RUSSIA AND THE TURCOMANS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2447, 21 January 1881, Page 2

RUSSIA AND THE TURCOMANS.

The “Daily News” special correspondent in Central Asia says that all attempts at a compromise have been abandoned. The Turcomans have evacuated the entire valley up to their stronghold, Gfeok Tepe, and have there concentrated the bulk of their fighting men. The women and valuables have been sent off in the direction oP Merv, so as to leave the combatants entirely free. Large reinforcements of Mery Turcomans have come up, report says exceeding 10,000 in number. Theentire population of Askabad, has either gone on to Geok Tepe, or retired eastward. The force mustered;, is estimated at considerably oyer 30,000 men, so that the intending combat can hardly fail 'to be a terriflics one. The Turcoman tactics seem to ■ be to draw their adversaries as far as possible from their base of operations on the Caspian, to devastate the country before them, and then fight them when as reduced as possible in strength by sickness, casualties, and detachments necessarily left behind to keep open the communications. The Russians on the other hand, have to try and counteract this system by advancing slowly, establishing fortified posts along their line of advance, of such strength, naturally or artificially, as to require minimum, garrisons, within the principle of which large provision depots can be securely established. In fact, after securing the t

line of communication by as few men as possible* so astd bring a f large 'force to tbe front, the Russian object should be to establish a second base of operations as near the scene of action as possible, which would render the advanced corps independant, at least for a considerable time, of the more distant one at Tchikislar. In his latest letter, dated Mesbed, Oct. Ist, the correspondent says that General Skobeloff had returned to the front at Bami and Beurna, after his visit to the Emperor at Lividiu;' With him came twenty field guns and a thousand loads of artillery ammunition. This certainly looks (the writer says) as if work were about to commence in earnest; but the general may not mean to effect the great coup of the campaign immediate!}’, and the large number of guns brought to the front may only be for the moment to strengthen the Russian positions within which the great depots of stores are being formed. General Skobeloff has not fallen into the error committed by liis predecessors iii command—that of underrating the enemy’s strength and courage. In the event of a r Turkoman defeat at Geok Tepe, the correspondent does not think there is any possibility of a retreat upon a second line of defence.