THE RECENT TURKISH DISASTERS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 9, 10 January 1878, Page 4

THE RECENT TURKISH DISASTERS.

The writer of an interesting series of articles! in the Melbourne Argus on the subject of the War in the East, thtißstiifateg oipdn the recent Turkish disasters in Europe and Asia : — Whence or why all these- Turkish disasters.? have not arisen from any;gt!eafe?fjia.play of generalship on the part of the Russians. The operations in Armenia seem, to have been creditable enough ; 'they ara indeed the only display of scientific generalship as yet shown on the side of the invasion. But, the chief cause of the Russian successes seems to have been the 'silly bver-con-■fidence of the^Turkiah-'war authorities, the factious quarrelling in Constantinople, and tbe carelessness and incapacity of the Turkish generals. There SBem to be two opposing' parties in the Turkish councils and war department. One is that of the fanatical old ' Moslem Turks—^the Tories of Islam — who look with suspicion or detestation on all foreigners and all Christians, and who consider that they, alone and unaided, are 'more than a match for all the strength ef Russia. The other party is imbued .with more liberal and modern views, and is willing not only to adopt those of Western or Central Europe, bbt tocall in the aid of Christian advisers, and even to give command to dhristian: generals. When the Turkish armies meet with disaster, the liberal party is in favor with the Sultan, and its views are in the ascendent. But so Boon as the fortune of war changes, then the fanatical party seems to be able to control his councils, the success is attributed to the indomitable valour of the followers of Mahomet, and the foreign to whose ekill and judgement probably the succes is owing, are either insulted or dismissed. The councils of the Porte, during a war or a crisis like the present, thus become a game of see-saw. When, in the first months of the war, the invading armies Vrere, apparently, held at bay oh the northern banks of the Danube, the old ■Turks were triumphant in Constantinople, and the reformers or Liberals were in disgrace. Then Hobart Pasha was unable to get a command in aotive service. Colonel Baker was kept dangling about "tbe suburbs of the capital, and many other foreign officers were treated in a sirau ilar.fashion. Wheu the Danube was crogsed, Bulgaria overrun, and 'especially when '- Gen. Gourko passed tbe Balkaosand threatened Adriaoople, then all was changed. The old Turks were in disgrace, and then their leaders were dismissed from office. Pashas of foreign birth, or those who were friendly to them, wera appointed to high command. In a short time, as we know, all was changed. The events of August and September were a series of triumphs for the Turks, partly through the gross blunders of their adversaries, but partly also through the greater vigour aud skill which the reforming patty brought to the conduct of the war. The efforts made by the War Office at Constantinople during August and September to form new armies to supply them with arms, ammunition, and food, and to create reserves were of the raoat vigorous character, ane would have done credit to the administration of many countries with infinitely greater resources than Turkey, But tbe usual result seems to have followed. Success begot over-confidence, and enabled the old Turks agcia to appeal to the fanaticism and the pride of the people and of the Hultao. Mehemat Ali was dismissed from the chief command, Hobart Pasha was kept idle, Colouel Baker was recalled to Coufitanticople. O^oiau Pasha was kept tied to Pievna, even after the repulse of the Russians in September, whea his army could have been withdrawn with the greatest ease and safety to the south aide of the Balkansthere to repeat at Adrianople the terrible game that bad proved so fatal to Russia. This was the position in Europe. In Armenia greater blunders were committed. The success "of M.ukhtar Pasha Beemed to have turned his head, aad folly with him ran rampant. After the retreat of the Russians, instead of resting. his army on Kara, even aftar it had been weakened by sending a portion of it to Bulgaria, he advanced nearly a day's march beyond the fortress, and contoned if mosi carelessly over a front of nearly twenty miles. Wbile the Russians were quietly receiving large reinforcements, he seemed to oegleot obtaining information of their numbers, their positions, or their movements. Ha treated bis officers with insolence, and, it is said, was so infatuated as to give the command of the two wings of his army to two oivilians or semi-civiliaus. The chief of his staff, Fazby Pasha, a Hungarian, to whose skill it is understood the great success of the battle of Zawin wus owia/, was insulted, and retired from the army in disgust. The British representative, Sir Arnoll Kemball, is said to have left the army fora similur reason. Mukhtar Pußba, in fact, seems to have become infatuated with fanaticism and with conceit, acid to have thu3 made his army a helpless prey to the enemy. It ia thus that jauch terrible disasters have befallen the- Turkish arms in Armenia. There «au be no doubt, whatever, that had the most ordinary generalship been ■displayed in thts province, the Russians, despite of their could fcave bean held at .bay /j]l the winter enow* would have rpade $ forward movement most hazardous, jf np,t jmpossible, For in tho6s elevated. regions

• winter sets in generally in -the latter jport of October, and renders- military in the face of :ah active and jwary enemy, out of the question.