RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2600, 8 May 1877, Page 3

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

"We have decided to win," said a member of the Council of Ministers to the special correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph in Constantinople on the 15th July last, immediately after the breaking up of a council meeting. "We have decided to win. We well know that this is .a. struggle for existence, and we have determined to conquer —that is a great step." It wrs clearly understood in the Turkish capital at that, time Lhat it was the hand of Russia which was causing the puppets in Bosnia, fcfervia, Montenegro, and Bulgaria to dance; and it was anticipated that, sooner or later, the Moslem must fight with, the Muscovite for dear life. That desperate conflict is about to be commenced ; and it is a matter of considerable interest, therefore, to ascertain as correctly as may be the forces which each of the belligerents is capable of setting in the field. As regards the military: power of Bussia, the sources of information are both limited and untrustworthy. It has always been the policy of the Bussian Government to impress foreign nations with an exaggerated idea of the magnitude of its resources, and the enormous size of its armies. But the Crimean war helped to dissipate this delusion by showing that, although the Czar might be able to maintain a large army on a peace footing, yet that when exposed to the strain of war which lasted only from March, 1854, to the end of the year following, the resources of the empire suffered such a terrible collapse that it has token Bussia nearly a quarter of a century to recover from, the effects of the heavy blow which she sustained at that time. Nominally, the-effective army of the Czar consists on a peace footing of 750,000. men, which could be brought up, in case of war, to 1,520,000; but by the re-organisation of the forces which was recently effected it was anticipated that this number would be increased to 2 500,000. According, however, to. an article which appeared a few months ago in the Magdeburg Gazette, and which was regarded by The Times and other influential journals as worthy ot credit, the largest force which Eussia could dispose of on a piece footing is 35,000 officers and 750,000 men, and on a war footing 40,000 officers and 1,200,000.men. i On the other hand, there can be na question that that power has made great and successful efforts to place its artillery in the highest state of efficiency. Each division of infantry has a brigade of artillery attached to it, and every brigade—sl in number —consists of three nine-pounder and ihree fourpounder batteries of eight guns each. Addmg. "to these 1 mountain, 10 field, and 34 'horse batteries,. we have a total of 2,680 guns, besides a reserve, of 48 batteries, containing 384 guns and 200 companies of fortress artillery.

The Turkish army numbered, at the beginning of the war with Serria, 4.00,000 men, including 20,000 regular cavalry and 15,000 artillery, and as at the age of 19 every Turk is bound to enrol himself as a Boldier for a-service of six years, at the expiration of which time he passes into the re&ify'pi relief, and is called out for a month or., two '"annually-,' the whole of the adult Moslem population is available for fighting purposes. The regular troops are armed wiw^the Martini-Henry and Winchester rifle^and supplied with the best and .most recent pattern of revolvers and swordi-bayonets. The cavalry have breech-loading carbine and revolvers. Under ? the advice and instruction of foreign officers, the Turkish artillery has been in process of reorganisation for some time past; and, according to'a communication furnished to the Allgemeine Zeitung not many weeks ago by the military attache to one of the embassies at Constantinople, it is by far the best portion'of the army; ■ It is well officered, and obtains the most efficient of recruits. Each regiment of field artillery is provided with 16 batteries of six guns each, consisting of, Krupp's breech-loading 12 pounders and Broad well guns of the same calibre. -All the guns of the horseartillery are rifled Armstrongs.. The mountain batteries are said to be especially excellent. They are composed of Whitworth 3 pounders, fastened on the backs of mules, trained for this particular purpose, and the utility of such living gun carriages in rugged passes and. rocky defiles will be obvious at once. The fortress artillery numbers six regiments ; and the strongholds at Schumla, Varna, Silistria, Rustchuck, and Widdin, are being strengthened and armed with rifled cast steel guns. The Turkish arsenals are well organised, and are mostly under the management of Frenchmen and Italians, while immense supplies of arms and ammunition have been and are still being drawn from the workshops of Prussia, England, and the United States. There are four battalions of sappers ;and pontopriers commanded by . intelligent young officers who have studied engineering in Paris and Berlin; and it is the policy of the Turkish Government to offer pay and rapid promotion to the best military and scientific men belonging to the countries of Western Europe who are willing to enter the Sultan's service, the artillery school at Constantinople being under the control of a staff of professors, every one of whom is an ex-officer jj|))f the German army.

In the estimation of competent judges the Russian soldier is inferior to the Turk. He is smaller'in stature,. not so abstemious, and not so well drilled. The Turk is tall, heavy and soldier-like. He fights with the inspiration of a fanatic, and faces j death anddanger%ith the composure of a fatalist. The Asiatic recruits which have been pouring into iho. camp on.the Asiatic side of the Bosphbrus for many months! past are described as hearty, hardy, sunburned fellows, full of martial ardour and religious enthusiasm,and easily initiated into the "trade of war." They arrive there from Syria, Barbary, Egypt, and from various parts of Asia Minor, are placed under arms in camps of instruction for awhile* and then equipped and sent to ihefronh The entire Danube frontier is said to be strongly garrisoned ; the rivar is filled with small iron-clads, and its mouth as well as the Turkish coast is protected by torpedoes. On the sea, Bussia confessedly stands no chance with Turkey, The navy of the latter power: comprises at this moment 27 ironclads, built and equipped in .England, with all the latest improvements, besides 80 first-class wooden vessels, the whole furnished "with, powerful artillery, and manned by something like 40,000 seamen and marines." The Turkish fleet is therefore master of the Black Sea, and is strong enough to lay waste or blockade every Eussian seaport.along its borders; while, if it should destroy _ Odessa, it would be the means of inflicting a deadly

blow upon the commerce and prosperity of the southern part of the empire. The financial position of the two powers is pretty much upon a par. Turkey, as a Government, is avowe<.lj insolvent, while Bussia contrives to maintain a dubious credit by a forced emission of papermoney, and contracting new loans in order to enable her to pay the dividends on the old ones. Her present debt, according to The Times, is £484,000,000. upon which the interest amounts to something like £20,000,000. Her productive power is paralysed by protection, and ad the Government has become responsible to the land holders for-the compensation due to them on account of the emancipation of the serfs, its finances are likely to fall into desperate disorder in the event of a great and costly war; so that the Czar might well exhibit considerable reluctance to draw the sword against Turkey, conscious the while that some of the other great powers would be delighted to see him dissipate the national blood and treasure in this way.—Australasian.