NOTES ON THE WAR.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 395, 3 August 1877, Page 3

NOTES ON THE WAR.

J, EASHI-EAZOTJK butchekies. A A special correspondent of the Courier Ade France sends to this paper the following telegram, dated Vienna, July 28 : ~) Supported by certain official intellifgence from Rustchuk, I formally contra- - sdiet the allegations of Sir H. Elliott in Ircard to my despatch of the sth and Gth. A horrible massacre of Christians took iplace at Cabrove (Kabrova). and the corpses were so numerous that the Turks, jled by Ibrahim Bey, made a bridge of Itliem across the Intria River, at Kabrova, land passed across it. The bridge was [twenty metres long and forty broad. 'jWithin an area of six leagues the whole was murdered. The figures of UO,OCO is not an exaggeration. Second—iThat on the bourg of Belova, a band of ;320 Circassians has, in presence of Dejel lil a merchant of Rustchuk, who may {be called as a witness, buried ten cliil■jdren, defiled and mutilated in presence of itheir mothers, who were afterwards subjected to the same fate. The ground into hvhich these poor children were thrown J alive is just outside the town I have innmed, on the high rr-ad to Kasgord. •Third—That in the neighbourhood of jPhilipopnlis a massacre was committed an a church by a 1 and of fanatics, at the -.ijhrad of whom was a khodja named Mah|mud Abdul Sali'i EiTendi, a convent •'attached to a church was pillage 1, and ithe monks banged and mutilated. Fourth .j—That at Eski Zara, a whole town was jdestroyed, and the women, after being K-iolated, were taken by train to Adriknople. Fifth—That at Lsermagoa, near jCata Bazarkijk, at Bonigarina and at /J'saritsa, a series of frightful excesses from the 4th to the 12th, pOCO victims. Sixth—That the Turkish is not ignorant of these ffnets, and that the nn n sent from Constantinople have received orders to establish a reign of terror throughout Bui garia. \ THE Rt'SSIAV BALTIC F TEST. 5 The whole of the Baltic iL-et iias been ordered to be got ready for sea at once, and to proceed to Helsinufors immediately "the uo opens. To expedite the refitting of the ships, the dockyard authorities have blown up the ice in Bronstadt Mole, and pushed it out of the harbour under the ice outside by means of small steamers. Greater activiry prevails in the naval establishments there than has been witnessed since the commencement of the Ciuneaii war. The ironclad turret vessel, Ptttr the Great, has gone into dock to ].a\e new blades fitted to her propellers in lit u of those damage el during her late -tii.il trip to Revel last autumn. She is nlso to have one of her guns removed, %vl ich burst a few months ago while expennienting with English gunpowder. Two guns are r* ady to be put on board as the stoppage of the ice flow enables the Government to take them from the mainland to Cronstadt, and the armament of the Peter the Great will then consist of jtbree twelve-inch guns instead of four, her proper complement. The trials made Riming the winter have proved that gunpowder of rnglish manufacture is superior to that of either Russia or Germany. fl lie Emperor has purchased of Messrs. QJaird the steam-launch Mab. which for .Jtural years has had the reputation of -.jbt'ng the fastest vessel in Russia, and - has sent it to the Danube to be used ins a despatch boat by the commander-in-fchief. Its length is 48ft. ; depth. Gft. Gin.; idepthin hold, 3ft. Gin.; elraught of water, lift. Tin. The engines (compounel high work at 1201bs. on the safety H-alve ; the screw is 2rt. 9in. in diatnete>r, ,j\vith a pitch of 3ft. 4in., and makes 593 •fre\olutions. Her speed is nearly twenty jmilts an hour. The same firm have been .constructing similar steam launches for purposes on the A e>lga. These, at is believed, will be sent south for i'use on Turkish rivers. The technical committee at the Admiralty, St. Petersburg', are preparing plans for an ironclad similar to H.M.S. Inflexible, now under course of construction at Portsmouth. The Pacific and American squadrons of the Russian fleet will not enter the Mediterranean, as they have no armaments fit to compete with "those of the Turkish navy. In view of possible complications ■with England respecting the Eastern Question, these sepu.'drons will keep on the alert, in order to act as cruisers and annoy English shipping directly hostilities commence*. The Emperor has expressed to the naval authorities at St. Petersburg his displeasure at the condition of the Baltic fleet. For many years 3,000,000 roubles have been expended upon newironclads, and yet there is not a single vessel efficient —in the English sense of the term—for service at sea. At present, on account e>f the critical conelition of the Russian exehecpaer, nothing can be done but to improvise torpedo vessels and patch up the ironclads which exist on paper.

A'fr.TTJDE OF ATSTI'IA. j The Tlr.ir.s rciri~hs V-v.t <be vecrvt displays of ported fceJi-'-i iii AnsiiiVHunmove d.awn ath.;iii.ion to the convex system of t'-c crnpr.-e, and sr.ggesie'd .he oelief <>:?■; tLse Government must talie cove inipcrumt it solution wita respect to the war. T e fact is t.»afc ■while a part of t'-o population, cniedy in the crcies, has b-en exove 1 , uafn a>ly enough, by the OiV'T-'cah o r a vtpv vrco and rclKon, the C->"ct nd oi -^ur.tria laVo .-.t been . V'v.' ~r' ."' L X knew v"-cj force tof «.."' eh J! " • ••„ crn _J s " pose, ?':d;:ier.:,.r.'"cn or i-V. t -"; •<>- CX.'iWl T.l'c'l ii.Cf.O liT'St Vi (.f-. ;,o ocloVe -he 'JITI'L-S'l J/OWCV in the i rr.t cvtnt. T'-cv know w'at an HlM\y f>e con 1 .! p-aoe hi t - fie-d ifji were reahy thveaLc >cu. Above a •-, tvy e the inherent weakn--'--Sof tho njiliL.--yv-osil.iou, a;'. the E,r..-:s.;-n r-vrr/os on fee f -k'<j,.-. 'v.oee of the Austrian Eiat?. Jf Ayl.hvis -were to march whh t-ieir whole si c-.jtli into Rocraniii, t'-c JY « of .'n \. hob; I-ns-s:r.n array thf.t Lad crowed the Daiiuoe would be sealed.

TPI r.r,-siA2f a::d Trr.x'-n a irrEi. In i-T-o Er«*\~n nr;:iy i'-o rVy thathad s T -o\vn i>elf up h.> i':e m: of May seems to have been op 1 - -h: "hi: : -> ar >d this in uo serious form, of <.rvv-:,se the hea-th and con -'i: hn> of .be iru<;"; s* : em to have b?cn <no■••k-;i>. Bai cv n Ten the arn>yw;s :>g !•'--l-1 Co c n -rieidlies o2 i.r: u'-poL-i-, and by >!."S i t,..ie, now l T, at Bi l7 ',ar"a has b;.v:i e<;L;re; , t.us difficulty mr<.t be :,rj: -y inc.-e-s'-d. Probably nothing v.j'l ft a-'n the Ruepuu resources more than ;!i'-s. a-*cl w.' s-all prohaMy soon he.-r of de';'.ys rncl rl:-"j;er arising iron» tl'fs EO-.-.ce. In .t is sh'Vtd l-'at fo. l '- 150,000 mcv— v.oi Id have to provide Tor 91..G00 I-o-r,ep. th'-s in a coun'y w.- ' •'" u y the e-.->cr.»y ; whicli in t--e h'-Lter l>:'---'-: of :j-::.ir.irr buvni r;o by the cu.i, rud in the winter is deeply covered v.'t'h ;.n::\r. I:i JLi-ii'cnia, ihe Ru^ ; rn troops v.-ere s 7 -orfc of p-.<»vis : ii::s part of P/'ii-y ; I'-pt r =, sboui; p. fo-■■'■'>''-.'■!t a'.rr the ch-c'aiviion of v.;-v. There :c ty wss not feh. merely in thoadvi iu:cd poitr, vr'.ieh, ptrhi'ps, ini-jh-t liavo o'.!i.s;r"j);>ecl the comu:'s ;v T ;'S v.j bi:t was ex;ie-iierc-:d rt i.riv?n <r,\ Alera-ulropol, the two of supply un tlie Il.'ssiau frontier. Tins be(o!.ei?s nr'scalcnJut'on and n?"sman?2enK-ut, if not Iriiavn y an. 1 , pecula.'or, aid may help to sccor.;:t, perluips, for t'.-e ch r :-s'i(vs w nc'i have hi'ely be-f.-Ucn ;he Ilu: fciaus ia that portion of the Eeat of wa^. v f t T -e - is stated that it is vcy d'nc':nt in cvahy, an cim ni w T, ieh -> 'in ley fore ei ,7 y e:c j:1 d ;ve-y cther European powe , .\ -e r ■.. dery, however. :'s j.ood, and tlie ii>". is well armed with "the Martini-Eki-y !•'&■'■, and is ; n tlr's resiiect superior to the infantry of Russia. MISCELLANEOUS. iDstructions have be-;n received r v r the prer.ei?t crews 01 r tne deirchsd ficurth-on to be paid oa and .'.rr.u.ed 1c; ve. I.i t i.:.;c ships vxe not to be toue'ied. rTof.crcs whatever are to be return jd. the i:/£; 11 3 is to be left all shinchn v, and the are to be left in the vessels, so t'.i: i.!>ey may be ready for immediate uce f/nonkl they be required. A full meeting of the Staford JJonse w; s hj; Id a few days since under tl'e prcs : i.ei'cy of the Duhe of Sutherland. were re; d. contriving- vahu.ble si - i;> r i,s \vell as a leitev from Captain Buvnrby, giving a detp-"h?d account <j? h ; s in Asia Minor, where he fo-.m 1 many of the Turkish troops in &i;lieriug. Be witnessed the most ";.arrowing P];ectacle of death and mmiiati'.ii from i'rostbite on the elevated h ; -ii!a '• and saw the troops from the v.vii.ior countries daily falling victims to the severe cold. Re states that. ;-<>m the want of proper medicines and applianc.s. the wounded will have to be ircaied without chloroform and with woruoi't and blunted surgical is.'.irni.-enh'-, ir.>l-:ss of tiif-se can be sent from Europe, where alone they can be o->-.•hied. It was resolved to spend Llt.CO hi fever medicines, c.doroform, and surgical iiibtrurneni:-, which will be immediately sent out, and to make an urgent appeal to the public for further funds to mitigate the sinfering of the men who have ieft their homes to defend their con it lit.

Tlie'ibriitication of Alien is now under the consideration of the Government of lnuia. It is reported that t!ie Governnient hold 40,000 troops in readiness for shipment from Bombay, and several men-of-war in the Persian Gulf. Volunteer co:-ps have been Plaited in Bombay, as in Calcutta and Iwadras. r l\ie Berlin ..iinislcrial Post spvs tbat Count BcuVu has rucen.ly endeavour jd to cement, an Anglo-Auslro-Freneh alliance, t* "., alliance io be nominally concluded Russia and Germany, but, in reality, \o operate against Germany alone. France and Auf.ti'a were io have attacked German}', while England would be left to deal single-handed with Russia in the East. The English Cabinet, however, seeing through his plot, it came to nothing.