The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULT 23, 1877.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 172, 23 July 1877, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JULT 23, 1877.

The unopposed advance of the Russians in Turkey in Europe has taken many by surprise, the opinion haTing been generally entertained that "severe lighting would take. place in the passes through the Balkans. . la looking through the Saturday Eeviews received by «h© last mail we met with a review of the work entitled "Turkey in Europe" bj.~ .Colonel James Baker, JB.A., which - seems ;to explain, whafc baa appeared to be the apathetic indifference of the Turks to the, progress of. their foe, Afc. th« time the book was published war had not been declared, but it was looked upon as imminent • and Colonel Baker net Mmself to think how Turkey could best defend itself. His views are thus summarised by the Saturday Review which, it will be seen; does not allow his conclusions 60 pass unquestioned:— "While alloivng that Russia can bring 400 000 real soldiers into the field, he does not think that Turkey can get together more than 100,000 regular troops in Europeand even when irregular forces and recruits are added, he cannot make the total higher than 260,000. He therefore considers it impossible to defend the line of the Danube- ' and, although the Turks may delay the Eussians in crossing the Balkans, he does not think that the passage can be prevented His suggested plan is, therefore, that Turkey should attempt to hold nothing on the north side of the Balkans except Schuinla and Varna, while the real stand should be made on the south side, in two great entrenched camps, one at Bourgas, a seaport south of the Balkan line, and the other at or near Adrianople. As a military combination this may be as good as any that could be suggestedbut, when we study the details of Colonel Baker's calculations, we soon find how speculative are the figures on which he relies. He reckons that Russia, out of 400,000 men would have to keep 100,000 in reserve, that 100,000 would be left to mask the fortresses north of the Balkans; and that of the ?00,000 that passed the Balkans, 100,000 would be unavailable, either through losses or disease. When we learn that losses and disease are supposed to sweep away s, force equal to the whole Turkish regular army while that army 13 left intact, we caa only say that this may be so, and it may nofe."