Though the campaign in the East has not formally commenced,
the Russians claim further successes. A naval descent on the coast of Roumelia has put them in possession of Sissiboli, a fortress on the shores of the Black Sea ; and they had also burnt the Turkish camp beyond Kamtschik, which the Turks had previously aban- doned.
These and other small affairs are said to have increased the energy of the Sultan's preparations to open the campaign. The high fast of Ramadan had produced no relaxation in his efforts. The Sultan was expected to leave his camp near Constantinople to join the army on the 15th of March—one of the Turkish fortunate days. It would appear that a threatened scarcity of grain at Con- stantinople had at one time led the Government to contemplate the deportation of about thirty thousand Greeks, Armenians, and Jews.
Previous page
