Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-04-06
THE BEiLaEGERENTs.


present article is written at the
commencement of the week, and is |
constructed on the assumption that |
war is very shortly to be declared
between England and Russia. So
manifold have been the surprises
and changes of programme since
negotiations commenced between
Russia and Turkey that even yet
those anticipations may be reversed
which are grounded upon the re-
tirement of Lord Derby and the
calling out Of the British reserves f;
so that, by our date Of publication,
men may still be talking of confer
ences and congresses and diplomacy.
Let our readers therefore consider us
as writing on the 1st OF April, and
if anybody is fooled by our antici-
pations it viii be nothing more than
is expected on that day. And ii
really makes but little difference
what may be the European news on
Friday, the 5th, as regards the pur-
pose Of our present paper, for its
object is to consider what must be
the aim and objective point of the
two combatants whenever they do
come to a struggle, which sooner or
later is inevitable.
The first and most weighty fact
which presents itself is that the inn
mediate object of the belligerent
powers is completely reversed. For
the last fifty years the policy and
arms Of England have been altern-
ately put forth to maintain the OF
tOman Empire, those of Russia to
destroy it but now Turkey is prae-
tically part of the Russian Empire
and the Ottoman Porte a vice-roy-
atty which receives its instructions
from st. Petersburg. So long as
this state of things is maintained IL
is obviously the interest of Russia
to maintain its nominal authority,
and that of England to abridge and
cOnfine within as narrow limits as
possible the power for whose perpe-
tuity she so long negotiated, so furi-
ously fought.
The understanding recently estab-
lished by the British Government
with Greece is what the doctors
would call a pathognomonic symp-
tom of this complete change. Ever
since the battle of Navarino the
successive Governments of Canning,
the Duke of Wellington, Palmer
stOn, Lord Russell and the late Earl
of Derby have agreed in discourage
ing the Grecian kingdom in its
purpose of extending its restricted
limits at the expense of Turkey,
while Russian emissaries have for
the same length of time been pro-
noting every effort of the little
kingdom in the same direction but
now Russia has declared her inten-
ton of including in the new princi-
pality of Bulgaria those very prov
inces of Thrace, Macedonia and
Thessaly which Greece so ardently
covets, and England has already
effected a cordial understanding
with the Hellenic kingdom, which
is evidently destined to become an
alliance in case of the outbreak of
hostilities. This fundamental posi-
ton understood it will not be diff
cult to conjecture the direction in
which the main efforts of the British
arms will be directed. GallipOli
seems necessarily the first point at
which British forces will be landed
as a base Of operations for command
ing the Dardanelles, and for prose-
cutting the defense or attack of Con-
stantinople, according as it may or
may not be occupied by the Rus
SLAMS. The British fleet will mainly
operate in the Black Sea, effecting
two purposes thereby: First, it will
cut off communication of the ports
of the Black Sea, as Odessa, Sevas-
tOpol, &C., with the Russian army
in ROumelia. This would be seri-.
Gus blow to that army, for it is GER
tain that, in case of the Russo-Turk-
ish war having continued through
the winter just ending, that is the
avenue of supply upon which the
Russians had depended, the Danube
having been found altogether inn
practicable as a base. 1t is not inn
probable that this one circumstance
alone might compel the withdrawal
of the Russian army from before
ConstantinOple without a gun being
fired. The British feet could also
prevent the occupation by the Rus
slams of those positions on the east
and northeast coasts of the Black
Sea which Russia esteems as the
most valued result of her last years
successes in Armenia and the Cau-
casus, such as Batoum, Sukham,
haleh, &c.
Let us before going further exam
Inc what are the resources of the
country for carrying out this pur-
pose. Sir Garnet Wolseley, the
officer who has been designated to
the command of the British forces
in the event of war, has contributed
an article TO the March number OF
an English magazine called The
Nineteenth Century, in which he
compares the military resources OF
Great Britain in the present day
with those which she possessed in
1854, just before the Crimean war,
from which we extract the following
paragraph:
At no previous period Of our his
tory have we ever been so strong in
a military sense as at present. In
1854 we were very weak in field ar
tillerv; tie military force in these
islands was under 10000 men, and
there was no reserve whatever be-
yond some pensioners, who were
80 old FIR field service, Were wal