The Press. — London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

••••,•' MATtco 4, 1854. between classes, a habit of kindly and familiar intercourse is kept up. This is also a result of the absolute power of the superior, who runs no risk of losing authority by condescen sion : The injunction to " do unto others as you would they should do unto you " is not considered an idle form of words by the Turks, but is carried into practice. The most wealthy does not disdain to converse with the poorest; the strong man in a mob will yield to the old, or to women and children ; sons exhibit a respect amounting to reverence towards their parents; and the stranger amid a crowd meets with those attentions which prove that the people possess, in a kindly heart and manner, one of the most agreeable elements of true civilisation. That Turkish government is mild, equitable, or well organised, Mr. Smyth does not assert; but he dwells forcibly on what is, after all, the best proof that, with all its defects, it suits the people well—the patriotic resistance of all classes and religious to Russian aggression. The latter point merits special notice as proving the defensive movement to be not fanatical but national. Large voluntary sub sidies for the war have poured in from all quarters, Christians being contributors : According to the testimony of an old English traveller, the Christian subjects of the Porte, even 2(X) years ago, wished for no interference on the part of Roman Catholic Governments: " In the European• Turkish dominions which I passed, I eould not but take notice of the great number of Chris. tians ; for, excepting great cities, or where the souldiery reside, they are generally all Christians; whereof the great body is of the Greek Church, who live patiently under the Turkish toleration. If there should happen any con• siderable commotion among the Turkish powers, it is highly probable they would sit still. and be little active ; and if any forces of the Latine Church should attempt the conquests of these parts, in all probability they would find very little assistance from them, and I fear they would rather adhere unto their Turkish masters." . Late events appear to show that the interference of the great Greek-church power is not much more palatable ; for in spite of some little leaning towards Russia, which has now and then been brought to light, the strenuous oppo sition or the discontent of the Wallachians, the sturdy neutrality of the Servians, and the voluntary offers of aid to the Sultan by Bulgarians and Armenians, are a sufficient proof of improved social condition and increased loyalty. It would form an endless list if we could review the recent contributions of various communities throughout the empire. Take a few at random :—On the 7th November last, the inhabitants of Smyrna, and among them many Christians, subscribed 100,000 piastres towards the expense of the war, and on the same day the town of Philippopoli collected 150 horses ; on the 20th, the officials of the Quarantine united in preparing 1,850 suits of clothes for the army ; on the 10th December, when it was found that the Turkish cavalry were deficient in number, the inhabitants of the capital, from the Pacha to the street porter, and with them many Christians, formed a subscription to send 1,200 horses to the seat of war. The village of Karnabat, near Bourgas, subscribed, soon after, 10,000 measures (of twenty-four oka) of wheat, for the use of the army. Nor have the wealthier individuals lagged behind—a merchant of Trebizond placed ten of his ships, manned by Mohammedans, at the disposal of the Sultan ; and even a lady, of Sayda, gave 2,000 piastres each, and a complete outfit to two men, to start them for the scene of action. Nothing can be more fully disproved than the equanimity with which it was said that the people awaited the arrival of the Russians. Treating this subject at length, Mr. Smyth contends that Turkey, though far from civilised, is making progress, and that to such progress the chief obstacle has hitherto lain, not in popular prejudice, but in administrative mis management. Passing no judgment on his conclusions, we would observe only that the merits or demerits of Ottoman rule have nothing to do with the cause in which Eng land is arming. We fight, not to exalt Turkey or destroy Russia, but to maintain the rights of treaties, the police of nations, and the peace of the world ; to save Europe from that catas trophe to which peace societies would bring us—that of being governed by the law of the strongest and most unscrupulous. 2. Colonel Chesney's volume is one of higher pretension, and at the present time of peculiar interest. A soldier, a traveller of long experience, and a practised writer, he is well qualified for the work he has taken in hand, which includes a history of the cam paigns of 1828 9, a summary of the late diplo matic quarrel, and a valuable comparative ana lysis of Russian and Turkish resources. The narrative of the former Russian attack on Turkey throws new light on the present causes of hostility. In each case we find the same tricks practised with the same success — trivial complaints magnified, exorbitant de- THE PRESS. mantis pressed and enforced, vehement pro testations of a desire to maintain peace, secret preparations for war, the Porte oppressed, .England duped, Russia practising Bonaparte's imputed policy, " fraud backed by force." In 1828 Turkey fought at every disadvantage. An enthusiasm, half classical half poetical, had led away the Western powers to support the Greek revolution, in defiance of interna tional law—Russian intrigue had so far pre vailed as to induce them, in time of peace, jointly to destroy the Ottoman fleet at Nava rine—six years of unsuccessful fighting, end ing in the loss of a province, had weakened the empire both in prestige and in financial resources—the army was being reorganised and placed on a new footing, a measure tend ing ultimately to its advantage, but which for the moment diminished its military aptitude —and, while a vehement internal contest raged between the party of resistance and that of innovation, " the destruction of the Janis " caries," as Colonel Chesney truly says, "had " caused discontent to prevail in almost every " Moslem family." In this state of things 216,000 Russian troops mustered on the southern frontier, of whom 120,000, with 300 guns, commenced the attack under Wittgen stein. On the 7th and Bth of May, 1828, the leading corps passed the Pruth ; the siege of Ibrail detained the invaders until the middle of June, and the rumour went abroad that its gates had been opened at last by a golden key; Varna fell in the month of October, after nearly three months of fighting, and a sacri fice on the Russian side of 6,000 men ; but Schumla and Silistria still held out, and, be fore winter had fully set in, the invading army was diminished by more than 40,000, besides an enormous loss in horses. The opera tions of 1829 proved more decisive. Die bitsch (the " transcender of the Balkan ") fought and won the battle of Kalewtscha ; in July Silistria fell; the Balkan was crossed ; Adrianople occupied ; the Turkish capital seemed in danger; an expected rising against the Government distracted the Ottoman coun cils ; and the humiliating treaty of Adrianople was concluded, under the influence of a panic which multiplied fourfold the Russian num bers, and which appears to have been shared by the diplomatic advisers of the Porte. On reading over carefully Colonel Chesney's summary of these campaigns, it seems difficult not to concur in the high opinion which he expresses of the Turkish soldiery under pro per guidance. Badly handled, and with little previous discipline, they everywhere fought bravely; their cavalry, from first to last, out matched that of Russia; the forts which they held so long appeared to scientific eyes unte nable; treachery was ascribed to several of their generals, who, if acquitted on that ac count, must at least stand convicted of gross incapacity. In all these respects a vast im provement has taken place, as indeed Oltenitza and the Danubian skirmishes sufficiently prove. The force of Russia consists in her indifference to human life; in the gigantic magnitude of the armies which she wields ; and in the loyally of her peasant population, Poland always excepted. Here is Colonel Chesney's estimate of the two powers in a military point of view : Russia possesses the most numerous and, as regards the means of recruiting and equipment, the least expen sive army in Europe. It consists of eleven corps, i.e., one of the guards, one of grenadiers, six of the line, two of cavalry, and one of dragoons. These comprise 308 batta lions, 400 squadrons of cavalry, 14 squadrons of Hulans, amounting in all to 480,00)) men ready for the field, and 990 guns. In time of war this force may be increased by a levy of 213,0(1) men, and 472 guns. In addition to this, the local reserve wonld give 385,000 men, 93,000 Cossack cavalry, and 83,000 Cossack infantry, with 224 guns, making a total of 1,214,000 men, and 1,092 guns. Of this prodigious force, however, only 290,000 men, and 800 guns, can be marched to a distance, and kept effective. Although the bravery and passive endurance of the Rus sian soldier cannot be surpassed, the army of that nation cannot claim a first-rate place amongst European powers ; although the talents of the generals and that of the staff are by no means inferior. Whatever may be the efficacy of a corps d'armie, and however perfect it may be with re gard to the relative proportions and arrangement of the three arms on taking the field, there exist two defects in the Russian service, which seldom fail ere long to thin the ranks and diminish the effective force with which a campaign may have commenced. These are the medical and commissariat departments; on the efficiency of which so much depends. These two branches are, or rather were, inferior to other parts of the Russian service. Sup plies frequently failed in consequence durinf the last cam paigns ; and as regards medical care the wnter may state, that in going from the Turkish to the Russian stations in Ite2o he found the former free from plague, while the lat ter were suffering from that calamity. The high name acquirei by the Cossacks elsewhere in Europe was not, nor is it likely to be, maintained in Turkey, where they were speedily ove►matched by the Dellis; and the heavy, massive dragoons shared the same fate. If the author were to venture to compare the Turks and Russians—and an opinion on this subject is offered with some hesitation—he would give a preference to the Russian infantry, as the principal part of an organised force, over that of the Turks ; whilst the cavalry• of the latter had, and will probably continue to have, the advan tage in the field. The resistance of Turkey to so large a disposable force as that of Russia, with the additional advantage of being kept complete by drafts ftom her reserves, would, at the first view, seem to be out of the question, if the nature of the country did not, in a great measure, counterbalance the inferiority of numbers, as well as the want of combined military skill which at present exists in the Turkish forces. A Russian army invading Turkey is necessarily at a great distance from its base of operations, as well as from its supplies and its resources generally. Stores, reinforce ments, battering trains, the whole warlike materiel, in short, must be brought from the very heart of Russia; and the depins and magazines thus formed could only be re newed and kept up, at or near the seat of war, by means of unceasing labour, and at a vast expense. Under such circumstances, difficulties of no ordinary kind must be connected with the invasion of either Euro pean or Asiatic Turkey, irrespectively of any opposition to be encountered from the troops which would be assembled for their defence. He argues the question, "Of what use is Turkey to Europe?" in an able manner; con tends that a Russian invasion of India is not impracticable; that the loss of Constantinople would endanger Egypt; and that the British exports to Turkey, direct and indirect, amounted in 1850 to nearly 5,000,0001., or more than three times those to Russia in the same year.* He thinks, and supports his opi nion by that of the Duke of Wellington, that an attack on Sebastopol would involve ex treme risk, while a simple blockade of the Russian ports will be sufficient to bring the Czar to reason. 3. Of its two titles the second more truly describes the contents of this useful and interesting volume. In a small compass it gives a clear outline of every component part of that huge and scarcely-amalgamated mass known as the Russian Empire. The pervading characteristics of each branch of its various services is utter dishonesty : in the dominions of the Czar all is corrupt, and the guilty es cape punishment because they rob and cheat in battalions. The army is numerically im mense, but the men being miserably fed and paid, being in fact treated more like brute beasts than human beings, they are destitute of military pride and spirit. Still, such is the rigour of the iron discipline by which they are ruled, that sentries will perish in a conflagra tion or by an inundation rather than desert their posts. Death by fire and water is less painful than by the knout or the stick. The clergy of the Orthodox Church are sunk in sloth, ignorance, and drunkenness. Here is a description of one of their missionary expedi tions Fiince I am upon the subject of Russian missionaries shall I tell you, reader, how they fulfil their sacred office ? Their baggage does not exactly resemble that of our priests. The latter possess faith, courage, and hope ; the former set out upon their expedition followed by carts loaded with tobacco, brandy, and other strong liquors, and escorted by a few Cossacks, to visit the Samoedi, the Kamtschatkans, the Laplanders, the Vogouls, and others, whom they at tract by the promise of rewards , and , i nstead of preac hing the Gospel, preach intemperance. Each neophyte receives a bottle of brandy, a pound of tobacco, and a aalkou (two and elevenpence). For half this these people would be come anything—Jews, Christians, or IHriliammedans ; they would adore the sun or the moon, a camel or a hippopota mus The missionary immerses them in the first muddy stream he comes across, makes them kiss a large cross, hangs a smaller one round their neck with a piece of string. and converts them without more ado into Christians and members of the Greek ('harsh ! By the time a village has been thus baptised all the inhabitants are in a state of intoxication. The missionary then proceeds to the next village, and recommences in the same manner the same kind of religious propagandism, with the same ceremonies and without any Christian instruction. One of the sections of the work is devoted to a harrowing description of punishment by the knout and the stick. The latter the author himself witnessed. The Emperor is described as the best man in his dominions, and in stances of his generosity and kindness of heart • It is fair to observe that chid estimate differs from that arrived at by the highest commercial authorities• mommialEMl