The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-09-16 00:00:00

WITH THE TURKS IN ALBANIA.

The following extracts are from the letter of the Special
Correspondent of the Daily News, writing from the head-
quarters of Illahmouil racha, rodgoritza, under date August
2Sth

. I have been walking a good deal through the
camp, and can venture to say that in point of cleanli-
ness, order, and military spirit, it could favourably com-
pare with most camps I have seen in front of the
enemy. The artillery is in magnificent condition;
thanks partly to the constant care bestowed on
it, and partly to the dryness of the climate, which
renders unnecessary the attention required in
moister countries. The troops are camped by
battalions in columns of companies, in tents of the
English pattern, holding ten soldiers each. In most
cues the floors are carefully prepared of beaten earth,
with entrance paths paved with pebbles. In some in-
stances I saw biscuit boxes used as flower-pots, in
which shrubs and flowers had been planted, tastefully
arranged around the entrances. The camp kitchens
and other necessaries leave nothing to be desired. . . .
Good Snider and entirely new Martini-Henry rifles
are to be seen piled before the tent doors, and the
ammunition pouches and bayonet scabbards are those
of the English service. .

There is, however, one weak point about the army—
its irregulars. These consists of Zebeques from Smyrna,
Albanians from the surrounding country, and armed
townspeople, mingled with Indians, negroes, and
nondescript of every kind. In point of clothing the
Albanians take the lead. They wear a red fez,
braided jacket of red or blue, many - plaited
copious white petticoat, like an exaggerated High-
lander's kilt, and white, black-laced trousers. As
for the rest, no words short of a statement as
copious as Homer's list of ships could give any
adequate notion. The Zebeques are principally
characterised by immense variety of complexion,
varying from the glossiest black to the most Mongolian
yellow, and by excessive scantiness of nether garment.
Their headdress is scarlet and cylindrical, like an
ordinary silk hat deprived of the brim, with a number
of supplemental handkerchiefs outside and various
multi-coloured bandages within, showing over the back
of the head. Each man, apart from his regulation
Snider, Martini-Henry, or "lingering eternity" of a
matchlock, has a whole bushel of sabres, daggers, and
brass-handled pistols stuck in a kind of large leather
portfolio in front of his stomach. To these
offensive arms are added other small articles such
as pipes, small frying-pans, and elaborately-
chased tongs for taking coals from the fire
to light their chiboukes. As far as uniform goes,
the officers are in no wise superior to the men. Every
chief dresses according to his own fancy, and ap-
parently looks down with contempt on his neighbour's
style of costume. There is a large prevalence o;
heavily gold laced cut-away jackets, voluminous tur-
bans of many coloured shawls and handkerchiefs, and
extensive pantaloons of exceedingly dirty white calico.
I had an excellent opportunity to-day of witnessing
the behaviour of these variegated gentry. For the
last couple of days we have been expecting the
arrival of Dervish Pacha—a Turkish marshal who
held a command in Servia, and who has lately
been named to this district. The day before yes-
terday eight battalions were told off to receive him, and
had to remain under aims for several hours during a
thunderstorm accompanied by a heavy downpour of
rain, waiting the arrival of his Excellency, who in the
end did not come. . . . To-day, however, the weather
was favourable, and the Marshal came. The eight
battalions with Mahmoud Pacha at their head, drawn
up in columns of companies fronting the line of march,
occupied more than a kilometre along the way. Besides
the regular battalions there were three or four of
Zebeques and Albanians. These had a standard
for at least every fifty men. Some of the en-
signs were crimson, others blue, others green,
and many white. Some bore as charge a hand,
a sword, and a crescent. Others had their
crescents broidered on them, and some were covered
with inscriptions in quaint Arabic characters. . .
When Dervish Pacha reached past the scrambling
alignment of the Zebeques, Bashi-Baz mks, and other
irregulars, he halted, and commenced a short address,
whose import I couldn't make out, but which was
replied to by short howling cries of "Allah, Allah,"
in the deepest possible key, the soldiers meantime,
while holding their rifles at the " present " with one
hand, executing a complicated " ealam," with the
other shifting it rapidly from the forehead to the
mouth and to the breast. As the generals passed the
battalions wheeled pp in the rear with bands
playing. The irreefilars of the locality preceded
the Pachas, and the Zebeques and Bashi-Bazouks fol-
lowed. Then followed a scene only to be witnessed in
an Oriental army, The irregulars, true to their name,
broke their ranks, and ran on dancing and shouting,
and eaeh man commenced loading and discharging his
rifle as fast as he possible could—using ball cartridge—
for the troops have none other served out to them.
The rifles were held obliquely upwards towards the
front or rear of [the mob, for I can't call it column of
troops. One unceasing roar of musketry re-
sounded before and behind the Pachas, and it
was perfectly appalling to hear the whistle
of the bullets on every side as they left the muzzles
or fell in a shower around. I have been in a good
many combats, but I don't ever recollect hearing
so continuous a whistling of bullets by my head as on
this occasion. The plain was covered with hundreds
of women and children who had come out to see the
entry of the Pacha, and it is marvellous that some
deaths did not occur. As it is, a poor soldier, lying in
his tent in the camp a thousand yards off, was wounded
by one of these random fired bullets. Only for a
moment imagine some battalions of volunteers in
Hyde park leaving the ground, and each man firing
with ball cartridge into the air, careless of whose heads
the projectiles fell on.
. . . . I had a good opportunity of judging of the way
matters are conducted a couple of days ago. A
reconnaissance en force was made with a view of feeling
the Montenegrin positions in our immediate neighbour-
hood. While the artillery was in action an unfor-
tunate accident occurred. While arranging the time
false of a shell some awkwardness on the part of the
gunner caused it to explode, the fragments of the pro-
jectile killing two men and wounding four others. One
of these latter was struck in the legs by a large fragment,
which completely shattered the right limb, and badly
Injured the other. He was carried to the hospital,
where it became evident that amputation above the
knee was absolutely necessary to give even the
slightest hope of saving the patient's life. The
General commanding, in defiance of tic deep-
rooted prejudice of Moslems against the cutting
off limbs, had given full authority to the
directing surgeon to act as he thought best on
such occasions—but still, knowing the responsi-
bility in the eyes of Mohammedans, he would take
no action till eight surgeons had severally examined
the patient and pronounced on the case. The majority
at once declared that the man's chance of life was but
small, and that in any case, in view of his momentarily
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' sinking state, immediate operatioh only • could save
him. The decision was communicated to the general,
and the Imaum, or priest of the battalion, was
sent, in company with a commanding officer, to
witness the affair. The /mum crouched on his
haunches in a corner muttered his prayers; and
the officer with averted face, unused to such scenes,
stood as far off as the chamber would allow. The
operation was brilliantly performed by the 'chief sur-
geon; but the poor patient succumbed to exhaustion
two hours afterwards. I mention this matter simply
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