Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-11-30
THE TURKISH FORCES, AND THE
STRENGTH OF THE POSITION OF
THE TURKS

| We present, from the last number of Black
wood, just received from Taylor & Maury, the
following account of the forces which the sui.
tan can oppose to the czar and Of the charac.
ter OF the country from the Danube to Constan-
| tinople:
The Turkish army, according to the most
reliable accounts that can be obtained, consists
OF about 100, 600 men, but fresh levy of a like
number has just been ordered; and, as far as
numbers go, Turkey has vast resources in her
herce Asiatic population. Independently OF
her regular army, various provinces, which do
not furnish soldiers in peace time, are bound to
do so when war breaks out. Servia, Bosnia
Upper Albania, Egypt, Tripol, Tunis, are
amongst them. Egypt has already dispatched
her ten thousand. The editor of the French
Journal de Constantinople, M. Nogues, affirmed
about four months ago, in his newspaper, that
in general war, where important objects were
at stake, the sultan, as chief of the Mahometan
faith, could rally round his banner a million OF
armed men, ardent in his cause, and eager to
tight. Before taxing this estimate with exag-
geration, we must remember how easy it is to
rouse the fanaticism of the 4Asatic Turks. The
auxiliary contingents supplied by the European
and African provinces enumerated above are
estimated, by another authority, to amount to
10000 men. The redif, or reserve, which is
what the sultan has just called out, consists of
soldiers who, having served for the prescribed
term OF SIX years, obtain their discharge. For
seven years from its date they are on the
strength of the reserve, whose skeleton is kept
up, whose officers and noncommissioned off.
GERS are paid, and which is mustered at inter
walls, like our yeomanry and militia, to renew
the habit of drill and discipline. Thus this re-
serve forms second army, which very short
time would render as efficient as the first. Tar
tars, Cossacks from the lakes of Asia Minor,
and other irregulars, are counted at about
$4,000. BY adding all these figures together,
we arrive at total of upwards Of 450, 900 men.
We do not, by the exhibition ofthese formidable
numbers, mean to imply belief that Turkey,
left to her own resources, could make head
against Russia; but all the evidence we have
collected induces us to believe that the cars
armies would have some trouble and sharp
fighting before getting to Constantinople.
"a French writer, apparently military, and
well acquainted with the ground, sketched,
few days ago, in Paris paper, the Uaivers,
the various routes the Russians might follow,
supposing them across the Danube; and it is
interesting to trace upon the map the track he
assigns to the invaders. The Danube crossed,
the Balkan is the next obstacle, and affords ex-
cellent positions to defensive army There
are three roads by which the passage of this
mountain may be attempted, and all three are
parallel to the west coast of the Black sea,
whence says the writer quoted, the Rus
sian army might be supplied and supported by
its feet, if England and France did not oppose
it. The capture of the port of Varna would be
great advantage to Russia Not only ad.
vantageous but Indispensable The naviga-
ton OF the Black sea is extremely perilous for
large sailing vessels, (of which the Turkish
fleet in those waters is chiefly composed) ow-
ing to constant and capricious changes in the
wind, which often chop suddenly round, and
rises into a tremendous hurricane. As refuge
from these, Varna is the only port on the Turk
ish-European shore capable of receiving large
vessels. But Varna is an exceedingly strong
place; the Turkish artillery practice, thanks to
Prussian instructors, is equal to any in Eu-
rope; and as an example of the manner in
which Turks, fallen though their empire
be, and extinguished their glory, will fight
when well commanded, it is not embarrassing
to refer to an account Of the last siege Of
Varna:
".The important fortress of Varna, on the Black
sea, says M. PouJoulat, in his Historic de Con-
StantinopLe,) 'capitulated on the 10th October,
1928, after murderous siege Of forty DAYS dura.
ton. The Russian loss was very heavy. Yussuf
Pasha, one OF the chiefs Of the Ottoman army
went over, with arms and baggage, to the Musco-
vite camp. This detection, purchased it was
said by Russian gold, was the signal Of Varna's
fall. What is certain is, that that general retired
into Russia, where he lived in disgraceful splen-
dor, although Mahmoud Ii had confiscated all his
possessions in Turkey. If Yussuf Pashas conduct
was that OF traitor, that Of Izzet Mehemet, gov
ernor Of Varna, excited the admiration even of
hIS on Inas nal
der, his invariabe reply was that he would never
ask pardon of the Gaours. He fought like gal
liant soldier, to- the very last. The Emperor Nicho-
las publicly eulogized his courage, and unwilling
TO expose Varna TO the horrors of capture by as
saut he proposed 10 him TO quit the town with the
honors Of war. Izzet Mehemet, who had but
three hundred men left with him, accepted the OF:
fer To recompense his brilliant behaviour, Nah
mould named him Grand Vizier.'
$50 that it will not do to reckon too much on
the speedy capture of Varna, even in the i'm.
probable case that the English and French
fleets allowed the Russians to come out of Sc
bastopol. Its possession, however, is not indis.
to the invaders land operations. Sup
posing first battle to be fought and won by
the Russians on the line of the Danube, the
second, it is thought probable, would occur
near Shumla, which is considered the KEY
of the Balkan, and must, of course, be ia.
ken. omar FaSna, IL is SAID, has con-
siderably strengthened its Notifications, as
well as those Of Rustchuk on the Danube.
Shunila,' says the writer in the U,airers,
stands in basin, between two abrupt peaks.
A stream, the Tekie, deep sunk between its
banks, covers the place on two sides. But
it is approachable by artillery, especially by the
side Of 'Zenibazar, feast by north, where there
is a level and naked plateau. Shumla, sur
rounded by walls fanked by square towers, is
the centre of great intrenohed camp, defend
ed by earthen redoubts and deep ditches Be-
tween Shumla and the Danube most of the vii
lagos are palisaded. Shumla fallen and Pra-
vadi taken, the Balkan would be open; the
trenches and abattis in the defles could not
stop Russian army
aSupposing the Russians to be uniformly sue
cessful in their operations, a first campaign
would hardly take them beyond Adrianople.
The country between that place and CONSTANT
nople is hilly, sandy, and intersected by innu-
merable ravines, which the winter rains con-
vert into water courses. 1t would afford but
scanty supplies especially for the cavalry. and