Delaware Journal

The Foreign News. The Napoleon packet ship from Liverpool has arrived at New-York, bringing London dates to the 2nd ult. nine days later than these by the John Jay. By this arrival, the fact is placed beyond doubt, that the campaign in the east of Europe, has terminated unfavorably, if not disastrously, for the Russians. The bulletin of the Russian army is received, giving an account of the operations of Count Wittgenstein's army from the 17th of October, to the 10th of November—the siege of Choumla was abandoned on the 15th Oct. and on the 19th, the retreating corps was attacked by 5000 Turkish cavalry and a detachment of infantry and artillery—these the bulletin says were defeated, & the corps pursued its retreat unmolested. The blockade of Silistria was raised on the 10th of November, and the troops began their march to their winter quarters in Moldavia and Wallachia. The bulletin assigns the excessive and unusual severity of the weather, as the cause of these retrograde movements. It does not speak of any extraordinary losses or sufferings on the retreat, but the German and French papers describe them as immense, and speak of it as a second edition of the Moscow rout. They also describe it as a measure forced upon the Russians by the vigorous and reiterated attacks of the new Grand Vizier Mahomet Ali, who formerly commanded the naval forces at Navarino. Making due allowances for palliations and exaggerations on either side, there is little doubt, that a forced retreat, in such weather as the bulletin describes, over bad roads, and through a ravaged, exhausted and hostile country, with a daring and exasperated enemy hanging on their flanks and rear, must have been sufficiently disastrous to disorganize, if not totally destroy the Russian army. It appears certain, that they have lost the whole fruits of the European part of the campaign, except Kalafat on the Danube and Varna—the latter of which is completely isolated by the retreat of the main army, and left with a small garrison of 6000 men, its fortifications ruined by the late siege, to maintain itself against the now concentrated force of the Turks, who are animated by victory, and determined upon its recapture. The humiliation of the Russians would be complete, but for the success of their army from Georgia, on the Asiatic side of the Black Sea, under Gen. Paskewitch, whose operations, according to former accounts, had been conducted with great skill and with uniform success. The failure, however, of the main army, and its retreat, will arrest the progress of the Asiatic General, and most probably compel him likewise to abandon his conquests.

The reflections arising from these events are obvious and interesting. The Turks, whose doom, a little while ago, was regarded as sealed, whenever the Russian armies chose to cross the Pruth, have, single handed, resisted and triumphed over these formidable armies, with an energy and vigor more remarkable than have characterized their efforts, in any contest in which they have been engaged for a century past. They commenced the campaign under the most unpromising appearances—their resources were supposed to be exhausted by the long and sanguinary war in Greece—their marine had been annihilated at Navarino—the Janissaries, who had previously constituted the strength of their armies, were exterminated;—and under these inauspicious circumstances, they were called upon to contend against the most formidable power in the world; a power whose resources had been sedulously cultivating and accumulating for years; whose armies were the most numerous and best appointed in Europe; who had for half a century regarded Turkey as its destined prize, and now supposed that the appointed time for the accomplishment of the destiny had arrived. The success of the Turks, under such circumstances, the vigor and ability of their councils, and the promptitude and valor of their armies, have baffled the calculations of statesmen and disappointed the anticipations of quidnuncs, more signally, than any political event of similar magnitude within our recollection. These events throw an additional light upon the politic and energetic character of the Sultan Mahmoud; whose plans of reform, executed as we have seen with inexorable rigor, in the case of the Janissaries, now appear to have been dictated by the wisest foresight, and promise a new era in the history of Turkey—for supported as he now is, by the success of his armies and the animation of victory, his future progress in the path of improvement will probably be easy and uninterrupted. Turkey will then be a formidable power—not such as she was in the days of Solyman the magnificent, overawing and threatening Christian Europe—but still standing as the outpost of Mahomedanism, and maintaining its crescent in the centre of christendom.

The designs of Russia would appear to be completely baffled, for a long time to come. Since the battle of Waterloo, and the disappearance of Napoleon from the stage, her power and ambition have been viewed with dread and apprehension by the rest of Europe—these feelings undoubtedly had their influence in producing on their part that apparent calm and acquiescence which attended her enterprise against Turkey, an enterprise, which neither Austria, France nor England could regard without the most disquieting and anxious feelings. The repulse of the Russian armies, will embolden them now to interfere in favour of Turkey, either by arms or negociation, as the case may require. Austria, whose policy has often been manifest in favor of Turkey during the Greek war, and who, from her vicinity to Russia, is most deeply interested in setting bounds to her ambitious strides, has long been prepared, with formidable armies on her frontiers, to avail herself of such an emergency as the present; and nothing would appear to be easier than the passage of an English and French squadron into the Black Sea to operate against the Russians in that vulnerable quarter. On the whole, the reasonable inference from the late intelligence, appears to be, either that a peace will be concluded this winter between Russia and Turkey, on terms favorable to the latter, or that Russia will have to contend, in the spring, with Austria, France and England as the allies of Turkey.