Year: 1877

| motley Groups--A Confederate Camp
Cossacks at Large-A Queor baggage


Iraln--The Reporters Preparing for


War.


Bucharest Cor. Philadelphia Times.


a camp of Russians is as motley
and picturesque an assembly of mon
and beasts as was ever seen. Any
American who had experience in the
rebellion would say at once that the
Russians look like Confederate sol>
diers, and no moro descriptive paral-
lei could be presented to the Ameri-
can public than to compare in gen
.eral appearance a camp on the
Dimboritza to a Confederate camp
on the Rappahmnock during
the rebellion. The infantry bivouac
about their stacked arms, spreading
the contents Of their knapsacks on
the ground and hanging thoir gar
ments on the bayonots to dry md
air. Great coats Of coarse gray
stuff propped up on two or three
sticks serve as q tent for two sol
diers, who make their bed of n Sec
ond coat and cook their coffee over a
little fire Of twigs before their rude
tent Their loose uniforms of white
cotton become earth cOlOred after D.
march, and look shabby and unmili-
tary, and battalion falling
in for rations has anything but a
soldierly appearance. Examine the
clark faces, doubly dark in contrast
with the light color of the uniforms,
and you will find that there is an
unmistalable intelligence in the
rank and file, that they arc slow to
think and act and have not SUPER
abundance of energy, but have good
powers of endurance and are accus
toned 10 obey. They have not the
individuality Of the soldiers of some
Of the other great military nations,
nor the self-assertion of tho Ameri-
can, but their general appearance is
not unattractiwe. The officers are,
rs class, ine-lool1ing, intelligent
men, without much fire in their
composition, but with certain dig
nifty of carriage that proves habit
of commanding. They have sym"
pathetic dispositions, as q rule, and
make friends wherever they go.
The majority of them, of course,
speak nothing but Russian, but often
ono may hear among them pure
English, French, or German
spoken, with the fuency of native
THE CossACKs.


The Cossacks tic their horses to
a double line Of ropes, and appear
to bivouac by the sides Of the ami
mails, SO compact is the arrangement
of their camp, and the field artillery
park their guns with great care ut
the end of each days march. The
Cossack is q conundrum. He is
sometimes mounted on q scrawny
beast of q horse, aud sometimes is
seen on snowy animal that has
more style than his rider. Perched
up on saddle that is made of q
wooden tree, with great cushion on
top that may be removed at will,
and q pommel at least eight inches
high, it is sometimes difficult to tell
the rough. looking fellow from q
native farm hand. He always
seems, however, to be going some,
where, both his horse and himself
having abusinoss air about them, and
q complete disregard of anybody or
anything. A Cossacl will sleep in
tho middle of tho road or across the
sidewalk with as much freedom as
in his own tent-if he ever had q
tent. He sleeps anywhere and ut
any time, and seems to like it.
There is q corps of six hundred of
these fellows, it is said, who are Sc
lected as scouts because they arc
uncommonly quick to see and hear.
Their activity in other respects no
ono can doubt. A battalion Of Co.'S
sacks has no flills about ito in.
dulge in slang little; it is all for
service and has all seen service;
Dust -colored uniforms, wiry horses,
bright, active men, there does not
seem to be an ounce of superauous
baggage or an extra button. Tt is q
| oy,,u1, 1oolrino crowd b,1t H. does