The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-12-20

eral Borel, Minister of War; Leon Say, Min
lister of Finance; NJ. Pothuan, Minister of
Marine; and either NJ. Waddington or Saint
Waller, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
THE battles of Mariana and Elena, on the
4th inst, were more unfortunate for the
Russians than at first reported. Fifty Off
GERS and eighteen hundred men were killed
and wounded, and eleven guns captured.
Operations on the 9th inst. were confined
to driving the Turkish right, numbering
ten thousand men, from Stalaritza to
Bebrova.
THE Russian official account of the cap
ture of Plevna confirms the details already
telegraphed. 1t says the Turks fought like
lions. Seven Pashas were captured. The
counting of the prisoners and trophies is
not yet completed. The Emperor was
present at a thanksgiving service
held on the site of the former headquarters
of Osman Pasha.
AFTER a severe engagement on December
9, before Plevna, Osman Pasha, who was
wounded, surrendered unconditienally.
The Turks in Plevna were dying of hunger
and cold. The Agence Russo makes the
following announcement: "Osman Pasha
attempted to break through in the direction
of Widden He was attacked in the front
and rear, and was compelled to lay down his
arms, after glorious struggle, in which he
was seriously wounded. All with one voice
praise his conduct"
SPECIAL advices from Bucharest put the
number of Turkish prisoners taken at
Plevna at 10000, and the number of guns
captured at four hundred. The ground
which was the scene of the sortie was lit
orally strewn with thousands of dead and
dying. Osman Pasha himself was severely
wounded before he would consent to sur
render. His valor, which is described as
desperate, is everywhere the theme of con-
versation. The sufferings of the Turks in
the town were actually awful. Cold, disease,
and famine decimated the ranks and re-
duced the soldiers to living skeletons. To
aggravate their sufferings, there was no
doctor, and no medicine could be obtained.
losses in the fighting preceding the surren-
deer of Pleyna were ten officers and one
hundred and eighty-two men killed, and
forty-five officers and one thousand two
hundred and seven men wounded. The
TURKS loSI 1Our InOusanu Killed ana
wounded, and the prisoners include ten
Pashas, one hundred and twenty-eight staff
officers, two thousand officers, thirty thou
sand infantry and one thousand two hun
dred cavalry. Seventy-seven cannon were
also captured. The first batch of pris-
oners, numbering ten thousand, have started
for Bucharest.
The news is that Seryia has actually de-
clared war; and that Greece will soon do the
same. The battle at Metchka, on Wednes-
day the 18th, seems to have been a serious
endeavor by Suleiman Pasha to defeat the
Czarewitch before the transfer to the latter
of large reinforcements from Plevna. The
attack was directed at the new bridge across
| the Danube at Batin, by way of the Metchka
Valley. About sixty battalions charged up
the valley at daybreak, 'whiIe feint was
made on the Russian right. All day the fir
ing was continued by artillery fire, supple
mented by occasional frantic charges quite
weakly sustained. By evening the Russians
took the offensive and turned the Turkish
right flank, and drove them as far as Krasnoe
and across the river Lom.
1t is reported that it has been necessary to
amputate Osman Pasha's foot.