THE CZAR'S "HOLY WAR:" ITS RESULTS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 541, 25 January 1878, Page 2

THE CZAR'S "HOLY WAR:" ITS RESULTS.

The correspondent of the London Telegraph writes : " I wish those who made this war could have been with us yesterday and the day before. We marie two days of it from Sophia, halting at Tashkiscnd at the southern foot of the hills. A vivid pen might easily draw the misery this war is causing. It is not like other wars, where peaceful inhabitants remain comparatively unmolested. Hern and hereabouts directly the enemy advances all the townspeople and villager decamp, and just now that the Pussiuis have gained a success between Plevna anl Orchanie the whole oountry is on the mow. All the roads in Sophia are blocked witli refugees, of whom there are about 10,500 in and around the town. As we proceeded we encountered parties of Mussulmans coming in, and some Bulgarians and Circassians also fleeing, but they formed only a small portion of the fugitives. On the first half of the road we counted 1100 carta, and estimated four persons in eaoh cart ; and many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle are being driven in every direction. Every head of a household conducted his own cart, which contained the family, (heir clothing, food, cooking utensils, and provender fur bullocks. The second half of the road was in a dreadful state. lis consisted of a steep ascent cut through a gorge in the mountains, winding round about 15 miles long. The wl-ole of this is blocked and chocked with carts in indescribable confusion. We estimated them at 0000, making about 25,000 souls driven from their homes and wandering they know j not whither. Many of the fugitives api peared to look upon their situation as hopeless, and with a serene confidence in fate camjped out. driving their bullock.-, into ravines and m,ore practicable places it the side of the road, but of course leaving their carts to form an impenetrable block. All classes are involved in common interest; all fled the Rnssi'ms and lrearied the Cossacks. Whether Mussulman, Bulgarian, Circassian. Jew, or Gipsy. all are slrmrding in this bond of [ .umanit.y- -not that all are eipiany misi.-ralil . \frer sicki'iiing groups of gruy-bearderi. n-oki'ii, old men, and half-naked parulyti. lags, the eye would light upon the merry, '•osy facf-s of a car'load of child-eii, quit •nj".ving the novelty of the scene. Her delicately nurtured Mussulman women, vliosi' faces had never been exposed ti gaze, might be seen pioking their wa* •hrongh the deep mn ', nnd there littl girls seven or eight years of ige drove ;. nair of hideous shaggy buffal us, strikiiv. .hem feeble blows, and puling at their nose-cords with truly infant tie cruelty. The panorama of yural life in its worst aspect presented to .us it is impossible to forget. Although nearly all the families had food left for a few da s, yet when that was once exhausted, tliey had nothing to look forward to but starvation, and almost every town, district, and village is already full of fugitives, who have been placed on. the English, relief list, and get a sum considered just sufficient to keep body and soul together—a sum which is to supply them with food, drink, lodging, and clothing ; and for food they get bread. for drink water, for lodgings the ground or a cart, for clothing what they have on their backs. The sum that supplies all these luxuries is twopence a day per head.