Year: 1876




The proclamation of Prince Milan OF Ser
via brings the unwelcome but not uniore-
seen fact before the Powers of Europe that
war has been declared. Tho invasion OF
Bosnia may be expected to follow immedi-
ately. For the past fortnight it has become
evident that it was impossible to restrain
Servla, which. partly from patriotism and
partly from necessity, found it impossible to
maintain peace which had oil the ccstliness
of war and none of its advantages. Since
the Powers have been convinced OF the
exigences of the Servian situation the
greatest efforts have been made to localize
the impending war, and SO far with some
success. The three empires md England
will hold their hands of, and Montenegro
on the west and Roumania on the cast are
more or less pledged to neutrality. The
conflict. therefore, opens with Servia and the
revolted Christians of Bosnia and Herzego
vina on one side and Turkey on the other
Servia will probably place sixty thousand to
seventy thousand troops in the field at The
start, with more to follow, while the forces
of the scattered rebel bands will probably
amount to thirty thousand more, Of which.
perhaps, two-thirds are fairly armed.
Against these Turkey will Immediately have
about forty thousand regular troops, and, if
she raises the green flag fora holy war, an i'm
mense horde of irregulars or Bashi-Bazouks


The invasion of Bosnia on the west, is an
nounced as the first step in Servia's offensive
warfare but her danger will come on the
northeast from the line of the Danube, which
the Turks hold below Widin, and on which
they have number of gunboats. A strong
force must be left to defend this line while
the main body makes head against the Turks
in Bosnia. Taking into consideration the
disorganization of the Turkish army and the
present emptiness of the treasury at Con-
stantinople it looks as though the Servians
would have the best of the fight at the start
While, under the pressure of actual war, tho
Porte mey in time be able to add some eff
cheney to the fanaticism of its soldiers, the
first few weeks of the campaign will
be terribly dangerous to the Ottoman En-
pire. The present neutrality of Montenegro
would not be likely to outlive the first con-
blueIdDle DeINluu SuCCtSS, duSt u ucW IOo
will confront Turkey. If these two States
should wage the war so successfully as to
make the contest hopeless one for Turkey
north of the Balkan Mountains we should
not be surprised if Roumania should cross
the Danube and claim Bulgaria as her share
If things come to this pass the war will take
on those gigantic proportions which even
meddling Russia cannot contemplate with
out fear. The combustibles are scattered
all over the East which may be touched with
the war fame at any moment despite the
most sedulous care. Egypt, Crete and even
Greece may take fire at any moment. Never
before has Turkey, in the long list of her
escapes from overwhelming disaster, faced
crisis more threatening than the present.
Isolated, impoverished, disorganized, weak
on the frontier and weak at the capital, with
foes on every side, her escape from annihi-
lation as European Power in the present
hour of fate should make every child of the
Koran hail the deliverance as the special act
of Allah through the intercession of the
Prophet. We mean to convey that her es-
cape from dismemberment would be o
miracle.