The Express.
London, England, 1854-01-11 00:00:00

I I I lERS FROM ME SEAT OF WAR.

so ittoolt tot It frICIAL

8111UMLA, Dee. IG.
• .., et my letter of iutroduction to Omer Pacha
aft+ r my arrival, sod received an answer to
•
..,a,c+ that he was ready to receive me at any
I accordingly set out immediately to lb'
- • (‘-e of the best houses in the place, 1
Eue•ee it would be looked upon as poor e= I
01,,,,,n0 through the gateway found myself In •
odevard, from which a staircase on the outside alf
oleiii:ding lid to the tint floor. On ascending I
food the lobby crowded with soldiers, officers, end
esagenees of every grade sud profession, including
oily whose social status it would be rather difficult
perfine. On sending in my name by an orderly 1
estailmitted at once into the general'. apartment--•
taproom with a divan raining round three ease
d it. In the centre was a monstol—a brazier filled
MA charcoal, and at the upper end a hop fin-
titre, the architecture of which seemed to be MINIS
tutors the dome of a mosque and the dais in the
...anew-room of Buchingbani Palace. Chairs or tibiae
tear were none. Omer Paths sat on the divas,
:ea the tire, with a long chibouk by his side, asa
wrounded by papers and letters. At a respectful
eesnce were two or three Pschss, also with pipe,
gulch, however, in accordance with Turkish offleisl
,equette, they never touched, until their superior
Witt them the example. He at once entered into
rosvenation in French, which he speaks fluently,
hot with either a strong Unman accent. Italian le
ea forte. The first thing that struck me on Kass
spa was, the singular ingenuity displayed by the
Finch and English artists, who have undertaken to
wader his features familiar to the European pail*
:calking their portrait+ so very unlike the original.
try of them that have come eider my notice' would 1
erve just as well for memorials of the Ernie tor of
thins, or the Czar Nicholas, as of Omer Pacha.
fig independently of the false impression which they
tad left on my mind, I must confess that
found it somewhat difficult to realise the
idea that I was actually in the presence
of the redoubtable chief, whose name has been on
every tongue for the last six months. Take away
the huge moustachios, which half conceal his mouth,
end the grey beard beneath it, and you might fancy
at first glance yourself talking to a" line old English
bvntleman," who had never performed any more
aulike exploit than running down a fox. There is
kindly, good-humoured gleam in his eye, an honest
endow, which puts you at your ease, because you
kel that he is so; not merely a rude soldiery frank-
s's., but an approach to bonhonenie, though without
the smallest want of dignity. On a longer acquaint-
s:me you discover that the outlines of his face bear
the impression of Herculean energy, and even of
audacity, and there is a massiveness about the
wrinkles even that nothing save a fierce struggle
with time could have produced. It there be any
truth in phrenology, one would say that his whole
intellect was lodged in his forehead. In moments of
excitement, when his eyes flash under the cover of his
large eyebrows, as they sometimes do, even in ordi-
nary conversation, his appearance reminds one more
of a roused lion than any man's I ever saw. His
manner is that of a polished gentleman—his cour-
tesy untiring, his patience inexhaustible. His 'Amer.
num., even upon topics which one would suppose
possessed but little interest for him, bear evidence of
peat acumen and varied information. I was sur-
prised by hie accurate knowledge of English home
politic+, though when speaking on the subject with
an Englishman, ho shows some diffidence in pro-
nouncing an opinion,and general:y throws his remarks
into an interrogatory form. Regarding her foreign re-
lations, he, as might be expected, speaks with more
boldness, and expresses hie confident belief that any
hesitation she shows in grappling with Russia now
is but postponing the struggle to a period when she
will find herself less prepared for it, and will per-
haps have to meet it alone, for he does not enter-
tain a doubt that two powers representing princi-
ples so oppeito to one another cannot subsist side
by side without a collision, which must end in a
combat a loutranee. 'there can be no indelicacy in
my repeating this, as he has made use of the tarp
burlap to most Europeans, English as well as
others, who have visited the camp during the past
summer and autumn. Beyond skirmishes he dose
not anticipate the resumption of extensive hostilities
before spring, as the severity of the winter and the
had state of the soil render bivouacking impossible
—unless, indeed, the Russians should attempt to
pass the Danube es the ice, a feat which is not to
be looked for from tacticians whose want of enter-
prise is so notorious.
I have observed that some of the English join&
which have occupied themselves in serving sponge
of information regarding Omer Pubis dem& er•
rangements, for the gratification of public sedeeft,
hue made one or two mistakes which it has well tt
correct. Nis wife, it has been stated, is &Turk, the
daughter of his early friend and patron, a Turkish
pasha of great Path; and it has also been
that she has broke* through the restrictions
on her sex by the Mohammedan law, appears is
society, and maws her husband's guests. All this
is the work of some one's imagination, as the lady in
question is a Walachian, complies wi:h all the cus-
toms of the country, as she has too much good sense
to imagine that any.good can be done by violently
outraging loorestible prejudices. I)u reale, she
a all that rumour bespeaks her, plays well, and is a
good composer, and is educating her daughter as a
European. There is an interesting anecdote connected
with Win Paeha's early life, current here at present
which probably has not yet reached you. As all the
world now knows, he is a Croatian by birth, and
commenced his military career in the Austrian army.
A quarrel with his superiors drove him into exile
about 23 years ago, and about the same tune, or soon
alter, his brother, for political reasons, emigrated
into Wallachia, where he established himself as a pro-
fessor of languages at Bucharest, where fortune seems
to have favoured him, but he heard nothing more of
his relative, and gave him up as deed. In 1848, when
the Turkish and Russian troops occupied the Princi-
palities in conjunction, Omer Packs commanded the
former, and for some time resided in the town ; bat
his brother, who heard of him every moment, strange
to say, never saw him, and little imagined that the
ottoman general and he were so closely connected.
At length, when at the commencement of the Russo-
lurk crisis, the German papers began to drag
timer P;cha's antecedents to light, it tran-
spired,
amongst other things, that his family PAP
was Lutes, which he bad, according to custom. laid
aside when taking service under the Sultan. thico
of the journals fell into the hands of the linguist at
Bucharest, and his curiosity was instantly sensed,
and a few inquiries at last satisfied him that the 111.
doubtable Mussulman chief was indeed his long but
brother. He came to 'turkey, presented himself to
timer Pitch*, who was under the impression that he
had been killed in the Polish insurrection in 1830.1
Despite the ravages of time the recognition was
mutual, and as joyful as if each had risen from the
dead. Lance' son, a lad of sixteen or seventeen
years of age, became Turk on the spot, and has re-
cently been created binbashi, a lieutenant-colonel, by
the Sultan, in one of the regiments of the line; and
an equally auspicious change iu hie father's fortunes
will no doubt speedily follow.
The Turkish army, wonderful' se itsefficiency is, not
only as compared with its fanner state but as com-
pared with the enemy it has to encounter, seems
wanting in some details of organisation, owing to the
rapidity with which it ha. been raised. The supplies
r each regiment and division are drawn from the
neighbouring villages; but upon Omer Pacha falls
at the care and responsibility of seeing that they are
regular and sustained, and not unequally or oppres-
ly collected, and this in addition to his purely
ni..ihiry and political duties; and yet the are
well and the peasantry make no hints.
lhe same may be said of almost every_depeelesent—
(ldeates, hospitals, quarters, &c. /de eafelN into
the minutest details of organisation with swam
diligence, and not only issues his orders, tint MB that
they are executed. As far as regards disciples, lib
army will bear comparison with any in the 1111d11.
Crowded as all the towns are with Mem
to disorders are ever heard of. They
lel the streets every day in hundreds, but
brads or irregularities of any kind, in feet, Sehlem
:I ever occur. Drunkenness Is, of course, Islisawn,
sad most of the other vices of European miasmata
almost equally rare.
A man who can fill such a position as this widUIPA
much credit, can of course afford to despise dime Seel
dummies of the pack of curs who are always=
barking at the heels of greatness. But be
more, perhaps, in this respect this met edema Is