Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-06-27
The Eastern Questionable. 10.


War on the Danube and war in Asia Minor:
such is the burden Of the news in each morning
paper. On the Danube, M to the present time,
there has been but little fighting though the Rus
sians bave without much effort succeeded I'm
blowing mn two Turkish men-of-war-one with n
shell sent from n fortress on shore. the other with
tornado This auccessful use Of torpedos not only
terrifies the Turkish commanders and sailors but
greatly alarms ENGLAND whose only strength In
case of war with foreiop nation lies In her enor
mons feet sbe pov sees Il MAINLY demonstrated
that the most powerful iron-clad is at the mercy
Of a little sloop armed with a torpedo Her dis
ouietude is understandable. Russia is massng
sucb immepse ornies and bringing all kinds of
supplies in such quantities that when the proper
moment comes there will he rush forward which
will hear down evervtbing before IT, Probably
this event will take Mace about the second week
in Jnne. The Fmperor. IL Is reported will prev-
ous to that time. proceed TO the scene of action
accompanied by Prince t;ortschakoff and other
members of the St. Petersburg governments and
will remain until the close of the war.
In Asia events are progressing more RAPIDLY, and
there know the country better than In Furope II
the readers Of the w ArcuMAN have map Of Asia
Minor and the Caucasus they can see Mt once the
nusitop of the onposino forces The centre of the
Russian army started ON It's forward march from
Alexandropol the right wing from Akhaltsikk.
which in tho C,eoryian lanpnape means new for
tres. and the left wing from Mount Ararat through
Bavazid a small Turkish town which was can
TIRED as soon as the Russians crossed the frontier
thus openinp the road for the left wing To move
towards Frzeroum after the right wing has either
| taken or masked Kars After the capture of En-
| zeroum n movement will be made on Trebizond.
Very likely this will be the extent of the territory
which Russia cares to take possession of in Asia
Minor I'm Europe she NAV make the river Pruth
| her boundary as IL was previous 10 the Crimeam
war
While the Russians are advancing step by step
| capturing one stronghold after another the Turk
| ish fleet Ia amusing itself with bombarding and
burning defenceless little towns and villages on
the Caucasus coast of the Black Sea, and landing
Turkish Circassians Ia people who before the war
on the Caucasus lived in the mountain districts of
| Abhasia and after the country came under the
| control of Russia rather than change their abode
for the sea shore left the country altogether and
settled in Turkey to stir up A revolt amongst their
| kinsmen, the Abhasians. a tribe of about sixty
| thousand souls who occupy the coast from Gagri
to Poti The Abhasians were never warriors the
only service they can render the Turks il to asss,
them in plnndering. The whole affair will be of
| no account so far as the results of the war are
concerned 1t is to be regretted. however. that the
Turks are so utterly devoid of humanity as to burn
IN these defenseless villages and reduce their in
habitants to beggary. Soukhum Kale, the prin.
cipal town on the coast though not very large
| was beautifully situated had become 20 accus
toned to it with It's bright blue bay in front its
| picturesque hills In the rear and further ON the
snow capped mountains that can scarcely be
lieve that it is now DESTROYED The botanica
garden. with its climbing and tree roses. blooming
all the wear round: its trees representative O
almost every country, and its tropcal flowers. il
probably turned into waste. for. according to tn,
latest accounts everything has been burned down
and this beautiful place where saw rose bushes
blooming in the omen air. and bees CATHERINE
honey on Christmas day, is now a mass of ruins
From Soukhum Kale the Turkish fleet has ron,
westward DESTROYING evervthing on the Abhasia,
| coast Godout a thriving little village of merriam
two hundred buildings. mostly shops kent h,
Minpreljans and Greeks where the Abbasian
come to make purchases and sell their scant,
produce, and Pitsunda. where there is very in
Emperor Justinian. have been bommrded an,
probably DESTROYED. If all this served some prac
, teal purpose it might be excused. but AS matter
now stand II ia mere obstruction of life and nror
ertv The Abbasian coast which know ver
well. having travelled over IL many times is n ma,
row strin of land Mt the foot of bipb maintain.
II ia very picturesone and nrodnces a great variet
of fruits and plants Tobacco cotton and CRANE
prow in great abundance n nronerlv cu,t;vate
il woud he one of the richest DISTRICTS in the world
Int the Abhasians are a law sb;ft,ess 40, wb
; work AZ little AZ nossih,e subs;s,nc nm India
meal nuddinp and rheese mazda of sbea,,s mill
Sometimes tbev INDULGE in the Inxprv of n inhnp,
cake With hit. of cbeese b,l,ed in n Tbiu COL
10 made ,vtbopt soda and bal,ed some,;,,es 4, III
asian and sometimes in n kettIe hing over IN
fire They keen very few cows nreferripc Nh
! milk of goats of which tbev nsuaIlv keen n laro
: numher I'm great occasions such ~ g.. fu,ar
ar Wedding a sheen or kid il slanghtered an
there ia a feast after which they do NOT taste me,
. again for weeks There is no butter To be nj
t,inad-tbe natives do not Lnov how IN ,,aka !
. Their rivers abound in fish bnt strange as
y may seem thev mako M use NJ them In nle,
D ant weather the man ara con,ep, IN IN an II
1 | oronpd in fropt of THAR sh.ntia. s,,ol,irc nm
| a Il.