Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-11-28
The Threatened War.

That England and Russia will have
fight before the difficulties in the
East are settled finally seems at least
probable. England is pledged in
various ways 10 secure the withdrawal
of the Russian armies from Roumelia,
end Russia appears to have determin-
ed to keep them there for the present.
There is also much bitter feeling be-
tween the two countries, which
makes each ready to provoke
and irritate the other, and
which a trifie may fan into such flame
of passion that war would be inevitable.
The chances of such d calamity are
freely discussed 10 the English and
Russian press, and the most careless
reader will not fail to note that there
is general admission of the grave
probability of collision between the
two Powers. The slow and mysterious
movements of the Russians, who, in
defiance of the Berlin treaty, still re-
main in Eastern ROumelis, give great
offence to England, and the protesta-
tioDs emanaling from st. Petersburg
that the Gar does not mean to repu-
diate hiSobligationsunder, that compact
are of little avail in the face of the fact
that he is practically casting them
aside.
The AfghaniStan question is another
source of scarcely concealed bitterness
The leading journals of heRus5ian Cap
ital do not hesitate 10 say that England
shall not be permitted to take possession
of this debatable ground, and that any
advance which she may make to that
end must be met with force. The
secret convention which has been en-
tered into by Turkey and Russia has a
bearing upon this point, although what
its effect may be none of the public
journals profess to know. 1t is curious
that while the existence OF an agree
ment of this character between the
lately hostile nations is not doubtful,
the st. Petersburg press yet fercly
denOunces the Sublime Porte, and
makes repeated illusions to the fact
that the Sultan has no authority over
the Mohammedan tribes of Central
Asia, because of his questionable title
to the Caliphate.
In view of the promise of a new
Anglo Russian war, it is interesting to
inquire in what manner England will
be affected by it. So far as control of
ready money is concerned, she is better
prepared for war than any other nation
upon the face of the earth. She has
vast wealth at her command at home,
and she also enjoys such credit that she
can borrow money to auy amount upon
easy terms in outside markets. This,
of course, Is a huge advantage, especial
ly in war with power like Russia,
which is upon the verge of bankruptcy.
But Russia has decided advantage
in the number of men she can put in
the field and the fact that she has al
ready in the field at this moment q
vast army Of trained soldiers, who have
been mBde veterans in recent cam
paigns. The British regular army in
clude5, in all its departments and ser
vices, about quarter Of Il million of
troops; but these are scattered all over
the world in garriSOns, where some of
them must remain. The militia and
the volunteers number some five hun
dred thousand, but the larger portion
of these would hardly be available for
service away from the British Islands,
unless a relentless draft were enforced.
An estimate of the London Times a
few months ago named $4,000 men as
the force that could be sent at once in
an organized condition to the seat of
War. But volunteering would probab-
ly be very rapid at home and in the
colonies; and then India could be
drawn upon, although if England has
war with Afghanistan the Indian
troops will have enough work to do at
home. That England could ultimately
marshal force of two hundred thou
sand or three hundred thousand men
is not doubtful, but terrible catastro-
phes would be likely to happen before
they could be converted into trained
soldiers, while Russia could out mum.
Der the enemy by two to one from the
start with perfected and disciplined
armies. England's strongest fighting
organization, her grand fleet, would be
only OF minor importance in war
conducted in Turkey or Afghanistan.-I
BALTIC. American.