The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-05-10
The BellIgerent Afm!esiz oi
tho CoInhc Ganta, -


The BellIgerent -Eesoercey OF
tho Combctants, -
What has long been obvious from the
steady accumulation by Russia of an
enormous military force during late years,
from her progress southwark to India |
from her, reported alliance with Persia,
from the alIaIce she had sought With the |
western powers, from her concentration
of large armies ct points close upon the /
Turkish frofbDsieTs, an5 f-eni the fact that
she has employed tue Sclay societies to
foment She diaturbancss in the Turkis.l
provinces, ans.sfrom the singular oharac-
ter Of her late diplomacy, is that she in
tended TO seek q settlement of the East
ern question By resort to arms. There |
is no longer much hope that this appeal
can be avoided, and hence comparison
of the forces and resources Of the two
chief combatants, and Of those powers
most likely to be drawn into tho fray on
one side or the other, is not without in
tcrest.
The area of the Russian empire in Eu-
rope and Asia extends over the seventh
Of thc land surface of the globe. The
European population, occupying an area
ofabout &c, ,039 square miles, Is SO ,658, ,934.
This does not include either Russian Po-
land, whose population is sos, ,607 Fin
land, with l,843,2 inhabitants, or the
Caucasus. f6D 1924 inhabitants. Russia
ih1Asin hAs nv Estimated population OF
6 1902, ,412, but these belong chiefly to the
nomadic tribes. From the above popula-
tion is drawn the regular army Of the
Russian empire Id is not necessary to
go into the details of the military organ
ization. The duration of che military
service is fixed in European Russia at
six years i'll the active army apdanipe ia
the reserves. The total number Of men
in the regular army is l,8S0,954. The
strength of the irregular army is estima-
ted at 80 ,493. The grand total is 2,02l,-
47 men, 36l 1897 horses and 2,786 guns.
This Is, ofcourse, Independent Of the ter
ritorial army, which is composed of all
the male inhabtants between the ages of
twenty and forty WHO Arcfit for military
seryices9 aud are not already enrolled in
the active or regnlarsarmy. The navy is
catalogued under the two great divisions,
the Baltic feet and the feet Of the4Black
Sea. In the Baltic are seyenty,Seycn
men Of war; in the Black Sea nifles men
vi war. The Siberian feet comprises
eleven ships of small account. and there
are three ships in the White Sea and five
on the Sea o.! Aral. The total available
istrength gDfy the navy is stated at about
one hundred and twenty men Of war, Of
which only twenty-nine are ironelads.
The public debt of Russia is estimated ut
s250, 100000, of which e.7,87L0O0 does
not hear interest. Addet. to this issa pa
tper currency of fl1a;044, ,7S3. Both gold
and silver are ut high premium.
The total war strength of the Turkish
1 Government in Gle. 100. Militargsaryice
is nlndu obligatory on ali the hsRijalIiuie-
dan population, the duration ofEYhich is
twenty years, four. of which arg 1pAnt in
the regular army and the rest id h&vari-
GUS reserves. Only one Religious division
Of the empire, the Mohammedafi, is per-
mitted to serve in the army, though men
Of other creeds are obliged 20 serve in the
feet when called on The non-Mussul-
man population pays an exemption tax
from army service, and the citizens of
Constantinople are always exempt. Thus
the. army. is recruited from aboGt Twelve
millions, or less than half the reputation
Eof the empire The ofssaial repoFt Df the
| navy gives twenty ironsclads, othef Steam
era seventy. Nearly al! of the iro9sclat ,
we're built IN England. Three edaiEional
iron-clads have been completed during
|
vessels gotten in order fer werliBc SER
vices. The navy Ia manned by thirty
four thousand men. Hobart Pasha, the
chief naval commander, is an English
man Of decided ability.
In tho Crimean war, twenty-three.years
ago, there was no telegraph wireSnor n
mile of railroad in Turkey. The first
railroad was begun as latelyxas7 1865.
The country is now veil covered with
lines connecting all importabt points.
From tho ferooitu-andA Afauaticfsm of the
Turkish characterit is apprehended that
If 9Tssrkey triumphs there will not be
enough Christians1eft in her dominions
to quarrel over. =,
/ The financial dondition, of Turkey is
bad: Her defcitlast year was nominally
94;0aS924. Il wm probably prove to be.
on account Of the Instructions in the
pI0EilIces, e7,b0O,e coo. The foreiga.debt
of1he empirei is upwards OF .s185, 600, 900.
Turkish securltieseof the best class have
been treated in london and Liverpool
with derision.5 Tho "iuternal' debt 81
plaee6 by offlcia. figures at about s13,-
1 00G000, though the enemies of Turkey
say 1t cannot fall Below ESQ, ,000, 900. The
! financial resoetceao of Turkey 4pr Rsar pur-
I poses amanntto nothing, though Che fact
u s..--se-a. A--hHsI al ueT pAPtE IL HuSlQ Dy
! EHgliBhnhcn may lead, with other sup
4 posed Englial,'intaeests, To military as
siseahce from England, a..
Hero the military, strength oethe Brit
ish Empise becomes o subject of Interest,"
] Th6t9talo tEa army of EnglAndis $50, :.
:! 362v 2vof which cthe regulars are 224, ,624 !;
/ resefves, 1920, ,42I Irish police $4,000 |;
4 Channel isles, 8, 300; indian ermy, no..
1871 and The Indian police, 190,0SD. 1t Is
/ PROBABLE that.a large. proportion of the.
entire Indian forcea would sympathize
1 with the Sultan andshis ally, although
Rnsalan agents are active, aud, tho prize.
4 of independence from British domination.
i is tempting, 1t ia unnecessaSytto to add
j that The navy of Great Britain is the
\ most powerful in the world.
| The army of PeYeia, which sIsaid to
have formed an alliance with Russia, can
! fi1fniAh ut least severity thousand men of
allarps. Her geographical position ena-
blesSssier to sender effective service 70.
Russia in such quGrrei rs the pTescut,i
iDasnpch as she bars the way to an Al
/ giosJndian army moving westward. The,
piin6ipa! dr4Sbaek1upoh t1er colossal
military powdg of Rsi3sia is ttS- remote
ness and the inconiPf6teness eA her rail-s
roai3 7ystem, which Is insdeqpate to the
tIaaspo portation required fof such aSwar as.
that now pending, and which 8pay poasiI.
bly, iu7oiye ussh5F poweE5 ihe+ssiiaaS7ss he+ssiiaaS7ss shoaa.
| mentioned. s
| y Tha aslitsde ee Austris has bot been
altogafhef astisfac actorily defined. Turkey,
khoNevef. seams 20 hkVaibeeu busy in de