Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1853-12-28
Guuper'g Clarksbltg RegIstrr
TIE TURKS POWER 70 RESIST
Ti. RUSSIA.

invasion OF turkey, and as 1t Is supposed
tUspeak the sentiments of the conservative
patty IN Great Britain, the article possess
some interest. 1t appears that lord Alb
erdeen. because he entertained personal
pr, iudices against Louis Napoleon or
tIer, because he choose to work
in the interests of the Orleans or Legiti-
mist dynasters. refused to coalesce with
France in the yindication of great prin.
ciple of national Justice and the establish
ment of peaceful relations among the pow
ers Of the Continent. An hereditary arts
tocrat himself, his sympathies were natu-
rally with those of his class, and he pre-
ferred to leopard the rights and welfare
of whole nations, rather than to cooper
ute with the emperor of the French. 1t
is charistic specimen of the statesman
ship OF the old governments.
As to the capacity of the Turks to resist
the invasion of the Cossacks. Blackwood
argues that it is much greater than is
commonly supposed. The Turkish army,
according to the statement of the writer
consists of about 200, 900 men. but a fresh
levy of a like number has just been order
ed and, AS far as numbers go, Turkey
has vast resources in her fierce Asiatic
population. Independent of her regular
army, various provinces, which do not fur
nish soldiers in peace time ARE bound to do
SO when war brt axis out. Servia, BOSNIA,
Upper Albania, Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis,
are amongst them. Egypt has already
despatched her ten thousand.
The editor of the French Journal de
Constantinaple, M. Gogues, affirmed
about four months ago, in his newspaper,
that in general war, where important OBJ
iects were at stake, the Sultan, as Chief Of
the Mahomedau faith. could rally around
his banner million of armed men, ardent
in his cause, and eager to fight. Before
taxing this estimate with exaggeration,
we must remember how easy it is to rouse
the fauaticism of the Turks. The auxil
larry contingents supplied by European and
African provinces enumerated above.
are estimated by another authority. to
10000 men, The redit, or reserve,
which is what the Sultan has just called
out, consists of soldiers who. having served
tor the prescribed term of six years, OBJ
tanned their discharge. For seven years
from its date they are on the strength OF
the reserve, whose skeleton is kept up,
whose officers and non commissioned Off
Ger are paid, and which is mustered at in
CcENuIS lkC luC DIlNlSh NDeulduIS anu
militia, to renew the habit ofdrill and de-
ciplin0. This reserve forms a second army.
which in a very short time would render as
efficient as the first. Tartars, Cossacks from
the lakes of Asia Minor, and other irreg
lars are counted at about 10000. By
adding al these figures together, we al
rive at a total of upwards OF 100000.
With such force as this, it would be
L l. Ill "a L. al
army of invaders, on account Of the nat
ural difficulties to be met and overcome.
First, the Danube presents formidable
obstacle, and then the Balkan, at either of
which places a small force could long and
successfully resist its superior in numbers
and strategy, but surprising both of them
passed, Coustantinople would not be SO
easily taken. The approach is hazardous,
while the city itself is secured by series
of almost impreguable defences. Eight
leagues from the city, the sea OF Marmora
is trayersed by stone bridge FIVE hun
bred PAGES long. Between the city and
the bridge. almost as far as the Cape of
Kora Burum, on the Black Sea, is one
mass of precipitous mountains. on whose
flank stands Constantinople, between the
two seas Some of the slopes extend as
far as the Bosphorus. so that the city is
surrounded by u girdle of natural FORTH
cations"
The strength and natural resources of
Constantinople, indeed accounts for the
agony Ofthe Byzantine empire having last
ed several centuries. Besieged twenty
four times, it has but six times been taken.
In the last siege, a few thousand Greeks
defended it for ffty-tnree days against
25O.O soldiers of Mahommed Ii, at a
period when the Turks were masters of
the military art. Constantinople,' the
Duke of Ragua said, els the most impor-
tant position in the world. and the east
est to defend" As to the defences of the
Dardannelles and the Bosphorus, they are
too we'll known and have been too often
enumerated to need to be recapitulated.
Tremendous and well served batteries,
guns that vomit stone balls half ton in
weight, and strong Notifications, to say
nothing of the Black Sea, render access
to the Turkish capital by hostile fleet, a
desperate undertaking.
For these reasons, the writer in Black
wood thinks that Russia will not persist in
her aggression, but he adds at the same
time, that if she does. the war will not be
of any duration, provided Austria and
Prussia remain neutral. The combined
fleets of England aud France sweeping
the Black sea. garrisoning and blocking
all the Russian ports, would soon put an
end to the maratime conflict, while an An
glo- French army assisting the Turks by
land, the northern forces could make but
little Roadway. In the case, however,
that Austria and Prussia should take the
side of the Car, {" the war would assume
a terrible and deplorable character:-