The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1877-05-17
ASIA MINOR.
Description OF the Town of Hay azid---
The Main Roads from the Russian
FrOntier--Russia's Designs.

Description OF the Town Of Bayazid---
FrOntier-Russia's Designs.
From the New York Tribune,
The town of Bsyazid, which the Rus
slams have acquired. apparently without
resistance, is in Turkish Armenia, adja-
cent to the frontier. 1t is fifteen miles
from the foot of Mount Ararat, deemed
the second cradle of the human race. A
large plain lies between the mountain
and some precipitous hills behind Bay
aid. The Pasha Palace is on the sum-
nit of a crag overlooking the town. This
once splendid building was despoiled dur
ing Russian invasion. The town has a
dilapidated appearance with very bad
bazaars. 1t is $50 miles east southeast of
the Turkish fortress of Erzum, so miles
srom Kars, and 80 miles from the Rus
sian town of Erivan. The road to Fri
zum passes over the vast plains of Passia
and Aresh Kerd. 1t is good highway,
and, excepting where the mountains
which separate these great plateaus are
crossed, it is adapted for vehicles. The
country is well cultivated and watcred.
In the capture of this place the Rus
SldIlS SllON llltl lUC llllt VI III
Asia is almost Enthusiastically indicated by
the teachings of former campaigns and
by the paucity of roads practicable for
an army. The Russian and Turkish
frontiers are conterminous for distance
of about 200 miles from point on the
Black Sea few miles south of Fort St.
Nikolaia to Mount Ararat. This frontier
is crossed by three main roads. The
most northern is that which runs down
by the shores of the Black Sea, from
Poti, the terminus of railway from
Tiflis, and distant twenty miles from the
frontier. This road, after crossing the
Turkish frontier, forks at Batum. One
branch runs along the seacoast direct to
Trebizond, the other mounts the Valley
of the Joruk direct to Erzerum. The
second road crosses the frontier close to
the Russian fortress of Akhaltsikh, and
thence to kars The third is the direct
road from Tifis to KarS, crossing the
Russian fortress at Alexandropol. From
Kars the road is open to Erzerum. Be
sides these three roads across the frontier
there is the road from Erivan in
to Armenia. This road across
the Russian frontier to the
east of Ararat, and therefore
passes for a few miles through Per-
sian territory, but the Persians are not
likely to offer any very violent protests
upon the subject of the violation of their
territory, and az one of the Paskewitch' $
columns entered Turkey by this route in
1928, it must be taken into consideration.
In discussing the probable line of march
of the Russians upon the European side
of the Black Sea, one has always to con-
slider Constantinople as the objective of
of their journey. This could hardly be
the case OF the Asiatic side. The distance
from the Russian frontier to the Bosphor-
us is about !, 200 miles, distance which
could not be traversed by large army in
one campaign.
The object of the Russian campaign,
then, will be the reduction of the Turk
ish strong places, the defeat of the Turk
ish army in the field, and the subsequent
acquisition of territory. For centuries
Russia has been steadily and surely
pressing forward in this direction. The
great natural boundary of the Caucasus
has been passed, Circassia has disappear
ed from among nations, Erivan was
wrested from Persia, and Akhaltsikh and
Gunori-now Alexandropol-from the
Turks in the campaign of 1928, and Rus
sa is now ready for long step forward.
The line of the next frontier appears in
dontad by nature If the frontier line.
instead of being drawn near due west
from Mount Ararat, be taken southwest
but very short distance by the fortress
of Bayazid, it will touch the head waters
of the Eastern Euphrates. Follow the
river along until, about the 39th degree
of longitude, it meets the Western Eu-
pirates. Ascend this river as far
as Ersinjian and thence draw straight
line up to Trebizond. A great slice
this, but not one bit too large for the
Russian appetite. 1t would give them a
line of frontier marked out for the great
er portion of its course by the two arms
of that river, and guarded on the south
by the fortresses of Bayazid, Melazgero,
and Palu; would take them over the
Saganlig Mountains, which have hitherto
proved almost as unconquerable as the
mountains of Circassia, and would give
them Kars, Etzerum, Batuni, and Ire
bizond Once settled upon this line they
can afford to wait. They would have
passed the last natural defenses of Asia
Minor, and its broad plains would lie
open to them whenever they chose to
excite another rebellion or get up any
equally plausible ground for war.
0. W. Holmes On the Present Age.
DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes delivered