STRENGTH OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Issue 5, 3 November 1877, Page 2

STRENGTH OF THE RUSSIAN ARMY.

Tin: war correspondent of the Melbourne •' Argus " writes : " Under one chief, under one general staff, the Russian host now in Rouraania consists of nine army corps, each corps nominally 30,000 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 00 miles. Marching i„ the usual manner by sections

of fours, such an army would occupy over 4N hours in defiling past a given point, exclusive altogether of its train Men will tell you that the Russian artnv is a sham, that it is far below its nominal strength, that its equipment is defective and that its attendance system is already a failure in Roumania, Such averments nr« not to he believed. I am a man wholly without prejudice on this Ivistern question—l had almost said a man without opinions. Of its politics, 1 know nothing, and care about them as

little; but as a soldier myself, and n.s a man who for years has been studying soldiers armies, and military organization I claim to liuvo some right to speak on these .subjects. I never saw an army better equipped. I will go further, and ti J ' i/'.™; 1 ' ""» one «« well equipped. Hie British soldier tramps the arid sand 01 Aldorshpt In the self-same thick, stiff, confined brick-dust-coloured tunic in V ,Vi ' f \', ,H; ;V lt;nt, y. »nd goei in I no <icpths oi the bitterest midwinter's night, w»h unprotected head, congest throat, ii.hl ».i.tui.H I waist It la Tittle wonder ™t "hen he ,* knocked about in the '"'''"•imiiiorsmwhiMhehMoooMlonally " """"foke. July, August, and Sep-

(ember, 1870, wen as warm in Etanceu tin- present summer is in Koiiuiania. but the Prussian soldiers marched their ItO

mill-, a day for tluvc roooeodvc days to flght Sedan in their tltirk blue tunics and m thick blue trousers. Suppose we look nvcr the hedge of the garden in which I am now writing into the mad along which, through clou la of dust, a brigade of Russian ifffantry are tramping down to the Danube, Bulging lustily a.s they march. Except as regards the facings (and tlic sun-burnt face* there is not a spot of colour about the whole brigade; from cap to boots the men are clad in white canvas. Over th • kei i!- a whi(

curtain or puggaree protecting the neck behi d, 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 Held. The loose canvas trousers are tucked in high boots which come well up, nearly to the knee.