The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-06-17

thus to bar the way at the very ontset
against the Russian advance but Lacy
took the unprecedented course Of crossing
an arm of the sea by bridge, marching
along the narrow strip of land that reaches
as far as Arabat, and thus threatening to
outflapk his opponent. The only thing
left to the latter to do was to take up posi
ton against Lacy at Arabat, and this was
the course the Khan followed, with every
| prospect of making Lacy turn back or
| fight in an utterly Instantaneous posi-
| ton. But the marshal astonished not
only the enemy hut his own troops by sud
denly turning cff the land and marching
right through the Putrd Sea, again threat
eniDg to outfank the Khan, who accord
ingly fed to the mountains. lt was on the
occaaion of this perilous march that the
marshal had the lannon's Tencohfre with his
genera's All of the IN but one urged that
safety lay only IN a return to the Ukraine
with the utmost possible speed; where
upon they were every man of them banded
their passports, ard body of 200 dragons
was appointed as their escort. 1t was
three whole days, says Major Russell, be
fore the generals could prevail on their
chief to relent, and forgive them their
presumption in proposing retreat to him!
In 1898 Marshal Lacy again invaded the
Crimea, and in the following year Munich
gained great victory over the main Otto
man army at Che Czim. These successes
would naturally prepare one to expect the
treaty of Belgrade, which was signed in
1870, to be very unfavorable to the Turks,
bot the contrary was the case The Sui
tan-apd the fact will give come idea of
the strength and resources of the Turkish
empire in those days-had totally defeated
and imposed hard conditions upon Austria,
and now he succeeded in exacting the re-
storation to himself of AZoph, and the
withdrawal of all Muscovite vessels from
81, in
the nature of things that this arrangement
should be maintained beyond the period
at which Russia recovered from the fleets
of her exhaustion. That period arrived in
l7G9-the date at once of the partition of
Poland and of the third Russo Turkish
war. On this occasion the Turk was the
aggressor, at least nominaly; and he 1t
was who came of worsted from the con,
hict. The Crimea was invaded; Roman
zof a armies were most successful on the
Pruth, their most decisive victory being
won at Kagul, place heard of last month
in connection with the crossing of the
frontier in Europe by the Russian troops;
the Turkish fortresses of Ismail aud Bend
er in that neigh borhood were captured;
Turtukia wac also taken; siege was laid to
Silstria and Varne; and, finally, the Grand
Visier was shamefully defeated in the
neighborhood of Shumla; add to all of which
that come of the possessions of the Porte
rose IN revolt. III may Do GTuly sAlO, We
believe, that never had the Ottoman Power
been in greater straits than now, and
never had the Russians better chance of
reaching the Bosphorus. But one of the
ost remarkable circumstances in the later
history of the Turkish empire is the num-
Der of times it has been fOrtuitous'y saved
from apparently certain destruction. The
plague which ragged from the Neva to the
Euphrates with unexampled malignity,
saved it now. 1t so paralyze toe Russians
that, instead of occupying CcnstaHtieeP4e,
they were fain to be content with Azoph,
the free passage of the Black Sea and the
DardaueIles, the protectorate of Moldavia
and Walachia, the erection of the Crimea
into an Independent principally with
view to it's annexation at a future date,
and that ascendency in the Caucasus and
In Georgia which later on led to the C n
quest of those provinces. Such were the
provisions of the peace of Kuc Kuk KAN
ardghi.
But, weak as was Turkey in IVA. twelve
years later, when the Empress CAtharine
renewed the contest. the prospect before
it was still darker. Placing q large army
under Potemkin on the line of the eau
casus, and another under the famous
Suwarrow on that of the Danube, that Gov
ereiKn concluded once more an alliance
with Austria for the PARTITION of the do
minions of her here ditary foe, and mean
time seized the Crimea. TheSultan sought
to avert the storm by at once acknowledge
ing the sovereignty of Russia in the PENN
sula. He failed, and declared war, and
then began one of the most fierce and
bloody campaigns on record. Leaving the
fight with the Austrians unnoticed, we
| find the Ottomans defeated by the Russiant
successively in the Black Sea, at Ochzakow
at Bender on tho River Kuban, and a
Ismail. The capture of this latter place
by Suwarrow-tnat toughest of the sol
diers of fortune-was attended by fIightfu
carnage. " You will take Ismail, cos
what 1t may" was the brief and peremp
tory order of Potemkiu, who knew, o
course, that tue fortress was not only the
key of the Lower Danube, but also til,
only real obstacle between the Russian
army and Constantinople; and Potemkin'
lieutenant most certainly rocked not o
the cost either to the besiegers or to thu
besieged. Thirteen thousand of the flowe
of the Turkish soldiery were inside anC
they made desperate stand BombardeC
from land and water, with baths which of
tentimes were made red-hOt in forge
specially constructed for the purpose, the,
replied with a whitening fire. They re-
pulsed with success the most determined