Year: 1877

The Russians have again suffered de-
feat at the hands of their foe, the inf
del Turk. Why the Turks should be
designated infidels, however, believing
in the Almighty, as they certainly do,
is something that is beyond our ken.
At the commencement of this war in
Europe, there was very little attention
paid to Turkey. For wonder, Eng
land, who is known to be the big chap,
who is waiting around the corner to
assist the Turk in the event Of his be-
ing hard pressed, had very little to say
upon the question of that powers ca
pacity to receive the blow which Rus
sia intended sooner or later to strike.


The English press was unusually
reticent upon the subject, and the clas-
sic Thunderer maintained an awful
silence in reference to this war, and
its ultimatum, that was perfectly har-
rowing, nay, blood-curdling, to the
average English merchants, who had
invested heavily in Turkish bonds.


On the other hand, the universal
topic under discussion i'll her journals
was solely upon Russia, the Russian
army and the Russian. navy, larded
with complimentary notices of that
power and her efficiency in the field and
upon the sea, as military and as
naval power, until it actually became
sickening to every nation but the Rus
slams, who are supposed to be extremely
fond of everything of larded nature,
and therefore could stand the surfeit,
forgetting the while she was under this
influence of lardacious compliments,
these lines of Dryden's:


Let no alien interpose,


To lard with wit thy hungry prose-"


So the Russian government slid slow
ly into the war under the unctuous
treatment Of her former foe, biting at
the bait that covered the trap that was
set to be sprung upon her by the other
powers in time. provided always that
everything went as they would wish it
should go-in their favor. The bait
was all the more tempting on account
of the fat Turkey at the end, and the
prize was too good a one for the gour-
mandizing Russian not to make an at
tempt to capture it. But the moment
the first shot was fired, England as
sumed an attitude entirely different
from her first, and to-day her journals
TEEN with abuse of the Russians that
is in striking contrast with the tenor of
her former one. Russia is evidently at
a discount, and Turkish bonds are
hugged closer to the bosoms of their
holders, who gleefully watch the war
that, so far as it has gone, is decidedly
in favor of the Turk.


Adrianople, which the Gar of all the
Russias recently announced to the
world, as the city most suitable for him
in which to declare that he was satisfied
at having proceeded thus far into the
heart of Turkey, is farther away than
ever from his Imperial grasp. He has
not been able to cross the Danube as
yet, although he has attempted its pas
sage on several occasions, and the out
look at present is, that it will be the
Turks who will presently cross this
stream and dictate their terms of peace,
not at Bucharest, but at Kishinev; or,
if it should suit their purpose, and
they were in the mood, it would not
cause much surprise on the part of the
other Powers, were the exasperated
Turks to become seized with a religious
frenzy and bring forth the sacred flag
of Mahomed, preserved religiously at
Constantinople in the sacred mosque
within the mosque and, led by their
Sultan cry, Havoc! and let loose the dogs
Of war upon the Imperial soil of Rus
sia, nor cease their cry until st. Peters
burg was captured and the humiliated
Gar forced to step down and out. This
would seem-nay, does-an improbable
termination to this war but what
Mohamed accomplished is not without
the pale of probabilities for the present
Sultan to undertake in the present war.
However, it is only n question of time,
and at the present moment, it occurs
to us, that the Russians, instead of
catching the Turk have got hold Of q
Tartar. England, in the meantime, re-
joices, and the other Powers are easier
in their diplomatic relations with one
another than heretofore.


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