Evening star., 1898-05-14
WARLIKE RUSSIA.
Constant and Large Additions Being
Added to Her Army and Navy.
From the IOmIlon Standard

+1uuSu u anu Navy
From the London Standard
The Russian army has been almost doubled
since the last Turkish war, while the gen.
| eral staff has been increased by more than
two thirds. The three western frontier dis
tricts Wilma, Kieff and Warsaw, now have
5S4 battalions, 500 squadrons and $50 bat
| teries with 900 guns, all on a war foot
| ing, or about six-sevenths of all the In
| fantry and five-sixths of all the cav
| airy and infantry which Germany keeps up
| in time of peace. Russia is attaching more
and more value to cavalry, and has already
| twenty-five divisions, whereas Germany
has only one cavalry division of the guards
| in peace time. AT the end of last year the
cavalry divisions quartered around Warsaw
were united to form an army corps and the
war office means to extend the system. In
! its opinion, the value of vast bodies of cav
airy, such as were used in the American
war, Is very great, and 12O SquadronS take
part in the maneuvers. The Germans,
however, appear to be giving up the en-
ployment of large masses of cavalry. The
Russian cavalry is equipped and drilled ac-
cordingly. Except the two cavalry divis-
| ions of the guards, which still have cui-
rassiers, Uhlans, and hussars, it consists
almost entirely of Cossacks and dragons.
who receive an excellent training in
fantry well to enable them to advance
| as rapidly, independently and vigorously as
possible. Some of them have even been
supplied with bayonets as an experiment.
/ may add that the Russian frontier guard
of 10000 men includes 10000 horse soldiers.
Both men and horses are excellent and ai-
mirably trained. On the other hand it is
q distinct disadvantage that the CoSSackS
and some of the other cavalry regiments
can only ride at a quick trot, which would
entail heavy losses in long distance attacks
on modern artillery and infantry. This
disadvantage will be considerably intensi-
fled by the proposed union of Cossacks and
other cavalry in one division, for the latter
can ride the field gallop' of $50 PAGES a
minute.
The Russian navy budget for 1898 alIots
611. 100000 rubles for general expenses, 1885,
OO0,0O0-including the D,000,000 recently as
signed-for new ships: IL, 100000 for putting
ships into commission and 5, 100, 900 for the
Improvement of the harbor at Libau. The
considerable outlay on the widening of the
naval harbor at Sebastopol and for build
ing or improving other harbors is not in
cluded. The Pacific squadron is to have
nine cruisers, two torpedo cruisers and
seven sea-going gunboats; the Med
iterranean squadron three large iron
clads, one torpedo cruiser, two sea-go-
ing gunboats and two torpedo boats; the
Black sea squadron, six large ironclads
one cruiser, three torpedo cruisers, six tor
pedo boats, three training ships and three
transports; the Baltic squadron, four large
and eight coast ironcads, six cruisers,
three gunboats and forty-seven torpedo
boats. The cars yachts and several other
vessels for special purposes are not in
cluded. The new Russian ironclad type is
u compromise between ironclad and an
armor-plated cruiser. The length will be
4261a feet. beam 1112, and draught 26. The
vessel will have triple screws, II 500 horse
power and a speed of IS knots; four H.
inch and eleven 6-inch guns, sixteen 3-inch
guns and twenty-eight smaller quick
Thirty-two new torpedo boats for the Bal
tic and Pacific fleets are building in Rus
STA. The Arctic division of the Baltic fleet
will no longer winter in the Baltic ports
but in the ice-free harbor of Ekaterina
on the Murman coast of the peninsula of
Kola. The bay on which Ekaterina lies is
about two and one-half kilometers long
$40 meters broad and 40 deep. 1t has good
anchorage, and, owing to the gulf stream,
seldom freezes except for a few days in
February. The harbor was begun in 1876
and a stone pier $50 meters long a rail-
way of about $40 meters and lighthouse
were finished at the end of last summer
At the same time town was planned in a
sheltered valley and now has public build
ings and schools, a telegraph and teIe-
phones, and is connected with the harbor
by the railway. The seat of the admin
istration has been transferrde thither from
Kola, and the place is certain to grow
quickly when the railway to St. PETERSBURG
which has just been begun Is finished Ii
Is already connected by telegraph with St
Petersburg, Archangel and Norway