The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-11-27

The military power OF knss,s 10 no doubt the via
OF ta strength But OF the real extent and eff
cheney OF that power il is difficult to form exact rst
male Neither the boastful exaggeraions OF The Ru,
sian boyars nor the aud disgaised misIepre,s
atoms OF official persons. TO be depended on las
country where there is freedom OF The press and
where the indiscreet revelation OF fact may subject The
loose xued official TO the gentle correcIlves Of dis
mssa the knou Siberia. the "bes public instructors
are opt 10 be public decsivers. and private confidence
and does not exist But even though there were
facilities for reference and information yet the conssn
changes introduced by monarch whose mania Is mil.
tary accuracy a! defiance. and on their number and
variety indeed, almost transcend human belief. With.
out some knowledge. however. OF the Russian military
system. 1t is impossible 10 know anything OF Russs
The whole civil institutions are modelled after while
they subser Went TO. the military syslem The highest
civil power Peersburgh an Moscow s vested in The
military governor. next under whom il the head OF the
police Much Of the numerical force OF Russia is nom
nal, and paper only In order, however, 10 give that
weight to the power OF the Gear which he is always
anxious 10 claim in the politics of the East and We.
this paper army is pompousy and periodically paadpd
in the Il kgemsuc Zeuung, the Augsburg Gazette. and
The Franktort Journal. one and all in the pay of Russia
And even some OF American papers not clear Of
this charge But when is considered that most OF tbe
tIles conferred by the Emperor OF military nature
il is not difficult to divine by what the amount Of
the Russian armies is swelled out. The Official returns
raise the numerical force Of Russia to the astonishing
amount Of 900 600 men, and not including the reserves
oS9 000 though there is another statement which re.
duc.s j, 10 se2 600 Some military writers there are in.
Decd who would reduce the army OF Russia 10 400 900
men but this is an obvious error. for it cannot be sup
posed that. with her population aud extent OF territory
Russia is inferior in numerical strength TO either France
Austria. or Prussia. whose forces. with their national
guard or andwehr. approach, If they do not amount
to- that complement. When. moreover. it is remembered
that Russia has been acquiring net only an immense in
crease of territory, but also Of population. may we'll
accord 10 her number Of efficient troops amounting to
from GOO ooO or 10 $40 900 the very utmost That
will prove BY giving some statistical and historical
statements from reliable sources.
Though Russia ex,endsovsr surface embracing thirty
FIVE degrees OF latitude though comprises within il
territory OF 1900 English miles in length and 900 in
BREADTH with population amounting 10 1000 600
though ihs empire is divided into 6y-one governments.
and is administered by eleven ye, this
organization, however imposing and magnificent "a
per- is really snowy than stfong-more extended
and dfused than compact and powerful. The sterile
and hnly- peopled provinces OF Archangel, Oonstz.
and yologdo furnish few recruits The scattered tribes
peopling the Siberias, comprising the Kamschatkans,
Aeutans. Samoedss. etc, form but an -compaced
mass OF men, differing in racer, habis, and iesingsi
while the Maushu and OF the Mongols, whose
names barely known in Earope. add little to the pop
us,ion and soothing all to The military power OF Rus
sia tribute of furs and skins they undoubtedly pay.
but the chief OF their country seems TO be that
serves prison for convcts and exes. two thousand
of whom escape every year TO the sleppes plains
around, where they left unmolested. Orenburg,
province larger than most European Kingdoms, has with
in it population OF 900 900 sous but ia Iskon,z.
the olher hand, there OILY four men TO The square
mile.
The distant provinces, therefore, furnish few recruits
for the army and even though The numbers more
considerable. il would be difficult 10 such levies,
not only from the want OF but from the necessity
OF leaving military force in their place for the desert
tribes OF the Ual, comprising the Baskirs and kirg.es
and especially the Caucasans to be kept order
without the presence Of large military force. In Gsor-
ga. in time OF peace. travellers proceed with large
cort and hedpeces 10 back hem their distant peresr
nations 1t is hence apparent that the army must be
chiefly supplied from The cenira! provinces OF Russia
proper These, well Lite Russia and the Ukraine.
well peopleI and leruie; but Fmiahi on the other
hand, does furnish than 20 900 men for service
The difficulty OF obtaining leves is therefore, undoubt
eddy great bat these difficulties snail ia conpari.
TO the wade expanss OF duty and service which opens
out before the eye oil Russian soldier the moment he
enters actual service. He may have TO defend the
ots and on tbs Black ssA in order 10 waic
every movement on the part OF the TuTks--lo quart
The frontiers the side OF Persia on the Oa-io
prcss The CIrcassans and other warke tribes Of the
Caucasus-to keep in bounds the rowing families OF the
Casp'snor rcpcss tue JUST dscontent OF his brave.
arke, and oppressed Sclavonian brother in unhappy
Poland. And lor all these vaIied aud vrxalous duties
neither Siberia, nor New Russia. the Crrnea.
Georgia, The Caucs sus, luraisa soldier to the
imperial government The campaigns Of 1919 and 1913,
the Turkish War, the instruction OF Poland, and recent
The Hungarian intervention will abandany prove
assertions that The dtant PROVINCES not "odieiss
hommam." When il is known from authentic documents
that only l20 900 soldiers cou be col, c,ei at pont
with which force the battle OF B,odina o. the Mosaua,
who bad been collected, clad IN their sheepskins
from toe aads Of their masters, AMI thit il is equally
true, and is indeed slmued fact, that the Russian
army was filled up it's entry Paris by the Cossacks
and Bashkrs, and tina, The levy thus rase The lat
hat could have bssn resorted TO- had The been pro-