Ramsgate, 25 August 1877 
2 Adelaide Gardens 

Dear Moor, 

Through Schorlemmer you will already have received news of 
the Longuets, Lafargues and ourselves’ either the day before 
yesterday or yesterday at the latest; since then you will have heard 
from Jenny direct about the little chap’s* illness which has caused 
her somewhat excessive alarm; according to a letter from her 
today, the boy is out of danger, fortunately. 

We leave here on Tuesday” after a seven-week stay? which 
has done me a great deal of good but fallen far short of our 
expectations so far as Lizzie is concerned. WEATHER PERMITTING, I 
shall probably have to subject her to an even more drastic change 
of air.**” 

I congratulate you on your liver’s restoration to health. You 
must certainly make for the hills of the Black Forest. I asked 
Schorlemmer to bring you the map of Baden I-used in 1849%°° 
and trust he has done so. You may find it of use; considering the 
scale, the high ground in particular is very well drawn. 

No doubt you are at last having better weather. We have done 
splendidly here. When it was raining everywhere else, it was 
merely overcast here. Two rainy afternoons in seven weeks, and 
today the first really wet day—and even then with longish 
breaks—so one can hardly complain of that. The rain, such as it 
was, fell mostly at night. 

The immobility of the Turks may be largely attributed to the 
want of a train. To enable an army, not merely to fight, but to 
move about freely, seems to be beyond the ability of all barbarians 
and semi-barbarians; their army, organised with great difficulty 
along something approaching modern lines (for fighting), is 
expected to move about with the appiiances of an old barbarian 
army. They have introduced modern weapons, but the ammuni- 
tion pertaining thereto must tag along of its own accord. They 
organise and concentrate brigades, divisions and army corps in 
accordance with the rules of modern strategy, but forget that, 

a Jean Longuet - > 28 August 

unlike a band of janissaries, spahis or nomads, these cannot fend 
for themselves. This is already evident in the case of the Russians, 
and even more so in that of the Turks; hence, where armies of 
this kind are concerned, any calculation will err that ascribes to 
such military formations the mobility of the Western Europeans. 

The blunders now being perpetrated by the Turks are all due 
to the anxiety which Gurko’s advance has aroused in Constan- 
tinople. Instead of being ordered to link up immediately—via 
the passes unoccupied by the Russians—either with Osman or 
Mehemet Ali, Suleiman is to make an immediate stand against the 
Russians and provide immediate protection for Constantinople. 
Hence the useless carnage on the Shipka Pass,’ part of a 
combined operation which had been agreed with the other two 
armies and, being as usual unsynchronised, had miscarried. None 
of this, however, has made any difference, and once again 
everything will be the same as it was before. 

The cotrarse of the Russians’ military organisation is complete. 
They admit to losses of 15,000 men during the fighting (in 
Europe); their losses from sickness must amount to twice that or 
more. Transport completely Broken pown. Not one road under 
construction anywhere. Camp police non-existent. Even without 
the chmate, the filth and the putrefying corpses would be enough 
to cause mass epidemics. Six Russian army corps, now eight, are in 
Bulgaria and, as a result of one battle, have been thrown back onto 
the defensive—of the most passive kind. Out of 50 Russian 
infantry divisions, 16 are on the Danube, 9 in the Caucasus and 
Asia, at least 5 are moving up, 6 are guarding the Black Sea and 
Baltic coasts, total 36; there remain 14, of which 2 are indispensa- 
ble to the Baltic provinces, hence 12 infantry divisions=at most 
120,000 men or, counting cavalry and artillery, 150,000 combat- 
ants available for all eventualities! And this against the ‘sick 
man’”**! Moreover, owing to a shortage of officers, new forma- 
tions are either impracticable or worthless. In short, it’s worse than 
during the Crimean War.” And the same stupidity into the 
bargain: impelled by rage at the defeat at Plevna*** they at once 
set colossal reinforcements in motion, although these will be able 
to operate for a month at most, during which time they will be 
useless and hard put to it to keep themselves in grub. And by the 
end of October at the latest it will be time to turn back-—back, 
proud Cid *—to the bare larders of Wallachia, not one bridge will 
remain across the Danube and at the end of May 1878 they will, if 

a J. G. von Herder, Cid, Canto 28. 

all goes well, begin again exactly where they began at the end of 
May 1877.°°° 
Best wishes to you all, 

Your 
F. E. 

By the way, the Turks may take a few more severe beatings 
before the winter but that’s of no consequence provided Constan- 
tinople doesn’t let this intimidate it.