Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-11-25
DAILY POST.INTELLlGEHCER
A wgtEx eAmPAIes.


across the border and in,o Ssrvian tsf-
rit.,ry is necessarily q serpriss. 30 Tar
a. could be judged fron measuring zoe
available strength Of thesvo nations aeo
the character Of the peoples. Is scenes
nj the time OF King Milsb's declaration
Of var shat toe Se.sizn Army bad o.
fore IL nothing more dlhsuIt than q
holiday rnarca TO Sofa. j. u certain
that tsis vas the relisf % King hi'Ao'
for be openly declared that ~ilain ons
wax after var zas declared the ser
yiaus you d be Ia pcs =s.ion 81 S'A 8
L. ia eoa.lly oert4io taat Prisee Alex
ander vas OF = Ike belief. ETefy iiIe
of IN. e,oclarn alton to bis army. isin
upon receiving Milan's declafal'0n o.
var, told Of apprshen.iJn aud oismsy
/. uas ths proclaim ,iion OF sen'f'i
who kueE that bs Vas about 10 H<"'
afainst fearful odds a1d whose SnIy
hope Vas 10 prolooR the confess 10 thT
bsi.ef that sBDe of tbs p0Es's nlet1
CONS 10 DIS ass HttbCrs NJ 49,
proclaim ,tion xas issued preparations
we're made for removing the resords
and treasure OF tbs Bsl2arlAn Govern
msnt from sof to risnoyA. Il vas re-
Qardsd 90 q moral certainty thai SOMA
vooli fall before the beginning OF De
cember.
There vas ample groand for Ailan's
confidence aud AlexAnder's spprehen-
sion. For eight years the servian army
had been preparing for ia,t su,h a move
a. v,s nsx TO be msds. Large sums
had been Annually expended apon It
70 vas we'll disciplined. offisered largely
BY Austrians and Germans. and aimed
With rifles OF an improved pattern. Its
artillery comprised almost three hun
dred guns. including q number OF
Krupps. II vas masssd on tbs frontier
and ready 10 move at an hours notice
Bulgaria, on the othsr hand. h I'd reg
ular army of les, than twenty thousand
men. This bad been Offered entirely
by Russians, Who had resigned their
eommi ssions Of the time Of the union
Of Bulgaria and Eastern Roumeiis,
leaving their troops almost In an amor
Rsnized condition. To be added TO this
army we're the raw ieyies hastily raised
BY Prince Alexander and the militia OF
Eastern Roumelis, the entire force
probably not amounting to more than
seventy thsosald men. The artillery
and cavalry were especially weak. Ae-
eording 10 reliable rep brts thsrs s'rs
only sixteen held pieces 6i for service.
This army, such as II Vas, was ooncen
eentrated on the southern frontier of
Eastern Roamelia In Anticipation Of a
Turkish advance from Adrianople,
while the servian frontier Vas left al
most entirely unRuaIdsa. For centuries
the servians had vaped fierce wars
against the Turks. aud although they
we're usually beaten by force Of num-
bers, had shown themselves TO be no
mean soldiers. The BoIearians. on the
other hand. had for centuries been op-
pressed and crushed d wn by the Turks.
IL vss TO be presumed that all their
martial spirit had long ago been crust
cd out. To add to the Servian advan.
tsee, Milan's declaration of var was
held back for eight hours, and the Ser
Wan troops bad entersd Bulgarian ter.
ritory. seizsA some uuimportant p,si-
tions aud gained a footing bsfo Alex
ten ION to sommen % hos,Ili'ics.
In spite Of all this, however, the d al
Garians have thus far held their enemy
In K. Although the news which we
rece We IL entir,ly from Sefsian sources.
the feet ts not disguised that the Ser
viaa army has met With The m,s, seri
on, d SISTERS Already Prince Alsxan
der declares hs intention OF carrying
the ear into Servia. Another week o,
such operations as marked the last ~ill
drive the Ssrvians far iato their OWL
country.
How has this been brought aboa.
II IL not easy TO tell II can be ex
planned only on the sapposi.ion "a II the
Ssrvian commanders have blandsrsd
iaexoussbly. aud that Prince Alexander
has developed unexpected qualities as a
general. The Ssrvian plan Of cam
paian was simple enough, and there
we're apparently no obstacles in the way
Of liz success. Stripped of its ,echni
cal verbisge. the plan vas simply for
three columns from northern. one
from central aud one from 'outheru
servia-to advance In an sasterly di-
rectien. The northern column. which
10 the smallest aud least import tn,, to
commanded BY General Laschi suin. Its
objective point Vas widdin. a Balga.
ftan town situated on the Danube.
There we're no Bulgarian troops on the
line OF march 81 this division In suf.
heient numbers to oppose lite progress
IL advanced to widdin. and on New, u
Der 2sth bombsrdsd that town for about
an hoar, the garrison returning the Ore
with great gsllsntry. General Lssch.
janin 10 evidently awaiting the progress
Of events farther south before proceed
Ing further against widdin. HIS situa
ton IL ssmswha psoalisr. Although
his operations have been saeee..fai. be
10 in dangerous 20 silion. II Prince
Alexandsr eontinaes 10 drive the south
srn armies back, !. gill b, sn easy mat
Ter for Bnlasrias faras 60 marcA
norshssrd betweea wdiin and tie
ssrvian frontier. eating "a L,seh
iania's ssmmuaicAti1n aud compelling
him TO make q dangerous ruireal OF
venture upon battle against = sapesier
namhsr % Balssriaas flashed With
their victories over the fisusr % the
ssrvian army. The oaly safe eoars. for
Lssehisniu is 10 rate the siege Of
Widdin and TALL back gon the servlan
frontier as soon a. q, become. evident
that King Milan eannos rsirisrs IN.