New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-03-08
the Let Of April, France might take the field with
IL. kou OAA kskk a.

in organization nor in discipline aud sseadiness
under FIRE, be upon par with the troops sent to
the Crimea. They would contain many Yong
recruits, ard many bat.aliors comp ,sed for the
occasion. Al corps where officers aud men are
Strangers to each other. where hasty orgalizi
ton upon the prescribed plan has but just been
completed in time before they march ont, are
vastly inferior to those old established bodies
in which the habit Of long service, Of dangers
.hared together and of daily intercourse for years,
has established sha. esprit da corps which absOrbs
very soon, By its powerful influence, even the
youngest recruits. /. must then. be admitted
that the eighty battaliOns sent to the Crimes
represent far more important portion of the
French army than their mere number indicates
If Epelsnd has engaged, almost to man, the
best part of her army France too, has sent to the
East nearly one half Of her finest troops.
We need rot here 90 into q capitllstion of
the Russian forces, having very recently stated
their numbers and distribution, Suffice it to say
that Of the Russian active army, or that destined
TO act upon the western frontier Of the Empire,
only the third, fourth, fifth and sixth corps have
az yet been engaged during the war. The
Guards and Grepaders corps are quite intact. as
is tie frat CO ps also; the second c'rps appears to
have detached about one division to the Crimea.
Beside these troops, eight corps Of reserve, equal
in number Of battaliOns IL no. in numerical
strength, to the eight corps of the active army,
have teen, or are still being formed. Thus,
Russia brr gs up against the West force of about
80 battehous $50 of which, however, may be
.till forming and will always be weak in numbers,
while 900 more have suffered great losses during
two campaigns. The Reserve as far as the fifth
and sixth battslions of the regiments, are con-
cerned must principally consist Of old soldiers,
if the original plan Of organization has been
followed up, but the 9TH and Sth bastaliOns must
have been formed Of recruits, and be very inef-
fcient az the Russian, in spite of his doclity, is
very slow to learn military duties. The whole
reserve besides, is badly differed. Russia there
fore. has engaged at the present time about one
half of her regularly organized active army. But
then, the Guards, GrenaJiers, first and second
corps. forming the other half which bas not yet
been engsged, are the very flower of her army,
tie pet troops of the Emperor, the efficiency of
which be watches over with especial care. And,
moreover, by engaging ne-hslf of her active
army, what has Russia obtained She has al
most annihilated the offensive aud defensive
strength Of Turkey she has forced England to
sacrifice an army of 30 600 men, and hiss dis
abled her for at least twelve month; and she
bias, besides, forced France to engage similar
proportion of troops to those she herself engaged
And while the best African regiments OF France
are already before the enemy, Russias own elite
hiss not yet fred shot.
So far then, Russia has had the best Of IT, 81
though herr troops employed in Europe cannot boast
of single success but have had on the contrary, to
give way in every action of moment, aud to aban-
don every ore oftheir enterprises. But the mst-
ter will change entirely as soon as Austria joins in
the war. She has an army of some oOO, 900 men
ready for the field, beside 100 600 more in the
dtp6ts and 10000 more in reserve; an army
which, by very little extraordinary recruiting,
may be brought to sosne $50, 900 men. Bat we
i'll take it's number at 600, 900, inclusive of de
pots and emitting the reserve, which has not yet
been called in. OF these 100000 men, 10000
are in the depots, about 20 900 more in Italy and
other portions Of the interior not menaced by
Russia. The remaining $50 900 are assembled in
several armies, from Bohemia through Gallica to
the Low er Danube and $50, 900 men could be in
very short time conct ntrated upon any given point.
This formidable army at once tarns the balance
agsinst Russia, go soon as Austria begins to act
against her. for since the whole Of the late Rus.
sian army Of the Danube has been drafted into
A. AL 49, h
Russians on every point and can bring their
reserves to the frontier quite as soon in spite Of
the start the Russians have now got. There is
only this TO notice: that the Austrian reserve is
far more limited in it's number than that of the
Russians, and that the 10000 reserve soldiers
from fresh recruiting, and, therefore, be very
slow. The longer, therefore, the Austrians hold
back a declaration of war, the more advantage
they give to Russia. To make up for this, we are
told, French auxiliary aamy is to march into
Austria. But the road from Dion or Lyons to
CracOw is rather long, and unless matters are
well arranged. the French army may arrive too
late unless the intrinsic value of the reorganzed
Austrian army should render it match for even
a moderately superior number Of Russians.
Austria, then, is the arbiter Of the tussion.
Ever since she took up military position on her
Eastern frontiers, she has maintained her superb
ority over the Russians. If well timed arrivals
Of Russian reserves should for moment deprive
her of it, she may trust to her experienced gen.
ersls-the only oner, cave very few Hungsrians,
who Of late years have shown military genius
and to her well.orR anized troops most of whom