The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1877-09-12

positions. It has lately been reported that
the Russians, having been strongly reinforced
in Armenia, had commenced pushing its cen
ire forward. But no very startling results
have yet been reported, nor any, indeed, up
to the present time. The campaign in Asa
has been to Russia failure.
In Europe, where such grand triumphs over
the unpaid Ottoman soldiers we're anticipated,
the reverse has been the case of late. They
entered Bulgaria almost without opposition,
advanced in various directions and on various
lines, in comparatively small forces, and have,
in almost all cases, been checked or routed
and driven back as a rabble rather than as an
army, all because of the faulty plan of the
war, the incompetency of the commanding
officers, and the indomitable pluck and fine
weapons of tie Turks. Pouring their forces
across the Danube into Bulgaria, they appear
not to be able to overwhelm the Turks by
superior numbers, because sickness, said TO
be very prevalent in the Russian army, con-
tinues to keep their effective numbers limited
to such a degree, that the Turks, continually
receiving reenforcements from Asia and else
where, are able to present formidable front,
and array Of troops able to sustain their cause.
All this without money What might they
not do had the Porte a full treasury AS it
seems at present, one may reasonably doubt
whether the Russian forces will be able to
winter in Bulgaria. They cannot expect to
garrison Constantinople this year at any rate.
What appears the worst feature of the Rus
sian campaignin Bulgaria is the reported dis
satisfaction and almost mutiny in the Russian
army. 1t is reported that the troops are not
only suffering from sickness, but also from
hunger, and are dissatisfied with the policy
pursued of paying them in the money of the
country, which is at ruinous discount. Many
of the soldiers desire and demand payment i'll
money of their own country, which they can
send to their families at home. But the worst
feature is, if it be true, the threats of the Rus
sian soldiers that unless they are differently
treated, they will surrender to the Turks.
Such threats cannot be very general, if they
exist at all, for the severity of the Russian
military Courts would soon make fearful ex-
amples of those making such threats. Thus
this war gives the world sample of two
great nations making war upon each other,
neither of which has treasury sufficiently
well filled to pay the troops which they force
into the service.
No one doubts that Turkey, in the event of
the success of Russia, will be carved up
among the three great continental Empires
Russia, Austria and Prussia. They divided
up Poland among themselves. Poland at the
time and for ages preceding was like Turkey,
a sort of organized anarchy. 1t was an cleo
tive monarchy, but every Pole in the legsla-
tive assembly had right to put his vote upon
ally measure that was proposed, and if not
accepted, to go ont and gather about him all
he could and fight for it. The system was one
in which insurrection was not only made easy
but cultivated and developed to the last de-
gree. In this condition its greedy neighbors
pOunced down upon it and parcelled it out
among themselves. Their excuse was, that
they could not, with proper regard to their
own safety, any longer endure on their bor-
ders, nation that was constantly in the
flames of revolution and setting them on fire
too.
Turkey is somewhat in the same condition
in which Poland was, but not so much from
vicious form of government as from the in
congruous nature of the materials of which it
is composed. The Commander of the Faith
full has to deal with seventeen religions differ
ing from his own, which practically give him
seventeen alien nationalities to govern. The
principalities, therefore, may be regarded as
the tinder-box of Europe. There is constant
ly danger of fire in that quarter. Turkey,
if defeated, will share the fate of Poland. The
argument will be that it had to be suppressed
as a nuisance. The latest kilograms give the
outlines of the division proposed, but it can
be nothing but guess work.
HONOLULU, SEPT. Z, 1877.