New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-24

Known bat Dow We sec by degrees the sLe7.a.ts Pr
sens appearing and speaking for themselves. II one
~tens 10 this tragedy, ono can scareefy bebsVe MAJ
10 not fiction. The despised Turkish army % asa,
tie rabble about which everybody seemed TO despair,
is converted BY the energy and moral superiority o.
f.w officers into heroic little band, whose discipline,
pet 10 the severest test by famine aud despair cannot
BE surpassed by the first soldiers IN the world.
Although numbers were daily dying from starvation
no excessee occurred; in the batteries where there
were always three days provisions the famished seny
paced about within reach OF them, without Allowing
himself 10 be overcome by the temptation 1t was
the story OF Tantaus thousand times, but more nooy
repeated for It was moral courage not physieal I'M
p1s.ibity which prevented them from satisfying tne
cravings of hunger The inhabitants themselves were
scarcely behind the troops in the display Of unseshnes
While they had anything left themselves they shared
voluntarily with their defenders, and deprived them
selves Of their beds to give comfort to some poor
fellow in the hospital. u
pose Of Turkish Georgians, who, havng, before 'He
organization Of the Nizam, been often called upon 10
defend the town and the frontler', preseTve .Seu
,;onsI lnayery. The only black sheep among tnem
were the Kara Kalpaks, TuIkoman tr1be set,ed IN
the town and it, environs These latter served Do!n
sides They were Of great help 70 me "a. :, IN
tl trapsp1ft OF provisions and material but at the
ssme time thew used TO be in constant communication
with the town and bring news OF the enemy; NO"
and then horseman used TO appear before the ram
parts and fire of his gun as signal; when some one
came out 10 meet him be first expressed his doubt
about his being Museulman, and only when he heard
the profession of Mohammedan faith did be believe has
peys Then kind Of sham fight took place TO blind
the eyes Of proving C0ssacks; pistols were fired on
and the hOrseman disappeared.
General Williams intention had always been to cut
through the enemy when every hope Of relief had dis
appeared; but the letters which he continued TO re-
cefve up to the last moment, especially from Selim
Pafha OF Erzeroum, made him hope and peneysre,
ard when at last the fuity of all these promises
dawned upon him il too late for such resolution,
council was held 10 discuss the possibility Of this lat
nd KprTn pasha-Oue O the best and
brayest Of the Turkish communicable not hesitate
TO declare that the emaciated soldiers, even with the
courage Of despair could not march with ther mus
kets for mile without sinking under the load,
ard the nearest Russian forces were at four miles
distance from tie town. One may imagine what point
exhaustion had reached when some time before the
surrender body of COssacks with TWO guns approache9
one of the forts and began TO throw shells into IT, ana
of all the guard only three men were able TO crawl TO
their post Had the Russians known the exact state OF
things they could have taken the town without resist
ance. -,
pereverance and sefsacriice, meanness and selfish
ness seemed to be the order OF the day without. In
spite of all indications of an approaching movement
on tie side Of the Russians, and with all the facilities
afforded for providing the town with everything neces.
ary in the beginning OF the siege the grossest neglect
prevailed in every department.
First, regards tbe munitions OF war, It VIII be
scarcely credited that only three days ammunition was
in the town for the guns Of position. The secret was
well kept, and the Russians viii have discovered IL
only after taking possession of the town. for had they
known it, they would certainly have made few sue,
cessve false attacks which would have soon exhausted
the ammunition of all the heavy guns. And this was
the case in HOMEGROWN exposed every moment TO an
attack of the enemy, while mountains OF ammunition
encountered the magazines at ErZeroum and Ire
bizonde Halett Bey the Chief of the Ordinance
Department If the Asiatc army, is under qury III
consequence.
The starvation which led to the final surrender of
the garrison in less than four months tells it, own tale
An EXPOSED fortress like Kars the key of the surround
ing country ought TO have had at least one, If not two
years provisions i'll it, while the garrison received even
in the second month half and in the end quarter OF
ration. Tahr Pasha, the deflerdar, or cOlnmssary-
general is accountable for it. Notwithstanding re-
peated acquisitions from Gen. Williams, from the very
beginning he found pretexts for refusing Had been
left to him. the town would have been absolutely With
out any provisions at all the beginning of the invest
ment; fortunately, Gen. Williams took the matter
into his own hands, and thus was enabled to hold out
so long; but the difficulties thrown in his way were
such that, with all his energy, he could not complete
his arrangements. While the garrison OF kafS was
starving the defterdar, seized by an unaccountabe
economical fit, bargained with the muleteers, and in
sisted difference of few p0ras the result OF which
was that DO bargain was concluded at all. Plenty OF
grain was in the stores of ErzerOum, but the pretext
was the want of animals TO carry it, There are, how
ever nunbeTless dOnkeys in the town, and when 1t
was proposed TO employ them the defterdars objection
was tLat it would be IA shame to erapOy d0nkeys for
the Commssariat of the Imperial army During the
siege Itself there persons who offered to take
grain to Kars at their risk, and again economical
prctcSts prevented this.
In the medical department likewise peculaton had
left the town utterly unproVided. 1t was not the
quantity about which one would complain but the
quality for hundreds of arrived containing the
most useless drugs while all essential things not
provided. Instead of the instruments necessary for
field surgery, cOnta ming obstet1c Instruments
came In quantities; cosmetics and other curious
medicines enough for the whole population of Asia
Minor formed the chief portion Of the medical supplies
The reason of this is easily explained; the person
who had the contract for ns kind OF supply bought as
cheaply as possible all kinds of unstable articles IN
all the back shops of Pcra and Gaata, and charged
them at high price to the Turkish Government, Civ
ing reasonable profit to those whoe Interference
would have been announcement. The consequence is
that the Turkish Government him at this present
moment 1000 900 pasers for the supply of medicines
TO the army and this 10 man who had three years
ago not credit for 900 paster lie is likewise under
Investigation.
Thus. you see, there were not a few proximate
causes which contributed to the fall Of kars but they
do not excuse anybody for this state Of things which
was pretty well known by the constant dispatches of
General Williams. As Kars not in position to
save tsef it was to have been saved by Others. Now
that it has fallen there is end of councils OF war,
sendngs Of troops, and serious thoughts OF appointing
a proper Commander-in-Chief for the Asatic army.
The fourteen Pashas the real bane of il, and IL
is time that this absurd and fatal state of things should
be altered
These councils do not express, as far "a can hear,
positive dissatisfaction with 0mer Pssha, but the
adoption of new plan OF campaign implies tacit
disapprobation of his conduct. The flank diversions
have been given up aud serious thoughts given to
the defense of Erzeroum and Trebzonde. There Is
10 danger for the moment for the country already
90 covered with snow that it would be impossible for
an army to move. There are consequently from three