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

and helpIessness in which
we were when we began the Russian
war of that year, as am at the ig-
n0rance of those who are to be heard /
over our supposed want of
strength and our alleged consequent
inability TO fight.
What the present force of the Rus |
sian army in Bulgaria and Roume-
liza may be, we have no means of
knowing, but we do know this, that !
in addition to the losses in the field |
of last year, the Russian army has |
been decimated during the winter
by disease; the rigors of a scantily |
supplied winter encampment and
the ravages of typhus fever have
terribly thinned the ranks which
sustained last years campaigns on
the I.om, the Balkans and Mt Plevna,
and they would probably have all
they could do to hold their own
against the troops that might be
landed from the Egean and the
Dardanelles. But, it will be asked,
cannot the troops which Melikoff
and Tergukassoff commanded in
Armenia last year be brought up
from that region and aid in the war
to ensue in Europe? We think
they VIII find ample employment
where they are. 1t is just here in
the heart of Asiatic Russia that we
believe the main operations of the
British army will be carried out.
The above estimate does not include
the splendid army which is always
available in India, and it is this
which will be brought from the In
dian territory by sea, sail up the
Persian gulf and then march up the
valley of the Euphrates and reverse
the hard-earned successes of Nell
Soff. We have read, it is true, the
platitudes that have been uttered
about the Russo-Turkish alliance
which is going TO make these Ma
hOmedans of Asiatic Turkey fight
for Russian extension. BAH Such
an alliance would never be anything
but nominal, and, even if agreed to
on paper, could not control the fierce
hatred of those children of Islam
against Russia-a hatred that has
become inveterate for ages, which
includes Georgian, Circassian and
Tartar tribes, which could no more
be induced to aid in the further ex-
tension of the Russian frontiers
than the tiger could be induced to
join the buffalos in fighting against
his own race. Let it be known that
a MahOmmedan army was advanc-
ing up the Euphrates for the purpose
of. driving the Russians back over
the Caucasus and any Russo-Turkish
treaty would not have the force of
cobweb to bind those Asiatic swarms
to the standards of the Muscovite.
Moreover, no one has yet proved
! the existence of such treaty and,
for our part, we are remarkably
skeptical about the Sultan even yet
being prepared to rank himself as a
| Russian vice-roy. Those who are
resolved to shut their eyes to every
thing but the desired success of Rus
STA against England may dream of
Austro- Russian and Russo-Turkish
alliances, but it takes more than a
moments impulse to turn men back
from the counsels prescribed by
stern necessity and the memorable
logic of facts. 1t is the Russian
Empire against the British Empire
now girding themselves for strug-
gle which centuries of controlling
events have been preparing for
them, and if anyone believes that
Great Britain will come off worsted
in that fight, we propose no argu-
ment with him, but await with I'M
faltering conviction the logic of
events to refute him. 1t is much
more difficult thing to conjecture
what permanent arrangements could
be made after such war-what
barriers against future Russian en-
northumberland this is a subject
so extensive and complicated that
we must reserve it for future con-
sideration. There will be plenty of
time; the struggle now commencing
will be a long and bloody one.