THE RUSSIAN ARMY IN TURKEY.

Evening Post, Volume XV, Issue 211, 8 September 1877, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE RUSSIAN ARMY IN TURKEY.

A special correspondent of the Melbourne Argus, writing from Wallachia on June 24, gives the following interesting description of the composition and appearance of the Russian force 3 collected on the line of the Danube : — " Tho Russians have mas3cd iv Roumania the largest single army of modern times. The Germans, indeed, in 1870 overwhelmed France with a more numerous force. At oue time there were quite half a million Germans in France, but then this force was divided at the commencement into three armies, and later on were sti 1 further subdivided. Under one chief, under one general staff, the Russian host now in Roumania consists of nine army corps, each corps nominally 36,000 men strong. It is not easy to realise the idea of an army of 320,000 men strong. Standing in rank, and allowing two men to the yard, which would be a very tight fit, especially with Russian soldiers, an army of this strength would extend in an unbroken line for about 90 miles. Marching in the usual manner by sections of four, such an army would occupy over 48 hours in defiling past a given point, exclusive altogether of its train. In a patient, methodical manner have these great legions been brought down from Russia, and marched first through Moldavia, and then through Wallachia, till now they stand one and all within three days' easy marching of the Danube. Men will tell you that the Russian army is a sham, that it is far below its nominal strength, that its equipment is defective, and that its intendauce system is already a failure in Roumaoia. Such averments are not to be believed. lam a man wholly without prejudice on this Eastern question — I had almost said a man without opinions. Of its politics I know nothing, and care about them as little ; but as a soldier myself, and as a man who for years has been studying soldiers, armies, and military organisation, I claim to have some right to speak on these subjects. The Russian army ia below its nominal strength. No army ever existed that was not so after two months' marching aud camping, but it is not so far below its nominal strength but that the additional troops not reckoned in army corps at all — SkobelofFs division of Cossacks, 20 other regiments of CosBacks, a brigade of riflemen, squads of guardsmen, of sailors, of pontooniers, several battalions of engineers, the Bulgarian legion, and other contingents — swell its numbers to beyond the figure I have written down above. I never saw an army better equipped. I will go further, and say I never saw one so well equipped. The British soldier tramps the arid sand of Aldershot in the self-same thick, stiff, confined brick-dust-colored tunic in which he does sentry, and goes in the depths of the bitterest midwinter's night with unErotected head, congested throat, and conned waist. It is little wonder that when hoiifl .knocked about ia the midsummer sunshine he has occasionally a sunstroke. July, August, and September, 1870, were as warm in France as the present summer is in Roumania, but the Prussian soldiers marched their 30 miles a day for three successive days to fight Sedan in their thick blue tunics and as thick blue trousers. Suppose we look over the hedge of the garden in which I am now writing into the Wad along which, through clouds of dust, a brigade of Russian infantry are tramping down to the Danube, singing lustily as they march. Except as regardß the facing 3 and the sun-burnt faces, there is not a spot of color about the whole brigade ; from cap to boot 3 the men are clad in white canvas. Over the kepi is a white curtain or puggaree protecting the neck behind, and on either side the light cloth tunic has given place to a loose canvas blouse, which leaves the throat bare. Stocks are an unknown institution in a Russian army in the field. Tho loose canvas trousers are tucked in high boots which come well up, nearly to the knee. I have heard men say of many of these boots that they were sorely worn. So many of them are ; but sticking out on either side of the knapsacks are a pair of new, or nearly new, boots, available when the others shall have dropped to pieces. The Russians carry tents of the same fashion as those in use iv the French army, but in fine weather they frequently don't take the trouble to pitch them. As much as circumstances allow, they march in the early morning or in the cool of the evening, and often during the night, resting during the day. Their arms are either the Krenke or the Berdan breechloader. The latter has' been gradually supplanting the former, but probably two-third 3of the infantry are still using the Krenke, which in efficiency may be taken as about equal to the zundnaaetyehivere with which the Prussians were the victors in the wars of 1866, and 1870-1. It is not so good as the Snider, with which the Turks are mostly armed, and cannot compare with the Martini-Henry, which, let captious critics say what they will, is the finest military small-arm in the world. The Russian field cannon are of two kind, Krupps and bronze guns, with steel chambers, made in the Russian ordnance factories. They are of two calibres*, nine-pounders and fourpounders, but in weight of projectile these are respectively about equal to our twelve and six pounders. The guns are very well horsed, and if the harness is somewhat clumsy and the look of the thing is not quite up to Woolwich form, there is an eminently serviceable appearance about the whole turn-out. The cavalry are horsed to the admiration of all who have seen the regiments, and the Russian dragoons can be used either as cavalry or infantry. ' They carry bayonets attached to their sword hilts, and are trained to dismount and fight on foot, the centre man of each three taking the horses of his right and left comrades to the rear, but not so far as to be out of reach. The Cossacks are cavalry men *vi generis. I will not say that they would create a great impression in a regular charge, although even for this work I don't think that they would prove inferior to average light cavalry ; but for independent work, for scouring a country in front cf an advancing army, for dealing promptly with such cattle as Circassians and Bashi-Bazouks, and in guarding the flanks, they seem perfection. Contrary to the accepted belief that they are semisavages, the individual Cossack is a more intelligent fellow by far than his comrade of the line, and next to' service in the guards, service in a, Cossack regiment is the? aspiration and envy of the young Russian officer — so that they are well led. It is often the case that in a line regiment no officer is found speaking any language save his own, bnt this is never so in Cossack regiments. I have found more Cossack officers speaking some English than in Any other branch of the service."

"In seems to me," said a customer to his barber, " that in these hard times you ought to lower your price for shaving." • ' Can't do it, " replied the barber. • ' Nowadays everybody wears such a long face that we have a great deal more surface to shave over." One of our lawyers who has recently Teeeived a ten-pound note as a retainer, says that be felt assured that it would be an X-pounder the law.