The Portland daily press., 1877-09-14

l ana IelenblesS purpose OF crushing OSman
Pasha. and retrieving the disaster of July 81.
On Monday everything was ready. The ad
vance began at o'clock, and the fighting
ten. The Turks fought obstinately, but the
Russian advance was irresistible. After the
capture OF Lovatz the Russians advanced on
Plevana, with the intention of retrieving their
great disaster there. Rumors are many that a
great battle is now in progress under its walls.
The situation of the Russian and Mosem
forces in Bulgaria is just now very curious.
| The mass of the Russian forces is concentrated
and almost jammed between the army of Me-
hemet Ali near Rustchuck and the fortified
army of Osman Pasha at Plevna But the
Russian army by its victory at Lovatz has folded
back the right wing of Osman Pasha's force
SO that the latter is now threatened on two
sides very much as the Russians themselves
are. If we imagine two armies, one with its
right wing turned, holding an equal or superior
army OF the foe between them, we get an ac-
curate notion of the situation at the base of
The Russian wedge which has its sharp edge in
he Shipka Pass. This is situation so Pc
culiar that it cannot last long. The wedge can
not be driven forward without a blow at its
base, and the Russians must strike it by routing
ole OF the two powerful armies that press their
Hanks. Their great disadvantage Just now is
that their well-laid plans for attacking Plevna
are liable to be bafflei by the advance of Me-
hemet Ali. The Turkish commander has with
him force of from seventy to one hundred
thousand men, and to confront this the Rus
sian forces before Plevna have, it is likely,
been weakened. If Mehemet Ali continues
his advance great battle is inevitable If he
is victorious, the base of the Russian wedge
wonld be deeply grooved, perhaps cut in twain,
and the consequences to the Russian campaign
would be fatal. If he is defeated the Russians
secure completely their base of operations, and
are left free to invest the Turkish quadIateral
fortresses. and thus gain the only object of the
campaign which the recent reverses have left
them to hope for. How far their operations in
Bulgaria have thus far failed is apparent from
the circumstance that the great and WE'LL
disciplined army that came to invade and con-
quer is now substantially on the defensive.
OTHER FOREIGN NEWS.
A letter from Latacunpa. Ecuador.
states that the volcano Cotopaxi had an
eruption the latter part of July, and
by an upheaval of water overlooked the
streams, swept away several plantations and
drowned at least thousand people in different
places and over 1000 cattle. The whole face of
the country for miles around was covered with
subsequent showers of ashes, destroying all c.
reals and plants, and starvation was feared on
the 30th of July.
Gambetta ard Murat, the publisher of
The Republique Franchise, were to have
appeared before the tenth chamber of
the correctional police to answer for delivering
and publishing the formers Lille speech. Meth.
er responded, Gambetta in consequence of ILL
ness. His counsel lodged petition for ad.
journment of the trial one week, which was re-
fused. An entry of default was made against
Gambetta and Murat, and Gambetta was con-
demned in default to three months imprison-
ment and fine of 1000 francs The public
were excluded from the palace of Justice where
the tribunal was sitting.
The sentence against Gambetta and Murat
concludes as follows: SIT is ordered that iudg-
ment shall be executed Immediately notwith.
standing opposition or appeal" According,
however. to the French code, provisional execu-
ton applies only to the fine, and Gambetta.
therefore, is not liable to immediate imprison-
ment.
Gambetta's object in allowing jud gment to
go by default evidently is to delay the final
judgment on appeal until after the elections.
when his privilege as deputy will protect him
from arrest, and even, according TO the preya-
lent opinion lead to his liberation should be be
in prison.
The Fishery Commission at Halifax have
given decision which completely DESTROYS the
idea that the Washington treaty has put an
end to all the disputes relative to the American
fisheries. If the report is correct, and it seems
we'll founded, the counsel acting for the United
States have asked the commission to rule that
the commission do not consider it within their
province to award compensation or take into
consideration the advantage to the American
fishermen in trans-shipping of cargoes or buy
ing bait, &C., and supplies. Two days were
spent over the argument of the question, nearly
all the counsel of both sides taking part. The
counsel for Great Britain took strong grounds
against the proposition. A large portion of
the British case was devoted TO pointing ont
the advantages to American fishermen OF be
ing in position to purchase bait and supplies
claim for large compensation being founded
thereon. The American counsel contended
that the Washington treaty gave no such priv
ieges to their fishermen, and that the present
commission should not take them into consid-
Grafton. The idea of the American counsel
seems to be that a large number of people
being interested in the trade with America,
will prevent the Dominion government from
interfering with the latter if they can under
the present laws, or introducing new legisla-
ton for such purpose The commissioner
gave unanimous decision that they were in
competent to award compensation for tranship.
ment of careoes in British waters or for the
purchase of ice. bait and supplies.
The London Times Calcutta despatch
Sunday says the weather reports of the past
week are decidedly cheering. All the Madras
districts had some rain, in many parts it was
heavy There has also been rain in Bengal,
Scinde, Mysore aud the central provinces
The prospect in PuDjaub has greatly improved.
The situation in the northwest provinces and
in Dude is still critical. The districts depend
ent on the southwest Monson DOW have fair
prospect for later crops This is checking the
orders for the delivery of grain in October and
May because of the crisis there in conse ouence
of deficient imports.
The funeral of Theirs was made an occasion
for an imposing aud peaceful display by the
Republicans Jules Simon delivered the
eulogy, concluding in these words: "Adieu in
the name of the country to the historian of the
revolution, to the champion of liberty to the
liberator of the territory and the first Presi-
dent of the French Re public" There was an
immense attendance.