The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-20 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND TURKEY.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Oc-r. 6.
Yesterday morning the steam frigates which the
government had sent a few days before to Boyrout
for troops arrived with nearly 10,000 men on board.
A like number is expected from Syria. The govern-
ment have received information diet a corps of 30,000
irregular troops are on their way from Syria and
Arabia, to join the army of Asia.
The Russian employels remaining in Constantinople
have been these last two days making preparations to
embark OD the first signal. An English courier from
St. Petersburg arrived yesterday, by way of Odom,
with despatches for Lord Radcliffe.
Other (letters of the same date state that during
the month of September the Turks had cast 100
cannon of various calibre, and these, with all
their accoutrements complete, and the horses to drag
them, were sent to Adrianople, where an army of
reserve is being lot rued of 50,000 tarn. All the horses
were furnished by the Paellas of Constanti-
nnecperrchis army of reserve will be composed of
25,000 Redifs, who are now in Constantinople; of
6,000 volunteers ; and of 23,000 Kurdish horsemen,
all mounted and equipped at the expense of the Boys'
of Kurdistan. These latter, of course, are irregular
troops.
There are now under arms about 300,000 Mussul-
mans, viz., 120,000 between the Danube and the
Balkan, 13,000 in Bosnia, 6,000 men near Pristine,

on the Servian frontier; 50,000 men, who will be
mustered within twenty days at Adrianople; and
from 8000 to 100,000 men on the frontier of Asia.
Letters from Rustschuk state that all the trenches
lhaving been completed, the whole population bad
been bard at work in surrounding the town with
palisades. At all the other Turkish-Danubian ports,
armaments are being restlessly continued, and the
garrisons eve where reinforced with newly levied
recruits. All the places along the Danube, occupied
by troops, have been amply provided with ammuni-
tion and other necessaries of war, from Widdin sad
Sebumla. All the Turks capable of bearing arms
have been called out.

The Press of Vienna has the following from Con-
stantinople, 3rd : Since the Sultan has sanctioned the
late resolutions of the Divan, he passes the day in re-
ligious duties. The Sheik-ul-Islam visits his Majesty
every day, and gives him interpretations of verses of
the Koran relative to war. It M positively. stated
that Abd-el-Kader hasbeen asked whether, in case
of war, he would accept a command. Negotiations
have taken place through the mediation of the Sheik-
ul-Islam, and the Lurks positively say that
the Emir is disposed to accede to the de-
sire of the Ottoman Porte, but he wishes in the
first place to apply for the consent of the French
government. He will have a command in Asia
should matters be brought to an understanding.
The Llodys of Vienna of the 15th says there is in
the army of Omer Pacha such a number of refugees,
the majority of whom are invested with command,
that the Austrian internuncio has, it is said, thought
proper to remind the Ottoman Porte of its engage-
ments on that subject. Reschid Pacha has promised
that orders should be immediately sent to the camp
at Schnmla relative to such refugees as might be
Austrian subjects.
The Journal de Constantinople says : War having
been only declared against Russia, the general coun-
cil has decided that there shall be no change in the
system either in the interior or abroml, and, conse-
quently, the last ordinance recommending all classes
of subjects to act well towards one another will con-
tinue to have the same force, and whoever may vio-
late it will be rigorously punished. Pitmans con-
taining this declaration, as well as the necessary
instructions, have been addressed to all the governors
of provinces and the landjaks.
The correspondent of the Decbats writes from Con-
stantinople on the sth inst.:—" An English general
officer, whom I had the pleasure of meeting here a
few days since, and who came to visit the works,
found them well arranged, and very far advanced; he
also have a very favourable report of the state of the
Turkish army, its instruction, and its discipline. If
we except the Egyptian contingent, which is accused
of having committed some outrages at Varna, every
one who returns here from the army of the Danube,
states that it is on the best terms with the people,
that it is well supplied with provisions, and has
hitherto paid regularly for all it has consumed.
This latter
.point, on which every one appears to
be agreed, is, perhaps, also that which excites the
most astonishment. It must necessarily follow that
the Turks must have resources with which no one is
acquainted. There is reason for believing that
the Turks have more than 200,000 men under
arms, of whom 130,000 are in Europe, and the
rest on the Asiatic frontier. As to the Russian force,
it is almost impossible to ascertain the fact amidst so
many contradictory reports. As estimate, drawn
up at the head-quarters of Omer Pacha, who uis good
sources of intelligence in the principalities, gives the
Russian army of Moldo-Wallachia and Bessarabia a
nominal strength of 124,000 men ; but it must not be
forgotten that of all European armies, that of Russia
constantly presents the greatest difference between
the nominal and the effective strength. According to
the estimate just mentioned, the Russian corps
d'arnife would have 95,000 infantry, 17,000
cavalry, and 12,000 artillery; but looking
at the administrative habits of the Russians,
and according to the experience of the campaigns
of 1828-9, it is difficult to believe that from these
124,000 men on paper could be produced more than
80,000 effective soldiers, and perhaps even this figure
is too high. lam told by persons worthy of credit,
that at this moment the Russian army has more than
15,000 sick. Of course, it is impossible for me per-
, sonally to authenticate this statement."
The same writer says :—" Before the entry of the
Dardanelles I had occasion to make a brief visit to
the fleets stationed at Besika Bay. It is a very
wearisome place for our sailors, and is far from being
so unhealthy as has been stated. The English,
anchored nearer inland than our vessels, have had
considerably more sick; but the disorder was only
mild fever, and only two deaths have as yet taken
place."
A letter from St. Petersburg of the 10th announces
that the Emperor Nicholas had called the " army of
lEurope," which is at present stationed in the west of
Europe—of which the principal corps occupy. Rus-
sian Poland, and the other corps, stationed in the
rear, form the reserve—to active service.
Advices from Odessa of the 6th inst. state that the
Turkish declaration of war was known there on the
sth. The army corps under General Luders was in
the neighbourhood of Odessa; but it was believed
that on the following day (the 7th) the order for a
march towards the Pruth would be received and
forthwith put into execution.
Immense barracks are being constructed on the
banks of the Danube, where the Russians intend
to pass the winter. General Gortschakoff has de-
manded of the prince a heavy sum of money for the
construction of theme barracks, which has been paid.
This expense will be included in the debt imposed on
the country for the occupation of 1848 to 1851. The
Wallachian government is obliged to contract a debt
of six millions of piastres (about 60,0001) to meet
the demands of General Gortschakoff.

Letters from Odessa of the Ist of this month state
that troops have been sent to oppose the Turkish
forces commanded by Selim Puha, which were sent
to Batum some time since. Selim Pacha has re-
ceived considerable reinforcements of artillery, as
well as good supplies of arms and ammunition for
' the irregular troops that have been levied in Lexie-
tan, is the country stretching from Trebizond to the
Circassian coast. The Kurds, under the command
of the celebrated Bederkhan Bey, have showed
themselves in force, and menace an irruption into
Russian Armenia and Georgia. The Russian troops,
whose arrival is announced at Akiska and Oumri,
and at Bayazid, have no doubt been brought
there to stop the progress of the Kurds. Bederk-
han Bey commands two detached corps of
Laz and of Kurds; they are supported by the prin-
cipal army of Anatolia, under the orders of the &ris-
kier Abdi Parka, whose head-quarters are at Erse-
roum, the capital of Turkish Armenia. This army is
estimated at 60,000 men. The Kurds, commanded
by Bederkham Bey, would serve as its advanced
guard on the right wing; and the Laz would act in
the same capacity on the left.
The Malta Times of the 11th says: "By the ar-
' rival of the Ardent from the fleet, we understand
that Admiral Dundas has received orders from home
to hold himself entirely neutral in the event of war,
without Constantinople itself is menaced, or the
safety of English subjects endangered."