The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-02
The Wnr-Our Special Report.

Our special despatch from Kischeneff,
given to-day, is, we believe, tho first state
ment sent from inside tho Russian lines Of
the other incidents Of the war, as reported
at the imperial headquarters. That it has
been delayed in transmission is duo to the
rigid rules that have been imposed by the
Russian authorities in order that no infor-
nation may be given to tho enemy until the
operation to which any despatch refers has
reached such q stage that success is secure
against every contingency. In the light of
this despatch we have presented to us
new view of that much reported ''Turkish
bombardment" Mt Poti. 1t appeared in
deed, even without the corrective of q
report from the Russian side, to
be rather a suspicious circumstance that
a fleet could approach near enough to
n Russian port to destroy it by lombard
ment and that no torpedoes should be heard
from. But it has the real aspect of o Turkish
naval victory that fleet should have bonn
barded fort that has been dismantled for
twenty -three years, and should have killed
u
of natural curiosity to see the enemy's
man1uvres. The report of the operations
on the Armenian frontier is also in marked
contrast with the story of the same events as
furnished through Turkish sources; for in
the Ottoman chronicle every man killed
counts for hundred and in addition is put
down on the wrong side of the books. One
detail in our report of the movements on
the Pruth gives o descriptive glimpse of
tho character Of the force with which
Russia moves. It is stated that the
great march of April "a from Kischeneff
to Barboschi was led by the regiment Sell
iginski, which was distinguished for its gal
liant conduct in defending the "Mamelon
Vert" at Sebastopol. Between regiments
like this and the ''raw levies" that we are
apt to imagine rs composing the greater part
Of SO large an army there is all the differ
ence in the world for, though there may
not be q man with the colors who was with
them at Sebastopol, the tradition, the record
and the pride are there, and these are what
give cohesion and value to the force. There
are points in to-day's news which enable US
to Judge how much consequence may be
attached to the declaration of the London
Times that in case Russia should ignore
all limits in her operations she would
have to deal ''not only with Turkey and
England, but also with all Western
Europe" All Western Europe, MS considered
in addition to England. means France and
it was yesterday declared by the French
Minister Of Foreign Affairs that the govern
ment would observe ''the most absolute
neutrality, guaranteed by the most scrupu-
lous abstention"-a phrase which seems to
imply that case could hardly arise in view
of which the attitude Of France would be
changed. France has acquired n good
memory. 1t is not forgotten by her
statesmen that in the terrible winter
of 1901 her dcspairing efforts to
move other Powers to take up her cause
were Intellectual. With that experience still
recent she will be able to regard with philo-
sophie complacency tho dismay of others,
and will not bulge, no matter whose chest
nuts may burn. She can endure the taunt
from across the Channel that Europe is in
fair way to return to a kind Of natural
state where every one consults his own in
tcrests only"-and nobody rushes to defend
the interests of England. BY the way,
when did the course of England ever imply
that Europe was in any other than that
s.kind of natural state?" The Danube has
been reopened to commerce by Russia at the
instance of Austria and Roumania, so that
any 'loop or hinge to hang doubt" of her
intentions upon may not be left to carp
ing world.