, 1877-07-21

driven away and the hills occupied, and
then the bridge must have been fixed, for
by the next day 10000 men are reported
to have crossed. A second passage was
effected in boats at Petroceni, also with
little resistance and the Russians have
now the means of transporting their whole
army across the Danube. The tGtes de
pont will, of course, be fortified, and the
bridges strengthened, until the invaders
are in possession of roads sufficient for the
easy passage of any quantity of artillery,
stores, and impedimenta. The feeble re-
s~istance Of the Turks is as yet entirely
unexplained, They may have been taken
in as to the point Of passage, or may have
decided on o policy of retreat-a theory
supported by the absence of any serious
effort to defend the Dobrudscha-but the
military correspondent of the Times thinks
the officers have little heart in their work.
We incline, as the Turkish officers are
fighting well in Asia, to accept the
second theory, and expect to see the
Turks retire within their fortresses and
towards the Balkans.
The Ottoman Parliament was proro-
gued on the 28th inst, and no day has
been fixed for its next Session, though the
President, in communicating the Sultan's
message, intimated that an extra Session
might be called, "t0 deliberate upon a
satisfactory subject presumably peace.
AS there is no especial reason for the proro.
CATION, it seems clear that the Court
breads the Chamber, as a rallying-point
for the disaffected and is disposed towards
some course which the Deputies would
disapprove. The Chamber during its
Session has heard many unexpectedly
frank speeches, has passed many resolu-
tions oondemniog peculation and waste,
and has tried to punish one or two guilty
officers, but there is no proof that it has
attained any substantial end whatever. It
certainly has done nothing to relieve the
oppression of the Christians.
According to the latest intelligence, the
Austrian Government appears to have
nearly decided upon the occupation of
Bosnia, to repress the anarchy there pre-
vailing. 1t remains to be seen whether
Turkey will consider this a declaration of
war, and send Suleiman Pasha to dive
out the Austrians, or whether the Porte
will affect profound confidence in the
good Intentions Of Vienna.
Mr.. Bradlaugh and Mrs. Besant were
called up for judgment before the Court
of Queens bench on Thursday, for the Of
fence of publishing the "Fruits of Philoso-
ply" o book declared by the jury calcu-
lated to deprave public morals. The Lord
Chief Justice, after rejecting a plea that
the Indictment was bad, and a demand
for a new trial, declared that as the de-
PENDANTS had set the law at defiance by
circulating the book after the verdict had
condemned it, the sentence, which other
wise would have been light, must be Sc
we're. Each defendant was therefore con-
demned to imprisonment for six months, to
pay q fine of 920O, and to enter into re-
cognisances in the sum of $500 to be of
good behaviour for two years,-good be-
haviour including. of %courSe, the withdraw
al of the book. The sentence is condemned
in some quarters as being too severe, but ID
ia difficult to see, if the pernicious teaching
of the defendants is to be stopped how
it could have been lighter. Their honesty
of purpose, as affirmed by thu jury, has
nothing to do with the matter, when the
object is the protection Of society from
1901 -L;oL Io,<.o~r - Nobo1 ~ro.lJ