Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1876 — The Division of Nations. [ARTICLE]

The Division of Nations.

mention at this time. The revolt ot the The confect* that ensued resulted in the Hashing of all the ouilaylne towns of Herzegovina bv the Turks, the maaaaore of a few hundred old E&SJife&S: in tbemoontain fsatemee. of the provmee that has joutteued up to the present day.> .’ „ '—S The seeds of dissension onoe •own, it was not long before they •bread to the adjoining provinces. •n? —» skAtMfl AnAAoMnw ft/l th« OtMNn«i nhi JBrlS»i» srsussj'ixsjujrsi ud htt.nr. MttnSr Ml W with tojdayM<e these provinces is •rasH*, computed with «&tf of the remainder of the ■S£Z r the moat trained to diet For berents of partly for re waged eas Turks bitterness, cent have atrocities romen and /mpathetic shudder has passed through the entire civilised world st their re* eitaL In one village alone, in Bulgaria, over three thousand women and ohildiee, left unprotected by the exigeoeiee of war, were brutal Iv murdered, sad their oaroaewee loft to rot hi the sub. Atroeitiea Uke these—and the la stanee mentioned is not exoeptiooal —naturally evoked a protest from the other nations in Swope. Bat it is perhaps singular that the first power to take positive Steps in the matter is Rossis, commonly supposed to be the least enligbteaad of all the continental powers. Humanity may have dictated it; it tnay be that sympatliy for suffering coreligionists may have prompted the interferaiioe, hut these motives do not always actuate emperors, or govern them in their policy toward other nations. Self-interest is more powerful than either of the other motiven, and to it we must look for the reason of Rassia’s action. For generations the Csars of Russia have oast covetous eyes upon the beautifbl country, the fine strategic location, ot European Turkey. To annex it to Russia, and give the Muscovites control of the Black Sea and a strong foothold on the Mediterranean has been the all-ab-sorbing ambition of the Romanoflk Without this Russia can never become a maritime nation j with the seaports of Turkey Russianized, tne Czar's navy would rule the Mediterranean. To gratify this ambition the Czar Nicholas engaged in die Crimean war; hie failure to •ooomplish it brake hie heart. As a Mesne to this end Alexander broke the treaty st Parte at a time when France was powerless to enforoe it, and as another endeavor to the same purpose he has now practioally invaded die soil of Turkey. That this action on the part ot Russia presages a general European war does not admit of a doubt Great Britain, already thoroughly aroused to jealoeay by the aggressions of Russia in the direedoa of her Indian provinces, cannot let this lest move for aspendancy pern without protest. That she wUI protest, and that at the cannon’s Month, is evident. JpVtsbe will not do it single-banded, rrooee has an interest almost coequal with Great Britain in cheeking the dominance of Russia; and if, as the dispatches indicate, Russia has the eupportof Germany, the motive of France to take a hand in the fight wiH be intensified by her hatred of her old enemy. If Germany proves the ally of Russia it is for hut one purpose = —a purpose that has been long cherished—the dismemberment ot the Austrian Empire, and the aaHistion to Germany ot the AmI ante states. Self-defense ipt Austria to ally herself !»t Br.ttin sod France, tfe her neighbors < n Is or become a common for their armies, for granted that the cable « represent the situation , we see nearly the whole

of Europe is battle array. On the one aide are the two aggressive powers of the continent—-Russia and Germany—on the other the fonr more conservative nations— Great Britain, France, Austria, and Italy—with the Turkey-hone to fight over—a mere pawn on the European ohess-board, but holding the key to the position all desire to °%he results of such a conflict are of course mere matters of conjecture; but to arrive at probabilities we mast consider tho relative strength of the powers likely to be engaged. The aggressive jjprty— Russia and Germany—are* almost without n navy and must therefore depend upon their land forces. The peace and war footing of the Russian army in 1878—and there has been little change since—was as follows: Pansa. Wart Infantry M 864,422 004.511 Odvalty..... J 88,800 49,188 Artillery • aeaaaa## •••••••• #*a 41,781 48,778 Kifjliiilfia aa a aap a* 18,418 16,203 T0ta1....... 808,670 To this naiiber may bo added 120,000 moo classed as local troops, and lfifoQßOmen as irregular troops. Every lutt between 18 and 45 years of age Is subjeot to military doty, slid of Coarse the army ean be recruited to almost any extent The Gorman aenfy mm bardlybe said to have a peace footing. Tho empire is always prepared for war, as mgy bo coca by the following table, representing the present strength of the g oeeeeeaoeees# 4M.781 23,756 754 QMakf» M m4.4.M..,mM.n 62,284 68,962 88,821 • 64.860 Bnrinsew ... 16.467 8,221 Trite... 88,816 48,886 Staff awl administration 14,029 18,404 242,979 18,989 Q*ntmm tivopA »»••*••••*• 481,809 84,622 Trial 1.26MH 208,0981 Germany has a navy consisting at the present time of 48 steam vessels, mostly ironclads of the latest stylo, besides 45 sailing veasels and hospital ships, mounting In all 593 guns. The Russian fleet consists of 274 steam vessels—Bß of the number being ironolad gunboats—and 26 sailing crafL These mount in all about 1,400 guns, but only three of the vessels carry ordnance of Urge caliber. Opposed te these 2,000400 of •ol4ier£ sod and hone, and nearly 400 vessels of war, wc hive the anoios and qavies of Great Britain, France, Austria, and Italy. Their force may be briefly summarised as follows: SXJttT BSITJUX. la tkefejH of att BuMrselstt auxiliary form 446,651 . 452,085 This, is independent of 62,924 men serving in India, and 21,470 serving in the colonies, part of whom may be called upon in case of war. FRANCE. The force of France consists of Active army . 706,000 Keeerve of active army 610,000 Temporary exemptions 141,000 Permaneat part of anuy............ 120,000

*«al - 1.476.000 It is estimated that in case of immediate necessity the effective toroe of the army would not greatly •xoeed 1,000,000 men, although the natnber indicated above coo Id be thrown into the field alter reasonable warning. AUSTRIA. The war establishment of Austria it as follows: Infeatry SNtIMH **• •••••••••••• 485,440 WNNw*#,,,#., . • m.••••••••••••••••»••••• a• «• 58.480 Cavalry 58,670 Artillery ... 60.780 BngiMsn, He IttiNUNiflN *••«*••••••• eweesM. 88,760 Total-. 752.080 ITALY. Ths war betfagsf Ikt Italian army coarisu of 861,009 mm. proportionally divided bstws»a ths fiftmt btuschss of tbs Aa teporiaat helsr te tbs strsogtb of tho notion* fa (Mr narks. Tbs British asoy awalksi bit y^tmtlMfttwy ftMMof thohosvkH IBs world, ths Jktpllaa throughout As aMyls exeriFrnaoo h only «t*oud to Owti Britain. 11l Zitiwiiili, bat as thoy an of s a-nalkr dm than those of Groat Britain they oaa hardly bo rsokoaod as ofttetivo. Tbit navy b wonsad by 78,000 offcon sad maria M. Austria’! navy, although comparatively ■Mil bastes those of Great Britain and Frants, bof so moan proportions. It eonriots of 42 line-of-baitlo ships (ctonm) and 22 sailing vooooU of war, carrying in all 796 guns, sad manned by 14,600 an. ltaty has s small bat very superior naval foroo, oonrirtiag of >8 atosm vasoolo of war, ewr/iaffß79 puns, and 8 sailing vssosb, with an armmamoot of 104 guns. It wUI be seen bv the above exhibit that If the division ot forces takes place as indicated above—and if war must come no other division seems possible—the odds, both ns to land and naval forces, is largely in favor of the British and their allies. And the result—conceding the propositions made — cannot be different from the result of the Crimean war In 1884, severely disastrous to the sggrpppivo M uspoyjte —//tier Ocean.