opposite to Matschin (the papers said Brailow, which is on the Wallachian side, and was held by a Russian detachment under General Engelhardt), which placed them within 600 yards of the opposite bank, and they could have easily stopped the progress there of any small flotilla attempting to ascend the Danube beyond Galatz.

The first point at which the Danube was crossed by the Turks was at Widdin, on the 27th of October. The operation was rendered more easy by the occupation of the small island previously described, but still it took some days to accomplish. The Russians appear to have offered little or no opposition, and Omar Pasha was thus enabled to entrench Kalafat, so as to establish a kind of tête de pont, in case of retreat. Orders, it is to be observed, had at this crisis been despatched from Constantinople to Omar Pasha to delay the commencement of hostilities till the 31st. The vanguard under Ifaz Pasha and Sami Pasha secured, in the mean time, a free passage for the reinforcements daily advancing along the Servian frontier from Sophia.

The passage of the Danube at Turtukai (Turtukan of Boué's map) was begun on the night of the 1st of November. The outposts nearest the river were Poles and Wallachians, who not only permitted the Turks to cross without giving notice of their approach, but assisted them in their operations. The Turks are said not to have numbered more than 9000, and their movements to have been directed by General Prim. "They were attacked by General Perloff, or Pauloff, and a most obstinate combat, partly at the point of the bayonet, is said to have ensued. The Turks were covered by the artillery of the fortress of "Turtukai, which is said to have done much execution among the Russians. The contest lasted till the 3rd, when the Russians withdrew, with a loss which we have seen estimated at from 500 to 3000, the first being the most probable, and among them were several field-officers, said to have been shot by the Turkish chasseurs, who are armed with Vincennes rifles. The Turks were then enabled to entrench themselves near Oltenitza, which consists only of a few houses and a ruined fort. It was, however, an important station to hold, as it formed the base of the Russian operations in Wallachia. The Russians felt this, and a second engagement took place at the same place, General Danenberg having come up with reinforcements on the 4th, and expelled the Turks from their entrenched positions; but the latter having also received reinforcements, returned to the charge under cover of the batteries of Turtukai, and, after a sanguinary fight, regained possession of their entrenchments. On the 11th of the month General Danenberg came to the attack once more with a body of 24,000 troops, determined to avenge past disasters, but it does not appear that the Turks withstood the onslaught of such a superior force, but that they wisely took themselves off on its approach to the right bank of the river.

The Turks crossed the river, at or about the same time, from Silistria to Kalaratsh, in a division 4000 strong, and from Rutschuk to Giurgevo, these being the two points from which Bucharest is directly threatened. Previous to the attack on Giurgevo, which we have seen above was strongly garrisoned, some 800 Turks crossed the Danube between Sistowa and Simnitza, and advanced straight along the road leading to

Giurgevo. Others, it would appear, crossed over to the town, which is on an island, and connected with the fortress on the left bank by means of a dam, and from thence they bombarded the latter, although, according to the Russian bulletins, an attacking party attempting to approach the fortress by the dam was driven back with considerable loss. Reinforcements are also said to have reached the same place, and skirmishes took place almost daily, till at last the island was finally evacuated, and the Turks withdrew to the right bank of the Danube, under circumstances of which we have as yet had no satisfactory account.

On the 17th of November news came to this country from Vienna that the Turks had defeated the main body of the Russian army in the Principalities, that Bucharest was in flames, and the Muscovites in full retreat beyond the Carpathians to Kronstadt, in Transylvania. This supposed that they had been cut off from a retreat through Moldavia, and therefore also presupposed that the Turks had crossed the Danube at Brailow or Galatz. Needless almost to say that this "startling despatch" turned out to be a mere fabrication-a "canard" of the Danube, where they appear to assume extraordinary dimensions.

More correct intelligence, which came upon slower but surer wings than telegraphic wires, brought definite word that the Turks had been forced to abandon their entrenchments on the left bank of the Danube near Oltenitza; and that, after blowing up their works there, they had withdrawn to the other side of the river in Bulgaria. According to a letter of Prince Gortschakoff's, dated Bucharest the 13th inst., this wise measure was adopted at the moment that steps were about being taken to expel them from their position. It was also stated that they had retired from the positions held by them on the island opposite Giurgevo, and at Kalaratsh; so that there now only remains on the left bank of the Danube the troops which crossed at Kalafat, and which, being thus left without support, will have to retrace their steps to Widdin, unless they would run the chance of a disastrous engagement, with the river in their rear.

Success has at the onset attended upon the arms of the Mussulmans in the Caucasus, as it did in the Danubian Principalities. The least disciplined are there, but they are of the most warlike races in the Sultan's dominions-men stout of heart and limb, and expert in the use of arms, although untrained to military evolutions. There is a regular army under Abdi Pasha, as Mushir, and Selim and Hassan Pashas, as Feriks, or lieutenant-generals; there are contingents from the pashaliks of Baghdad and Mosul, of Damascus and Aleppo, of Marash, Siwas, and Dyarbakir; then there are the redoubtable Kurds, the ever rebellious men of Buhtan, under princes directly descended from the Abbasside Khalifs; the Hakkiyari, slaughterers of the poor persecuted Chaldeans; the robber tribes of Bahdinan and Rawanduz; Kurds and Turkmans from Betlis, Gharzan, Mush, Wan, Bayazid, and Kars-the lofty, cold uplands of Armenia; mountaineers from Lazistan, the Juruk, and Trebizond, whose almost only profession from childhood is to rob, hunt, or make war. These motley troops are well officered by such men as General Guyon, now Khurshid Pasha; Stein, now Purshat Pasha (little Pasha); Colman, now Fuhti Bay; Zashitzky, now Osman Bay, and

others. There cannot be less than 80,000 of them altogether, regular and irregular, and reinforcements are constantly on the move, and will increase in numbers with an early success.

Opposed to them is a strong Russian army, consisting of three divisions of infantry, with the reserve brigade of Caucasian grenadiers, a complement of engineer and rifle battalions, and a division of artillery, besides colonised Cossacks, militia, &c.; making a total of 55 battalions, 10 squadrons, and 180 pieces of artillery, or 60,000 troops of the line, and 10,000 irregulars. To this has since been added another division, the 13th, shipped from the Crimea to Redut Kalah, the usual steampacket port on the coast, amounting to some 20,000 men, and who were to be replaced by Muller's infantry division from Odessa.

These troops are, by the necessities of the case, divided into three brigades; one engaged in keeping open the coast line from Anavka to Redut Kalah; another is with Prince Woronzow at Tiflis, opposed to the main body of the Circassians under Schamyl, and who, with the native Mingrelians, Imeritians, Georgians, and others, are all in favour of the Mussulman cause; and the last is on the Juruk Su, opposed to the Turkish army.

The river Juruk (called Churuk and Ciorock in the papers) is one of the larger rivers of Armenia, uniting the waters of the Kulah or Agerah, and the Marsat Darah, or "valley," near the town of Baibut, renowned in the last Turko-Russian war. Near its mouth, and on the eastern side of the delta of the river, is Batum, with a well-sheltered bay, where we had a vice-consul till lately, who, with most of the inhabitants, was obliged to quit this otherwise promising port, from July to October, on account of the prevalence of fever.

Fifteen miles beyond this, on the same coast, is another and smaller Juruk river, distinguished by the Turks from the larger, as Juruk Darah, or "valley" (Ciorock dere of the papers); and in this is a market-town, larger than Batum, called Juruk Su Bazar, or the market on the river Juruk. This bazar is built on a steep bank of shingle; and the house of the Bay is on the shore close by the bazar, and was intended to have been enclosed in a fort, which was begun after the conclusion of the last Russian war, but was never proceeded with beyond the foundations.

Six miles beyond Juruk Darah is the river called Shafkatil Su, which is the frontier of the Russian dependencies; on the south side is the Turkish village or town of Shafkatil, on the north the Russian fort of St. Nikolaï, or Nicholas, with a quarantine station.

It will now be understood where it was that Mastar Bay fell in with the Russians on the 20th of October last. It was not, as is supposed by the papers, on the great Juruk, but the little Juruk; but still the Russians were some six or seven miles beyond their frontier. Mastar Bay is said to have defended himself gallantly, and to have held his position, and sent to acquaint Selim Pasha with the circumstance of the Russian troops having crossed the frontier.

The latter then advanced with all the troops at his disposal, and the Russians having been reinforced by a body of troops from Redut Kalah, estimated at 15,000, an engagement of some importance took place, in

which the Turks are said to have been successful, so much so that Selim Pasha was enabled to take up his position at Shafkatil (the Chevkedy or Seerkedil of the papers, there being no such places, or anything like them, in the province of Gurial) and storm the fort of St. Nikolai, where he is said to have captured 100 prisoners, four guns, and 2000 muskets very likely a gross exaggeration, as the fort was a mere blockhouse, held by a handful of military colonists, possibly upon this occasion slightly reinforced. The son of Prince George Gurial is among these prisoners.

The Circassians had, with their usual active and energetic habits, been busy before this. Early in October they advanced direct upon Prince Woronzow's head-quarters at Tiflis, which they are said to have approached to within forty-five English miles. The prince had not above 15,000 men to oppose to these gallant mountaineers. Fortunately for him, Generals Nesterow and Bajatinsky came up with a reinforcement of 15,000 men; the battle was renewed, and Schamyl was obliged to retire into his mountains. The Circassians are also known to have attacked bodies of troops on their way to the Turkish provinces with considerable loss to the Russians. In the defiles of Zakartala the Russians are said to have been completely routed.

The operations of the Circassians were followed by like success on the borders of the Black Sea, where they are said to have taken no less than five fortified places, among which, Toprak Kalah, a place of some import-

ance.

The fort of Khartum is said at the same time to have been captured by the Kurds, that of Fuhla by the troops from Damascus, and those of Surminah Istrat and Kuchat by the Bashi Buzuks. The fortress of Dariel, on the right bank of the Terek, between Mesdok and Tiflis, was besieged by the Circassians and Ossetes ('Usitis). Each of these motley corps d'armées appears then to be acting on its own account, no doubt with the sole view to plunder; a mode of proceeding which argues as badly for the result of the campaign in the Caucasus, as has already attended upon the somewhat more orthodox proceedings on the

Danube.

The reports of the march of the Russian army upon Urgunji, or Oorgunge, the commercial capital of Khiva, and of an alliance between. Dost Muhammad of Kabul and Russia, have occasioned great excitement in India. Dost Muhammad having invaded and annexed, about two years ago, the portion of independent Tartary which lies north of the Hindhu Kush, around Balkh, it is supposed to be his interest to assist Russia in its views on Khiva and Bokhara, while his apprehensions from the Anglo-Indian army at Peshawur lead him to seek an alliance with a rival power. It is most probable that this is all surmise. That Russia is marching on Khiva, and intriguing with Dost Muhammad, is possibly perfectly correct, with the view of effecting a diversion, if not of bringing about the old mistake of a premature advance into Affghanistan on our part; but Russia cannot even threaten India till Khiva, Bokhara, Persia, and Affghanistan are subdued, or in alliance, and it is against all probability that a stanch old Mussulman like Dost Muhammad will enter into any sincere alliance with the Russians; on the contrary, the news from

the Persian side is, that he has been instigating the Shah to take the part of the Turks, and regain his own long-lost provinces. Under any circumstances, there is at present no danger whatsoever to our Indian possessions to be entertained from that quarter.

Thus, then, ends the first act in this politico-theological drama of such complicated and sanguinary aspect, and in which war and disease have already begun to play parts of sad significance. Whether the Russians will be able to take measures of reprisal at this advanced period of the year, and attempt an invasion of Bulgaria, must be a matter of great doubt. The pontoons are said to be on their way, and the long-expected corps of Osten Sacken is slowly advancing. Circumstances, however, far more favourable to Russian progress than such as have hitherto occurred-such as reinforcements, a better commissariat, improved sanitary condition of the army, and continuous mild weather-must be propitious, before it can be attempted, at this season of the year, to advance towards the central uplands of Turkey in Europe, which attain an elevation at Sophia of 2000 feet, and at Philippopolis of 1.100 feet, with the Balkhan to cross, and the climate of which (laying aside the tremendous difficulties presented by easily-defended passes, and strong strategetical positions in the hands of the Turks) is in winter peculiarly severe; while the resources of the country are, thanks to Osmanli misrule, exceedingly trifling; so much so, that if his Majesty the Sultan, his court, and personal guard, attended by the diplomatic corps, remove to Adrianople, they may fairly be expected to exhaust the miserable resources of the country before the Russians could have reduced Schumla and Varna.. It is perfectly useless, however, to speculate upon the future, where there are so many personal feelings engaged, so many interests concerned, and so many nations ready to strike. One thing alone is certain, that nothing could have been more fatal to the interests of peace than the victorious progress of the Turks. It would have aroused the ire of the Tsar to a point that would have been unappeased save by a war of extermination. As it is, the Turks and Russians have both had a short but sharp lesson; the former will probably become more open to amicable negotiations, and the latter more accessible to conviction. There are still hopes under existing circumstances; there would have been none under those so devoutly wished for by some short-sighted politicians. As to the cause of Christianity in the East, it would have been, had the Turks met with unaided success, to use an expression borrowed from another race-course than the political, nowhere.