Interesting quotation...

A correspondant sends me this quote from a book he's reading on Ottoman history:

"A Venetian ambassador, Gianfrancisco Morosini, visited an Ottoman war
camp in 1585. he wrote to the Doge, "I walked through the whole army and
carefully observed every detail about the calibre of their men, their
weapons, and the way they organised and fortified their camp. I think I
can confidently offer this conclusion: they rely more on large numbers and
obedience than they do on organization and courage" He went on to say that
"10,000 Christians could defeat 30,000 Turks, but that it would be harder
to govern 2,000 Christians than 100,000 Turks - much harder again if the
Christians were Italians."

Also, the Corriere della Sera's English section has a brief article on the woes of S.Giovanni Rotundo.