gagements in the Unava Valley, resulting in the utter defeat of the Servians, and the collapse of all General TchernaiefFs schemes for• surrounding the Turkish army. The victory at Djunis is the most brilliant which the Turks hare won during the war, and it is now admitted that, unless something unforeseen oe* curs, Tchernaieff will be compelled to abandon his position at Deligrad. The Servians are reported t« be utterly weary of the war, and to be filled with* despondency. They cannot be got to face the Turks in the field any more, and rush away iii spit* of their Russian officers. There is something ludicrous, indeed, in, the situation ■of Servia just now--4hat " heroic Servia," over whomMrFaweett and other fanatics spilt so much good sentiment. There never was a greater farce played in the world than this Servian war, with its ostensible object of the relief of the Christians in Turkey. There cannot be a doubt that Servi« would never have gone to war at all had she not been driven to it by Russia, and had she not depended upon Russian help to protect her against those terrible Turks. She would have made peace long since but for Russian intimidation. Even the ' Times'' correspondent at Belgrade, who began, fike a good many others, by sympathising with the Servians, now reports that much depression prevails at Belgrade —that the people are utterly broken and dispirited--that they want te make peace, if only the Russians will let them. All their sentiments have evaporated, and their chief anger is with their Russian friends, who insist upon pricking them on ta heroic deeds at the point of th« sword, and taking care, like Falstaff with his ragged regiment, that they are "well peppered." It is a somewhat ignominious conclusion of a chivalrous adventure, and many a poor Servian is now perhaps cursing those wha took him for a hero, and insisted on his going to emancipate his Christian brethren. The worst of it is that just ,as, the work is getting hot the Russian . immigration itself begins to flag. Th« report is that the sympathetic Cos- . sacks come in very slowly. The truth fl.& that they have been beaten as we I \ : && their wretched dupes. But for the ! apathy of the Turkish, .commander-in-chief, there can be ne> ' doubt that his army would have been tin Belgrade some months ago. Now it .is very little use to win victories They cannot affect the event in any way. They only feerve to show that the Turksare not a race to be-driven out " bag and baggage" without giving considerable,trouble to those who untake that operation. . ',..'...„ :

[For conthuation qf News no Fourth Pmjt.)