The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-01-13
, TIE EAsTERN QUESTION. :

We have private information from st. |
Petersburg of the most positive nature, and
Of incontestable truthfulness, brought by the |
Pacific, which throws some light on the
complicated Eastern drama. The Russian
disposable forces on the Danube at the be-
giniug Of hostil;ties amountedto no more than
$4,000 mens Only asinge army-corps, that
ofGen. Dannenberg, originally crossed the
Pruth. Sen. Luders with another corps
remained in Bessarabia, and near Odessa, in
order TO be able to sehd feenforcements both
| to Asia and the prncipalities, The corps
under Osten- -Sacken was cantoned still
| further north in the Ukraide. Each army
corps numbers $4,000 men, and seldom more,
Deduc,ing the thousands in hospital, and the
detachments occupying the fortified places in
the Principalities, Gerchakoff could scarcely
dispose of as many as $4,000 to oppose the
attacks of Omer Pasba. Nobody In st.
Petersburg imagined that open hostilties
would so soon begin. The declaration of
war BY the Sultan, as vel. as the almost i'm
mediate crossing Of the Danube, took the
Russians both in Bucharest and st. Petersburg
wholly unawares. The Gar and his coun-
cilors believed to the last that bullying
Turkey and her supporters would suffice 10
bend them to his demands. Now, Nicholas
is taught better and 10 exceedingly dissatis-
fed with Menchikof. The Emperor never
aariously wished for war, and does not now
: wish it, though he says that he will mover
} submit to be dictated to by England and
France. 1t lie, theodore, impossible to fore.
see what will be the influence in st. Peters
+ burg of the recent military and diplomatic
events. The excitement in Russia, ant
above all in Moscow, the heart of the Empire
whose pusations act powerfully on the masses
of the people through the whole country-this
: excitement is on the increase and of the most
: dangerous character, because il is religious
: The wealthiest merchants of that capital are
e among the dissenters from the Orthodox
j, Russian Church, and are generally not OF
y good terms with the Government, but nov
they have offered to furnish millions o
: rubles to carry on the holy war. This ex
s ample will be followed by other cities ant
communities in the interior. On the othe
hand we are informed the Servians an,
s Montensgrins are kept quiet as yet by tn
o united exertions of Russia and Austria. II
o however, no pacifcation should take plac,
ID during the winter, Europe is really on tho ev'
of a terrible confagiaton. In such case
is decided in the Imperial Councils to opel
a serious campaign, stirring up all the Gle
/, ments of general discord. PAsHKzwITcH vii
-s then be put at the head of the active army
NJ numbering above 100000 men, and vii
march-ifhe car. .-drectly oh Constantinople
:. Other corpsd'elite, such as that of the Grams
:, diers and of the Guards, 10000 in all, unde
- the personal command of the Grand Duk
- Alexander the heir apparent, will be draw
=, up in echelons between the iheater of wa
and Poland, which will be occupied by SOM
r 10000 men of the Guards ofthe Interior, al
4 of whom are veterans. In Poland th
:. peasantry take no interest in anything, ant
no chance exists there for successful insur
> rection. Preparations on an extensive scal'
= are now being made in the military colonie
. . of cavalry near the borders of the Principal
ties, and the signal to rise will be given t.
- the Moatenegrins and Servans when thei
;, services are wanted AS yet, however, tn
. chances are about equal. With the sprin!
y y we may see displayed the white flag of peace
. ? or the blood-red flag of war. Should the latte
be the case, Europe will be parseled int
). hostile camps, no power of the second o
third order being able TO ,emain neutral. How
they will divide it is difficult to foresee pre-
4 cisely, but peace will be nowhere. The frs
hostile acts will be marked by blockading tn,
Baltic, the Euxne, and very likely th'
Mediterranean. The American will be tn,
only neutral flag. Even Holland, Sweden, &
the German free cities will soon be obliget
to side with one or the other of the bslligerents
, But God grant that they may not have oc
cason to make the choice! Assuredly,
general war cannot lead to freedom anywhere
, ~ Y. Tribune.