The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-06-09 00:00:00

A MILITARY BANQUET.

On Monday a banquet took place at the Sokolniky
Park to commemorate the sseond centenary of the
foundation of the Preobajensky Guards, which owe
their origin to the battalion organised by Peter the
Great when a boy.—The Special Correspondent of The
Tnes, writing on Monday, describes the banquet, and
gives the fcllowing particulars respecting the origin of
these famous regirzez;ts ; _ _

The Emperor and Empress were once more followed
and cheered vociferously by large crowds as their
Majesties left the Kremlin early this morning to attend
the fete of the two firat regiments of foot guards and
the dinner given by the Munisipaliby. The Imperial
party &est proceeded to the village of Preobrajenek,
a few miles outside of Moscow, where Peter the Great,
a youth of eleven, took it into his head to form
the small.band of soldiers whieh afterwards became the
foundation of the present Russian army, This was
just 200 years ago, and to-day was appointed to be set
anart for the celebration of so important an event in
tie history of the regular armed forces of the Russian
Empire. Prior to the advent of Peter the Great,
Ituesia was virtually without any regular troops,
trained and disciplined according to the European
military system. Various attempts had been made
by several of the Rornanoff Czars to amalgamate the
different militia forces and trained bands into something
like a European army ; but littlp or no success
attended their efforts until Peter the Great put
his iron hod to the work. While undergoing
banishment with his mother from the Court in the
village of Preobrajenek, five wiles from the Kremlin,
on the banks of the Yauz, a small tributary to the
river Moekwe, the young reformer occupied a great
deal of his time in playing at soldiers with other
youths from among the German colonists of the neigh-
bouring eettlement of Simionefsk, cherishing, no
doubt, the firm hope of being one day able to com-
mand a real army that would destroy the power of
these ferocious Janisariee of the old Caere, the Stre-
Mae', who bad driven him and hie mother from one
village to another until they had found a refuge in
Preobrajensit.
Young Peter found his German playfellows and
servants from the Palace of the Ozarevna Liophia ready
and willing to rally round him, and it was from this
band of volunteers, called "Le Cotn.paigne de Diver-
tiseement de Pierre is Grand," that the present two
crack regiments of the Guards, Preobrajeneki and
Sinaionofski, whose dicentenary jubilee was celebrated
to-day, were originally formed. The first Russian to
join them, in 1083, was Serge Boukhouostoff, who is
called the first Russian aeldicr. Tt was with the first
soldiery enrolled in those celebrated regiments of
gigantic Guardsmen that Peter put down the over-
bearing Strelitzee, and created a Russian regular army
on the European aaodel,
Their jubilee therefore, to.clay was, in peint of fact,
the jubilee of the two centuries of existence of the
present Russian army. The whole of the two regi-
ments passed the Ecaperol.in Preohrajensk, and having
deposited their old colours in the church of the village,
received new ones from the bands of the newly-
crowned Casr, and were then marched back half.way
to town, to a suburban spot called Sekolniki, where
the Mayor and Municipality Oared to them and to
deputations from other regiments the hospitality of
Moscow. ,
The Emperor, wearing the Preebrajenski uniform,
with the Eragress and other members of the Imperial
family, arrived at Bokolniki at half-past two this
afternoon. Over eleven thousand soldiers from all
the regiments of the Guard and Line, quartered in
and near Llpecow, were already at the tables spread
rut around the galleal?edecked pavilion which gave
accommodation to the Ineperial Family and their
numerous followers. The nestesed banelce on a raised
platform, poured forth the inspiriting strains of the
"Life of the Car' as the Emperor approached,
and the soldiers, standing to attention in long rows
before the wooden benches, and ready to fall
t, and partake of the municipal dinner, buret out into

loud, long-continued cheers. The cheers were renewed
again and again when the Czar, standing before a
small table at the chief entry to the pavilion, raised a
goblet to drink to the health of the Russian army
The soldiers were we'l provided with soup, beef, beer,
mead, and other drinkables, and were invited to
carry away with them, ag souvenirs of the feast, the
bowie, mugs, knives, forks, and spoons specially
manufactured for the occAsien at the exuense of
the town. Within the pavilion, well.furnished
buffets afforded every refreshment to the brilliant
assemblage of diplomats, foreign officers, deputies, and
Moscow citizens, with their tastefully attired ladies;
and specia. hospitality, consisting of an excellent lunch
and floods of champagne, was dispensed to the officers
and their friends in a marquee set apart. There was
plenty of music and cheering all through the feast;
one regiment toasted another, and general enthusiasm
prevailed.