The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-01

sion consisting of Gen. Delafield. of the
Engineer corps Major Mordeeai, of the
Ordinance corps, and Capt. George b.
Mcclellan. then In the cavalry branch
OF the service, visited the seat Of war
and made lengthy reports upon their
return, which were published by the
War Department. During the FrancOAZ
Gen. Forsyth, OF his staff, visited Et1s
rope by authority of the government,
and made extensive observations OF the
campaign on the German side; butt no
written report has ever been submitted
by either of these officers. It is prob
able that the government will decide to
send two or three Of our officers abroad
to observe the military operations be-
tween Russia and Turkey, but no names
have yet been mentioned as members Of
such com mission.
THE RUSSIAN FLEET.
Numerous hut not strong.
IN. X. sun.1
1t appears from q report of Chief En-
gineer King that the Russian navy is
composed Of 20 armored ships and 1876
other vessels OF all classes, carrying al
together 521 guns. The personnel of
the navy consists Of 81 flag officers OF
all ranks, 1924 other officers, 513 mates,
2l0 artillery officers, 145 engineer Off
GERS, 545 meehanicians, 56 constructors.
and 260 medical officers.
Except for coast defense the report
states that the Russian fleet is rather
numerous than powerful, The Peter
the Great and the Minin are the only
two vessels on the list of sea- going
armored ships which approach the
modern standard of fighting efficiency.
For coast defense Russia has a eonsid-
erable fleet, of which the circr1lar-ar.
mored ships Novgorod and Admiral
Popon are mentioned as very formid-
able. The speed of oil her monitors is
given at from 6 to ss knots. and they are
not provided with spurs for ramming,
and must, therefore, be considered as
weak vessels, fit only for operations In
shallow water.
THE FIRST ENGAGEMENT.
The Russian Army in Asia ann its De-
feat.
| [st. Louis Repubcan.l
The first engagement is officially an
nounced by Sarret Pasha to have taken
place at Tehurnson, near Batonm, in
Asia Minor. The same authority an
nounces that the Russians were beaten
back with loss of 800. In addition.
the Constantinople papers announce
that an engagement took place at Arda-
han, which is about fifty miles south
east of Batoum, the accounts stating
that the Russians were also defeated
there. These dispatches tend to con-
firm the statement telegraphed Of a
skirmish at Kars. Kars is about twen-
| ty-tive miles southeast of Ardahan,
and about seventy-fve miles southeast
of Batoum. Batoum ID on the east
shore Of the Black Sea, close to the bor-
ders of Caucasian Russia, where
q large Russia army is known to have
been gathered for some time. The
Russian army of the Caucasus num-
bers $4,000 men, 5000 cavalry and 18(
guns.
On the northeastern frontier oi
Asiatic Turkey. the engagement re-
ported near Batoum, was renewed
again the next day with an unfavorable
result to the Russians. The Russians
have invaded the territory betweeG
Batoum and Bayazid, and seized G00C
bushels of corn at Adjakooly. The
Turks are reported as advancing from
Alexandrople.
Says the New York Tribune: "Our
expectation Of the results OF the war
briefly stated, is this that, after des
perate resistance, Turkey will be forced
to succumb that Russia will content
herself with q slice of Armenia, a new
harbor on the southern shore Of the
Black sea. and her former European
boundary, including one mouth of the
Constantinople, stop short Of any pro
ceeding which might provoke the armed
intervention Of other. powers, and leave
Turkey phantom existence in Europe
for a few years longer" The Tribune
however, Is SO very considerate as te
suggest that sit Is possible that the
end may be very different from thai
which we have prognosticated." This
modesty is very becoming.
Kischeneff, the nearest Russian camr
to the seat OF war, is 460 miles from the
from Kischeneff west to point beyonC
Jassy, in Roumania, thence railroad
with different gauge straight south tx
Galatz, the first point on the Danube
which is still a hundred or two miles
north of points which the Turks will de-
fend. 1t is a good 1000 miles from st
Petersburg to Kischeneff. The Danube
makes great shallow bow to the south
from Widin and Kalafat, below the
Servian frontiers, to Silistria, where Il
begins to turn north, before emptyint
into the Black Sea. ALI the fortified
passages Of the river are on this southern
| OOhAS w AAAhs ARuVe2SAAuh ebAA oAiASolAHy Oh
they are called on the Turkish side
Near its mouth itwould be easy to cross
the Danube, but Hreat expanses OF delta
aud marshes woutd have to be crossed
This marsh land lis called the Dob
rudscha, and II remains to be seer
whether Russia will flank the fortified
points by crossing this district or lay
siege to them. The river is nowhere
less than half a mile wide in this par
Of It's course, and generally much wider
with many islands and channels.
The constitution OF Roumania iss {
limited monarchy, the head OF which
bears the title OF prince, with male sue
cession. There is legislative body
consisting OF a Senate and Chambe1
OF Deputies. Every taxpaper has the
right to vote. For administrative pur
poses the country is divided into 80 dis
tricts, which are in turn divided into 16:
sub-distriets. The standing and terri
l fn rIat yryrss 1.