Connecticut western news., 1877-06-22
Russo Turkish Wars,

Russo Turkish Wars.
 Since the Turks arrived in Europe they have been the object of the chronic hostility of the Russians. The Otto mans hand was always against every man, but of all the first foes whom he fought on forcing his way over the ruins of the overthrown Eastern En- p1re into Europe, there yet remain only the Austrian and Russian Empires to confront him. The Eastern Empire | went down under his blows, and he made it's capital his principal city. The Kingdom of Servia went down after a short struggle. Venice, which dealt him the hardest blows, on sea, and Poland, which crushed his invading armies under the walls of Vienna, live only ill history.
 | But the Russians, who were just | struggling into national existence when the Turks were in the fullest blaze of their glory, threw down the gage of | battle to them, and has kept throwing it down at frequently recurring inter- vals ever since. The Turk and Russ believe themselves to be natural ene- mics, and it would seem that centuries of chronic warfare, in which millions of both have been slain, and countless millions of roubles' loss inflicted would certainly justify the assumption that they are. Russia has had occasional wars with other powers. She main tained long conflict with Sweden, and mingled in the wars of the Napoleonic period, but all these were by-play :; Turkey was always the target for her heaviest blows. t3 -,
 The history of these struggles in | hao f1o oF PETER the Great, about two hundred years ago. PETER, as all Russian mon- archs have since, wanted the Black Sea for naval purposes. He watched his opportunity, when the Ottoman Porte was having just as much as it could get along with in a struggle with the Vene- | tians, and the Emperor of Germany, he declared war. He had his army well i in hand, descended the Don with celer- ity, and captured the important fortress of Azof, at it's mouth. He had built twelve armed vessels, with which he defeated the Turkish fleet, and rem dered the victory complete. -~ Fifteen years later another war broke out, and PETER, with his accustomed energy, was soon at Jassy at the head of a body of troops. But ill place of the 130,0O0 men which he expected to lead, only 10000 could be gotten to- gether under his banners in time to | meet the Turks on the banks of the Pruth. Two hundred thousand of | these latter assailed the intrepid Rus sians, battle of three days lasted, in which Muscovite discipline and steadi- ness proved match for the superior numbers and headlong courage of the Turks. But the army was cut off from supplies and must starve or surrender. PETERS wife KATHERINE, a woman of great ability and resources, took the management of negotiations with the Turkish commander, and succeeded in bribing him with her jewels to consent to let the Russian army go if the Czar would agree to a humiliating peace, which was done. --.. s ts Azof and other ports on the Black Sea were given up and Russian navi- gation of the Black Sea prohibited.
 PETER began preparing to renew the 1 war, but died before he could carry his plans into execution. The Empress AIMS armies advanced to the south in 1757 and by recaptur- ing Azof began a war which lasted three years, cost Russia 100, 1000 men and an immense amount of money, but gained really nothing. Azof was taken from the Turks, but the treaty of peace provided that it should be abandoned by both parties.
 In 1762 the energetic KATHERINE IT,, came to the throne, and Russia began to make substantial headway against her ancient enemy. She declared war against Turkey in 1767, and in that year her armies possessed themselves of the whole northern coast of the Black Sea from Azov to the Danube. Jassy and Brailov were taken; an army of | 10000 Turks were crushed on the banks of the Pruth another of 15O, ,O0O was destroyed on the banks of the Danube, with loss of O,0O0 dead. A Russian fleet sailed through the Medi- terranean to take the Turks in the rear !; the Greeks were in rebellion, terrible massacres ensued, now of Greeks then of Turks; the Turkish fleet was de- stroyed off Scio, and the Ottoman power seemed to be on the point of collapsing.
 In 1774 a peace was patched up, by a treaty which gave Russia important ad- vantages everywhere. HOstilities only nominally ceased, however, and series of minor operations were kept up against the Mohammedan tribes and powers in sympathy with Turkey. In 1797 open war broke out again, and in the five years of hostility the great SUwARRow carried fire and destruction through Turkish territories. Again it seemed as if KATHERINE would realize favorite dream of placing her grandson CONSTANTINE upon the throne in Con- stantinople. Peace was declared in 1792, but the war opened again in 1907. Russia was by this time too much in volved in Western Europe to pay much attention to Turkey, and the war Ian guished until 1911, when it suddenly began to loom up again, but was quieted down by the French invasion of Rus sia.
 The next war began in 1928, and lasted two years, resulting in the Rus sians penetrating as far as Adrianople- no miles from Constantinople-and dictating a very advantageous peace.
 The next war-known as the Cri- mean War-began in 1853, and lasted three years, but ended in Russia's los ing several very important advantages in territory and prestige, owing to the assistance given Turkey by France and
 Are Parlors Useful. ..
 Not long ago we noticed in one of our exchanges plea written by wo- man in defence of the parlor, and it | c+ruoly ,1c oontaininr OOf q little u0D6