Washington sentinel., 1898-04-30
ENGLAND.
THE STRENGTH OF Rus IA,
StaHdard-London, April II,

1 ne Russian army has been almost
doubled since the last Turkish war,
while the General Staff has been in
creased by more than two-thirds The
three western frontier districts, wilma,
I Kied and Warsaw, now have sSA bat
taliOns, 396 squadrons, and asa batteries
with 2,o7o guns, all on war footing,
or about six sevenths of all the cavalry
and infantry which Germany keeps up
In time oi peace. Russia is attaching
more and more value TO cavalry and has
already q divisions whereas Germany
has only one cavalry division of the
Guards in peace time. At the end of
last year the cavalry divisions quartered
round 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 cavalry, sucn as
we're used in the American war, is very
great, end Izo squadrons take part in
the manHuvres. The Germans, how.
ever appear to be giving up the employ.
ment OF large masses of cavalry. The
Russian cavalry is equipped and drilled
accordingly. Except the two cavalry
divisions Of the Guards, which still have
cuirassiers, uhlans and hussars, it con-
ssts almost entirely OF Cossacks and
Dragons, who receive an excellent
training as infantry as we'll to enable
them to advance as rapidly, lndepend.
emily and vigorously as possible. Some
of them have been supplied with bay
onets as an experiment. may add that
the Russian frontier guard of thirty
thousand men includes ten thousand
horse soldiers. Both men and horses
are excellent, and admirably trained.
On the other hand, 1t is distinct advan-
tage 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 mod
ern artillery and infantry. This advan-
tage will be considerably intensified by
the proposed union of Cossack and other
cavalry in one division, for the latter
can ride the field gallop" OF $50 PAGES
minute.
The Russian naval budget for 1893
allots 67I, ,oOo,oco rOubles for general
expenses, 1875. .ooo, 900 - including the
10000. 600 recently assigued-ior new
ships; GG.7 millions for putting ships into
commission, and 81 millions for the
improvement of the harbor at Libau.
The considerable outlayon the widening
OF the naval harbor at Seoastopol and
for building or improving other harbors
is not included, The Pacific squadron
is to have nine cruisers, two torpedo
cruisers and seven sea-going gunboats;
the Mediterranean squadron, three
| large lronclads, one torpedo cruiser,
two sea- going gunboats and two torpedo
| boats; the Black Sea squadron, six large
| ironclads, one cruiser, three torpedo
cruisers, six torpedo boats, three train.
ing ships and three transports; the
Baltic squadron, four large and eight
coast lronclads, SIX cruisers, three gum
boats and iortY- seven torpedo boats.
The Cars yachts aud several other
vessels Tor special pur poses are not
included. The new Russian ironclad
is a compromise between an ironclad
and an armor plated cruiser. The
length will be four hundred and twenty
six and halt feet; beam, seventY-one
and half, and draught, twenty
The vessel will have triple screws,
| fourteen thousand five hundred horse
power. speed of eighteen knots, four
ten inch and eleven six inch guns, six
teen three inch guns and twenty-eight
smaller quick firers. ThTty-two new
torpedo boats for the Baltic and Pacific
fleets are building in Russia. The
Arctic division of the Baltic feet will
no longer winter in the Baltic ports,
but in the ice free harbor Of Ekater.
ina, on the Murman coast Of the Pc
nInsula OF KOla. The bay on
VIII ch Ekaterina lies is about two and a
half kilometres long, FIVE hundred and
seventy metres broad, and forty deep.
1t has good anchorage, and, owing to
the Guli Stream, seldom freezes, except
for a few days in February The harbor
was begun in 1896, and stone pier five
hundred and sixty metres long, a rail-
way of about thirteen hundred and
seventy metres, and a lighthouse were
finished at the end Of last summer At
the same time town was planned in a
sheltered valley, and now has public
buildings and schools, a telegraph and
telephone, aud is connected with the
harbor by the railway. The seat of the
administration has been transferred
thither from Kola, and the place is GER
tain to grow quickly when the railway
to St. Petersburg, which has just been
begun, is finished. 1t is already con
nected by telegraph with ST. Petersburg,
Archangel, and Norway.