THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5252, 23 January 1878, Page 2

THE RUSSO-TURKISH WAR.

BY TELEGRAPH. *v (per mess agency.) The correspondent of the Loudon Daily News at Plevna sends a terrible story of the state of things prevailing in and around the captured towu. Before the recent great storm Plevna was simply a charnel house, and modern warfare has no parallel for it. Famished dogs, of which there arealways large numbers in Turkish towns, were feeding on the corpses of the dead and the bodies of the still living wounded. Savage hordes of greedy brutes tore the putrid flesh off the dead, or crushed the bones between their teeth. The cries and groans of the wounded, as they vainly struggled with the dogs, were heard for miles around, and made the soul sick. Birds were picking at the skulls, and hopping from body to’ body with their beaks and plumage besmeared with human blood, screaming with fiendish delight. The dogs fought amoncr themselves, and bird struggled with bird fer the possession of morsels of human flesh. Nine hundred horses perished in the vicinity of Sisfova during the storm. The total loss of draught animals numbers many thousands. Details are slowly coming in concerning the sufferings of thb Turkish prisoners from Plevna on the way to Bomnania, The prisoners were unaccompanied by any vehicle for the purpose of picking up those who fell by the wayside. Those were left by the guards to freeze, as they haduomeans of carrying them, and aha.lt would only increase the number of victims. , Roumanian officers,-who came from Nioopolis to . Plevna after the passage of these prisoners, say they drove against a number of dead bodies in the snow. No provision was made in. the Bulgarian villages for the proper sustenance of captives. The Turks made a sortie, and they left thousands of sick aud wounded starving, and unattended. These unfortunates, remained in this state three days, and hundreds died. Over a thousand corpses come from the hospitals daily. Undoubtedly many not quite dead are buried. - Those killed ju battle were unburied on the I7th. The Turkish prisoners who are encamped among them are also starving. ■ A Constantinople, despatch says Austria’s, reply to the Turkish circular reserves the right to intervene on the openingof peace negotiations as being the guaranteeing frontier Power The removal of the British fleet from Bessica Bay to the Gulf of Smyrna is made necessary because of the serious risks to ironclads and crews wintering at the unsheltered anchorage of Bessica. But, on the other hand, the transfer to a point so near the Dardanelles signifies the alertness with which England intends to, guard those important Straits. The Servians captured at Pirot twenty-three cannon, a thousand rifles, and fifty prisoners. A fresh Turkish levy of three hundred, thousand is ordered. Sulieman Pasha’s arrival at Constantinople has strengthened the war party. He advocates resistance to the last. ■ The Patriarchs of the Greek and Roman Churches refused to read the call for troops to their congregations unless the Christians formed separate battalions and were allowed a flag with the cross instead of the crescent. La Mode Russe compiles from official sources figures showing that Russia has already captured in the campaign seven hundred and four cannon, twenty-nine pashas, aud seventythree thousand officers and men. The Chicago Times' correspondent at Bucharest telegraphs the following account of the capture of Plevna:—“Fuller information of the capitulation of Osman’s army shows that it was Ghazie Osman who took the initiative in the action, concealing his intention under cover of assaults on the Russian entrenchments to north-west, near Aponetz and Susarlu. He directed his main line of retreat straight to the west. Up to a certain point success crowned his efforts. ; The inner line of investment was broken through, the strong redoubt of Dalny Netropolje fell into the hands of the Turks, and it almost seemed as if a portion of the defenders of Plevna would bear down all opposition; but the Russian Grenadier Corps held i the entrenchments with desperate valor, /until strong i reinforcements, hurrying up from all directions, encircled Osman with a wall of fire. Eve i after this he fought on, in the hope, probably, that at least a portion of his command might escape, but every moment affairs grew worse, until there was nothing left hut an unconditional surrender. When it is remembered that the garrison were almost starving, and had been decimated by disease, and possessed but scanty ammunition, this supreme effort to cut through the Russian lines will he universally acknowledged as a fitting crown to the heroic resistance offered by Osman aud his splendid soldiers, for nearly five months, against forces greatly superior iu numbers and well supplied with food aud ammuuition, and constantly receiving fresh battalions. A comparatively small portion of his force was directed against the Roumanian position at Opanes, lout mads very little of it. Perhaps this movement was intended as a feint, and perhaps it was meant to keep back the Roumanians from entering Plevna, while the rest of the Turkish forces were seeking to pierce the Russian.lines on the left bank of the Vid, to the north-west* of Plevna. Whatever was the intention the Turkish soldiers sent against theßoumanians chd very little, and were quickly surrounded aud overpowered. They surrendered at once. Not so however with the main force, where Osman himself commanded. The troops went with a dash and succeeded actually in entering the Russian entrenchments and taking some important positions, driving two divisions of Imperial Guard back into the second line of trenches. That was something gained, and had no Russian reinforcements been forthcoming Osman might have accomplished his purpose of making his way to Widdin. But before him was a second line of entrenchments, which also he assailed; but all around Plevna was now movement and activity in the Russian camp. Fresh troops hurried up to the point of attack, and Osman Pasha found himself assailed not only in front but on bath flanks. Meantime the Roumanians had entered Plevna, and were preparing with artillery to attack the Ottoman troops in the rear. Some five or six hoars’ hard fighting decided the business. Osman, unaware at first probably that the troops sent against the Roumanians had been so easily defeated, turned to re-enter Plevna, but here he was met by the opposing Roumanians ; and it would have been madness to continue the struggle, and he at once surrendered. A Western Union .telegraph despatch says the Russians had been warned that Osman intended to attempt his object by concentrating the whole of the army at Vid. At seven in the morning Osman crossed the Vid by two bridges, and attacked the Russian position with such firing that they captured eight cannons, and in a few minutes almost annihilated Sibevsky’s grenadier regiment. The Turks then found themselves under the fire of a hundred cannon of the Russian second line, and were attacked by the grenadiers, who resolved

to rec-iptnrn the The Tuvlcs were driven back after a Fifteen minutes’ bayonet fight, but continued to lire from the shelter of the banks of the Vid until 12.30, when the bring ceased on both sides, and a quarter of an hour alterwards Osmau sent an envoy to treat for ?u. - render. Osman's wound in the leg was nut serious. , . It is estimated that the siege of Uevna has cost Russia over 50,000 men. 0 - December 31. A wreat anti-Russian meeting, composed largely of working men, was held on Saturday in Trafah'ar-square, and was made the pretext for a pro-Russian gathering. '.I he crowd possessed all the elements of a mob, and the clnsrdav of three Turkish flags m the first assemblafre precipitated an attaclc by a second. More than 6000 were present. The confusion was so <*reat at the Turkish meeting that the speakers” could not bo heard. A Russian flag suddenly appeared in the crowd, and a free fi*ht lasting an hour and five minutes ensued, led by a sooty-faced man, who howled like a Bashi-Bazouk.’ Anglo-Turks charged eamasse upon the Russian party. The standard bearer was taken and soundly thrashed, and the Muscovite flag was destroyed. The forces of the horny-handed friends of the Czar soon rallied and they carried by assault the position held by the Turkish color-bearer. The reserves pressed so closely upon the assaulting I party that retreat was impossible. I Ins was a serious business for the men in front The Turkish standards were totally destroyed, and the victors glared for a few moments at the seething crowd before them, apparently anxious to know if there -were any of the obnoxious flags near. The wounded were not butchered, and were only jumped upon playfully and kicked about the face and head The assembly soon became so overwhelmingly Turkish that the Russophilists were compelled to withdraw. The police interfered three hours after the meeting. Some arrests were made. Nobody of any prominence was present at the meeting, which had no political significance. Alarming statements are current that English intervention will bo followed by the sending of the German fleet to Constantinople, and German troops to the Dardanelles. The Agencc Russe, a St. Petersburg newspaper, says English encouragement to Turkey, and convening Parliament early, will compel Russia to hurry on to Constantinople, precipitating what it was intended to preT6 The Athenian clubs propose threatening demonstrations in favor of war. The Paris Le Temps, alluding to the report that active intercourse was going on between Paris and London with the view of the establishment of an understanding on the Eastern Question, says it is perfectly certain that the French Government does not intend departing from its attitude of reserve, and will play no active part in Eastern affairs. There is great distress .amongst the poor Constantinople people in consequence of the rise in the price of provisions. Difficulties are feared if bread rises higher. _ There are heavy snow storms in Bulgaria and Roumania, ' and many wounded have perished. . The Czar has been received at St. Petersburg with'thb wildest demonstration, gay and vast crowds lining the road all day long, with illuminations. The Porte has sent a circffiar requesting the mediation of Europe, It said the new constitution guaranteed better government than the autonomous States, which could only produce the disintegration of the Empire. All the Powers declined to mediate on the impossible terms Suggested. The Porte then withdrew the circular, and asked unconditionally for English mediation, which Russia declined. A Russian official dispatch, of December 13, reports that Sulieman, with sixty batallious, attacked Grand Duke Vladimir along the whole line, directing his principal efforts against the - centre, and compelling them to retire. Sulieman, reporting the engagement, says 3000 Russians were killed. The Sultan, in a speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament, said that Russia commenced the war, compelling Turkey to defend herself from aggression, and non-Mussul-mans had shown a commendable desire to assist in the defence of the Constitution, which guaranteed them perfect equality, and was the only safeguard of the country. The fall of Plevna caused a considerable rise in Russian stocks in London. A London correspondent of the Manchester Guardian telegraphs regarding the Government policy “ There is na idea of the acquisition of Egypt, which would he an abandonment of the policy of opposing the partition of Turkey. It is believed, should Russia reject mediation, Lord Beaconsfield is prepared to appeal to the country on the question fo the defence of British interests.” A Vienna special says : —‘‘ Negotiations have been proceeding for some time concerning the neutralisation of the Danube. The Government np to a recent date intended immediately to introduce a series of resolutions, which, if approved, the Government means to occupy Gallipoli, not as an act of hostility, but to obtain a vantage ground, with-a view to peace negotiations.” A correspondent of the Daily News sends a terrible story, of the horrors of Plevna. It is a complete charnel-house, and in modern warfare has no parallel. Indescribable horrors are pictured. In one house there were thirty-seven dead and fifty- ' three wounded Turks, the former half decomposed and in a putrid state. The wounded who were able to crawl clutched the odd morsels of food found in the hands of the dead, devouring them with feverish avidity, and thousands utterly helpless awaited death with listless fatalism. Eighteen hundred prisoners were huddled together on the banks of the Vid, and the horrors possibly equalled the great plague. Living and dead were piled together prom scuoualy in heaps, and like wood are carted away. Only three carts are available, and the confusion is indescribable. The appearance of Sulieman at Constantinople with 10,000 men created rumors of a conspiracy. It is intended to levy men for the defence of Constantinople. The Golos, a St. Petersburg paper, is assured Russia need fear no interference from England.