‘The Russo-Turkish War. 1877. Operations in Europe.’ [‎7r] (13/66)

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rocky slopes. The soil is clay and marl, covered with 2 feet of black
earth of very great fertility where there is plenty of water. There are also
forests which preserve to the soil its humidity and prevent the rivers from
drying up during the year.
“ The Akermann district, situated south of the above line, and the districts
of Odessa and Tiraspol to the east of the Dniester belong to the “ Steppe.” The
Steppe is a gently undulating plain, the watercourses running at the bottom of
shallow valleys. It is perfectly open, treeless, dries up in consequence very
quickly, which renders it poor in water. The rivers which flow into the Black
Sea are for the most part entirely dry in summer, or rather they are dammed up
into reservoirs or ponds for the cattle. The only rivers of importance are the
Dniester, 180 to 300 paces broad, and the Pruth 30 to 100 paces broad.
“As regards railways there is only one line, Odessa—Kischenev—Jassy.
Roads, as we understand the word, there are none.
“ The villages are mostly built at the bottom of the valleys, as there is no
water elsewhere. The localities inhabited by the Roumanians consist of
low clay huts of one room. The few German and Bulgarian villages are better.
The number of towns is limited. Kischenev has 96,000, Bender 22,000,
Akermann 33,000, Tiraspol 9,500 inhabitants. Most of the houses are of wood.
Thus, of the 1,464 houses in Bender, only 148 are of stone.
The winter is the most variable season. It is often mild, with the thermo
meter above zero ; sometimes it is very cold with changes of 10, and even 30
degrees in a few days.
Deficiency of barracks for troops; and impossible to make them in the
south owing to want of wood.
Provisions : Cattle in plenty ; corn also. In the south, fuel very scarce.
Additional supplies can be brought by the rail or by the Dniester, which is
navigable, or by the Black Sea, until the outbreak of hostilities, for the troops at
Akermann.
No good places for hospitals.
Routes : Routes II.* (Bucharest), excellent, practicable for carriages at all
times, and accompanied by a railway as far as Tecuci. Routes I. and III.*
Excellent to Tecuci, thence country road. Routes to Galatz on both banks of
the Pruth; country roads, practicable for carriages only in fine weather ;
impracticable after rain. Pruth navigable from Ermanesti, and can serve as
line of supply.
Postal road : Bender—Kaouchany. Beyond is a country Steppe road,
passing by Monzir-Kliastikaya to Bolgrad, a road exposed to all the rigours of
the winter of the Steppe; from this latter place a postal road to Reni.
Akermann—Ismail postal road.*'
Three of these lines meet at Galatz, which is inconvenient, since the
prolongation south is only by country road.
The only good route is Route No. II.,* practicable in all weathers.
* The reference in these numbers is to a paper prepared in this Department: “ The steps which
Russia would take should she determine to occupy the Principalities in the spring.”
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