New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-12-28
RUSSIA.
ARMY REFORM-FINANCE.

TTRON SPECIAL CORHESPOhDENI.I
CT pETFRsBIRG. Dec. 5.-The official jour
nal announces this morning that the national subscrp
ton to build Black Sea feet proposed by the Golos is
torbdden The reason is that the law allows subserp-
tios only for works Of benehcence and charly, lof
museums and monuments and In times OF great distress
% the present there is reason for recourse to such
extraordinary measures since the equipment OF vessels
for the defense of the shores Of the Black sea is an e1
pense which like the expenses for keeping up land
and naval forces time of peace, is met by ordinary
means of the Imperial Treasury"
shoud Russia get other good out OF the present war
And the existing European complication she will at least
have her army system and she will have taken one
more step in doing away with class distinctions BY an
order OF the Minister Of War, two Commissions will be
Amounted TO bring the army reform into shape and they
viii M once set about their work One is work over the
Of the regulations for personal military service the
other o draw up new code for the reserves and local
troops and the state militia.
This reform is really only the reform Of principle
ou which is 10 be based military system, and the
actual number of persons hitherto exempted VINO VIII
be brought into the army Is not considerable E1emp
tou has heretofore been given cassright TO nobIes
merchants honorable citizens, and the clergy by Ine
Institutions Of Peter the Great, all the NOBILITY were
obliged 10 the state in some capacity Dut tns d
hnaly been abrOgated at certain times I'LL u had become
Of their privileges 10 serve at VIII. IN folahu inc
nobility now liable military service, so that the
new measure will make no difference with Them except
Ia the way Of doing away with exemptions and subsu
tutes. In the rest European Russia, texcudng FIN
land and the Caucasu there 900 hereditary noDes
Of the male Of these 2O3OOOare OfPosh extraction
and from the nine Western provinces where through
she negligence and corruption OF the officials mass OF
persons who had no legal claims became inscribed Ms
rObes They for the most part better off thanthe
peasants, and I'll the fields live domestic servants
an the cities the estates of the richer lords II thus
happens that co per cent OF the nobility OF Russia is
found in nine provinces whereas the remaining
genuinely Russian provinces there but per cent
The obligatory service win not weigh very heavily on
the real Russian nobility, for out Of these $4,000
males, about 1900 now in the military
service voluntarily officers There beside 900
male personal Dobles 1900 honorable citizens 2s5 900
merchants and 10000 belonging 10 the clerical caste,
exclusive Of the $4,000 holding ceral functions form
ing altogether total of s9i 1000 men, II suppose the
number OF 20 be about five In thousand the num-
Der from the exempted classes who will yearly enter
The ranks viii not be less than $40 and when the sys-
TEN Is in complete operation the of these
will furnish total contingent OF 5000 small
army. The number OF officers who voluntarily join
will probably remain about the The effect the
rest Of army OF this number Of educated men coming
into the ranks will certainly he excellent and II IL hoped
that the system will do much TO raise the standard
Of intelligence among the masses. Every soldier on
leaving the ranks after his short term Of service VIII