The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1877-10-30 00:00:00

THZ WAR.

VIENNA, SATURDAY.
Several paper* announce that England will propose
mediation at the requeet of Turkey.

THE TIIIICS IN DIFFIcULTILS.

The additional intelligence which has come to hand
with reference to the stru.fgle for Plena conveys an
Impression that Osman Pacha is in serious danger. It
now appears certain that General Gourkn has made
good his standpoint at Gorny Dubnik. There was •
fierce fight, the result of which, it is again repeated,
wan the defeat of Achmed Puha, who, with a number
of his men, was taken prisoner. This success of
General Gourko's will, sinless it is in some way
modified, make the complete blockade of Plevna
possible. The Russians are said to be receiving
constant reinforcements, and their obvious intention
is so to surround the army if Osman as to compel him
either to surrender or t make a dash with the hope of
breaking through the line id Russians. In either case
Plevna would fall, and to this extent the Russian
commanders will have gained their ends. The exact
strength id Osruan's army is under these circumstances
a highly-important element in the calculation. To a
certain extent this is even yet a matter of doubt. No
exact estimate of the numbers his army has recently
been made. A correspondent of the Emil,, Tchgraph
affirms that at no time have his forces exceeded
40,000 men, and the constant fighting which the
Turkish army at Plevna has been compelled to go
through must seriously have reduced a number which,
at mist, was only small. There dives not seem any
impiossibility in the Russians collecting a body tif men
large enough to crush Osman by mere force of
numbers. l'it to this point the Ottoman commander
has proved himself a thoroughly competent general,
but the tune seems at hand when his generalship will
be subject to even severer tests than those which have
already been applied. On the other hand, the tactics
of the Russians appear at length to suggest that an
able chief has at length been found.
The Rev. Mr. Nlceoll writes to the Tones —"It:
ought to be remembered that the Russians have at
this moment some thousands of Turkish sick and
wounded soldiers on their hands, whom they treat
with the same care anti tenderness as they do their
own soldiers; while on the other hand, all (Russian)
wounded men found on the field are promptly slain by
the Turks. This is the statement of your own
correspondent with the Turkish army in Armenia."
The inaccuracies of this correspondent have been !
made public and his assertions disproved. Is it
decent, then, for a clergyman who has to teach his
Hock to keep their tongues from evil-speaking, lying,
and slandenng, to repeat a calumny with the view of
extracting money from the ignorant who are foolish
enough to believe in it.— Vani(e Fair.
The fighting on the Orkhauie road, which resulted
in the capture of the Turkish entrenched positions
near Irnbriik, was of a more serious character than
appeared from the first reports. The Russians admit
• loss of 2,500 men. That of the Turks was probably
smaller, as they acted on the defensive ; the balance of
Ines, however, is more than restored by the number of
Turkish prisoners taken. The intelligence from Asia
is once more of great interest. At Erremum the
situation is regarded there as critical, and a great
battle is imminent.

LATEST.
(By Telegraph.)
MULISH SUCCESS.

PKRA, Monday.
It is announced that Ghazi Osman has gained a new
victory. No official bulletin has, however, been
published.

SHELLING OF KARS.
VIENNA, Monday.
Kars has been shelled. It is reported the Governor
will not persist in the defence.