The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-04
WAR NOTES.
THE TURKISH IRON-ChADs.
One of the strongest and Best Orsanizeo
of European Fleets-Weil Driiiea an"
Competent sailors and Energetic ana
Careful Commanders.

The fleet, living off Buyukdere, just in
front OF the Russian Summer Embassy,
was drawn UP In two grand lines AS
we went by and received salute from
the various vessels, could not but no.
tice that their external appearance was
equal to that Of English ships, while in
many respects superior to tnat or botn
French and German men-of-War that l
had chanced at various times to see.
But Ii was not so much with this that L
had to busy myself as with their effec-.
tive power. shown by the condition and
discipline of their crews and the state OF
their batteries. These must be the cri-
terion; all else was useless. At last we
ran alongside the Fetch Bolend, and
were soon on board. Here we. had g
vessel which forms one OF class OF
sIoops designed especially for the Turk
ish government. She was not very
large her crew, all told, would ordina-
rily be-if in the English service
one hundred and sixty men. but
her peculiar power consisted IN
the facts. first Of all, that to an enemy's
battery she would present but very
small target; secondly, that that target
was very heavily armored; thirdly, that
inch guns, she could abtain nearly all
around fire; and, fourthly. that. for q
fight at sea. she was as handy boat as
was ever launched. Remember that
our visit was unexpected, and that 1t
was the Mohammedan Sunday. when
the men had ceased from work. De-
scending between decks without mo-
ment's delay, we were at once In the
central battery. Not sound was to be
heard So far from this evidence or de-
fective discipline being forthcoming.
the ship might have been wholly de-
serted, 80 quiet was the place. Not @
rope was cut OF place. You might haFe
eaten your lunch from the de 3ks. The
sailors had spent their lives on their pre-.
servation. The armorers' stores of
Winchester rifles, the cutlasses, the
belts and the pixies were all stacked
and placed as on British man n-ofwar.
Had 1t not been for the fez which a mo-
tionless marine, who guarded the cap
tain's cabin. wore, 1 might have i'm
agined I was on board her Britannia
Majesty's ship Pallas. But this was q
Turkish war vessel, as we now found
when q bugle sounded, and 200 men
came springing into the battery. Yet
here, again, was food for astonishment.
Their naked feet made the only noise
we heard-not word was spoken. The
ship was preparing for action; belts
were being buckled on, the magazine
at quarters, and yet not sound save
the word of command. Then came the
order for independent firing at q sup
posed enemy--fortunately for our ears
no powder being used-and instantly
the huge guns were trained and run out,
.fired.' loaded, brought to bear in
this direction and that, till we
we're, to all appearances, in the
midst Of general action. 1t
was then that 1 received ocular
demonstration that these stories OF the
Turkish fleet, which Pera had told me.
were but silly inventions. No crew in
the world could have surpassed these
men OF the Fetch Bolend. l have seen
many European man -of-war in which
the men were not half so smart. When
presently we learned, as we sat in the
captains 9 superb cabin, that every man
Ia the ship was q MehaHfmedan Turk !,
that, so far from being undermanned,
the vessel had twenty or thirty persons
above its complement, and that the
stores were complete and the crew en-
thusiastic, / felt that the Fetch Bolend
had, indeed, been sadly libeled. But
our inspection was not to end here. The
Mesondieh lay not far off, and towards
that magnificent specimen Of naval
architecture we now made our way. As
we neared her iron clad sides, protected
as they were with plates ten and twelve
inches in thickness, and saw the muzzles
of her huge guns as they peered from the
discipline be as good on board of her as
on the Fetch Bolend, she must be one OF
the most powerful vessels alioat. A
band was playing Turkish polka, else
all was still as we entered the Turkish
ship. They had not expected us, and
thus, il any disorder had existed, it
must have been palpable now. Yet
here, as in the smaller vessels, not the
most critical eye could discover fault.
With cabin and ward room fifteen
feet high, with splendid baths and
every other apparatus for comfort, all
scrupulously clean and perfectly venti-
lated, this huge ironclad presented
more the appearance Of floating pal
ace than an engine of war. Wherever
we went the same state of things was
found. Every man in his place. the ut
most order and quiet, all ready for an
action, If need be, at any moment, the
guns in excellent condition, the crew
above its complement and perfect In
discipline"
RUSSIA AND ROUMANIA.
The Convention Between the Gar and
ROumania - The ROumanian Rail.
roads, TeIegraphs, Roads, etc, Put al
the Command of the Russian Army.
... IN. Y. Herald.
Prince Charles is preparing a mani
festo declaring Roumania independent
Of Turkey. This step has been expected
almost since the first entry OF the Rus
sian troops into the principality. Rou
mania will be erected into a kingdom
and will be under the protection Of Rus
sia.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs has
communicated to the Chamber of Depu.
ties a convention with Russia, dated
April 16, 1877, in which the Prince OF
Roumania assures to the Russians a
free passage and the treatment due a
friendly army, and the Gar binds him
self to respect the rights of Roumania
The Minister said the convention was
to secure respect for Roumania's
position as an individual State in
accordance with the treaty of Paris. II