The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-05-25

Relative Strength Of the Russian and Turk
- 49,. ish Armies.
fPeta Cor. London Times. !

Relative sire Dgtn Oh tne hussiah anu TURK
fPera Cor. London Timesl
Independently of the vast numerical
superiority that Russia can bring into
the field, she can now fully reckon on the
co-operation of Roumania, whom geog-
raphy has placed Mt her discretion; of
Servia, Bosnia and Montenegro, whose
accounts with the Porte are not yet sat-
isfactorily settled; of Greece, whose
ornaments have been for months carried
on with undisguised ostentation; OF Crete,
where anarchy is rampant in town and
country, and Instruction openly organ
lied: of Persia, which has been treasur-
ing up grudges for years, and cloaks her
ambition well; and, finally, of the dis
affected subjects of the Porte throughout
the empire, all of whom, Christians In
| the European provinces and Mussulmans
in Asia, especially in Syria and Arabia,
and even in CoDstantinople, reckoning
the rabble which was yesterday gazing,
with undisguised delight, at the lowering
of the big twe-headed stone eagle from
the top of what was so lately Ignatieff's
home-all of whom, say, unite in their
intense feeling of hate to the overbearlng
Osmanl, and look to the struggle, which
has now become imminent, as an oppor-
tunity for the qualification of their long
pent-up vehemence. Were Turkeys
ruin decreed by fate, she would be sure
to fall without friend, for nothing can
be more hollow, more skin deep, than
the attachment which many of the self
styled Turkophiles whom interest binds
to her fortunes profess to feel for her
cause.
For their own part, the Turks, beside
their regular army, which even the Rus-\
slams reckon at 500, 900 combatants, and
the Bashi-Bazouks, who thirst for blood
and plumber, can swell their force to al
most an indefinite extent Besides their
position on the Danube, unequaled in
strength for defensive purposes, and be-
| sides the command of the sea, which in
sures them easy communication between
| their two main armies, they seem to set
no limits to their imagination when they
coniure up the auxiliaries which Mo-
hammedan enthusiasm may muster In
the field under the banner of the Cres-
cent. We hear of Kurdish chiefs calling
together the nomad tribes of the desert,
and preparing to come to the rescue
with 10000 horsemen. We hear of
Egypt, some of whose battalions are still
encamped in the Bosnian or Albanian
districts, arming and equipping a fresh
contingent of 20, 900 men. Equally zeal
Gus in his duty as a vassal of the Porte
is said to be the Bey of Tunis, and lavish
both of his men and money. He of
Tripoi alone, it appears, evinces luke
warm, if not actually unfriendly, dispo-
sition toward his Suzerain. What
more? Yakoob Khan, of Kashgar, who
one hears has enough to do to keep off
the Chinese, is expected to be able to
spare the Sultan $4,000 of his Turko-
mans and, as to the Mussulman multi
tude which is to flock here, no one can
say by what route, from British India, it
is something positively battling calcrila-
ton. Many days will not pass before
these suspicious dreams fade into thin
air, and the Turks see themselves con-
fronted by sober and stern reality, for,
Independently of the madness of relying
on the aid of wild warriors of the desert,
or on that of ambitious and disaffected
dependents, were even all Asia and
Africa to supply the men, one does not
see whence the Porte could draw the
means to support such vast hordes. No
doubt her own soldiers will fight well,
and her fortresses will hold out with
great irmness but the want of organize
ton and good leadership and the exhaus-
ton OF her means will soon tell against
the Ottoman armies in the open field,
and, upon any serious reverse overtaking
them, the encouragement which has al
ready seized the Government will soon
extend to the understanding countries.