WAR ITEMS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 216, 12 September 1877, Page 2

WAR ITEMS.

[From Exchanges.]

HORRIBLE ATROCITIES

THE BATTLE OE PLEVNA,

A Bucharest correspondent telegraphs : " 1 have written the following as I received it, and from the terrible accounts which fugitives are continually bringing over the Balkans, I fear it must be only too true. On the 31st of July, the day of the Russian evacuation of Eski Sagra, the Turks ordered that all Christian men, women, and children should be shot as they left their houses. Those who remained within were burnt alive. An order was given to burn down and destroy every particle of Christain property. Many leading Turkish merchants took part in this affair. The Turkish officers hare despatched a large number of Bashi Bazouks all over the Sctnrpan district. This district is one of the richest in that part of Turkey. It contains a very large proportion of Christians there being over 30 churches and 500 schools and colleges, all of which have been burned. The destruction has been extended to the villages of Boghdan, Mahelsi, and many others, in all about 60, containing from 150 to 200 families each. Scarcely 60 persons have escaped alive." The Bulgarian fugitives at Gabrova and Selvi estimate that from 12,000 to 15,000 Christians have been massacred in the Eski Saghra and Schirpan districts alone. The Times correspondent at Karabunar writes:— " Appalling accounts continue to come in of the misery of the fugitives from the districts devastated by the Bashi Bazouks and Bulgarians. Thousands of women and children to Kesanlik are homeless and perishing for want of shelter, medical attendance, and food, and immediate help is moat sorely needed. The Pasha proposes to distribute the fugitives about Constantinople, Adrianople andPhilippopolis. Correspondents suggest the formation of a city of refuge on the island near Constantinople, under the protection of a neutral flag, and a neutral guarantee from the belligerents. The crops are rotting in the ground, and no provision is being made for the comins? winter." The same correspondent speaks favorably of the conduct of the I urkjsh regulars, but blames the Government for employing, or not controlling the irregulars, who commit; all the worst excesses. "Even the fugitive women and ctnldren, who come for protection to the lurks, have to be guarded by the regular troops lest they should be further injured by those savage Bulgarians, who are behaving much in the same way as the Bashi Bazouks It will be impossible for the Christians and Mahommedans ever to live together again in the distributed districts. Even the Philo-liussians severely comdemn Russia's conduct in first instigating the Bulgarians to revolt, and then leaving them to the mercy of the Turks, whose right to treat them as rebels it 13 hard to question." A Constantinople despatch aaya that 12,000 Mussulmans of the village of Soukoulou, near

E|ki SJsgisra. hare satrendered to. the Kassifcas. Seven of them' were massacred by the Bulgaria^ and three by the Cossacks. jAt Bafeik, s rillkge in the\exclusively Mahommddan disfteipt of Sißtova,,iob -bouses " were burned, andMbO nien and 300 women perished. It is believed that but seven inhabitants survived. At Batovan, a Mussulman village in the district of Tirnova 250 houses were burned, 700 men and 1200 women perished, and only one person is believed to ! have.escaped. At Kataboalas 100 houses-wire burned, 200 men and 300 womenperished; two persons only escaped. At Kestambal 150 houses were burned, and 30u men and 600' women perished; At Chems,s mixed village, 60 of the Mussulmans' houses were destroyed, and 120 men and 200 women perished; one person only escaped. At Lundja, another mixed village, 100 houses were destroyed, and 250 men and 400 women perished; three persons only survived. Villages abandoned upon the approach of the Russians were given to the flames, and nearly 5000 houses destroyed. The Legation concludes from information received, that the Russiaoi have adopted one uniform system— to seize defenceless vt}lages, and after destroying them' with cannon shot to massacre the unarmed inhabitants, and to off the women for this purpose of outraging their persons, when they are not , killed at first. - The Russians threaten the Christian vil- : lagea with the same fate if they do not surrender, or if the inhabitants refuse to be enrolled.; _ „ Adrianople is full of Mussulman refugees. Kalafat is reported as having been destroyed by the accidental explosion of a powder magazine. The Egyptians under Prince Hassan began an offensive movement from Varua to Trajan's wall. The Turkish legation complains of the Russians near Kars firing upon a flag' of truce and wounding Osman Effendi. Responding to the apoeal of the Russian Government to the Queen of Wurtemberg.an ambulance corps is being formed at Statgardt, and goes promptly to Bucharest. Asjimi Pasha, one of the best Turkish officers, was killed in a skirmish at Shumla. A despatch from Constantinople says that in a naval engagement in Stilina River,' a Turkish-ironclad attacked seven Russian gunboats and destroyed twojof them. The Servian Parliament before prorogation decided to continue the payment of its tribute to the Porte.

{Continued from 2nd page?) The Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs has sent a circular to the Turkish Representatives abroad, citing the barbarous acts committed by the Russians, and stating that it was necessary that the civilised world should become acquainted with these horrors, so as (o exdrees its indignation. The inhabitants of Mernis near Tirnova, having on the approach of the Russians taken refuge in a mospue, were burned alive in an enclosure. The Russians having met three hundred carta filled with fugative families, destroyed them with cannon shot. They completed their work of extermination by tnassacreing all men and women they could find. In every suburb or village occupied by Russian troops the dwelliugs of the Turka were given to the flimea. The Bulgarians, excited by the example of the Russians, committee! against the peaceful and resigned Mussulman population acts of barbarity, and outrages still more atrocious and more horrible than those perpetrated by the invaders. Despatches from Batum describe a great exodus of Circassians from the Caucasus in consequence of the withdrawal of the Turkish expedition. 50,000 people and 150,000 cattle are awaiting embarkation at Sukhum Kaleh, Hobart Pasha improvised a jetty by mooring small vessels lengthways. A frigate and transports arrived at Saturn with 1000 and 900 emigrants respectively ; none were permitted to land at Bdtum on aocouot of the lack of accommodation and provisions. Allure to goto Trebizond. The Russians succeeded in stopping the exodus from one district, and drove the people back with great cruelty. It is reported that the men who participated in the insurrection are to be sent to Siberia and their women and children given to the Cossacks. An English steamer arrived in port from Bulgareni, reports a rumour from a Russian source, which asserts that Bulgaria, whiie remaining a vassal of the Porte, will be placed under the Mussulman Prince Hassan, son of the Khedive of Eygpt, who is spoken of as the future sovereign of Bulgaria. He was educated in Germany, and the suggestion of his name as Prince of Bulgaria is regarded favourably at Berlin, and he will be supported by England. Prince Eugene of Leichtenberg, who commanded a force of dragoons and Bulgarians under General Gourka, when compelled to evacuate Eski Sagbra, had to cut his way out, with a loss of 800 men. It is rumoured that General Ignatieff has fallen into disgrace, and that the passage of the Bulkans was mainly resolved on in consequence of his assurance that with the Turks anything might be ventured upon. The Russian Government say, moreover, that they have been misled on certain other points concerning the state of things in Turkay. A despatch from Sukhum Kaleb, dated 2nd August, says the Turkish frigate M&umadich bombarded the Russian batteries at Techamtchera on the 30 ultimo, silencing every Rnaeian gun. The Maumadich was considerably damaged, and several of the crew were killed and wounded. Near Tshamtchira were 600 Turks in a critical position owing to the advance of the Russian army. Hobsrf Pasha embarked the entire force no Ist August, under cover of the guns of the fleet. Thiß completes the withdrawal of the Turkish military from Caucaeia. Hobart Pasha has the command of the entire Black Sea forces, consisting of twenty men-of-war and transports. A St. Petersburg letter states that 40,000 fresh troops are already on their way by railroad to the seat of war. The Guards follow in too days. The force includes 8,000 cavalry, 56,000 infantry, and 250 cannon. Only picked regiments go to Bulgaria. Sulieman Pasha announces the retaking of Karholga, the disarming of the Bulgarians, and the re-establishment of order. He then captured Ktlofer, which was defended by the Bulgarians in entrenched positions, and occupied Kalafer Pass. The rebels fled int> the Bulkans after losing 500 killed. Eleven Turkish sol. tiers were killed and ihirty-three were wounded.

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