conçus dans un esprit favorable au développement des transactions commerciales.

Pour donner aux intérêts commerciaux et maritimes de toutes les nations la sécurité désirable, la Russie et la Sublime Porte admettront des consuls dans leurs ports situés sur le littoral de la mer Noire, conformément aux principes du droit international.

'Art. 13.—La mer Noire étant neutralisée, aux termes de l'article 11, le maintien ou l'établissement sur son littoral d'arsenaux militaires-maritimes devient sans nécessité comme sans objet. En conséquence, Sa Majesté l'Empereur de toutes les Russies et Sa Majesté impériale le Sultan s'engagent à n'élever et à ne conserver sur ce littoral aucun arsenal militaire-maritime.'

THE RESOURCES

CHAPTER X.

AND ARMED

STRENGTH OF RUSSIA AND

TURKEY AT THE PRESENT TIME.

Events connected with Eastern Question from Treaty of Paris up to Present Time-The Russian Army--Russian Railroads-Roumania, Servia, Montenegro, and Greece-Resources of Turkey-Turkish Army

WE have carried the history of the various and many wars between Russia and Turkey up to the close of the great contest in the Crimea, which resulted in the treaty of Paris. From the date on which this was signed up to 1870 affairs in the East wore a most tranquil aspect. Russia, deprived of the power of organising hostile armaments in the Black Sea, devoted herself to internal reforms and to the construction of railways, which unhappily for the country through which they run, and for those who advanced money to further their development, were laid down solely on strategic principles without any regard to their commercial utility, or to the convenience of the inhabitants for whose use they were nominally intended. It must, however, be mentioned that before Russia had had time to recover from the exhaustion consequent on the struggle she maintained for two years against the

Western Powers, she had to undergo a trial which, if anything, tested her strength and paralysed her resources even more than, or certainly as much as, almost any of the external wars in which during the course of her history she has so frequently been engaged.

In 1863 there was a Polish insurrection, or rebellion it might more properly be termed. So serious was this outbreak, and so strong and even savage were the measures taken to repress it, that intervention was meditated and even proposed by some of the other European Powers. The Emperor Napoleon suggested a conference to settle the affairs of Russia, just as a conference was recently proposed to settle the affairs of Turkey. Eventually he was not supported, the idea of the conference fell through, and the Polish rebellion was crushed with a high hand; probably the stories of Russian atrocities at the time were in a great measure fabricated or exaggerated, but that they were fully credited in this country is proved by the indignation meetings that were held throughout the country to protest with that warmth of heart that characterises the English people against oppression and barbarous cruelty. İt may be added that in 1865 there was a Druse and Maronite war in Syria, which was suppressed by a temporary occupation of French troops.

During this period the Turk was indulging in the, to him novel, amusement of borrowing money from other nations, and of wasting it on himself; not indeed that the waste was novel, but the power of borrowing was one of

the many advantages which he derived from the Crimean War. Had the money thus freely lent him been fairly or profitably expended, the Turkish empire might now be in a flourishing condition, and its inhabitants might be contented and well-doing. As it is, there are nothing but some ironclads, some big guns, and a number of imperial palaces to show for the vast sums of which foreign bondholders have been robbed.

In

Thus fourteen years passed away almost without incident, so far as the Eastern Question was concerned. 1870, however, as soon as the fall of Metz was announced, Russia, without further warning, gave notice to her representatives at foreign courts that there were some clauses in the treaty of Paris which she must decline to consider any longer binding. The clauses referred to were those given above, and which relate to the neutralisation of the Black Sea. After some negotiations, her demands were acceded to; at the time England and perhaps Austria were the only two Powers who were in a position to offer even a protest at this sudden and high-handed announcement. Both Germany and France were far too busily engaged to enter into such matters; Austria pursued her accustomed policy of a masterly inactivity, and the Government of the day in England, which was the power above all others affected by the proposed concession, apparently did not realise the magnitude of the point they then without difficulty yielded. As it happens, the finances of Russia have lately been too embarrassed, and the time has

been too short to enable her to profit by the great privilege which she then gained without effort or danger. She is still comparatively powerless in the Black Sea, and as yet there is no great arsenal, like Sebastopol, either to menace Constantinople or to shelter the fleet which doubtless in the course of a few years she will not fail to create. In considering, therefore, the resources of the two ancient and traditional combatants, should they again come to blows, we have only to consider the land forces of Russia; her fleet is now so inferior in point of numbers to that of Turkey, that it may be left out of the question.

In estimating the forces of Russia, it must be remembered that there is much on paper that does not exist in reality, and that her military system is now in a transition state. The following extracts from some articles that recently appeared in the Times give in a concise form an account of her army, and of the methods in which it is raised. The author is not responsible for these articles himself, nor does he know who wrote them; as, however, they appear to be specially valuable, he ventures to make some extracts.

There are at present at work in Russia two different systems. The old one was in use up to 1874; the new one is not yet, and will not for a long time be in working order. Both systems are complicated, and we must endeavour to avoid confusing the reader with too many details. Let us begin with the old system. Though we have marked the division between the two systems in force by the year 1874, the reform, or re-orga