The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-04-21
The Beufgerent Armies.

the steady accumulation by Russia
of an enormous military force dur
ing late years, from her progress
southwark up to India, from her re-
ported alliance with Persia, from
the alliances which she has sought
with the western powers, from her
concentration Of large armies at
points close upon the Turkish from
tiers, and from the fact that she has
employed the Sclav societies to TO-
ment the disturbances in the Turkish
provinces, and from the sfngulat
character of her late diplomacy, is
that she intended to seek a settle
ment of the Eastern question by a
resort to arms. There is no longer
much hope that this appeal can be
avoided, and hence a comparison of
the forces and resources of the two
chief combatants, and of those pow
ers most likely to be drawn into the
fray on one side or the other, is not
without interest
The area of the Russian empire in
Europe and Asia extends oyer one
seventh of the land surface of the
globe. The European population,
occupying an area of about 5000
square miles, is 63.65S,93 This does
not include either Russian Poland,
whose population is 5,705, 6O7; Fin
land, with 1,S43,245 inhabitants. or
the Caucasus, 1861, 1922 inhabitants.
Russia in Asia has an estimated pop
ulation of $500, ALP, but these belong
chiefly to the nomadic tribes. From
the above population is drawn the
regular army of the Russian empire.
1t is not necessary to go into the de-
tails of the military organization.
The duration of the military service
is fixed in European Russia at six
years in the active army and nine in
the reserves. The total number of
men in the regular army is 1,SSO,954
The strength of the irregular army
is estimated at 140,943. The grand
total 2,021 ,347 men, 36l, 1897 horses
and 2,7S6 guns. This is, of course,
Independent of the territorial army,
which is composed of all the male
inhabitants between the ages of
twenty and forty who are fit for mil.
itary service and not already enrolled
in the active or regular army. The
navy is catalogued under two great
divisions, the Baltic fleet and the
fleet of the Black Sea. In the Baltic
are seventy seven men of war; in the
Black Sea nine men of war. The ST.
berian fleet comprises eleven ships of
small account, and there are three
ships in the White sea and five on
the sea of Aral. The total available
strength of the navy is stated at
about one hundred and twenty men
of war, of which only twenty nine
are iron-clads. The public debt of
Russia is estimated at 925O, 962, 900,
of which EFT 1871 900 does not bear
interest. Added to this is a paper
currency of 9113,O44,783. Both gold
and silver are at high premium.
The total war strength of the Tur-
kish government is GIG, 100. Mill
tary service is made obligatory On
all the Mohammedan population, the
duration of which is twenty years,
four of which are spent in the regu-
lar army and the rest in the various
reserves. Only one religious division
of the empire, the Mohammedan, is
permitted to serve in the army,
though men of other creeds are
obliged to serve in the fleet when
called on. The non-Mussulman pop
ulation pays an exemption tax from
army service, and the citizens of
Constantinople are also exempt.
Thus the -army is recruited from
about 10000, 900, or less than half the
population of the empire. The Off
cial report of the navy gives twenty
one iron-clads, other steamers sew
enty. Nearly all of the iron-clads
were built in England. Three addi-
tional iron-clads have, been compile
ted during the past year, and num-
Der of smaller vessels gotten in order
for warlike services. The navy is
manned by $4,000 men. Hobart
Pasha, the chief naval commander,
is an Englishman of decided naval
ability.
n
Here the military strength of the
British empire becomes a subject of
interest. The total of the army of
England is 5O,362, of which the reg
ulars are 22S,624; reserves, 800, 1921 /;
Irish police, $4,000; Channel Isles,
$500; Indian army, ITO, 1877, and In
dian police, 100000. 1t is probable
that large proportion of the entire