The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-13 00:00:00

Elie OraWCISIL

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LOXDON, TUESD.4I; DECEMBER 13.

IN one part of NAPOLEON. 4 strategy the Russians
have proved themselves apt pupils—the art of
making bulletins,. The increase transmitted from
Odessa to Vienna, announcing an advantage gained
by the Russians over the Turks at sea, is an apt
illustration of this. " The destruction of twelve
Turkish vessels by six Russian Olins of the line in
the roads of Sloops, the Russians having to contend
against a violent fire from land batteries in addition
to the fire of the Turkish ships," has a most imposing
sound. But leaving for the present unquestioned
the averments of the Russians that they have gained
• naval victory, there are known facts which place
it out of doubt that their account of it is ex-
aggerated—that they have been idealising their
own heroism by representing themselves as
triumphing over obstacles which did not ex-
ist. In the first place, it is certain that
the great force of the Turkish navy is within the
Bosphorus. The only Turkish ships of war known
with certainty to be in the Black Sea—at lout in
the direction of Sinope, where the battle is said to
have been fought,--are • squadron of seven frigates,
two corvettes, and a steamer or two, despatched as
eoevoy to the transport ships conveying reinforce.
smote to Batoun. In the second place, Sinope (or
Binoub), the birth-place of Dioczzas,—who. had he
lived in oar day, might have found a rich field fur
the exercise of his peculiar vein in the Russian brag.
pdocio,—is a docayed port of no great strength. Trade
has deserted it in favour of Trebizood, which is more
favourably situated for intercourse with the interior.
Binope has an arsenal, we believe, but a secondary
one, to which no great attention has been paid by
the Turkish government; and the coast defences,
of little importance in themselves, had until the com-
mencement of the present hostilities been neglected.
Admitting, then, that six Russian ships of the line
may have fallen upon the Turkish transports and
convoy in the roads of Sinope, it is clear that the
superiority in guns and men was greatly on the side
of the Russians ; and that the Turks could derive
but slender aid from the batteries on shore. That an
engagement has really taken place off Sinope is
extremely probable. The distance from the mouth
of the Bosphorus to Batoun is about six hundred sea
miles, Sinope being situated about half-way. Sebas-
topol, the principal station of the Russian Black
Sea navy, is only about two hundred sea miles
distant from Sinope—a little to the west
of north. The Russians profess to have blockaded
the coast from Sukum Kaleh to Trebizond—
that ,is, their ships have been hovering off the coast.
It is, therefore, easily to be believed that they have
kept a considerable naval force off the portion of the
Asiatic coast nearest their great naval station, to
intercept straggling Turkish vessels, or such
squadrons as they could master. All circumstances
considered, it is difficult to acqait the Turkish
authorities of considerable rashness in having sent
their reinforcements to Batoun—seeing bow im-

portent it was to keep up the ascendancy obtained
by the Turkish arms in that quarter—so weakly
guarded—when a course of no lees than six hundred
milts had to be run, and when the principal station
of the Russian navy was only two hundred to the
north of this course, about midway. It will there-
fore probably be found, when the exact facts of the
rencontre are ascertained, that the Turks have lost
at the utmost the war-ships composing their con-
voy and a few of the transports, eight of which are
said by the version of the story accredited at the
Turkish Embassy in Paris to have escaped. If such
be the case, it will be a smart rap over the knuckles
to the Ottomans, but by no means an irreparable
lose. On the contrary, it may prove to them a use-
ful lesson to be more cautious in future in the mat-
ter of transports and convoys. In war an alterna-
tion of success and mishap is always to be looked for.
The nation that cannot bear up under tempo-
rary reverses is incapable of waging war with suc-
cess. Now, the whole tenor of Turkish history
goes to prove that if the Osmanli is marked by one
characteristic more than another it is that of a
dogged, pertinacious power of fighting under adverse
circumstances. Even had the losses on the Black
Sea fallen entirely to the lot of the Turks, there tan
be little doubt that they would only have spurred
them on to redoubled exertions. But the Russians
also have had their share. In their unsuccessful sea
attack on Fort Shefkatil, a steamer with 1,300 troops
on board was stranded, and the whole of the men
either drowned or made prisoners by the Turks.
They have also encountered other misadventures
which, when a balsam is fairly struck, will probably
bring the losses sawed by Turks and Russians on
the Black Sea sines the oonsmeseetnent of hostilities

somewhat near to an equality.
So much for the relative positions of Russia and
Turkey, on the assumption that the news of a naval
victory gained by the former Power, transmitted to
Odessa, shall ultimately prove to be founded on fact.
But on this same assumption, what figure do the
fleets of England and France cut ? Were they sent
up the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora into
the Bosphorus to look idly on while the squadrons
of their any were being beaten by a superior force of
the enemy? England and France have told the
SULTAN that his cues is just ; they have promised
to aid him in the assertion of his rights; and
yet, though they have • combined force on the
spot, more than amply sufficient to keep the
Russian navy in cheek, they allow the Power
whom, u schoolboys, they have " egged um" to
try the fortune of war to be thus roughly handled.
The relation of France and England to Turkey is'
quite different from that of Austria and Prussia.
The two latter Powers may, with some show of
force, pretend to play the part of impartial, indepen-
dent arbiters ; but England aid France have com-
mitted themselves by promises of aid to Turkey. Let
us, however, for the sake of argument, concede for a
moment that the whole of the Four Powers are in a
condition to act as a court of equity, and adjudge on
the matters in dispute between Turkey and Russia—
what is the first duty of a court undertaking
mach a task ? Assuredly to adopt measures which
shall insure both parties against being placed in a
worse position in consequence of the delay occasioned
by its preliminary inquiries. Have the Four Powers
dealt thus with Turkey? On the contrary, as we
demonstrated yesterday, their delays arc enabling
Russia to entrench itself permanently in the Danu-
bian Principalities; and the progress of events on
the Black Sea shows that the paralysing and be-
numbing influence of their interference is equally
prejudicial to the cause of Turkey in the remoter
regions of Asia. France and England are acting
towards Turkey like the big bullies of some school
who, after spiriting up one of the little
11...”` . _ *w • , •
•• ••• promises
goys to stand up •