THE TABLET WITH SUPPLEMENT.

A Weekly Newspaper and Review

DUMVOBISGRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the Brief of H is Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

Vol. 50. No. 1943. L ondon, J u l y 7, 1877.

P rice sd. By P ost stfd

[R egistered a t the General P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper

C hronicle of th e We e k :—

Page

The Crossing of the Danube and Subsequent Operations.— Thelm>perial Proclamation to the Bulgarians.— Provocation to “ Atrocities.”—The Campaign in Asia— Defeats of the Russians.— Turkey and Greece.—The British Fleet — England and Austria.— Preparation for the French Elections — Imperialists and Radicals.— Marshal MacMahon’s Order of -the Day.— M. de Fourtou’s Circular.—The County Franchise.— Mr. Gladstone on the Expected Supplementary Vote. — Disestablishment. — The “ Reformed Episcopal Church.” — Humanity to Biutes,. &c.................................. x

CONTENTS.

L eaders :

The Return of the Fleet to Besika

Bay. An Austrian Court of Justice .. Disintegration of the Prussian

Official Communion .. The Irish Land Question.. A rt :

Round the Galleries ..

Page

The Unkown Eros and other

Odes Foreign Policy.— England and the Eastern Question The Adventures of Nevil Brooke The “ Month ” for June ..

Short N otice :

Page

Daily Exercises .. .. ..12 C orrespondence:

How Lord Bacon Annulled the

Reputation of Those before Him .. .. .. ..12 SS. Anselm and Cecilia's Catholic

Young Men’s Society .. The Council of Trent and Angli can Orders An Inquiry .. Anglicans and Nestorians Monotheism the Primitive Reli gion of Rome The Unity of Christendom Crescent and Cross P arliam entary Summary R ome :— Letter from our own Cor respondent . . ..

17

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D iocesan N ews Westminster.........................................19

Beverley .. ..........................20 Hexham and Newcastle . . . . 20 Scotland—Western District . . 20 I reland

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent ........................ «.21 Foreign News

Germany .........................................22 Austria . . . . .. ..22 Ceylon . . .. .. . . 23 M emoranda :—

Educational......................... «*23 General N ews ................................. 24

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE CROSSING OF THE DANUBE

AND SUBSEQUENT OPERATIONS.

TH E Russian army has effected a lodgm ent on the southern bank o f the D anube, but a t what price it is im possible to determ ine with any accuracy or certainty. T h e science o f false in telligence has been carried to such a degree o f perfection that the most circum stantial statem ents have to be regarded with the utmost suspicion. T h e Russian official version, and that credited at Bucharest, is th a t the passage o f the river at S im n itza was effected with very little loss, and we hear o f only 100 k illed and 360 wounded as the numbers which have been counted. On th e other hand the Turkish story is that the carnage was fearful, and that while the invading army filed over the bridge under the destructive fire o f the O ttom an artillery, at least 6,000 were put hors de combat. T h e Turks, moreover, estim ate the number of Russians who have crossed at 60,000, while the news despatches from Bucharest represent them as only 30,000. This, however, is a point o f only m inor im portance, as i f the communications are kept up the army in Bulgaria may be reinforced at the rate o f 15,000 or 20,000 a day. But in this respect the Russians have not been fortunate. T h e bridge at S istova has been certainly broken down, whether by a storm, according to the Russian account, o r , as telegram s from Shumla assert, by the fire o f the Turkish ironclads, matters com paratively little. W hat is really im portant is that the advanced guard o f the Russian arm y was tem porarily cut off from its supports, and i f there had been a Turkish general with genius and resolution enough to bring an overwhelm ing force to crush it with one rapid and overpowering blow the destinies o f the campaign m ight have been strangely a ltered. There seems, however, no reason to believe that the O ttom an commanders are lik e ly to supply such an exciting spectacle to those in terested in strategical studies. T h e Turks have indeed offered a successful resistance, but have not apparently achieved anything in the nature o f a decisive victory. T h e invaders had marched as far in land as B iela, or Pavlo, p laces not far from each other, when they found a Turkish force barring their further advance. T h e Russians began the a ttack, as th ey have usually done in Asia, and were beaten back, as th ey have been elsewhere, and forced to fall back on S istova. But as to the extent o f the defeat or check we have no very satisfactory informat io n , for the news comes from Shumla, the wires which communicate with Rustchuk having been cut by the Bulgarians; and we have a t the same time despatches which report that flying Russian columns have appeared a t T irnova, far south o f the spot where their advance is

N ew Series, Vol. XVIII. No. 452.

said to have been arrested. This town o f T irn ova is about half way between the D anube and the Balkans, ly ing in a d irect practicable road between Rustchuk and the Schipka Pass, by which it leads through that chain to Hermanli, where it strikes the railway in the valley o f the Maritza, which communicates with Adrianople and C on stantinople. I t is at T irnova, as being nearly the central point o f Bulgaria north o f the Balkans, and also the ancient Capital of the Bulgarian Tsars, that the Russians have resolved to establish the seat o f their administration o f the province. T h e latest inform ation seems to point to an explanation o f the discrepancy between the statem ents respecting the advance o f the Russians. B ie la is situated on the Jantra, some way to the left off the direct road from S istova to T irnova, and it is quite possible that the colum n which was defeated there by the Turks may have been thrown o ff in that direction to mask the advance o f the main body on T irnova. I t has been a lleged indeed that that town has been a lready occupied, that Prince T cherkaski with his central administration has been established there, that the inhabitants, as well as those o f Matchin and Sistova, have been allow ed to choose their own ch ie f magistrates, and that Christians have been e lected and actually installed in their posts. And, though this statem ent seems to be premature, it is quite possible that Cossacks may have been seen— as a telegram from T irn ova asserts— within six hours’ distance from that place.

THE IMPERIAL PROCLAMATION TO THE BULGARIANS.

What the administration is to be is sketched out in the proclam ation which the Emperor A lexander has addressed to the Bulgarians at the moment o f the passage o f the Danube. “ A s fast,” he says, “ as the Russian troops “ advance in to the interior o f the country the

“ power o f the T u rk will be replaced by regular organisa“ tions ; the native inhabitants will be summoned to take an “ active part therein under the supreme direction o f special “ authorities, and new Bulgarian legions will be form ed to “ serve as the nucleus o f a lo cal armed force destined to “ maintain order and security.” T o the inhabitants o f Bulgaria generally the Emperor declares that the mission o f Russia is “ to build up and not to destroy. She is called “ by the decrees o f Providence to pacify and conciliate a ll “ races and a ll denominations in those parts o f Bulgaria “ which are inhabited by a population o f various origins ‘ ‘ and beliefs.” T h e Christians are assured that “ hence‘ ‘ forth the Russian arms will protect every Christian against ‘ ‘ all violence. N o a ttack will be made with im punity upon ‘ ‘ his person or his property by any one, and every crim e ‘ ‘ will be follow ed by fitting punishment. T h e life, liberty, “ honour, and property o f every Christian will be equally ‘ ‘ guaranteed, to whatever class he may belong. V engeance “ w ill not guide our acts, which will be presided over so le ly