WAR NEWS BY THE MAIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume I, Issue 359, 18 June 1877, Page 2

WAR NEWS BY THE MAIL.

PARTICULARS' OF SEVERAL BATTLES. STATE OF THE ARMIES. [A portion of the following was published by us as an Exi.ra on Saturday evening, having been received too Lite for insertion in our ordinary issue.]

The Prussian attacking force, which captured Avdahan, numbered eight thousand, besides several thousands in front of town. During the Turkish ilight the Russian cavalry inflicted a loss of 700 on t:ie eneniv's force, numbering \u, U00. The Bashi-Buzouks %,'nd Kurds have moved northwar: - from Lake Van to join the Turkish at Korokalisa. The E.uss'ah r ricl ; v. t ih Asia have been delayed by the di&c» r lty■ juf procuring provisions in Annem.a. The centre of the Kussia/nVvarrny, forty thousand strong, under t!ie coininand of Melikofi, attacked Mukhtav Pasha five miles outside of Kirs. Th 3 Turks fought desperately. ' Tiio Russians, being supported bv a powerful artillery, dislodged thorn. Mukhtar PaJia called out his reserves, and on the 30th, with 60,000 men, attempted to recover his lost ground, but was defeated and driven back under the funs of Kars. Both sides lost luavily. The object of the Russian attack appeared to be to intercept the Turkish communication with Erzeroum. On May Ist, the Turks occupied the village of Ichikate, west of K us. A few days°later the Russians attempted to carry Kars by a coup de main. Tuey attacked t,e outer line with a furious but illdirected cimonale from ' .! go'artillery. The powerful Turkish batteries replied with better eiieet. The duel was kept up until the Russians brought up the'r infantry as close ms thev dared, as they intended to take the fortifications by storm. The Turk is Li commander drew together large be dies of troops behind the ramparts, and made tremendous sorties upon tlio Russian flank and rear, under th': shock of which t'ie Russians were obliged to retreat into a disadvantageous position. A bloody engagement then followed, and the Russians retired, leaving 300 dead and many wounded 011 the held. The Russians then commenced to bombard Kars, and invested the city with 50,000

men. In the attack on Batouin, where the Turks defeated the Russians, with loss of 4,000 men, the Turks were entrenched on the heights defending the town, with, the fleet outside. As the Russians advanced to attack, the Turks mowed them down by hundreds, by well-directed lire from cannon and musketry. The Turks, by a sortie, under cover of a thick forest, outflanked the Russians, inflicting a s-riuiis defeat. Tho courage of tiie bsusluBazonks is highly extolled. Tho Russians did not withdraw till midnight, and lost several cannon. A Russian war steamer, which had run the gauntlet from Sebastopol, endeavored to pface torpedoes under a Turkish frigate, off Batouin, but the torpedoes failed to explode, and the vessel was driven oil. Admiral Hassan Pasha, with ironclads bombarded Soukhum Kaleh, and landed a body of troops. . . The natives of Abrasia are m union with the Turks. . . The defeat of the Russians below Rem was of a reconnoitring force in boat?. The Turks waited until they came within easy range, and then opened a destructive The Russians have sunk torpedoes opposite Matchin and Gaiatz to harass the Turkish gunboats, and have constructed a battery of heavy guns at Ghitic, at the mouth of the Danube. . The Turks have massed a large body of cavalry opposite Gaiatz. General Kokeloffs Circassian Cossacks, intended to lead the advance of the invading army on the Danube, have passed through Bucharest. The Turks made three attempts to cross the Danube and construct a battery at Islat.?, but were repulsed by the Roumanians. The Porte notified to the European Powers that they had blockaded all the ports of the Black Sea. The Servians are making offensive preparations. It is said that the Servian Government have received proof that a convention exists between Russia and Austria. All Musselmen in Herzegovina and Bosnia, between the ages of fifty and sixty, have been ordered to join the army. Russian reports state that an English steamer in endeavouring to enter Kertch j without the jiecessary .precautions, was I totally destroyed by a -

Hassan Pasha landed a supply ef rift and cartridges to equip the CircassjA and a formidable local force was orgafM to inarch fie a the railway line to Ttfi s ! aiming at the destruction of Kutai; j Another large band was despatched t;j raise the country in the rear of the Rns i sian columns, which are attacking B; '■. toum. On May 20 it was officially report* \ that the Turkish forces operating nci Soukuin Kaleh were attacked by 57(m Russians. The Turks completely aim J hilated a company of Cossacks. Tliu took five prisoners besides some arms sm provisions. The fleet destroyed jardjare The Turks shelled Buckell, an.] Bashi-Bazouks plundered the neighbour ing villages. Tiiey also bombarded Fo:; St. Nicholas. !; On May 9th the Russians attempted ij surround Staghull, and concentrated ti attack the Turkish position at Karliij and Zei'kikiavi. '■ The Russian force at Bayazed advance; in the direction of Samouni and Antil. leaving Karakiativa and Allaskert on tin- < rijit. A detachment of Cossacks aVa'nced to Basdage, but were driven hai, to Kadissmar. The Russians tried :.* stop tiie telegraph wires, but were ili; covered. i|

On May 17lh the Russians advanced;.., Karakalissa, and a battle was expected ej Toprak Kate. On the I.Bth May there was a between the Russians and the Turku cavalry outside Kars. The Turks lost! killed, and the Russians two killed a| 54 wounded. , The Globe publishes t':e following dated Pera :—Too Russians have gaini an important victory between K-iva a| Eraerouui. The Turks retreated U|i| Erzerouui. Tin re are rumours that l<l|j Turks were captuivd. T.iis is * Turkish men-of-war are boniburdijj and bunrng settlements, and panic reij nut only at Odessa but all along the Blajj 'oea. News as been received that a Itussijl force, wit:i cavalry and artillery, crossj the Danube near Polebaeke, and cntuij the L»obrudscha. An engagement wasp pmgivss. , | The Russians 1 ave a number of uijjj clad boats, drawing only a few feetfi water, at the inontli of ti.e Dniester, nl Akero'inan, wliich they hope to saffl co-ivey to Kilia, at the ni'Mitli of I Danube, and over the bar to the towil Kilia. The Turkish commander has 1 solved to make his iirst stand in defol of the Dobru.lscha, on the line on KJ] tendgo to Tohierhoroda. and his next* fence within the pKcincts of the qui rangle formed by fortresses of Custchur| Varum., Siiumli, and Silistria. Sixteen thousand Turks have bccnl spatched from Widin, with all haste J t;ie Dobriulscha. . r The Russian heavy ball eric .ft All throw s.iells into the Turkish defencti M-irchin. Eight Turkish soldiers, captured i| Abral, were armed with American rill tiring thirty-six cartridges without reks inr.

The Turkish forces sent to Soukliil Kiiluli to aid tho Circassians miiiibifj 10,000. . J Tiie Russian forces in Roumania jf estimated at 2.40,000. J The Turks have a force of 250,000 d north of Halkan. J Tlie offoet of the Turkish needle guf| said to have caused tiie strengthonuiif tho Russian army. J

The report is confirmed that tho l| sians sunk a large Turkish monitor in I Danube. A shell penetrated the boi!c| the monitor, resulting in an explosjl which fired the magazine. The innii| sank, and her entire crow and diers perished. j The World's Giurgovo despatch says| " A great battle is impending, and alrci heavy cannonading is in progress. 1 Russian army is in tine condition, i good spirits. The Turks are in sti| force. .Severe musketry firing is hearil the other side of the Danube. ' Ontpl are exchanging haden compliments, | rattle at a fearful distance. The can;| ade pours heavier, and at this rate it J not take long to destroy Rustchuk. J

sky is red by the iiauies of burning ll takai, the town having been iirod by I Russian gui;s in OltenitKi. Machibi j been set on lire by the Russian artilli A Russian infantry corps, humbcl 50,000, is marching in the dircctioii| Silistria. Great preparations are hi made by tlie Russians for an attempt; cross tlie river between Passiova Nikopolis. They have brought down rail, to the bank, pontoon bridges small steamers, and are erecting li fortifications at Islatz and Vai A cont.nual concentration of troop the direction of Silistria is observe The Roumanian shells only reached Turkish vessels off Widin. 1 The barracks and Custom llouscl Kalafat were destroyed, and the chil injured. Widin was set on fire. An Englishman reports that tho 1 kish troops in Widin and its vicinity n her 50,000. They expect an increasi 25,000 from Sophia. 1 A Roumanian vessel full of Rusl soldiers has b.en sunk by the Turks. § A Turkish gunboat which passed Kl fat under cover of tho Turkish fire f Widin, was captured by a Roumai battery l.,wer down the river. Montenegro holds tho Duga Pass, bl< ading Goramiko and Niksiki. Suleiman Pasha, with 20,000 mei advancing to relieve Goramako. According to news from Constantin< 16 Bulgarian villages were pillaged burnt by the Turks. In the Turl village of Turtukai there is quite a CI tian element, though subordinate in n ber to the Turks. On the nigh*, of 16th May, the latter made -a general

slanght ut" ii th>! Christian males, who were put to the. sword. Many elderly women &V--red the same fate, and the ymmgef tvere cruelly outraged. Cries of victory were distinctly heard by the outposts "of tiie Roumanian army, and the acccount is further corroborated by the reports of two Bulgarians who escaped the slaughter. There was great excitement in Jedtlah on May 1(5, owing to a rumour that a Russian fleet was expected in the Red Sea. The Bulgarian refugees in Rou mania are being armed. On the bombardment, by Turkish monitors, the inhabitants of Reni, Ibraiia, and Alenilza fled. A force resembling the German Landwehr will shortly be called out for the defence of the shores of the Baltic and the Black Sea. It is intended to organise rifle corps in every Russinn town along the entire coast from Cape Adlar to Pore Chentichyn. Turkish enormities in Bulgaria still continue. Roumania is being armed to protect herself against the Turkish monitors. On May 12 a Persian envoy arrived at St. Petersburg to conclude a negotiation enabling Russia to inarch troops through Persian territory. The first collision between the Greek insurgents and the Turkish troops occurred near Armyros, in Thessaly. The press of Athens unanimously demand war. Meriatts has driven the Turks from Orschki after a sanguinary fight, wherein an entire Turkish battalion was destroyed.

ENGLAND AND THE WAR

General Sir John Simmonds will be the Commander-in-Chief of the English army if sent to the s:at of war. Mr. Carlyle writes to the Times that Earl Beaconsfield evidently intends to involve England in a war against Russia. Sir Stafford Northcote says that the Turks have 400,000 well-armed and disciplined troops in Europe. Six gun-boats and ten boats for landing troops have lieen ordered. During a debate in the House of Commons, on the Eastern Question, Prince Napoleon was in the gallery. The UnderSecretary said the Government- had no knowledge that Russia bad assembled a large force at Sasscind, for offensive ope rations through Persia. T.ie army clothing factories are worked without intermission. Arrangements have been made for the embarkation of 2">,0U0 men in six day 3 if neeessary, and 25,000 more a fortnight after. English Statesmen think Russia will not venture on the occupation of Constantinople, faring the onsequences of a general European war. Tie Gov'-r.r.a -r.t stopped armaments fur Turkey '■-■ iv;:i the Victoria Dock. Lu-g-i t' ■-;':::•- .ve ready in Portsmouth, ami i. ''i.'.i-ri-l barrels of powder Lave hevui sent to .Malta. It is rn-uo'ired that Turkey will cede the sovereignty of Egvpt to England for payment of the capitalised amount of tribute.