The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-06-18
WITH THE TURK.
Awaiting the Russian Onslaught
at Rustchuk.
THB DANUBE and IT'S WAR HISTORY.
Outline Of the Probable Line Of
Operations.
SHALL SEE
'HH DANUBE and ITS WAR HISTORY.
'BAKALUM"-WE SHALL SEE

RusrcHCK, May 81 1871
1t Is period OF intense anxiety wo waiting da,
after day for some sign, some Indication which will
disclose the Intentions Of that vast host beyond
the river. We watch with envy the fowl winglna
their rapid way the water to Ginrgevo. Not hall
an hour distant where stand In the gardens
the lslah.ianc Russian staff of1cor receives and
transmits orders OF vital Importance; within cannon
shot OF the enemy Is giving the finishing touches "a
the powerful battery which has long threaten.
Ing Rustchuk Sometimes In tho carly morning wa
can SOC a squadron Of cavalry down 10 the edge
Of the stream water their horses and the other day
: large party Of were at work, apparently armiDa
the earthwork. But as . general thing the whole oil
the waliachian shore, as from this side,
strangely deserted and melancholy appearance, well
betting the silent and mysterious prepare.
lions which We know must DO in active
progress for the passage Of the river. Where
will il DO and whens The physical character.
istcs Of the river and the history Of the past wars
between the implacable ZOOS Who now once moro face
each other may enable as to form some opinion to
the probable scene and time Of tho great military
exploit which must soon DO attempted by the armies
OF the Gear.
rHn LINE or TIE DANUBE
or the thrse natural lines Of defence which must be
OF IT. Andrew upon the dome Of ST. Sophia the line Of
tho Danube s the arst After issuing from The famous
s.iron gate,n where the mighty flows with
nned bulk aud increased current through winding
and precipisous channel, u forms the boundary be-
tween walachia and SsrviA. Below the 'iron gate"
the character Of the stream becomes quite different
although on the right Ssrvian banK high wooded
hills still stretch for distance along It's course.
From the spot whore the tributary Timock tails into
tho Danube the for the remainder Of its course
forms tho boundary between the Danubian Principa-
ties OF Wallaohia and Aoldava and the Turkish
province Of Bulgaria Below the confluence OF the
Tmock tho hills reoede and tho great stream lows
with restored volume and still swim current through
tho vast plains which lie between tho Eastern Car
pa,hiau and the Balkan Mountains, until finally. ut .
distance Of 400 miles from the Ssrvian frontier dis
charges itself ato tho Black Sea The plain which Is
thus interested BY the lower Of tho Danube has
average width Of 100 miles has 6een many times
and 10 again, the theatre Of Russo-Turksh war.
This slime Or the Danube" presents most formda.
bis obstacle 70 an invading army. The river Is wide,
deep rapid and In the character oil It's banks
II satisfies the requi sments Of defensive military
position. Almost throughout the whole Of its course
below the fortress Of Widn the Bulgarian shore domi
mates the Mallachian: tho right bank Is steep and
Nigh the left bank nat and muddy extensive meadows
taries flowing from the mountains southwark through
Great wallachia Below Rustchuk, mt tho place whore
ono OF these tributarios-the Dcmbouicsa-nows iuto
the Danube opposite Turtukai, found the only spot
where the left bank Is lrm and solid the edge OF
the Opposite stissria also, road practica-
bio all leads from Kaarasch to the Danube.
In the Dobrudscha the troccss, desoate plain which
extern d. southwark from tho embouchure Of tho river,
tho right bank retains Its commanding height; but
the whole district, through which the river flows In
three branches into the sea, vast marsh studded
with numerous reedy islands and completely sub.
merged when, AZ at present, tho water IL high. OF
the throe branches one only, the Suna mouth. Is
navieabc, the other two beng mere channels flowing
through the vast lagoons and swamps which occupy
the whole spnce between tho arms.
THk DIFFICULTIES EScoUyTgRBD.
The width OF tho Danube along the whole frontier Of
Bulgaria Is nowhere less than 900 yards and in many
parts OF It's the shores than twco that
distance apart This body OF water flows with q
remarkably swift current which, although not rapid
below the Iron Gate. attains rate OF not less than
three miles an hour. Owing TO the width, depth and
strength OF tho stream not single bridge connects
the shores Of Roumanla and Bulgaria II Ii evident,
therefore, that the Danube most serious obstacle
TO Russian invasion, and that nature has powerfully
betrended the nrst defensive line OF tho Ottoman Em-
pre- Ia EUROPE MAN, too, mas uono MS UTMOST Inc
banks of the studded with On the
Turkish sido are the ssronsholds Of widin Rahova,
Nicopolis. Sistova, Rustchuk, Turtoka Silistria,
Hirsova, Matckn, Isakcha and Tuisscna. On the
Roumanian side tho fortresscs not important
OF them having originally been the tes de pont o
those the opposite side Kalafat and Gurgevo liz
opposite TO, and were formerly the Ates de pont oil
widin and Rustchuk respectively, Brabiow, momora.
BILE for siege in 1925 and Machin held the same re-
iaiionshp Scattered along both banks are numerous
carthworks, thrown up At various dates, the ono
side 10 defend The other assist the passage Of
the river
Such being the physical characteristics of the line
OF tho Danube the question arisesand Il s in every
ones mouth now from Wldn to suIina-whcro will
the enemy cross IL and whens There is not man IN
Bulgaria but has hs own opinion (which nothing can
change or modify upon tho subject; not who
will lay his finger empha.cay upon some point in
the long blue line which marks the river the map
and say, at will DO bore" Rash correspondents have
wagered countless bottles OF vino to the precise
spot where the pontoons Will be thrown across and
every ono regards with contempt his neighbours
theory. The other day We got news at Bustohuk thai
OtcnitEa and Turtokai exchanging shots, and II
was at once assumed that tho operations for forcing
the passage had begun Soon after intelligence drib
bled " IRON Ncopolis that there had been an afra
there aud the prophets 81 once began 10 change the
ground Then came tho news from Asia two got Il ia
Rustchuk long alter must havc received u IN New
York; that tho Turks had signal success IN The
Caucasus district THIS coupled with the tact thai
0ien,ixa was silent and Nicopois quie. enboldenst
some OF the proclaim that the Russians wouls
MOI cross ~ ALL
HISTORICAL RErnosrEcr.
TWAS not until the mmenccmcnt Of the eighteen IN
century that Russia became singled out as the speca
antagonist OF tho Turks. From tho oil their hrs
eruption into Europe all Christendom had bcen allied
against them the foe Tho Treaty OF Carowiti
marks The conclusion OF the last Of tho general wars
against the Moslem; Transyivana and Hungary passed
TO Austria, while Peter the Great acquired much o
what is now South Russia. OF the series OF duei
which soon after commenced between Russia and