RUSSIA'S WARLIKE RACES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CIV, Issue 15937, 13 April 1916, Page 7

RUSSIA'S WARLIKE RACES.

VISIT TO SOUTHERN ARMY'. PINE FIGHTING MATERIAL. '•Tho Times" correspondent with ono .of the Russian Armies in Galicia, writes under date, Jan. 20:— I have be'cn tor nine days among the troops under the command of \u general who is one of the and most active leaders of the Russian, Armies, and who, in appearance and manner, reminds me very much of Lord Roberts. I had an opportunity ii> visit the scenes of recent encounters and went into some of tho newly-won. trenches, where I conversed with a, Jtumber of our brave Allies. They aro in the best of spirits, 1 found tho Amv well provided in essentials. This means much in a 'country where the mud is tho most terrible I have ever seen. It i<i a beautiful land, full of interest to tho archaeologist and the lover of nature, but dreadful beyond imagination to the transport service. In the "ourso of my trips I have repeatedly crossed and recrossed tho Dniester, tho Strypa, and the numerous other streams which furrow this country. Hero on many: a lofty crag still "perch the ruined towers of Turkish fortresses. Historical reminiscences of the many and varied fortunes of Galicia are visible on overside. Dress, language, manners, and native population alone afford unchanging evidence that Galicia was once the cradle of the Russian race. Tho Little Russians in our Army couin their own dialect with the Ruthenes, and even the Great Russians arc able to do so after a little practice. I had the honour of inspecting the Crimean Horse, of which the Empress Alexandra, Feodorovna is honorarv colonel. This is a regular cavalrv regiment, but, unlike tho others, derives its complement from one particular race and district —namely, the Crimean Tartars, irho form also one-third of its officers, j,nd who are stationed at Livadia, Simferopol, and Bakehisarai, some of the loveliest spots on earth. Since thfl war broko out' thev have been continuously employed under the most .trying conditions. Even to the untrained eye of the civilian, it was quite evident that tho squadron drill executed in my presence was a. firstclass performance, yet I nm told that the regiment lias had no time or opportunity for such training since the winbegan. The men are hard a.? nails, and tho horses look an extremely serviceable lot, thoroughly seasoned.

TROOPS FROM FAR MANCHURIA

I TVken tiro, exigencies of tlio war calli ed for the employment of all the availfable forces of tho Empire, the War j Office bethought itself of the splendid < materia! remaining in Manchuria guarding the railway and the frontier. From this force, resembling somewhat i our Canadian Frontier Police, raised a number of foot and horse regiments and batteries bearing the appellation Zaamurskv —i.e., Trans-Amuriau. I devoted two days to making the acquaintance of their infantry. The machine-gun .section still contained some hardy Mongolian ponies, which have como with them from the Far Fast. Ono regiment had doubled its quota of Maxims by taking a lamo number from tho enemy.

Austrian prisoners in this sector "rerelate that tho enemy particularly dreads thy proximity of tho Kuban "Plastoon" battalions. It was my good fortuno to see these units at work, and at thoir best. Their origin. i.s not unliko that of our Auzacs. The descendants of jdio hardy Cossack pioneers of tho Kuban colony, they. have come to fight the Empire's" battled at home. •' Plastoons," or stalkers, sl> called from tlieir ability to crawl up, surprise, and overwhelm"superior forces of the. enemy, existed centuries ago in the Cossack armies of tho Dnieper. Tho Kuban Plastoons have unlicld and even surpassed, the traditions of their torefathers.

I hare, seen several thousands of these Plastoons. Their appearance is extremely picturesque, thanks to their. Caucasian dress. All of them wuar shaggy bonnets of sheepskin, dyed a reddish hue, which gives to tho casual observer a misleading impression of savagery. Tho Plastoons are tho bravest and mildest of men. No single Plastoon has over been taken prisoner, whilst they themselves have captured tens of thousands.

From th'O lips of their veteran brigadier, whom tlio Plastoons affectionately style "Batko" (Grandad .1, and at whose bidding they cheerfisly march to death or victory, 1 learnt thau there are less than 1 per cent, of illiterates among his men. The high standard of education among the Kuban Cossacks, coupled with their military training from infancy, yields splenflid results. Thv>ir trenches are excellent, although they are little inclined towards trench warfare. Entirely disregarding danger, the men lined the rifle platforms so as to enable the British visitor to pass comfortably. Their shaggy bonnets being clearly visible from tins Austrian trenches :i, few hundred yards distant, wo wore treated to a' display of rifle and £h'?ll iiro. Later, among the men in reserve, the brigadier delivered an address in honour of the British Army and the British nation, to which the Plastoons gave tlm heartiest response. At his Headquarters the same evening General Guluga entertained me with a display of Cossack dances and songs. THE CAUCASIAN NATIVE HORSE. We have' the vaguest idea of the composition of tho Tsar's Annies, wrongly imagining that they form a. vast grey mass, unrelieved by that diversity which lends interest and character. As a matter of fact, the Russian Army is quite as bright as ours in the variety of its parts. After two days with the Plastoons I spent two days with the Caucasian nativo horse division, consisting of six regiments representing tribes inhabiting the Caucasus. Thty lecall some of the finest corps of the Indian Army. Many Mahomedans are serving in the ranks, and, like our Indian troops, all ax© volunteers. Although still having tho characteristics of irregular horsemen, tho native division is under excellent officers, bearing great names in Russian history, and it has not only accomplished most gallant exploits 011 tho battlefield, but has mado great progross in cavalry training. In honour of the representative- of "Tlio Times'' sotnias of the various regiments went through intricate cavalry movements with admirable precision, and, although the hard-frozoii ground must have sorely tried their steeds, they charged headlong in various formations; including the famous "lavaa," invented by Jenghiz Khan, with which they have repeatedly nonplussed and overwhelmed great! y superior forces of tho enemy. In the trenches and subsequently in their hospitable messes the Tartar and Chechen regiments have- given repeated evidences of the cordial feelings of tho native division towards the Allies. Before concluding this message I should liko to state that it has been my privilege to relate to the officers and nren of the various corps which I. visiied what Great Britain has done and is doing for tho common cause. Everywhere) I met with the heartiest response. From the commanding officers to the privates, all wish to assure tho Allies in tho West that the. Russian .Army appreciates their gallant work, and is as determined as ever to light to a victorious finish.