The Press. — London, England, 1855-08-04 00:00:00

Xittraturt. A Campaign with the Turks in Asia. By Charles Duncan, Esq. London : Smith, Elder, and Co. WE have read these agreeable volumes with pleasure, although some portions of them have previously met our eyes in print. Mr. Duncan commands an easy, flexible style, and he possesses the faculties of a shrewd and close observer. Hence the main part of his work would interest even if told with less skill. He does not in his preface deliberately set himself down amongst the journalist travellers of the age, but Mr. Duncan's position makes his name well known in literary circles. Yet it is one of the chief merits of these volumes that a reader would scarcely infer from them the fact of Mr. Duncan belonging to the literary profession. Although he has recorded much that is only amusing, yet there is not in his pages that besetting tendency to writing for mere effect which is the principal fault in literary tourists. He is neither a phrase-maker nor twister of sentences, and he has rather too much disdain for the artifices of style. This composition is that of an un worn mind, and from first to last exhibits those light, brisk, and readable merits which on an ~important subject must attract many readers. Yet we think that Mr. Duncan would have done still better if he had given us more disquisition upon Russian policy in the East, and set before us at length all the probable dangers which beset us on the north western frontier of our Indian provinces. He has preferred to pay most attention to the incidents of the campaign which he witnessed ; and we must not forget that popular volumes can be addressed only to the general public, and not to the more narrow circles of the pro fessed politicians. The hardships endured by Mr. Duncan,and the remoteness of his route from our orlinary travellers, lend much interest to his narrative. Several of his companions (amongst whom was Colonel Thorne, a correspondent of the Time.) died from their fatigues. Trebizond, Erzeroum, and Kars are all well described by him in an offhand, careless way ; and his account of General Guyon and his associated officers is highly readable, on account of its biographical details. There is certainly no part of the world which swarms with such legions of adventurers as the Turkish and Russian dominions at the present time. Mr. Duncan thus illustrates the fact : No sooner had the political relations existing between the Sublime Porte and Russia assumed a threatening aspect, and the haughty mission of Prince hienschikoff had sufficiently betrayed the real policy of the Czar, than the quiet streets of Pent at once swarmed with military adven turers, who crowded from all parts of the globe to take part in the approaching struggle. The motives which prompted this sudden enthusiasm for the cause of the Sultan were no less multitudinous than the different na tionalities of these applicants for military distinction. Planarians, Americans, Italians, Poles, Germans, English, and k'renchmen, one and all, pressed their respective claims upon the attention of the unfortunate Seraskier, and demanded rank in the Ottoman service ; not so much in proportion to their merits as to the degree of modesty they might possess. Thus an Englishman, enjoying an unenviable reputation, who had served according to his own account in every army of the world, was amongst the first arrivals at Constantinople. This individual who, on the same satisfactory authority, had commanded Mexican and eabListrig-Holatein armies, and gained innumerable pito lades that history, the slattern, had totally omitted fl/ 111* also laid claim to nothing less than the throne 11110 and. A most conclusive genealogical tree was tan • placed before the eyes of tight-listed Armenian nerds, 'lst a sight of the " George " was offered to the delighted and discriminating gaze of the Frank shopkeepers of Pers. That the lawful claimant of the crown of England should have deigned to offer his sword and his military genius to the hard-pressed Sultan was an act of condescrn dion that I should have felt bound to record, even if the extraordinary modesty of the gentleman in question was not deserving of publicity. One fine morning the respective inhabitants of Stamboul, Galata, Pers, and Scutari were thrown into a fever of ecstacy and astonishment by learning that a great English warrior had arrived, and had kindly offered to the Sultan, in the most disinterested manner, utterly to annihilate the Russians on the following equitable terms :—The applicant, who was no other than the above " lawful claimant of the British throne," offered to produce that desirable result, on condition that he should be placed at the head of an army, totally independent of Omer Pacha and other generals, whose professional jealousy might have neutralised the efforts of h s great genius, and that, amongst other equally reasonable stipulations, a monthly THE PRESS. allowance of 100,000 piastres, or 8001. sterling, should be accorded to him This pmposition, owing to the baneful influence exercised by Lord Stratford de ltedclitfe at the Seraskierate, was, however, immediately rejected. Of General Guyon, and the other Hungarian officers in the Sultan's service, the author speaks in high terms; and he was on the most intimate relations with several of them, playing the part of host to many. The personal appearance of Guyon is thus de scribed : The personal appearance of General Guyon, as it first struck me, was prepossessing. His short but muscular frame betrayed great strength and activity. His face ex pressed resolution and courage, and was soldier-like with out bearing the aspect of semi-ferocity which our historical painters delight to bestow on the lineaments of their mar tial heroes. A clear sunburnt complexion, lighted up by piercing blue eyes, and encircled by a curling cheanut coloured beard, presented a strange contrast to the dark melancholic features of the Ottoman commanders who sur rounded him. General Guyon was in the prime of man hood, being forty-two years of age ; but premature wrinkles, drawn strongly across the forehead, bore witness to a past existence of fatigue and anxiety. A fine swordsman, a splendid and graceful rider, Guyon was intended by nature for a cavalry-general; and, if his talents as a commander are contested, none can deny his generous qualities or his brilliant courage. Guyon appeared insensible to fatigue. His habits at Kars astonished the calm, indolent Turkish pachas, and not a little annoyed the officers immediately connected with him, who were totally unaccustomed to such activity. Guyon was certainly not well supported by his assistant staff, and his temperament did not well qualify him for gaining personal ascendancy over the motley troop which he had to sway. In point of fact he was not a general-in chief, as his principal duties were in advising the Commanding-General Zarif Mustafa Pacha ; nor does General Guyon seem to have had that adroitness which a man in his position would require. Mr. Duncan records : By the upper ranks of the army General Guyon was feared and detested. The Poles likewise disliked him. Those who, like myself, had occasion to be constantly with Guyon, admired and liked him for his unassuming quali ties, personal bravery, and amiable disposition. By many of the foreign officers, including the Pules, Guyon was de nounced as haughty and inconsiderate, but then the extra ordinary ignorance of the greater part of these officers was enough to try the temper of a saint. Perhaps General Guyon did not sufficiently disguise his aversion to those individuals who, though active and enterprising in intrigue, were backward and incapable in the performance of their military duties. He sinned less against common sense than against tact. Enough is stated by Mr. Duncan to account for the want of success of the struggle which he witnessed. Its importance arose from the obvious utility of giving a blow to Russia in its transcaucasian territory. Over that region Russia has maintained her power chiefly (according to most publicists) for the object of gratifying her longings for India. Affairs at present in Armenia are certainly in a most threatening position. The Russian general (Mouravieff) has received orders to act on the offensive ; and the author entertains a strong opinion on the policy that ought to be fol lowed. Thus, in his first volume, he says : It is to be regretted that the Turkish regiments now doomed to inaction before Eupatoria should not have been despatched at once to the threatened province of Asia; and it may be safely predicted that the presence of Omer Pacha and his army in Armenia would be of far greater value than the aimless military promenades on the. Tscher nays in which the Ottoman troops are at present employed. The numerical forte of the Turkish army in Asia, unless speedily reinforced, is far too small to admit of any hopes of a successful termination of the present campaign, not withstanding the intelligent measures adopted by General Williams to secure the possession of Erzeroum. There was a time when the prospects of the Turkish army in Asia were less gloomy, and when the presence of a few thousand British and French troops would have con verted a disgraceful defeat into a signal triumph. That period I have attempted to describe in the present work, and the reader will but too readily discern the lamentable causes that contributed to the disasters of the army of Anatolia. And, after relating the loss of the eventful battle of Kurukdere, in his second volume, Mr. Duncan observes By this defeat of Kurukdere, Turkey had lost much, but England has lost still more. And on whom lies the blame? A (peat deal certainly on the Turkish soldiers; but, I declare solemnly, still more on England. The British authorities in London and Constantinople were well aware of the doubtful condition of this army, and had been only lately warned by the defeat of the liatoum corps. The English consular body in this part of Asia had never ceased impressing upon their responsible head the neces sity of the presence here of an English or French division, however small its numerical strength : three thousand bayonets would have sufficed, for it was only needed to encourage the Turks by a brilliant example. SATURDAY, The result of the battle of Kurukdere was most perni cious to British influence in the East. The triumph of the Russians circulated with boundless exaggeration through timid Persia, and over the Caspian steppes, into the bar barous regions of Khiva and Bokhara. The nations and tribes of the East were visibly impressed with the invinci bility of the Russians, and prepared, with barbarian craft, to bow down their heads to the rising sun. His remarks on the erroneous information supplied by the consular body remind us that no department of the public service stands in more need of improvement than that body. The nominations to its ranks are far too arbi trary, and our Administrative Reformers would do well to turn their attention to its constitu tion. Several years since Mr. Disraeli did good service upon the question by bringing the subject specially before Parliament. The battle of Kurukdere is described with great ability by Mr. Duncan, and he distri butes his praise and blame with judicial impartiality. In reflecting on the loss of the battle, he relates : The conduct of the Russian officers, both infantry and cavalry, was admirable : unlike the Turkish commanders, they were ever in advance of their men, exhorting them by word and example to be firm and steadfast. The Ottoman officers, on the contrary, displayed a cowardice above de- scription : the greater part of the colonels and majors had disappeared from the field at the commencement of the action, leaving their unhappy regiments to fight or fiy ac cording to their inclinations. Many regiments were led on by subaltern officers, and when these were killed or disabled, nothing remained fur the forsaken soldiers but to effect a retreat. One or two colonels of the Arabistany corps behaved admirably on the field; but these formed an insignificant minority. The European officets displayed great gallantry, and exposed their lives in the most reckless manner in the vain hope of animating the Turkish, battalions with additional vigour. The Turkish cavalry behaved detestably ; not once did they cross sabres or resist the onset of the enemy's dragoons. The misconduct of their cavalry, and the irregularity of the night march, cost the Turks a defeat, and even the existence of their army. From the incidents of the battle-field we select some passages It was now broad daylight, and galloping over the fields of ripening corn trampled down by the soldiery, we came upon some fifty skulkers, who had taken advantage of the night to slip away ; some were concealed behind rocks, whilst others were making off in the direction of Kars. This sight was not at all reassuring. I asked one man why he was running away, to which he naïvely replied, " Because I am afraid." In about ten minutes more we came upon the scene or action. The cannonade was conducted with stubborn energy on both sides, but the superior number of the enemy's pieces rendered the contest hopeless. The ground here was covered with flying cavalry, who had cowardly given way before the Russian dragoons. In the confusion, I here became separated from Captain Farnese, who sub sequently narrowly escaped falling into the hands of the victorious cal airy. We then passed the reserve of recta's or militiamen, who had never been under fire, and now presented the picture of agonised terror. Hundreds of the Turkish cavalry bad retired beyond cannon range, and, having taken off their horses' bridles, were allowing them to graze. In the meanwhile their comrades in the infantry were being mowed down by hundreds. Five mi• nutes more brought me to the side of Abdul Kerim Pacha, the reis, or second in command of the army of Anatolia, who commanded this wing. How the soldiers could have fled with the example of this glorious old warrior before them, is beyond my understanding In the hottest fire, the figure of Kerim Pacha, scarcely bent by age, with his flowing white beard and snowy hair, was seen ; in his hand he held an Arab spear. with which he cheered on the men to the fight. But alas ! all hope had vanished. The Turkish artillery was slackening its fire, the cavalry had fled, and the Russian guns were committing sad havoc on the Turkish rank and file. At every successive discharge of grape the Turkish battalions wavered and opened their ranks. This is vigorous description without affecta tion of style ; and the description of the retreat is not less able. The frank confession in the last sentence of the following passage could be written only by a man of real nerve, who is not afraid of being thought afraid : For about a distance of three miles the Russian cavalry pursued the flying Turks, whilst the enemy's artillery swept down the hollows through which the fugitives were retreating. The Russian dragoons were evidently fatigued, and followed up their success without animation, but with murderous result. As they passed through the line of stragglers, a cut to the right and another to the left were dealt without apparent effort or animosity, but at each blow a Turk fell disabled on the field. Nothing can Le more terrible than a retreat, when the sentiments of exultation, hope or ambition, which animate the heart in an attack, have entirely forsaken it. The hoarse cries of the wounded, the terror of the fugitives, the sullen roar of cannon followed by the whistling of grape, which ploughed up the earth, and hurled dead to the ground victim after victim; all these circumstances were frightful, and I must confess that the happiest moment of my life was that when the Russian cavalry, collecting its prisoners, withdrew, and when the enemy's artillery, after one terrible but final discharge, slowly returned to its first position. The volumes clnse with a description of the landing of the allied armies in the Crimea:;