The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-02-09 00:00:00

THE AUSTRIAN NAVY.

TRIESTE, Feb. 5. The ironclad turretted ship
Kaiser Max and the ironclad frigate Hapsburg are
being fitted out here for service.

ST. PETERSBIIII4, Feb. 3.—The Gobs of this morning pub-
lishes a telegram dated from Kars to-day, saying :—" The
Tnrks in Erzeroum are subject to most horrible sufferings.
About two hundred die dailo from typhus fever alone.
There are no provisions and no firewood in the place. Ismail
Hakki Pacha is dying. The Turks have repeatedly offered
to surrender, but insist upon the condition that the troops
be allowed to leave with their arms."

ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 4.
The Agence Rune to-day publishes an article upon the
signature of the peace preliminaries, which says :—" Peace
will be hailed with satisfaction here provided that tt be of
an honourable and lasting character, and the sancgon of
Europe can only consolidate it. If, however, the olsject of
the Conference is to reduce it to an impossible minimum,
the Russian nation will be prepared for anything rather
than submit to such a peace.'

Prince Reuss, the German Ambassador at Constantinople,
is reported on the authority of a Vienna news-sheet which
usually has correct information, to have said to one of his
colleagues the other day that the Russians will certainly
enter Constantinople, either as friends or as enemies.
Sanitary reasons are alleged by the Russian military authori-
ties for making the entry of the Russian troops into the
Turkish capital one of the conditions of peace. Great num-
bers of men and horses would, they say, be sacrificed if the
army had to march back through the snow over the Balkans,
while by far the simplest and most rapid way of perform-
ing the return journey to Russia would be by the sea route
from Constantinople to Odessa. There would, it is added,
be no difficulty in procuring transports, for there is reason
to believe that the Turkish ironclad fleet would be placed
at the disposal of the Russians.—Tuesday's Pall Mall
Gazette.

The St. Petersburg Correspondent of The Times, writing
on Monday, says:—" The cessatien of hostilities has pro-
duced here more anxiety than rejoicing. We have received
no additional information regarding the preliminary condi-
tions of peace; but the general belief is that they are very
vague; and that, consequently, all depends on the way in
which the details will be elaborated. This work, it seems,
Is to be in great measure entrusted to a European congress,
in which there will, probably, be very serious differences of
opinion. Until lately it was assumed that the chief obsta-
cles to a satisfactory arrangement would come from London,
but now it is believed that the most serious opposition will
emanate from Vienna. With regard to the Straits, the only
matter in which England seems to be deeply interested,
Russia is inclined to be conciliatory; but with regard to
the Slavonic tribes, for whom the war was undertaken, she
must consider, it is said, her own honour and aims, as well
as the real or supposed interests of Austria. The calling out
of reserve battalions, which was recently regarded as a
reply to Lord Beaconsfield is now regarded as a hint
to Count Andrassy The Government maintains extreme
reserve with regard, to the situation, but the popular faith
in the unanimity and strength of the Triple Alliance has
been shaken. Austria is believed to have completely
changed her attitude, and even about Germany serious
doubts are entertained. The consequence of all this is a
curious change in public feeling."

The Austrian Government has issued formal invitations
to the Powers who signed the Treaty of Paris to Bend re-
presentatives to a Conference to be held at Vienna. Safvet
Pasha and General Ignatieff are to be entrusted with the
task of settling the details of the conditions of peace and
the armistice.

The military party at Vienna are said to be greatly pro-
voked by the news that not the smallest advantage is to be
gained by Austria from the war, especially as Russia more
than once offered Bosnia and Herzegovina to Austria, and
the offer was declined.

According to official returns the Russian loss in Europe
from Jan. 18 to Jan. 30 were twenty-nine officers and one
thousand one hundred and twenty-six men killed; two
hundred and forty officers and four thousand six hundred
and ninety-three soldiers wounded; and eight officers and
nine hundred and twenty men hors de combat. These, includ-
ing three other officers unaccounted for, make up a total of
seven thousand and nineteen. In Asia ten men have been
killed and eleven wounded. The total loss since the com-
mencement of the war amounts to eighty-nine thousand three
hundred and four men.

A private telegram relates that the Cam', on hearing that
the armistice had been signed, said 1---" The least that Rue-