The Hickman courier., 1877-07-27
THE VAR SITUArION.

The long delay which characterized
the Russiax operations after they had es-
tablished their headquarters at Buchar-
est and arrived on the north bank of the
Danube is repeated now that large pro-
portion of the army is on the south
bank. The problem in the first instance
was to accumulate stores and war mate
rial in suficiensy to provide the army
after it had crossed, as then they would
cut loose from railroads and occupy a
country already stripped OF resources by
the Turkish forces. Now the problem
is to get the provisions over the river.
They cannot practice the ordinary system
of requisitiOn, as there is nothing to
draw upon. They must bring all they
want from their base of supplies at
Blu ,harest by wagons over wet, marshy
roads, take it across the river, and then
cart it to the army,-one of the slowest
and most tedious methods of Transports
ton. 1t is evident that there can be no
general advance of The main armY-pndl
which is in immediate railroad commu-
nication with Bucharest. From this
point south there is also a railroad
through Bulgaria, which the Rus
slams may utilize if they pre-
vent its destruction. Napoleon said
an army travelled on its belly, and the
truth of the statement is shown by the
movements of the Russians since they
crossed the Pruth. Every step forward
has hinged upon the question of the next
meal. The Russians, however, are net
altogether inactive. Their cavalry adj
vance. which can live off the country, has
taken Tirnova, the ancient capital OF
Bulgaria, and penetrated toward the
Balkans, even as IAN as Osman-Bazar,
whittier the Turks retreated. They have
gradually forced the Turks back from the
south bank of the Danube, west of Rust
chuk. Their cavalry is already in front
of this latter fortress. Shumla is threat
ened, and Varna is in A state of siege.
The whole Quadrilateral is threatened
In the Dobrudscha the Russian forces
have pressed their way down to the line
of Trajan's wall. One corps has occupied
Mediidie, thus cutting off Kostendje from
he interior, so that the Dobrudscha force
for the first time seriously threatens the
Quadrilateral. Meanwhile the Russians
still continue to cross the Danube in large
numbers Reinforcements OF fresh troops
are arriving daily at Bucharest from the
north. The Roumanian army is also pre-
pairing to cross, Notwithstanding the
objection of the Roumanian parliament
1t is stated that the Russians are forming
a second army, to be commanded by the
Grand Duke Vladimir, which will sd-
vance in the direction of Sophia, and
therefore will not be obliged to cross the
Balkans at all, but will turn them. If
this news should be true, this advance
will be of the utmost Importance, as
Sophia is in direct railroad communica-
tion with AdrianOple and ConstantiEople.
The danger of the situation TO the yurks
is shown by the manner in which they
are hurrying up troops from every
quarter to confront the Russian advance.
The army of Suleyman Pasha recently
engaged with the Montenegrins, the
forces that were ordered to the Grecian
frontier, and even the Arabian troops
that recently arrived at Smyrna to re-
inforce the Asiatic Turkish army, have
been hurried over to Constantinople TO
join the army in Bulgaria. With such
gathering of the hosts of war, it will
soon be impossible for either side to move
without collision, so that stirring news
from the vicinity of the Quadrilateral
may be looked for before long.