The New York herald., 1877-09-24
The Fighting I'm Bulgaria.

With desperate persistency Suleiman
Pacha continues his efforts in the Shipka
Pass while with persistency that so far
seems but slightly less desperate the Rus
slams continue to assail Plevna. Although
the Turkish losses in the pass are not
mere waste of men, since they maintain
division of forces that weakens the advance
against Osman Pacha yet this result seems
dearly purchased at that price, for
the soldiers killed in the fruitless
Ottoman attempts to fight their way
down that mountain road, while con-
siderable by their number. are of far
more consequence in virtue of the fact that
they cannot be replaced. Turkey, if not
beaten otherwise by the Russians, can at
least be beaten by the mere waste Of war.
Between these belligerents there is in re-
spect to the population that may be drawn
upon for troops somewhat the same relation
that there was between the North and the
South. Conscious that they had the mill
ions of the North behind them some of our
generals put their soldiers into battle with
q lavish disregard to all economy of life,
hausted by the repeated loss Of the
far smaller number it had killed in those
battles Although they come forward slowly
there are men on the march to replace all
the Russian losses. But it is not so rs to
the other side, and hence the assaults Of the
Russian position in the pass are after all
foolish butcheries. There is Just as much
butchery before Plevna, but it is more sys-
tematc, and the assaults there, also un-
doubtedly infict severe losses on the Otto
man army. If the Turkish operations
in the pass are unaccountable the
Turkish inactivity at other points is
not less so. Mehemet Ais failure to
take advantage Of the weakening Of the
Russian left wing Is incomprehensible, or
is to be explained only upon the hypothesis
that he is himself far feebler than has been
thought. Indeed, this reason for supposing
his numbers inferior to what they were re-
ported, taken in connection with the unex-
pected strength Of Osman Pacha at Plevna,
suggests the likelihood that the Turkish
left has been enormously strengthened at
the expense OF the right. It is pos
sible that since the battle OF the
31st Of July showed what might be
accomplished by making the most of the
position on the Russian right great por-
ton OF Mehemet Ali's troops have been sent
by way Of Adrianople and Sofia into Osman
Pacha's lines. There has been no report of
such a movement, but the Turks are able to
suppress what they do not wish to have
made public, so that that fact Is of little
value as all objection in their case. If the
whole Of the Turkish army in Europe is
really in Osman Pacha's lines and a mere
curtain in front of the Czarewitch Of
course the apprehensions that have been
felt in regard to the position at Biela have
been misplaced. The announcement that
only a small force was engaged on either
side in the engagements Of Thursday and
Friday last and that both days fighting re-
suited in drawn battles causes the interest
to again centre about Plevna. Especially
will such be the case if Chafvet Pacha and
twenty thousand men have been added to
the already large force of Osman Pacha.