NEWS OF THE WEEK.

Ws noted in our last number, very succinctly, the immediate conse- quences of the Russian advance into Roumili. The bulletins which have since arrived put us in possession of many particulars of which we were then ignorant, or which had reached us only through unau- thenticated channels. The passage of the Kamchi, and of the moun- tains, was opened ,to the troops under General Diebitsch by various successful manceuvres of that general on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of July. In marching over the mountains, General Rudiger led the right wing, General Roth the left ; Count Paden remained in reserve on the Kamchi ; while Admiral Greig, with three sail of the line and several frigates, proceeded to the bay of Missivri (Messembria) with transports and Provisions for the troops, and commenced a vigorous can- nonade of the town. On the 21st, Rudiger's advanced guard reached the top of the ridge. Roth took possession of Cape Emineh, the point where the higher Balkan touches the sea; and Count Pahlen moved to Arnautlar, following the route observed by Rudiger. The next day saw the yagers of the right division on the western declivity of the great rampart of Turkey, after a feeble attempt of a small party to stop their progress and put Roth in possession of Paliobano, after encountering Considerable difficulties from the road, but none from the . Turks. In the mean time, Abdul Raman, a Pacha of "three tails," who commanded the troops on the Kamchi, which General Diebitsch drove in on the 17th and 181h, as well as the garrisons of the towns on the gulf of Bourgas, assembled six or seven thousand men on the bank of a small stream that runs parallel to the base of the Balkan, and offered battle to Roth's corps. But it was merely an offer to' battle, for hardly. had the Russian artillery begun firing when the Turks abandoned their- position and fled. Leaving to the Cossacks the care of Abdul, Roth next advanced on Missivri ; the in. trenched camp was seized with a panic, and immediately surren- dered; and the town being pressed both by land and sea, followed its example. The garrison, two thousand in number, were marched out as prisoners of war on the 23rd, and the Russian flag hoisted over the fortress. On the morning of the same day, the troops that held Ahioglu evacuated that town ; and it was taken possession of by one of Greig's squadron ; and on the 24th, General Nabel, with the advanced guard, pushed forward to Bourgas. The commander of that town, with true Turkish wisdom, marched out to meet the Russians ; and being broken at the first charge, they scampered back to the fortress, followed at the heels by the victors; and being driven through the town, and out at the south gate, left Bourgas also in the undisputed pos- session of the invaders. Rudiger, who had been moving upon Aidos, reached it on the 25th; and after a brilliant affair, which we shall notice more particularly by and by, the Turks in that quarter were totally routed. Thus, in six days from the time that the passage was begun, the Balkan, hitherto deemed impregnable, was overcome; two corps d armee, one of seven and the other of ten thousand, were utterly defeated ; three fortresses and one important position were taken; and a vast number of prisoners, as well, as arms, ammunition, and other materiel of war, fell into the hands of the invaders, without anything like loss, and with a rapidity beyond all example. It may be supposed that such an unexpected succession of victories would not fail to put in circulation and give credibility to numerous reports of subsequent exploits. Accordingly, a very confident rumour Prevailed during the early part of the week, that another battle, greater than any of the former, had been fought at Kirk-kilisia (the Tessa- ra.conta Ecclesice or' Forty Churches of the ancients), a town about thirty miles east from Adrianople, in which the Turks had been again totally defeated; and this rumour, which was put forth with a sort of circumstantial exactness, was followed by another of rather a more conjectural form, that Constantinople had actually submitted to the Russian army, and the Crescent no longer glittered above the church of Sacred Wisdom. The chances of a battle at,Kirk-kilisia were the greater, if the Russians had marched on Adrianople, because the W- an, aware of the importance of the position, had, on the 11th, despatched orders for its foitification, as well as for the occupation of the passes of the Stanches Dagh or Lower Balkan, that lead from the sea-coast through Kirk-lcilisia to Adrianople. Later accounts from Constantinople spoke of a report current there, that these passes had been seized by the advanced guard of the Russians • that at Adria- nople nothing was- seen but terror and confusion ; and the greatest fears were entertained in the capital, not only from the enemy without, but from traitors within. The old spirit of the Janissaries, it would appear, was reviving amidst the distractions of the state and fifteen hundred houses had been burnt to the ground on the night of the 28th.

The story of the engagement at Kirk-kilisia has been proved to be unfounded, or the locality has been inacacurately stated. The doubts which from the beginning were entertained respecting it have been .confirmed by the arrival of a supplement to the bulletin of the Russian army under General Diebitsch ; from which we learn, that his head- quarters remained at Aidos on the 30th, three days posterior to the date of the alleged encounter. This additional bulletin puts us in pos- session of several particulars that we were not before acquainted with. It would appear that General Diebitsch had contrived as effectually to elude the Grand Vizier's vigilance in his last movement in advance, as he did in his celebrated march from hefore Silistria pievious to the action near Pravadi, where the Vizier suffered so severely. The pri- soners that fell into General Rudiger's hands on the capture of Aidos informed him, that it was not until the Russians had passed the Kamchi that the army of Shumla were at all aware of the object or direction of their march ; nor was it until the 20th that the Vizier set out from that town with a view to check or retard it. By delaying so long, the Turks suffered themselves to be cut off from the direct route; and it was by a considerable detour, and with the abandonment mid- way of he whole of their artillery save four pieces, that on the 23d a. body of ten thousand, mostly cavalry, reached Aidos. Already were Ru- diger's cossacks patrolling the road leading to that place, when the Turks came up to dispute their passage over the mountains. The capture of Aidos was not achieved without difficulty. The first party of cossacks were driven in with loss ; but the superior science of the Russian com- mander soon turned the scale in his favour. The position of the Turks in the rear of the town, between the `vvestern road leading through Karnabat to Adrianople and the northern which leads to 'Shumla, was turned ; and the Vizier and his broken and scattered troops were com- pelled to fly to the mountains, leaving somewhat more than a tithe of their number killed, wounded, and prisoners behind them. The only movement of consequence reported since the taking of Aidos, is the occupation of Karnabat, a town about fifteen miles farther west. The Russians were received by the miserable inhabitants of Karnabat with the liveliest joy. The Turks, it appears, had plundered and destroyed all before them in their retreat ; and even the presence of their enemies was deemed a blessing compared with the oppression of their friends. The Turkish army seems indeed to be utterly destitute of every quali- fication to obtain success or to keep it. The following description of the bands rather than troops on whom the defence of Roumili and the Sultan is now laid, is from an English Colonel who had been tempted to join them. We quote it from the Courier of last night ; and a more graphic and apparently voracious picture of the gallant Tacticoes has not been -previously laid before the public. It is dated " Rostchik, July 15."

" I do not know whether you got my last letter, which was forwarded from the capital ; if so you would have learnt of my being sent up here as the third in command of the artillery. I arrived here about a month back, and can assure you I am heartily sick of my command, and everything belonging to it. Figure to yourself a country not unlike the Sierra, without vegeta- tion, mountainous, bleak, cold, wet, and unhealthy. The army, if such a congregation of vagabonds can be called an army, in want of every thing— stores, clothes, and discipline. The guns, in number 14, in my brigade, badly mounted, and worse formed, cattle starved, and the whole perfectly tfnmanageable. " Upon my arrival,! went first and reported myself to the General, along- bearded and ignorant Turk. I found him in a sort of ruined hut, surrounded by Greeks, Turks, Nubians, renegadoes, and scoundrels of all nations, with a tolerable sprinkling of French and Germans. He scarcely condescended to notice me ; and after I had informed him of the state of the roads, &e., and hinted something of a more vigilant look-out being kept, he turned from me, muttering something about God being good, and I took my leave. I next day got orders for this`place, which you will search for in vain in the map, but if you find Bourgas it is fifteen miles from thence. When I joined, I found the corps about three-hundred strong, twelve German, and three French officers, as jealous of each other as can be imagined, and the men without discipline, and perfectly independent of their officers. Devil a bit of commissariat. I have lived entirely upon lentils, beans, oil, and hope, and begin to be tired of my feed.

"Upon the rumours of the Russians' approach, desertion began ; and no one deserted without first robbing his comrades or his officer. Poor Fritz, the red-haired German, who dined with us in Leicester-square (I begin to think I shall not see that again in a hurry). before we left England, was found killed; and others who survive have been as bad as possible from ague.

"So little hope have I of success here, under our present command, that if I had any chance of vetting away, I should not hesitate in risking it. What can I do ? My men are all gone; they have robbed me of every thing; my officers have followed them ; and if! remain here starvation stares me in the face. If those d—d Russians would come, I would give myself up, and take my chance. Yet this place is the strongest in the world: if I had the old 71st, 52d, and half a brigade of English artillery, I would make it good against the world. I know nothing of what the Russians are about ; but this I know, that if they appear here, and act boldly, they will find nothing that can withstand them; if they hesitate, possibly we may take heart of grace ; but from what I see here, I have no doubt in saying that the whole of the Balkan can be passed if they put a bold face upon the matter, and after that there is no advantage of ground that can be useful to protect undisci- plined troops against disciplined ones. The Russians will have plenty of room to act, and they can hardly fail. " I do not think the discipline of the troops at Constantinople has been sufficiently advanced to make them at all useful against regular troops. The only good troops the Sultan has are the artillery ; and -they, being Greek chiefly, are not to be depended on. The discipline adopted by the infantry has deprived them of their own desultory mode of warfare, without giving them any other in lieu thereof.

" I have sent four copies of this to you by various hands, and hope some one of them may reach you. The bearer of this will tell you more, if he come to England. At any rate we are agreed that this is worse than South American warfare, and you can imagine that bad enough. God bless you."

Of the number of the Russian troops that have crossed the Balkan, we can have no certain account. There is every reason to suppose that it is not great. A letter received within these few days by art eminent

literary character in town, (it has not appeared in print) estimates it at only 20,000 ; and the writer adds, that at Bourgas and the other

towns on the gulf, the plague rages with great violence, and that its ravages have been extended to the Russian camp. This fact suffici- ently accounts for the comparative inaction of General Diebitsch from the 25th to the 30th. At the same time it cannot be of long continu- ance. Ten thousand men are said to have been landed at Sizeboli on the 27th; and although this wants confirmation, there can be no doubt, that with the Black Sea wholly at their command, and abundance of harbours in their possession, the invaders cannot long is rein- forcements. Varna is but a few hours, and even Odessa s but three or four days sail from Bourgas. The same letter to which we have alluded speaks of the whole of the country through which the writer had passed in his journey to Constantinople, as completely destitute of troops. At Adrianople there was not one to be seen So that in fact, unless in the capital, the Russians have scarcely an enemy before them or behind.

On the Asiatic as on the European side, the power of the Ottomans is equally crumbling to pieces ; although the more distant, and for the moment less consequential operations of Paskewitsch, are little at- tended to compared with those of his rival in the path of military glory —Diebitsch. On the 5th of June, General Paskewitsch took possession of Hassam Kale, (Theodosiopolis), which its garrison had abandoned. The fortress is a strong one, and the Key of Erzeroum. Next day the General sent Mamisch Aga, a former chief of the Janissaries, to Erzeroum with a proclamation, in which he offered the most unlimited

freedom of religion and security of private property ; and on the strength of which he called on that city to surrender to his Imperial Majesty. The proposal was discussed with an animation and spirit by no means agreeing with our notions of Turkish phlegm.

"On the 8th," says the General, "in the morning, a Capidgi Baschi, sent by the Seraskier and Mamisch .Aga, deputed by the citizens, came to my bivouac, three hours' march from Erzeroum. Mamisch gave me a paper, in which the elders of the city promised the assent of all the inhabitants to my proposals. The Capidgi Baschi assured me verbally, that the Seraskier agreed to surrender the place ; but at the same time he expressed, in a very equivocal manner, his fears that the sight of the Russian army under the walls of Erzeroum might rouse the fanaticism of the inhabitants, and induce them to make a vigorous resistance ; and he therefore begged me to suspend our march. I however thought it best to advance, hoping to increase the apprehensions of the Seraskier and his troops, and give the well-disposed inhabitants more resources to oppose the obstinate part and insist on the surrender of the city. The corps advanced by a defile to the summit of the mountain, whence it descended into the valley, where the populous suburbs of Erzeroum extend, and the embattled walls of the fortress and the citadel rise. The troops halted five wersts from the city, there being no water beyond. As soon as our first regiments appeared on the heights, a small corps of cavalry came out of the city, and began a fusillade with

our piquets ; which continued to the evening, without our returnino.s a single shot. Having stopped on the mountain, I did every thing to flatter the depu-

ties of Erzeroum. I prepared a written answer to the declaration (also in writing)of the inhabitants, which the citizens had sent me, and another an- swer in the same spirit to the Seraskier. I gave both, to the deputies, whom I sent back at five p. m., accompanied by Major-General Prince Bekowitsch Tcherkasky, to whom I gave particular instructions how to behave to the in- habitants and the Seraskier, in order to give them more confidence in my

promises. I desired him to let me know before ten in the morning the re- sult of his negotiations ; and before nine be sent one of the elders of the city to inform me that the people who had assembled to decide the question had passed the whole night in debating it; and though the majority was in our favour, yet as soon as the smallest doubt arose, the turbulent populace broke out into murmurs, crying 'Let us not dishonour religion.' Four times these

vociferations were heard, and four times was the house occupied by the Prince surrounded by these furious groups. The people in general changed their minds every moment, now inclining to surrender, and now to resist vi- gorously. At length, towards the morning, the Prince induced the Seraskier and the elders to send me this deputy to announce their final resolution to open the gates at four p. m."

Considerable resistance was offered notwithstanding, from a body of mutineers within the city ; but the determined advance of the Russians at length put them to flight, and Erzeroum was taken possession of. "Thus, in fourteen days," concludes General Paskewitsch, with justi- fiable pride,

. . . . " after leaving the provinces conquered last year, your Ma- jesty's brave troops have passed two lofty chains of mountains, still covered with snow ; have destroyed the Turkish army, taken two camps, with the important fortress of Hassam Kale ; all the enemy's parks of artillery, and his field-pieces, and having thus made it impossible for him to think of de- fence, have obliged him to deliver up the centre of his power in the East, a fortress and a citadel which might have sustained a siege ; lastly, there were taken prisoners, the Seraskier himself, Commander-in-chief of the army, and Governor of all Asiatic Turkey, and four of his principal Pachas."

While the pillars of his house are thus tottering under him, it would appear that the Sultan shows in. public at least a bold face. The letters that reached town on Thursday describe him as about to march to Adrianople (one account says he had actually set out) preceded by the sacred banner of Islamism, and accompanied by the whole host of the faithful ; and the Globe of yeSterday describes this account as confirmed by the despatches which have reached Governtrtent. Indeed former letters from Constantinople report a speech of his to the par port that he would resist the Russians to the gates of St. Sophia, and perish there, rather than yield. We rather incline to think that the opinion of the Sultan's boldness is not altogether well-founded. From the notice in the Courier of yesterday, on which we are disposed to place more reliance than on the statement of the Globe, it would appear that Mahmoud is at last sensible of his situation, and really dreads the issue of the contest. At the same time, it is possible that he may adopt from desperation what he is said to have contemplated from obstinacy. Should the Sultan really march to Adrianople with his rabble rout, we can hardly imagine a movement better fitted to secure the perfect triumph of his enemies. The slightest inspection of Valentine's map will show that nothing can be more easy than for Diebitsch, by one of his rapid and masterly movements, to turn that city, and place himself between it and the capital; in which case, we rather suppose the next bulletin will inform us, that the famous green flag, which is expected to work such wonders, is on its way to St. Petersburg, and the Sultan is quietly enjoying his chibonk in the tent of the Russian Commander.

Speculations on the future progress of the war are, however, ren- dered extremely uncertain, from the rapidity with which the different scenes of the interesting drama succeed one another. We shall not therefore at present indulge in any.