The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-12
THE CZAR'S SEAMEN.
Russians Make the Worst Sailors In
the World.
Those from tho Baltic Hate the Govern
ment, and Those Drafted From the In.
terror Detest and Dread the sea-Gun
Practice Afoat Almost Unknown.

Unless the Russian sailor is greatly be-
lied, he is the last person to be the ideal of
modern man -o'-war's man. The i'm
preston made on the obseryant foreigner
in any Russian naval port, alike by the
raw recruit and by the finished article, is
distinctly unfavorable, and experts who
have been on intimate terms with the
Muscovite seamen assert that the Russ
makes the worst sailor in the world.
Perhaps no race In east or in west has
less fancy for seafaring than the Persians.
The idea indeed of a Persian inan-o' wars
man will strike many Englishmen as posi-
lively ludicrous. Still, with a little in
struction and drill under a British captain,
they proved moro than O match for the
Russians on the Caspian. Captain Elton
toward the end of the last century organ
lied the Persian navy for Nadir Shah and
beat the Russians again and again till
they were glad to make peace on the terms
dictated by the ruler of Ieheran. So much
for the Russian sailors of a century ago,
and what they were when the Persians
under Elton showed themselves their bet-
tiers they remain to this day.
Russia at the outset is unfortunate in
regard to her supply Of raw material avail
good man wars man, ready, resource
full, obedient and cheerful, early familiar
ity with the sea is almost indispensable,
and in many circumstances there must be
some liking for seafaring life to COM
pensate for the hardships certain to be en-
dured and the moro rigorous discipline en-
forced on battleship. But Russia, de-
spite her vast extent of territory and great
coast line, has practically no seafaring
population of her own race. Her resources
for naval recruits are limited to the Baltic
coast, the shores Of Courland and the Bal
tic provinces, SO designated, with the Fin
nish sea line. The trusty and reliable
fisher folk of these regions are not Rus
slams, nor have they any sympathy with
the Slavonic race that rules and, as they
hold, Expresses them. Omitting the few
Firms, they are German in origin, in feel
ing and in aspiration.
They differ from the Russians in that
most important essential, their religion.
The treatment they have received at the
hands of the emperor's ministers on &C.
count solely of their adherence to the Prot
estant faith is such that they dislike, or
rather hate, the Muscoyite. The Baltic
recruit detests his superiors and instruct
ors, for they are the Slavs who Cypress
him and suppress his churches He sub
mits to discipline because his Teutonic
instincts impel him to obey, but his
obedience and his performance of the du.
ties allotted to him are purely perfunctory.
He has no pride in the service and he
looks forward to the time when he will be
discharged and return TO his home to for
get as far as he can his term of employ.
ment in the imperial marine.
The Russian naval officers know the feel
ings of the Baltic population and instead
of doing their utmost to conciliate them
and improve the relations that exist be-
tween the German and Slavonic elements
adopt a system of rigorous discipline and
repression which they consider effective.
The consequences are desertion and drunk
enness. 1t is owing to this that no Rus
sian seaman who is not a Slav-that is,
who halls from the Baltic-is ever allowed
ashore in foreign port, for he rarely re-
turns. The discrimination between the
Baltic born recruit and the pure blooded
Slav in the matter of leave and punish
ment does not tend to make either the
service or the Russians themselves more
popular with the best class for seamanship.