Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-05-31
RUsSIA,s CAVALRY.
The uorsemen OF the Czar-Mar.
veIous Riding.

VeIOus Riding.
Writing under date Of May 2, of a re-
view held in St. Petersburg, in honor
of the visit Of the Emperor OF Germany
to the Gar, the correspondent Of the
London Daily News says:
The great attraction of the day was
the cavalry, and that far surpassed any
thing which l have ever seen. The two
elements Of excellence were, Of course,
the horses themselves, and the horse
manship Of the orders. Can anybody
explain the peculiar charm about Rus
sian horses2 Without presuming TO an
swer my own question, think may
point out that one secret with trainers
here seems to be 10 educate the horse;
to make him trustworthy, faithful, ambi-
tious; and to dispense with all those
contrivances which, in more civilized
countries, crush the spirit out of the
posr beasts. In what other country can
one see horses like those which dash
along the Nveska so free, and fresh,
and gracefully In what other country do
they have such glossy skin, such swan
like necks, such delicate limbs2 And in
what other country do they offer such
material for cavalry2 One must reflect
too, that Russians of certain class are
born, like Arabs, in the saddle. The
horse is member of the family,
brother, companion in every
adventure. The Russian Govern
ment had, therefore, good material;
but it has employed it well, and the
proof is the superb horsemen who to-day
galloped along by Kaiser Wilhelm and
his German officers. The Russian cay
airy has the ordinary divisions found in
all Continental armies, namely: hussars,
dragons, cuirassiers, uhlans, ETC., as
well as some species peculiar to ITSELF
/ pass over the former, and only call at
tention to the horses. These sleek and
muscular beasts had evidently been Sc
lected as carefully as the men them
selves. For each battalion they were
all of one color, now glossy black, now
a rich brown, now light gray, and the
uniformity seemed to extend even to
their size, shape and motion. The effect
was singularly striking. The Tcheck
and Cossack cavalry have keen so often
described that there is nothing new to
be said about their appearance. The
detachment which took part III the cere-
monies Of to-day wore bright red jackets
and sort of fur hats of the same color,
and rode chestnut ponies. On their
backs carbipes were strapped, and in
their hands they carried long red lances.
They led the cavalry division. The
first circuit of the cavalry was merely
for inspection the second was for evo'
lutions. How impatiently the Cossacks
went through the first, and how
eagerly they entered on the secondl The
ponies, even, trembled with enthusiasm.
As the cavalcade approached the EN-
perors, the riders settled firmly in their
saddles, loosened the reins a little, and
the word is givenl Like fash of
lightning, and simultaneously, the horses
shoot off, and before the spectators have
caught their breath, are halfway around
the square. What an astounding pacel
If horse should stumble, the rider
would never mount again. The Cossaeks
crouch low in the saddle, and shout like
fends; while their long, glittering laRces,
stretching out horizontally far beyond
the horses, are terrifying even to the
friends and non-combatants. The Ger
mans do not spare their plaudits. They
love the uhlans who trampled down the
Turcos, and the Bismarck Cuirassiers who
rode into the jaws of death at Mars lie
Tour, but nothing like these unearthly
horsemen from the plains of Russia. Let
me not do negative Injustice, however, to
the rest of the cavalry. After the sec
ond turn around the field the whole body
formed at the rear, opposite the Empe-
rors and the amphitheateF. The front
stretched the whole length of the field;
somewhat longer-to use a comparison
which many English readers will appre-
ciate-than from the Seine to the
barracks at the foot of the Champs de
Mars, and several regiments deep. There
were probably $4,000 in all-the cuiras-
siers With their white coats and heavy
black horses, the hussars With their pixies,
the mounted grenadiers and the dra-
goons, and at the wings the reckless
Cossacks again. The Grand Duke Mich
olas waved his sword, and the entire
force noyod toward the Emperors and
the spectators. At FIRST it was light
trot, then an easy gallop, then faster and
faster, till one could only see thousands
of glittering uniforms and superb horses
dashing madly toward the crowd. Nearer
and nearer they come, and ever at the
same terrific pace. 1t will be death for
the imperial party Who are on the ground
belowl Suddenly the Grand Duke 5
sword flies up again in the air; the Off
GERS pass the word along; still the $1,000
horsemen shake the earth. The Grand
Duke sword falls, and the mighty mass
comes to a stop as if tFsnsixed by an
electric shock. Perfect silence reigns.
The long line Of cavalry is as calm and
steady as the marble palace itself, and
far back through the centers all is tran
auil. That was a glorious sight, and
worth journey to st. Petersburg to see.
7 n ......o. Iooly On euoh n epaptaala