The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-12 00:00:00

[PRICE-SD.

i Bashi-bazonks had already arrived, and spread the news
that the whole Turkish army was destroyed and the Rua-
sians in full march upon the devoted town. When I
reached the place, therefore, I found the walls lined—
not with soldiers, but women, in the wildest alarm and
despair. Without yascitznacs, or face-coverings of any
apprehensivec,t n with
compass. out - spread
Inside
a lamentationsr i n s
the and
t od
i,
%i
in
kind, they thronged the half- ruinous embrasures, and,
bevelled hair, uttered their
ne ivn'ltYt eir' se ywtel rl ee
fe4lra li el
yvboai cde;
there, again, women hurried in wild and *ailing disorder
through the narrow streets, asking every one who seemed
to be coming from the war, " Moscov benlunour ?"
(where aro the Russians); and, if the answer were dis-
coureging, wringing their hands and crying, 'AI-lab '
i Al-lab I' Men were passing and repassing with most
nn-Turkish
energy,
hastening on sluggish bullocks or
buffaloes with their 'flitting,' while the
ocnlosnelsye-pvnerialtt:de
wife (or wives) arid the children followed
' aralia' behind. These were `tanking time by the f ire-
lock, and setting nut for Erzeroum. In the bazaars all
shape were closed and business suspended ; the whole
scene, indeed, was such as could only be witnessed under
similar circumstances.
"To-day the public alarm seems to have in Rome de-
gree abated, as scouts have brought in word that Balm-
toff has not yet moved his camp. The movement towards
Erzeroum, however, still continues brisk, and before 48
hours will have very considerably thinned the popula-
tion of the town. The scattered and disorganised re-
mains of the army are being reduced to order ; and I
hope to be able to give you, before closing this letter, a
tolerably proximate report of the losses of and since
yesterday.
" AuG. B.—The Russians still remain at the frontier,
and show no intention as yet of advancing upon this.
Prisoners and deserters have explained since the battle
how it was that their force was so great, supposing
8.000 to have previously made a detour towards Erze-
roum. Through a channel, which is more than suspected
here, Bebutoff had learnt, on the 4th, the Mushir's inten-
lion to attack him on the morning of the 6th, and at
once despatched an aide-de-camp to recal the detached
column. They accordingly hastened back on mules,
horses, bullock carts, and every species of conveyance
which could he had, and rejoined the main body only at
midnight of the sth, a few hours before the battle. But,
even had they not been thus strengthener], I greatly
incline to think that the cowardice which induced 40,000
to succumb to less than 20,000 would have hardly shown
a braver front to 12,000. The disgrace of the defeat is too
entire to receive any qualification from this. The Mushir
has determined to await the enemy under the walls and
behind the fieldworks of Kars. Nearly 7,000 men have
this morning commenced increasing and strengthening
the latter, and, as it is not likely that the Russian gene-
ral, with his present small force, will attack so strong a
position, present expectations here are that he will either
await reinforcementin or, as was done in 1828, fall back
upon the Erzeroum side of the town, and establish a
blockade. As this wonld effectually cut off Zarif Pasha
from supplies, he would then be shut up to the alterna-
tive of fighting another battle, or of retreating on
Batoum and forming a junction with Selim Pasha, leav-
ing Kars for the present to other holders. I venture to
predict that this latter course will be the one adopted, if
the army continues under its present command. Before
pausing in my letter yesterday, I might have mentioned
a characteristic step which was even then begun by the
Commander-in-Chief, and which he has completed to-
day. Immediately after finding himself safe in Kars,
be called a private gathering of all the Turkish
Pashas, and procured their signatures to a petition
to the Seraskier against General Guyon. This
document avers that with him alone rests the blame
of the defeat ; as, but for him, the Mushir would
not have hazarded an engagement. Now, I happen to
know, Irons more authentic sources than one, that not
once but several times, during the two days preceding
the battle, he took to himself the credit of the energetic
step which was then in prospect, and spoke confidently of his beating the one division of the enemy first, and J
then falling back and exterminating the other. When
his own incapacity in the field, and the cowardice of his
officers, however, have led to a different result, he con-
veniently seeks to shift the blame to the shoulders of a
general to whom his jealousy would not even intrust a
command during the action. It is well, however, that
another correspondent of the Seraskier witnessed the
battle, and acknowledges the excellence of its plan.
Count de Melfray, who was present as first aide-de-camp
to the Mushir, will give the Porte his version of the
matter too : and if jealousy and partisanship be not so
active in Constantinople as they are in Kars, it is to be
hoped that this effort of falsehood will not ward off from '
Zarif Pacha his long since •deserved removal from the
post he now holes. But, whether it do or not, I would
again venture to suggest that the state of affairs at this
important point of the seat of war calls for some prac-
tical attention on the part of our own Government.
Russia may be repulsed on the Danube, but so long as
the balances these reverses by triumphs in Asia Minor,
to my humble understanding the war is not likely to see
an early or satisfactory termination ; and as the fight is
no longer Tarkey's, but the Allies, so if strikes me they
shouli not shut their eyes to a state of things here which
can only continue to bear fruit in solid advantages to
the Czar That they have do,,ne so thus far can only be
explained on the supposit,on of ignorance of the actual
facts ; but now that a commissioned informant will show
us things and men as they are, I, for one, earnestly
trust that Downing-street and the Tuileries will no I
longer ieave Asia Minor to the mercy of intriguants and
imbeciles. One firm demand of the ambassadors
would suffice to make this army do good service to
the general cause, by rescuing it from the worse than
feebleness which noes rules it, and placing at its
head a general whose character would command
its respect, and whose thorough fitness fur the
post would secure its efficiency and successful action.
Such a commander is on the spot ; and the Emperor
Nicholas has good reason to rejoice that Turkish jealousy
and Polish intrigue have hitherto kept him in the back-
ground, as merely chief of the stall. Had Guyon been
in command of this army since tale end of spring, not a
Russian official would now have foot-room on Georgian
soil. But Zarif Pasha has held that post, and the con-
sequence is—what it is.

"I am now merely to add that the returns, com-
pleted yesterday evening, represent the loss as 1,200
killed, 1;800 wounded, and 8,000 missing, of which last
2,000 are prisoners, and the remainder (chiefly redifs)
deserters. Among the killed is one pasha (Hassan
Pasha), who commanded in the left wing of the let
diVision, and of whom (regardless of the de mortuis nil
nisi bonnra) truth compels the remark that no greater
coward fell that day. Mussa Pasha is wounded, as are
several of the European and Circassian officers, all of
whom (with one or two exceptions, from whom much
was not to be expected) distinguished themselves highly.
Tahir Pasha, already mentioned, was the only Turkish
officer who behaved really well. He has been deservedly
decorated ; as has also Hussein Bey, a Circassian officer
of the .sth regiment of Anatolia, and five others of
minor rank. Of the Europeans three—all of whom be-
long to the staff—are proposed for a similar distinction,
Rufan Bey (Gortcriininski, who was shot through the
neck), En3ir Bey (Baron Schwartzenburg, who acted
a distinguished part in the Hungarian war), and Nevris
Bey (Major Boufante, an American-Italian).
"Such are the incidents of a defeat which has again
—for the present, and some time to come—thrown the.
Kars army hack into a state of comparative nullity, and
demonstrated, beyond the possibility of dispute, the
necessity of its being at once placed under a European
commander, or having the co-operative assistance of
European troops. That its continued existence as an
army; to say nothing of its efficiency against the•onemy,
depends upon one of these conditions is a fact which it
requires no very strong force of military prevision to
foresee and predict. Unless one or other of them be
given to it, before two months the Russians will be in
Erzerou m.