THE WAR IN TURKEY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4837, 22 September 1876, Page 3

THE WAR IN TURKEY.

(From the Glasgow Herald.) After making due allowance for exaggerated statements, of which there are enough and to spare from both sides, there seems little doubt that the balance of success has, so far, gone with the Turks. Mehemet Ali Pasha’s operations from Novi-bazar have apparently given the Ibar army of the Servians, under General Zach, a severe check, though probably 3009 and 1500, at which two Constantinople telegrams state the Servian loss, are both wide of the mark.

The Turks claim two more victories, one of which was fought at Zeni-bazar lately. The Servians ha .'ing attacked a portion of the fortifications of that place were driven off with great loss after two hours’ fighting. They lost 500 men, many guns and ammunition, and left their dead and wounded on the field. The other engagement is said to have taken place at Societe, which is clearly an error, telegraphic or otherwise. In this case the Turks were the assailants; they stormed the Servian entrenchments, carried all before them, took possession of everything, and inflicted a loss of 200 men. Such is the official account from Constantinople. Austria has exacted a complete apology from Servia for the outrage which was perpetrated last week on a Danube steamer. The officer who was responsible for the firing is to be punished, and guarantees have been given that the like shall not occur a °The Ottoman Government has circulated news of two more battles, both of which resulted in victory for the Turkish arms. One of the engagements took place in the neighborhood of Belgradzik, about twenty-five miles south-east of Widdin, and after five hours fighting the Servians were driven into their own country with considerable loss. In the other case the insurgents were driven over the Austrian frontier. From Eagusa comes intelligence of a severe reverse to the Montenegrins at Podgoritza, which if true will in all probability prevent their intended junction with the Servian army in the neighborhood of Novi-bazar. The Montenegrin loss is set down at 400, including 30 officers, while the Turks only admit on their side II killed and 25

wounded. Belgrade official despatches allege that the Turkish troops have withdrawn! from the right bank of the Drina, though what amount of significance is to be attached to the statement it is difficult to say. A McLean’s telegram from Belgrade mentions an official report ot a great Servian victory .‘.between Bragovatz and Widdin, and. the total defeat of Osman Pasha (absurdly rumored to be Marshal Bazaine). Had this been authentic, the Belgrade Government would itself have been the first to send the news all over Europe. The capture of Saitschar by the Turks has been announced in Paris, but it is not confirmed from anywhere else. Some more fighting is reported from the seat of war, but. the combatants are evidently, endeavoring to recover somewhat from the results of the rather hot work they experienced during the last week round Widdin, and at Belina in the north-west of Bosnia. Osman Pasha is said to be reinforcing for the struggle which is sure to come off soon with the Servians under Tchernajeff, who are trying to cut him off from bis communications with the town of Sophia. Tchernajeff is at Ak Palanka busy organising a free corps of Belgravians, and he is said to have 3000 Servian guerillas in a village which they have captured, two hours’ march from Widdin. The general sometimes called Ranko Olympics, and quite as often something else, has 6000 Bosnians under him near' Belina, and ho will probably make another attempt to capture that place ere long. The telegrams mention a lot of engagements, all of a minor character, and most without any very definite result. A body of Montenegrins are said to have cut off the port of Klek from communication with the interior ; but if it is true that Turkey has been forbidden to laud troops there, it won’t matter much. We have been favored by Messrs. A. L. Knox and Co., Glasgow, with the following extract from a letter, dated July 4, from their correspondent in Constantinople : —” It is said here, and I believe it to he true —my informant being reliable—that the Sultan has sent a special messenger to the Russian Emperor, with copies of the correspondence _ that passed between Ignatieff and the insurgents, and even with his own Ministers at St. Petersburg and the insurgents, and asking if the Emperor would like them to be made public, or shown to the other Powers first. Murad has no idea of statesmanship,, and would out with what he himself thinks, and take the consequences, whatever they might be ; in fact, he wants to do right, and has not a single atom of ambition about him. It is thought he would rather not be Sultan, and would prefer his brother Hamid (who is more liberal and much more determined than himself) to have the throne. They are much attached to one another, and there will and can be no intrigues between them. We hear rumors here ot the Servians having been defeated, and hope it is true. We have no sympathy for them, and hope they may get a good beating. They were not oppressed, nor had they any cause to go to war, hut political ambition. We see many English papers are sympathising with them and the insurgents owing to their being Christians; but what kind of Christians? Men, in many cases, who would value life at a five-shilling piece, and their Christianity so very liberal that a ten-pound note would condone either a robbery ora murder. Christians doing wrong should not be allowed to get off scot-free merely because they are Christians. We seealso much is made of any outrage done by the Turks—such as hanging two priests (which probably served them right, as instigators of rebellion), and almost nothing is said of the outrages done by the other side—such as Golub, the insurgent chief, burning Turkish villages, and massacring the inhabitants, and cutting off the noses of their dead enemies as trophies. Some people in England evidently think that killing a Christian is a crime, but killing a Mohammedan a virtue. Any power interfering because they are Christians (they don’t deserve the title), would be analogous to a Fenian rising in Ireland, countenanced and helped by France, because they were Catholics and co-religionists ; and would this be just if the Fenians were in the wrong ?”