The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-07-22 00:00:00

MOE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

the fireplace hung a large cross Skilfully constructed of ever-
lasting flowers. The whole of the arrangement inside the
hospital for the funeral were controlled by the Inspector.
General, but the order of march and other matters connected
with the procession was done in accordance with a memo-
randum which had been issued by the Admiral Commanding-
in-Chief ; the actual superintendence being committed to Cap-
tain Waddilove, under whose command the whole of the
deceased stokers were. Shortly before two o'clock a number
of field-piece carriages from the Excellent and the Steam
Revery° were drawn up in front of the hospital, upon
which the coffins were places: as they were lowered from the
withioes of the erysipelas ward. Most of the carriases
carried four bodies, the coffins being covered with Union
Jacks. Those of the two officers were also surmounted with
the swords, hats, gloves, and epanlettee of the deceased.
Officers of the same rank acted as pallbearers to the deceased
engineers, the palls of the other coffins beieg borne by ship-
mates of the Asia. The gun-carriages were drawn to the
cemetery by dragrope men belonging to the Steam Reserve.
At about three o'clock the funeral cortege left the hospitaL
First came the Guard of Marines, the Band of the Royal
Marine Light Infantry, player's the "Dead March in Saul,"
and Beethoven's "Farewell March," and nest the chaplains.
At the cemetery the procession was Joined by a large
number of Dockyard sill 'ors and men in black clothes. It
Is very rarely, even in Purtarnou*h, that such a large number
of .Ntival officers and seamen has ever been observed
together. The officers were attired in froclicoats and white
trou-ers and swords, and the men in white with blue
jackets. It was at first intended that the relatives and
friends of the deceased should walk in procession after the
bodies, but a shirt time before starting Inspector-General
Smart called them together, and, after excressing the
strong sympathy which he felt for them in their sorrow,
informed them that, in order to avoid the walk among the
crowd and dust to the cemetery, they would be permitted
a short cut through the hospital grounds, and that seats
would he reared for them in the chapel. Toe thoughtful
kiiidnese of the doctor was profited by, with many thanks.
On the procession reaching the cemetery it was re-
ceived by the Rev. J. 11. Harrison, the hospital
chaplain, the Rev. W. Saunders, of Trinity Church, the
Rev. Philip Pratt, of the Asia, and Canon Doyle, the
Roman Catholic chaplain. The bodies of the thee
Cathclics (James O'Brien, leading stoker, John Campbell,
stoker, and Frederick Rent)), were the first to enter, and
were burled apart from the rest, a distinct firing party being
detailed for the purpose. As originally intended, the
bodies of Slade (chief engineer), and Winfield (engineer),
were also to be interred away from the others, in ground set
apart for officers, and graves were actually opened for the
reception of the bodies ; but at the last moment, at the
solicitation of Captain Waddllove, who deeply feels the loss
of his men, the friends of deceased consented to allow the
bodies of the two enghieers to be buried with the rest of the
victims. The funeral service of the Church was read con.
jointly by the three chap:suns, and the discharge of volleys
by a Major's firing party, provided by the Royal Marines,
concluded the ceremony.

_
appointed Chief Voyvode, with 4,000 men to the left, by
Treblene ; and Pepovo Pole, tov.-ards Stolatz, with insttuc-
tions to take Kick, or, at mast, to cut off the communica-
tion with this latter place, and, it possible, likewise with
leletkovlch, and then turn towards MOEtar. To the right
another e._,ltimn of 6,000 men was sent to op:rate in the
direction of Gattchko and Nevetigne, towards Mostar;
while toe main force, under his own immediate command,
moved in the centre by Übli straight on Mostar, where all
three columns are to unite. Ills whole force is reckoned
at 30,000 min, of whom 20,000 are Montenegrins,
which must, however, be an exiggeration, con,idering
that the population of Montenegro is not 120,000. The
plan of the Turks being to withdraw temporarily from
the open country in Herzegovina, in order to concen-
trate their forces in Bosnia against the Servian in-
careen, they contented themselves with garrisoning the
chief positions, so that the Montenegrins, whose object was
to get to Mostar, leaving aside these fortified places, have
reached the neighbourhood of Mostar almost without encoun-
tering resistance. The only action on the right wing was
when the column there waylaid, in the defile of Z:Ilom,
Selim Pasha, who was retreating from Gatschko to Nevesigne,
and had to cut his way through, not without heavy lees. The
other was on the left wir g, e here Paulvovices sent a column
of 2,000 men against Kick, occupying without resistance she
heights which lead up towards Stole! z The Gulf of Kick
narrows very much towards the end. On a low pro-
montory is the little Austrian fort of Klek, while a
few hundred yards from it, quite at the end of the
gulf, lies Neuni, the Turkish landing-place. This
Is now occupied by a force of some 1,200 meu, wrio are safe
eeough in their intrenchments and tolerably provided with
provisions. The only drawback is that the only tource of
water in high up on the slope, and about this spring there
has beau a tolerably brisk engagement, the detachment sent
ta fetch water being attacked by the Montenegrin forces
from the heights. The Turkish force of IEO men retired,
a battalion was then sent, and the fight drew down towards
N tem. As soon they were within reach, the Turkish
man-of-war which had brought the last transports opened tire
with its guns, and continued to do so, in spite of the
remonstrances of the Commander cf the Austrian gunboat
Grille against this violation of the neutral waters. The
Montenegrin bullets flew about the deck of the Austrian
vessel, wnile the comb dente on both sides passed likewise
the Austrian frontier line, where they were, however, re-
ceived and sonic of them disatined. Representations have
been made in Constantinople to have the Turkish man-of-war
recalled. This has been until now the course of affairs in
Herzegovina, and according to'the last accounts the Montene-
grins are before Mostar.

Its Servis, as regards the Drina Corps of Alimptcs, that
General pub:irhed his first official bul'etin up to the 91,h boat.,
which, except tir, number of killed Turks, tallies gule with
the informatlen from elsewhere. He crossed on the 3rd the
Dries from Vadoviniz:., opposite the large island of Buy uk-
lice, and made his way to Iselin& With the exception of the
little citadel, the place is open, but rarthworks had been
thrown up and barricades constructed In the streets, and
about these the fight went on for several bourn, after which,
accordieg to tts bulletin, the Turks were driven to the citadel
add the order was given to retire. The Turks admit
that the Servians penetrated into a portion of the town,
but pretend to have repulsed the Servians. It appe,as that
the attack has not beet: renewed, that the Servians are still
close to the Drina, and that considerable reinforcements
have been sent to that side. The only success has been the
taking of Racsa, near the continence of the Save and Drina,
where there was a Turkish blockhouse, tenanted by 12 men,
aud a large fight on the 6th, when the Turks sent some
battalions to retake it. Both sides attributed to themselves
the victory, and where each side pretends to have counted
80 dead enemies on the battlefield, and as the Turks have
not retaken Rana, the Servians may claim the victory,
which has, however, had no strategical result, Alimpics re-
maining where he was.

There is at last, likewise, some light let in on the doings
of Tchernaveff at, or rather before Akpalanka. The bulletin
was published on the 14th, and only relates to the first
move down from BabinteGlava towards Akpalanka. It
calls this movement a forced reconnaissance, and does not
differ materially from the account of General Stratimi-
rovics, who commanded the expedition. The Servian
forces rested for two days after BabinteGlava, suffering
greatly from the heavy rain. On the third day, the
6th inst., the weather cleared up, and the Brigade of
Jajudin, was sent off in two colums, one towards
Akpalanka and the other towards Pirot. Nothing
having been said of the latter, we must tuppose that it never
came into contact wi:h the Turks. The column directed
towards Akpalanka camped that night at Goruja Glama, on
the last heights bordering the Ishawa Valley to the north.
Reinforced by another battalion and two more guns, it
moved down into the valley the next afternoon, and the four
guns opened fire on the Turkish camp. The Turks went
to the earthworks they had thrown up, and for two houra
the artillery worked on both aides. The Servien
riflemen got down gradually to the river bank which
was ()coupled on the other side by Turkish riflomen,
who were driven away. The object of the forced recon-
naissance being, according to the eulletin, attained, the order
was given to withdraw, and it was executed In the best
order. The loss was eighteen killed and thirty-eight
wounded. As this is the lest bulletin, and as. in contra-
diction to the reports of the tight two days ago, the official
bulletin from Belgrade declares that there has been no
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the rigorous cffeneive measures taken by Osman Pasha, which
in case of a thorough success endangcrea the li.ne of retreat
of the Servians under Tchernayeff. Although th's success
has not been complete, It has been suftleien‘ to foil all the
combinations of 'Uchernayeff and make him lose precious
time. Now it Is too late, for while yesterday no Bervian
official war news was publishel, under the plea that there
NV AS nothing of importance, telegram', from Constantinople
announce that the Dividon of Hatlz Pasha at Akpa-
lauka attacked the Servian intrenchments, and, after six
hours fight, took them, and thus, in consequence of the
Eimultaueous advance of Soliman Pasha with his division,
the Servians evacuated the intrenchments of Babine Glava
without fighting and withdrew across the Sorvian Frontier,
alth ugh the news has not been as yet confirmed from
another aide. With the Turkish army at Widdin now
numbering at least 23,000 men, Tchernayeff has, in case of
the Turks assuming the offensive, no choice but to retire
from his perilous position.