THE DIARY OF A SIEGE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 6, 20 March 1878, Page 4

THE DIARY OF A SIEGE.

One of the moßt remarkable episodes of the present Wbr, which, however, has not yet received all (he attention it deserves, is the defence of the fort of Baytzid, in Armenia, by a Russian gai risen 3000 stronp, against a Turkish army cumbering 20,000 men. The Moscow Gazelle givts the following extracts from the private journals of one of (he olTiceia of the garrison :— " 10th June.— The enemy has blockaded us on all sides, and intercepted the aqueducts. One cistern and a few bags ot biecuits is all we have to live on. At nightj by the iiyht of the burning town beneath us, we fhw the atrocities perpetrated by the Kurds on the helpless inhabitants. It was horrible beyond description. Women and children were thrust alive into the flames, and curried about the streets on lances, honibly mutilated and shrieking with anguish.

The sight was so sickening that one of our officers was quite overcome by it and bad un attack of brain fever thot night 18th Juue.-— General assault of the Turkish forces, which we succeeded in repulsing towards nightfall. Our rations have been reduced to half a pound of biscuit and one glass of water per diem. 20th June. — A parliamentary came with a summons for us to surrender. • ur commander answered that, being so much stronger, the Turks could well try to take the ekudel by slorcn. . , . 26tb June. — Our ration has been further diminished to a quarter of a pound of biscuit and two spoonsful oi stagnant., lotten water. We suffer terribly from huager and thirst. After a day's haid fighting lam utterly prostrate, and scarcely able to write these few words. 28(h June. — For two days aud two nights we have beeo exposad to o terrific cannonade. Ou tho 29th a general assault, which we repulsed, followed by repeated injunctions to surrender, to which our answer was the same as before. Ist July. Our ration to day ia one-eighth pound of biscuit and ona spoonful of water. Starvation is approaching rapidly. I have seen Borne of our men cut out slices of flesh from the half-purified carcass of v horse and eat them. 4th July. Again a summons to render, this time written in Russian by a Pole iv the Turkish service, Colonel Karaaroff. Of course our answer remained uuaitereJ. 7th July. — Wa have repulsed ona more assault. It is the last one. We cannot hold out much longer. Mines were laid out to blow up the citidel and the garrison. It is better so than io starve. 10th July.— -The cannon 1 Never had any music sounded so sweet to our ears. It is General Tergukusoff, who comes to save ua. lam so weak that I feel utterly unable to write or move my finger. But we are saved.' Alter the siege bad been raised there remaiued of the garrison about two thousand men, who were mostly so utterly worn out that they had to be carried out of the citadel. The name of the gallant commander of this equally gallant garrison is Captain Stockvlich.