Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1854-06-10
RICHMOND wHIG.
OPERATIONS OF THE RUSSIANS CN THE DANUBE
THE SIEGE OF slLISTRIA.

nlOn NASIN ~ w liz II 1G.
OPERATIONS OF THE RUSSIANS CN THE DANUBE
THE SIEGE OF SlLISTRIA
tFrom the London ChronieIe, May III
The various reports which have lately circulated at
enna together with The deni'e statement that General
Lnders had advanced to Kanig. rendered IL but too
probable that the siege OF Sstrin had been formed IL
now appears that portion of the main Russian army
passed the Danube, in the immediate vicinity Of that for
tress on the 18TH and oh of the present month and 4,
even stated that Prince had crossed to
right bank Of the river There can be no doub, ,b,,
every effort will be used to gain Of the town b.
lore the allies the of action and n. abI
Ienere who commands the invading aimy NAV prob,b,v
hsve taken measures to the siege With a frce To-,
strong to be prudenty attacked by Omer Pach. Tn.rs
IS 100 much eason to fear that the operation s he
cessGt bu; the garrison will render sryice
20 !heif country they can hold Out for few weeks un-
ul IL becomes possible TO relieve them
lt Was on the same days the same month in 1900
namely, OF tue lSh anu lsh OF May-that the
coe;ced tue last oi Silistra. Tae detail. o, h
contest which ensued fully related In Col Chesney
useiu history OF the lomer Russo Turkish war Ia 1928
the place had successfully the atacs of thit
thousand men duUg three months of open
in the following year, the defence maintained unti
the lst OF July, when the Governor cap,uI,t.d After
pracLraoie breaches besides three other openings. had
neen effected in the body OF the fortress The admitted
loss OF The bes egers amounted to thousand We hun
ired men, and more than one hundred officers Prince
Paskicwch would Iooably shrink from incurrng an
equal loss for the purpose OF taking Si.tra in week or
fortnight; but there much doubt whether ne
afford TO spend six weeks in the reduction of ain
stronghold. la ls29. Gen. DeUitsch had entrelv nc
ceeded in cutting of the communications between Scbum
Ia and Sisuia Narna aud Pravadialso were in the hands
oi the enemy; aud the Grand Zer the primitive cnn
trvance OF letting loose black pigeon announced b;s
inability TO keep the field against eneny or tn rpsve
the garrison At the present moment, however the Tur
kish armies are i'll possession of a the roads 10
the mountains or TO the coast and it is known that even
# Omcr Pacha should DC strong enough 70 risk nat
de- few weeks will bring auxihary force n, ,b. n,,L
OF the Danube.
"Tnc town. according Colonel Chcsnev ,.;s h,, -,
perfectly fortified, and !; is commanded the exterior
more particularly on the southwestern side There are
fronts each of which has an extremely long curtain
aud two small basons which, is COMMONLY the case in
Turkish works, give an imperfect fiuking ire TO the
dtch The Scarp and counerscarp have scarcely relief
oi fifteen feet. The former is surrounded by hurdle
parapet with strong row OF palisades rising above its
crest on the interior side There is low and very i'm
perfect giae but no covert outworks of the usu-
construction the place Of the latter being partly sup
phed Z! three exterior tedou5ts enclosed the rear
ourth, outside the western angle OF the town. and a 9Th
similarly situated near the extremity hank the
works towards the river and proec; the trading vess.
when anchored under the walls" This is not very sat-
sactory account OF the det-nces of - important pos
cn bnt T. Is reasonable TO assume that defects in
the ort!hcion have been remeded since the commence
Dent Of the present war under advice of the Europe
| an engineers who have visited the Of action
Uuder the present critical circumstances of the cam
paiGn some surprise and disappointment have naturally
been elt at the limited number OF troops at the dis
posal oi the Ottoman commander in-chef The main ar
my Schunli will, however in all probability soon he
'einorced hy portion OF the forces lately posted Kal-
i!a aud by the garrison OF Varni and should O,ner
Pacha still prove weak hs antagonist In the
fed, the advantage secured by the invaders will be due
their diplomacy wei! as To their military resources
The dyersious which have been organized in the we.
and south have necessarily occupied considerable por
ou OF the Turki.h army whilst the attitude OF Austria
still too ambiguous TO justify neglect Of precautions
tgarst the threatened INVASION from Montenegro. Iii
wen Gumorcd that engagement has taken place on ts
order OF that province aud though the Suln's troops
ppear to have been victorious they nevertheless de-
aimed from the seat OF Danube Tn. Gfe.k
Ivsson r,qurrs the presence of much larger Ottoman
orce 10 TEtssay, Eprus aud Macedonia for although
nc Insurgents aLd their allies have defeated
still necessary 10 provide against the renewed disur
Shica be ccca-onei by the perGdiou. Cuu..
| 4 AIheu-. l. matters little TO the Russian
| government that tue revolutionary pr jccts OF
| Involve the ruin Of those VINO parti-
pate IN them, so long as reforcenents preveuled
reaching the Danube lace queace the dem,nds
h the southern provinces. is evident therefore, that
ne allies scarcely reLdtr Sufficient seryic. 10
Sultan than toy iorcioy REFRESHING the Russian con-
-pracy at Athens Toe officers who been sen, by
a"g Onos government To i0ment the nsurrsciion
perhaps been already recalled; il would be childish 10
rust the good faith OF the Greek Court without some ad.
tiona security. force of limited amount will prob,by
ne sufficient TO provide for the tranquility OF kingdom
nd IL would be surprising If the Of isn
rOops in Greece should hereafter mark the era
at which comparatively good government commeuced in
uat country. In the nvauwhie, the smaller vessels OF
ne aliled utets VIII nhG ditnculiy dealing
tie pirates who have recently infested the Archipelago
The troublesome demonstrations the side of Monten
sgro will Austria distinctly declares her
self indeed u IL improbable that steps NAV be taken
the mountaueers before any open rupture
with Russia. Those who impatient for the solution
,i the uncertainty which hangs German policy will
perhaps, still be compelled TO wait for considerable time
r "a not only unlikely that the signature OF the Joint
protocol will be considered sufficiently vigorous proceed
g usuy smother pause additional measures are
aker. Austria and Prussia have ventured announce
that they STILL IN some sense, operating although
they in the midst OF peace, With the Powers are
engaged in opeu with Prussia; and the formality
nav, perhaps be significant, If il no OBJ
vious meaning. FROM respondence, however a.
we'll from the probabilities of case there is reason
anticipate considerable Jel'y before court Of Vienna
arrives nal decision. The allies although now ready
10 move, have not yet taken the field, nor have the
fleets engaged in aby decisive operation and IL will not
oe uau France and England irreyocably committed
that Austria will Interfere IN tue hope Of shortening the
duration Of In the late imperial proclamation for
increasing the army the demonstrations on the North
east mentioned the cause Of the new arma-
mcnts; but Austria not in fact, threatened with in
vason Is impossible that another eIpanatio may
have been given Russia The concentration Of troops
on the Polish frontier may nave been represented ss
precaution against revolutionary movements; and at all
events it is scarcely probable that Prince PaskeEitsch
would have crossed the Danube form the siege of 81.
Iistris unless bad been given that the
communications Of his ar'ny in Modayia were for the
prCseui, secure from molcsIstion.
The cOntemptuous confidence with which the Emperor
Nicholas repays the devotion Of bis Pussin kiusman
thought TO have given offence Berin sud the late
protocol vac, perhaps, intended both warning and
proof Of resentment There is no reason however to
expect any active operation the part Of Prussia,
although something will have been gained the transmits
sion OF usoty oveiures for peace b stopped In
quence Of any temporary irritation which may have
| been excited 10 the roys mind.
THE EUROPEAN wAR.
| THE POSITION OF TIE CONTENDING NATIONS.