THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 144, 20 June 1877, Page 2

THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

We yesterday copied from an interesting letterfcom the San Francisco correspondent of the N Z. Times an account of the War in Europe compiled, from telegrams received jn America lip to the 23rd of May.. The same writer supplies the following report of the proceedings in Turkey iv Asia. THE WAIt IN ASIA— .EAKLY MOVEMENTS. The centre of, the Russian forces, advancing from Alexandropol, occupied two Turkish border forts. General Melikoff left his camp on spth April, accompanied by twelve battaHons of infantry, #} pieces of artillery, and i a large force of Cossacks. His. Mvn,h-y reached Vizinfceff, an outlying point of Kars on the evening, of the, 3oth., . Eight. Turkish battalions with field 'artillery issued from the fortress of. Kars and occupied a position protected by tins, fortifications. The Russian artillery flre dismounted one Turkish gun General Melikoff on th'e.lst'of May/ leaving a body of cavalry at Viziniteff, returned with the remainder of his forces tp his cam.p 'at £iami. The Russian loss was : one ; killed and ' five wounded. The Russians took over 100 Turks prisoners. The Russians occupied Dyadia on the Bth of May, and encampecV three hours' march of Arghilar. There were OJ?iy quppost skirmishes. From the Ist of May provisions w#rg dear, and the Russians found great difficulty 'iu'obt&iaing supplies. 60,000 Russian infantry were despatched from tfaskand to reinforce' Russian garrisons in Central Asja,- •'• ■• :' . • , ; - •;., O° the Uth of May tj^Russian^eaptjured M.uhlaster, and stormed the heights' skirting SUe nye F Kjnprisoi (sic). They lost 12 killed and I<s wounded. The Turkish losses were reported as heavy. On the 2|?t May if was recorded that the Russian left had withdrawn from Kaghisman. A Russian war steamer from Sebastopol reached Batum on May 13, and sent four gunboats with torpedoes to attack the TurkJnV/? 8 *? 8 iD ? there - m * was opened and the Russian boats drew off w" 'fl'f 11 the llussian ri 8 h ' fc ww se en in foice at Jiatum, and on the 1 7th it was reported that they had sacked and burned all >

the villages near Batum and massacred the people. \ ,-■ ; ">. ; , ; THE FIRST BIG BATTLE. _ In the evening heavy firing commenced &t Batum, fche attack being made by the army under the Grand Duke Michael upon the ■ town. The correspondent H of the Daily Telegraph thus describes the engagement which followed next day : — About five o'clock in the morning the Russians, largely augmented ro force, advauced with their field artillery, and made a furious attack upon the heights defending Batum on the land side, occupied by Bashi-Baßouks.r-Th* Ottoman troops: Who; were. mtterichecl,: opened a terrible and'; ' well-811Stained ; fire Of cannon and musketry '~ which literally mowed the Russians down in swaths. They fell by scores and hundreds on the plain below the Turkish positions during their attempts to make way against this .fire. A b,pdy of Turkish horse and'foot, 1 takmg advantage of the thick fire, broke ' upon the flanks of the Russian column, and effected great slaughter; the Muscovites being upon ground perfectly open, and having no chance but to fight or fly. In a short tune the spot which was the scene of this flank movement became covered with dead and, dying Russians; but the enemy quickly brought up reiuforcenienfcs, and the battle was renewed with much determination. Many fierce efforts of the assailants were desperately maintained; but towards midday their arjillery fire gradually .^slackened, and they at lebgtl^pthdrew, after suffering considerable Josses^, The witnesses of this important engagement' testify that the Ottoman' soldiers. behaved admirably. They-had, however, during thij'greafc partof the action the advantage^, of beiug intrenched on high ground,, and to:this fapt i^due their* success, v, Compared to those of the :Russians : their losses. were insignificant.!! The Telegraph's Batumi, despatch, dated Saturday, says the victory was wonhy the extraordinary courage .of theßashi-Bazouka.' The dead and wounded Russians . exceed . .4000. , ■ The engagement , lasted over eight hours oi -actual fighting and the last of the Russians: did jiot withdraw until near midnight. : " : Ttie Russiaiu . lost many guns. :.- THE FALL OF ASDAHAJf REPORTED. " - The capjture.of Ardahan by General Meltkoff, who, it may be remembered; had- withdrawn, previously ftom ICajrs, was : next reported/ though in.'a.' contradictory fashion. The following is the news concerning it in succession,:— On the 19th May the Russians attacked Ardahan, but were repulsed. In several attacks that then took place, with ovex sixty guns, the Russians lost 235 men Tbey then cut the telegraph wires; but a despatch from General Melikoff states—" The walls were breached by artillery at six "o'clock,™ and the Erivan, Tiflis, aud Bakee regiments, With the sappers, advanced to the assault [The enemy could not withstandihe onslaught and fled, leavings great number of dead' At nine o'clock our troops traversed the whole town and^ fortifications. , The troopa ar ? t f ul l9f enthusiasm; . Oarioss is believed to be orie'officer and tffty soldiers killed, and four officers and 130 soldiers wounded " The' fall of Ardahan opened Russian communications with Okhltziki ; the troops comprisice the garrison at Ardahan retreated --tbtrftnfe. ludusip. The Times Vienna correspondbafe remarks that the fall of Ardahan, besides cu , nn P to the Russians the position' before liters, opens out new lines of operations, either against Kars or Erzerum. The body of a Turkish chief of the staff was round amongst the slain at Ardahan. „ SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENTS The Russian left column left Kaghisman rn! lnf^ rce the central division before Kara The Council of Ministry at Constantinople on Sunday determined to send all the rein-' forcemeuts still arriving in Constantinople to Batum, en route to Erzerum. The authorities at. Constantinople seem to overlook the iact that tnese troops in making their way to Karß or Erzerum would have to break through the Russian divisions barring the way. Indeed, the advance of the Russians against Batum seems to have been undertaken with the aim of locking up thirty-four battalions of Turks, and preventing them or any other reinforcements from getting to a point on the line to Erzerum, or to other threatened positions. i The Turkish detachment which was expected to attack the Russian left at Bayazid iias .fallen back towards the main body " reports that the, Turks attacked -the Russian position at Ardrler («■*), arid a severely contested engagement ensued. A Turkish man-of-war has been violently bombarding A rdler since ten o'clock in the. morning. ' ; THE INSOIUtECTION IN THE CAVCASVS ' } The Caucassians are in full insurrection. 1 he, bultan ordered the purchase of 20000 revolvers, to be paid for: 6utof his private purse, for distribution in the Caucasus. 0 n May 11 the Russian Government declared three Cauqaasian provinces in a state of Biege. On May 19 six thousand Caucasian rose cut tbe telegraph wires, and declared for the Turks. Insurrectionary agents were sent from Constantinople to Sukhum Kaleh. Onthe 21sta i urkish telegrara'reported that ' the Russians were masaicreingithQ Caackssians. The Russians brought, troops from Trazmoi, Arghan, Daghestan, and'Tchetehna to suppress the insurgents: The insurrection was unexpected in Russia. A Berlin d&s= patch cays it is reported that th^ Caucassian • Revolt ( lmd been suppressed; Troopgfrora Irazmoiaud Arghan, as weU as the local, gamsons at Dagestan 'and Tchetehoa are being concentrated, for joint ' ooeratibn' 3 ' : against the irisurgetits. greate-t^part 0? Tchetehuaisin arms aga^st the Russians. Pagbegtap 1 .ig still quiet. '4 Vipnna des,patch- 5 says the effect ppo^ced by ' tl,e CaucasS n 1S urrectio ? seems to be all the greater in Kussia as it was quite unexpected Ail ac counts previous to war were such as to excite no apprehension. On the contrary, loyal addresses were prepared by the officials, and offers were made by the population to furnish regiments of volunteers. EGYPT. * JL r l" cc ri . assau > sou ot the Khedive, with 6000 Egyptians, embarked for Constantinople Ihe Egyptian contingent in Turkey is to b<j increased to 12,000. JThe war tax is expected s to produce £2,500,0QQ. THE BniTISII ATTITODE. It js stated that England has given notice ' that she mil oppose everything which might hamper the passage of merchant ships or men- ; Ppwgr'Qf neutral powers through the Suez banal: She inigprned other' Boffers of hernotification t q Tupkey. Tlie bloiv rthu^deS at her sovereigh rights Turkeyseems disposed to accept, and Russia does not seem to intend I raising any objections. In consequence of I this a rumor has been circulated that in exchange for the capitalization of the Egyptiantnbute to be paid, to the Porte the latter is disposed to cede to England the : right of' sovereignty over Egypt.