The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-09-04
sERvIA AND BOSNIA.

9 In one of our late issues we gave sketch {
8 Herzegovina As we then anticipated, tn
e instruction which commenced in that pre-
t vince has now extended to the adjoinin
7 States of Servia and Bosnia, and it is a matte
= Of interest to our readers to know sometime
more of those countries than what can b
8 gathered from the very imperfect textbook
, in which geography is supposed to be laugh
, to the people of the United States.
The position Of Servia, between Turkey an.
1 Austria, and forming with the neighborinl
semi-independent Turkish provinces Of Bos
} mia, Bulgaria, Wallachia and Moldavia. a Dor
der land between two great Empires of oppo
site creeds and systems of government, hal
made the first-named country the seat of &
protracted struggle between European civil
cation and Oriental despotism-between the
Christian and Mahommedan religions. After
many vicissitudes, the Servians finally wrest.
ed from the Porte important concessions, the
principal privileges accorded to them being
the right Of choosing their own Governors
privilege not enjoyed by the citizens Of Louis.
iana)-and certain valuable municipal fran
chises. Their present ruler is Prince MILAN
OBRENow1rcH-a lineal descendant of their
great liberator, KARA GEORGE.
The military organic atom of Servia is
modelled upon that of Switzerland. The
regular army consists of two brigades Of in
fantry, battalion of chasseurs 5000 strong a
squadron Of $50 horse-guards, fourteen field
batteries with "a guns and 1900 artillery
soldiers, and four companies of engineers
numbering 200 men each. In case of war,
this force may be increased by the first levy of
the national army, embracing ten brigades of
infantry consisting of 10000 men, five regi-
mentsof dragons 24OO strong, eighteen bat
teries of 1OS guns and 1900 men, and eight
companies of sappers and miners.
With population Of 1,319,S23 inhabi-
tants, Servia could put into the field at once
an army Of 80, 800 men with 1872 guns. But
this total might be largely increased by call
ing out the reserve of eight infantry brigades
and thirteen squadrons of cavalry, number
ing altogether 40, APO fighting men.
These troops are provided with Peabody
rifles and Gruner smooth-bore muskets, and
their artillery consists of Krupp steel guns
and Lahitte bronze field pieces.
The position of Bosnia is q peculiar one,
for, although the distinction there between
Turks and Kayaks exists as in the other
provinces of European Turkey, it is surpris-
ing to find that even the rulers of the land,
the professed Turks, speak the same Ian
guage, are Of the very same race, and still
preserve their Sclavonian names and national
customs. The explanation of this strange
state of things is, that the Bosnian mobiles had
no choice but to 60 over to Islamism if they
wished to avoid being extirpated, as were the
native aristocracy in the other provinces.
By taking this step they became members
of the Turkish government, assuming to-
wards it the position of feudal barons to
their Lord paramount, and retaining their
rights over their vassals Being native pro.
prie!ors, they were granted by the Sultan
degree of independence not conceded to his
other feudatories. The Porte has maintained
the right of appointing Vizier, but the in
dependent Bosnian aristocracy pay little heed |
to this alien ruler. They generally disregard
his authority and often wage war upon each
other without caring about him.
Sarayevo, the capital of the province, is the
center Of the Bosnian aristocracy, and pos
commerce of the country being carried on
there, as it is the connecting point with Rou-
melia, Croatia and Dalmatia
We have not been able to procure reliable
data as to the number of able-bodied soldiers
Bosnia can raise, but the population of that
province being put down as amounting to at
least million of souls they can certainly
raise from seventy to eighty thousand SOL
liers, endowed with all the bravery and dash
which is universally conceded to belong to
he Sclavonian race
Like Servia, Wallachia and Moldavia, the
,ervians no longer forms an integrant part OF
he Turkish State, being governed
~ their own Prince or Hospodar,
nd being in all respects independ-
mt, except that they pay fixed tribute to
he Porte. Since the advent of Prince Charles
# Hohenzollern, the army of Moldo-
Vallachia has been recognized on the Prus-
ian system, and consists of eight regiments
t infantry, three of cavalry, four battaions
f chasseurs, sixteen field batteries of So /,
uns, four companies Of sappers and miners
nd twelve squadrons of 'Dorobantzi or ir- {
ocular cavalry, somewhat like the Cossacks, !
be whole army amounting to As, 100 men. ,,
o this force must be added sixteen frontier
at.alions $4,000 men), eighteen squadrons
nd thirty-eight battalions Of the landwehr or
Iational Guard, mum boring Al, 400 men, and
reserve of $1,000 home guards for garrison
uty. Thus Roumania, with population of
800 900, can put in the field an army of ,
81, 900 men, well Offered and armed with !
be most improved modern weapons. ]
It thus appears that leaving out OF the &C.