The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-09
WHAT Is GOING on IN EUROPE

WHAT Is GOING on IN EUROPE
Tho news from the seat of war becomes
moro exciting. Both sides begin to display
| considerable energy. and should they continue
to do this for the five or six weeks of fighting
time still left them the world may hear of bat
| tie or two, the results Of which will decide the
whole campaign. The London Times arguing
on Monday last that favorable moment for
mediation had arrived. could not have believed
in what 1t was saying Mediation will be-
come possible only when either one or
the other side is crushed. II the Turks
meet with disastrous defeats. England will
take the initiative Of mediation: il the Rus
SLAMS are routed. Germany will como for
ward. II IL the policy Of Bismarck to have
Russia either so badly beaten as 10 be rendered
harmless for the next quarter Of a century or
else TO make her a master in the East and thus
give her an amount Of work which will make ii
mposs Die Tor her to NEEDLE with European af-
fairs. The German Chancellor is in the habit
OF carrying his points and this is the best guar
antcc that no mediation can be successful be-
fore the war has become disastrous to one or
the other side.
The advantages obtained by tho Russians
during the last week were considerable. Sulci-
man Pasha has been seriously crippled in his
-.
and had to retire to Kezanlik for the purpose Of
reorsan2ing his army. The capture Of Lovatz
inflicted n severe blow on the army of Osman
Pasha. and the war correspondents do not ex-
aggeratc when they say that the Russians have
prepared for him another Sedan at Pleyna But
IN" success OF their operations here greatly de-
ponds upon the turn events will take on their
left flank. against which Mehemet Ali Pasha
has been working with all the skill of an able
stratcgst. 1t was anticipated in these columns
on Sunday last that he would probably attempt
To throw the Russian left flank on Bela and
thus 10 change the whole Russian front And
this he has done. His advanced guard are re-
ported TO Ice within ten miles Of Biela and the
army Of the Czarewtch may find itself seriously
compromised should Mehemet Ali Pasha
prove able TO follow up his wednes-
days successes at Kazclevo and Oblanovo 1t
would thus be placed between Mehemet Ali
Phsha's forces and the garrison of Rustchuk
and the Grand Duke Nicholas would have 10
alter considerably his plan Of operation on the
right flank and TO withdraw some troops from
Pleyna to come TO the rescue OF his nephew
The Car himself has already been made to feel
the weight Of Mchcmet Ais hand for the I'm
pcrial headquarters from Student to Bulgareni.
student, situated but few miles west of
Blela seems to have appeared TO his
iHip'llhl htl'~lb us btlnk IN undesirable
proximity 10 Mehemct Airs advanced guard.
Student is some twenty miles further west. and
has the advantage Of being in possession of two
good roads 10 the Danube-thc one via Nikop.
oils. the othor.via Sistova This makes Bull
garcni very desirable and pretty safe resi-
d"nce Tor the Cars staff and military house
hold.
The great perplexitcs in store for the Rus
sian Government are. however. more at home
than at the seat Of war disastrous war docs
not necessarily involve the safety OF the reign
ing dynasty. or even the loss of the throne 10
the reigning sovereign. Francis Joseph has
maintained himself on the throne. notwthstand-
ing Sadowa and the loss Of all his Italian pos
sessions. He is now in n safer position than he
ever was before. With Russia however. things
are differently situated. There il great
eXaggeration in the current talk. that in
case of the war ending disastrousy for
Russia the Romanon .dynasty will be
able TO return to Moscow only at the point of
the bayonct But on the other hand. there are
unguestlonable indications that discomfort is
strongly fermenting throughout the vast en-
pre-. Formerly the educated middle classes
only constituted the opposition clements in
Russia, while now revolutionary tendency is
sprea ling throughout all classes Of society
The students of the universities and the clerical
seminarics work at their socaistic propaganda
among the peasantry more eagerly than ever.
The calling out of the Landwehr lust nj the time
OF the harvest was n fatal bunder on the part of
the Government. The conceit Of the military
authorities at the tmo of the declaration
Of war went beyond all limit. They
thought they would have merely to walk
over Turkey. They did not mobilize the
Imperial Guards. called in but few reserves
ana ala not even mention the probability
OF any new cvies. The march on Erzeroum
the passage OF the Danube, and the dashing ex-
petition OF Cen Gourko over the Balkans. in
toNicated every man. woman. and child in Rus
STA. But all at once Loris- Mclikoir had to re-
treat back to the frontier. and sinister rumors
came from PlcNna. The Government. while
maintaining that no more than 20 900 men had
been lost since the beginning Of the campaign.
ordered the mobilization Of tho Guards called
out all the reserves. and made Tandwrhr levy
OF nearly 200 600 men. Had all this been done
or AZ least prepared in the spring. nobody would
havo had word to say While now. at the
sight Of thousands Of peasants torn
away from their sckles and sent TO
the recruiting depot, everybody naturally
thlhks that tho trlumphs reported were
AL frauds ana that tho army. il not completely
lost Is seriously compromised. 1t must nlso
he remembered that tho Russian peasant has
not had time yet to iamilarizc himself with the
newly introduced obligatory military service.
ms IDEAS are still with the old system A land
wehr Is. to his mind. the old 0pONcheaie or mill
TIA which was used exclusively for home de-
ience, Hero he secs himself INCORPORATED in n
regular regiment and on the eve of being dos
pn''hed TO tho slaughter fields. whore If he is
NOT putchered by the enemy. he is sure to be
Killed by disease or want of food and shelter.