The Morning herald., 1877-08-30
TURKISH BARBARITY.

| Inc report Vi SoioAet VSiieoaeJS tho
Military Commissioner of the English gov
ernment, has been published, and in it he
expresses firm belief, says the World,
that the charges OF cruelty and harbarity
made against the Russian troops are entire
" untounded, must be accepted as iiaal on
that subject. If an honorable English Of
ticer in Colonel Wellesley's position could
be suspected of warping facts in such a
case to suit his own feelings, he would cer-
tainly not have gone out of his way to ex-
onerate IN army by the commanders of
which he has been personally ill-treated.
He doubtless hits the truth exactly when
he says that little quarter is shown on either
side; but the presumptions in regard to
brutality in the conduct Of the war are all
against the Turks.
The Bulgarians who are acting with the
Russians or who follow in the wake Of the
Russian troops may and probably do retail.
late upon their Turkish enemies after the
Turkish fashion. whenever they find an
opportunity of doing so, bu: their conduct
must not be charged to the regular armies
of the invaders. Centuries ago, when Bull
yaria was great power and the Bulgari-
ans contended with the hosts of the Byzan.
tine Empire for the mastery Of the East, it
was remarked that the BulgariaGs, while
the mildest and most placid of people in
time of peace and within their own bcr-
ders, soon became match for the most
savage hordes OF Asia in ferocity when
once fairly engaged in war. The Bulga
rians of the present day retain the old
type of the Bulgarian character in peace.
aud there is no reason why they should be
expected to depart from 1t in war.
The Turks, on the other hand, have
changed as little. Atrocities which startle
modern civilization have been the COM
mon places Of Turkish warfare from the
time when Ertoghru. the Right Hearted
Man" fnt set the crescent Of Aladdin on
his banners and it is impossible to ques-
ton the accuracy OF the witnesses who as
sert that the Ottoman soldiers are as mer.
ciIess now in this last desperate conflict for
the exis.eace of their empire, as they ever
were in the wars BY which i, was founded
and extended up to the very wall of Vien-
rs. An official repart of Major Liegni,z,
for example, the German military attache
st the Russian headquarters, who accom-
panied General Gourko's expedition, con-
tsius some very unpleasant information
After the Turks had evacuated the Skipka
Pass, General Geurko sent an ambulance
wagon 10 collect the wounded along the
road, and in the positions previously occu.
pied by the Turks. Major Liegnitz &C
eompanied the ambulance sour expe,ii-
tion," says the German officer, "proved to
he utterly useless; We found no living
wounded men. The Turks had beheaded
them all, as well as the prisoners. The
corpses, frightfully mutilated, and bearing
the marks of indescrihable and sickening
TEXTURES, lay all along the road the heads
were found in heaps, in and among the
Turkish tents. We found but three wound
al men alive, ard they had been so fright
fully tortured and mu.ilated that they i'm.
ploye' lis for msrcy's sake to kill them. l
adj tna' lie Turkish troops who defend
the p3SS were Mt hlshi.baEouks but
"uicsm, the regular army with few bats
tAli0nS of ArsNS.'
IgE kHsS,A~ss il nr' i tNai- n,s u v,rL.s