, 1877-02-28

formerly htm9~rrd. d".lAlel. aui impeled tie
plans of Imperial commanders. Along this
line " luld rapl lily m}v+ the invading army
ny it supplies would be drawn, losses repaired.
aud Wounded sent back. The gauge narrowed
al JaSsyI bur The rolling stock was abundant
aad cool, and with some delay the space b..
tween The wheels Of The Russian carriages
could, by simple arrangement, b. contracted
10 suit The narrower gauge. Jassy. Gala'z,
Burharrs', w+re all fine towns, possessing
great resources and much accommodation, aud
servicrahle fer the establishment of deI6t&.
Added to this, few TROOPS would have to he
lrft for The guarding Of The linz. The Rouma-
MAN army Of C0,COO men would perform
that service, and it might we'll bs said that
operations would begin only at the Danube.
Vh4 points most favourable. for crossing we're
Giurkeyo. Olt@itza, and Kalolasb. On these
three points would probably be directed the
whole force. with The exception of two divi.
Fions which must prevent or check any Turkish
movement on The flank. Giurgeyo was of these
three places naturally the most important, and
there must The groNs Of the army pass. It was
tne terminus Of the railway, and lay opposite
Rutschuk, where the Turks we're mainly con.
CpntTateG. The line ran northeast. and it was
but very seldom tha' even a thin wave of
snl' Ike could be seen from any eminence likely
to be manned by ftz wearing gamers. The
Russian troops could therefore be taken -
GiurgevO and thu artillery formed up vi hout
any great fear Of Molpsl alton. The lombard.
ment of Rutsrhuk, distant about 1000 PAGES,
must ba = preliminary 10 any attempt at pas.
sigp. The town built mainly CT WOOD, Law In
front of The |fpItreSs. Of bASlian type, in q
dilapilated state, Vi proyided With gus Of any
calihre, %unSuTPDicd with ammunition, and
aided on!y by q recrn " constructed earth
work close behind i, His fcm c0ryiclien
WAS HAT RJ'Schuk would be evacuated in
two or three days at most, AID he bell we'd
that this passage or that 4: titaer Ottniiz1
or Silisria could not be successfully inpedeJ
by the TdlkSh Fl lila on the Danube. Oh.
icni'zt WAS 10 niles foln RutschUk ami rs
from SiIiSrria and situated at The mouth u
the Dem5owi "a, which CONNECTS 1t with
Bucharest. Hire the river WAS 500 yards
Wid~, AMI bOtA banks offered great facilities
for the pesSaee Of an army. Opposite was
Inrt kAi, whirh wgs IN 81 ruia,d a state as -
of-r hut n merely nominal obstacle. Kalaraeh,
opposite Sili~lria, was the last point Of passage,
and il was IL The same state in which The ever.s
ofiS54 lptf II. 1fthe passage Of Tie Danube,
- these three points Of Giurgcy0. Oilenitzl.
snd kalsrash, were well Drrced sd by artillery
fire, and simultaneously made. Il could hnrdly
faii to prove successful. The Turks had no
means Of s'nbitSLjng OF maintaining communi.
cati n between Rns'obotk. Turrksi, and
Silstria, no Cavalry, no horses, rot even a
f III telegraph. 4 = believed ha had shown
them that the pesSage ofthc Danube presented
no serious obstacles. One thing alone must he
always present to the Russian offoers-ths
maintenance Of friendly relations with he R0u-
manian pcaSan'ry. and II must not be forgotten
how mech the Russians lost in 1928 When heir
Generals cXacted at minimum prices fxtd Ivy
themselves the provision from the miserable
ppasantry Of $50, OC0 measures of corn, 4CO,O 900
loads of hay, 80 coo barrels of brandy, and
%. coo oxen. These they paid for rs bills,
the acceptance Of which history did not record.
Sixteen thousand peasants We're further re-.
Questioned TO make hay in The Danubian Val.
ley. 1t was not impossible that the memory
of this errCr might yet DO them harm with
their Bulgarian co religioniS's. Shumla was
the first point at which the invading army
would meet with serious resistance. Situated
on the eastern slope of a chain Of mountains
forming, as it Were, an advanced post 20 the
Balkan range. it stood at the junction Of several
roads some 700ft. above the Bulgarian plains.
The position was superb, and s~killlully treated,
might be made almost impregnable but this
it certainly was net. Shumla was not strictly
speaking the key TO the Balkan passes, for it
l. &c miles from them but its investment was
absolutely necessary before The passage Of
them could be attempted. Varna hod great
Ies: