The Fall Of Plevna

The deoisive event in tho war in Bmgarin, so long awaited, has come at last. Plevna hns capitnliited, after a hard fight, in whioh Ghozi Osman himself wib voundcd. Tho fall of tho Bulgarian trongiiold, which will take a worthy jlace iu history by tho side of Sarajossa, Sebastopol, Stmsbourg, and Kars, ■was by no means inglorioxis, for is deenders were dying oL hunger, and had leid out against a vastly superior force, nvesting them on every side, for more ;han fonrmouths. Numberless aBsaults ïave been repelled with heroism; mnger, fatigue, and exposure have jccii endured. Two battles of appalling magnitude have been fought, and in eaoh the defenders haveinflicted terrible dcfeat upon the assailants. But in epite of the utmost 'beroism and endurance the end must como at last, and starvation has dono what Üie enemy's storming parties and siege-guns and trenches could not accomplish. Por, though the oapitulation has taken plnce at the end of a great battle, that battle would have resulted as dicl those which went before it if the defenders had not been reduced by hunger to a condition in which they could make no effectual resistance. In Osman Pasha the Kussians found an opponent of no mean ability. It ws he ■who rendered Plevna so strong, and liis work was done in an amazingly short space of time. Toward the end of July, when the Kussians crossed the Danube at Sistova, Osman was in command at Nikopolis. Compelled to abandon that point, he feil back with his army upon Plevna, and, when the Russians reached the vicinity of that city less than two weeks afterward, they found it surrounded by a continuous line of redoubts, covering the crests f tho two ranges of bilis which command it on al; sides. The genius of the Tarkish commander had in a fortnight rendered the place impregnable. Entirely unsustained by his ohief, he showed tho same masterly ability in defending Plevna that be did in its fortification; and thai his soldiers rere worthy of their commander is shown in the 'terrible slaughter which they, armed -mih Yankee rifles, inflicted upon the cnemy. The result of this cveni, wíñch is by far the most important of tho war, wil' be disastrous to the Turks. Set free from Plevna, the maiu body of the army of the Grand Duke Nicholas will press forward to the Sdiipka pass and iuvade Rouinelia. Nothing has prevented the Grand Duke from making this movenient bilt tho danger of leaving Plevna on bis flank. 'Die attempt of Suleiman Paaha against Tirnova bas apparently already como to a standstill; and, if thai General could effect nothiag against the right wing of the Ozarowitch, he can have no hope of prevailing against the overwhelrning force whieh the capitulation of Plcvna will libérate. Within a week the seat of war will be transferred to the eouth side of the Balkans; uulesB, indeed, the Sultan should express bis earnest desire to treat for peaoej and the scat of war be transferred to the counci chambers. It does not seem likely tb the Turks will attempt mueh further resistance in their jjresent enfecbled condition, and thero is no reason to believe that the Knssiaus will miss an opportunity to gaiu what they want withou further bloodshed and expenditure should sucli opportunity offer. The presente of the Graud Duke's array ii the neighborhood of Adiianoplc wouU stimulate powerfully the Sultan's desire to treat, but the permanent conditions of peace will never be arranged directb between the Sultan and the Czar. The questions at issue cannot be settled now without a Enropean understanding, ani in estabu'shiug that understanding therc is no knowing what new complications maj arise.