Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1877 — The Military Strength of Russia. [ARTICLE]

The Military Strength of Russia.

In the event of an outbreak of hostilities in Europe, which must be reckoned among the possibilities of the near future, everything relating to the military strength and material resources of the combatants becomes a matter of great interest. The immense population of Russia—ranging, according to different estimates, from 82,000,000 to 94,000,000, gives her a tremendous, advantage In recruiting for her army. Germany has but 41,000,000; Austria and France each and Great Britain 32,000,tXX). The Russians are a hardy people also, and have been for some years past under so rigorous a discipline that they may be regarded as a nation of soldiers. Russia has learned the necessity of intelligence and good discipline in an army, and has spared no pains to edueate her officers of every grade, and to give her soldiers the best of training. Every Russian over twenty-one years of age is liable to military duty, though there are some local exceptions to these provisions, and some classes of the population are exempt. The term of service in European Russia is fifteen years; six years under the flag and the reserve. In Asia the term is only ten years, of which seven are passed ip active duty. From 1803 to 1874 an annual draft of 100,000 men was made,.leaving a reserve force of about 1,200,000. The first enrolment : under the neW law, 'calling for 160,000 men, took place in the autumn of 1784; the sec : ond, calling for 180,000, in the autumn of 1876; and the contingent for this year is 190,000. Last year foe strength of the army was announced officially as follows: Regular army on the peace rooting, 457,872; on the war footing, 808,670; army of the first reserve on the peace footing, 180,740; on the war footing, “227,928; army of second reserve on the peace footing, 207,812; on the war footing. 276,664. This would give as the total or the Russian army proper, on the war footing, 1,213,267 men. But in addition to these there are in military service 129,000 Cossacks of the Don, 200,000 Cossacks of the Orenburg and Siberian lines, and a small contingent which Finland is required to furnish, making altogether an artny of 1,690,000 men. Russia is well supplied with horsrs, the number being Computed in 1871 at 19,266,00 d, or 225 to every 1,000 of the population, whereas Austria has only ninetynine, Germany ninety-two, and France eighty. The infantry is to use the Berdan rifle, but is only partially supplied with it, the remainder of the troops having old muskets altered into breech-load-ers. The artillery is supplied with four to nine pounder breech-loading steel and bronze cannon. The army budget has increased from 50,000,000 rubles in 1832 to 179,000,000 rubles in 1875, or about thir-S-flve per cent, of the entire expenses of e Empire* and the amount appropriated for the navy in the latter year was 25,000,000 rubles. The Russian navy is in two • principal divisions, the fleet of the Baltic and that of the Black Seas; and there are smaller fleets in the Caspian, Aral, Siberian and White Sea waters. The total comprises 108 men-of-wai-, 1,477 officers and 7,217 seamen. The iron-clad fleet of war comprises the,powerful turret-ship Peter the Great, eight frigates, three corvettes, fourteen turret monitors and three floating batteries. The entire fleet nbw consists of 225 steam vessels, with 521 guns, and a total tonnage of 172,501. As to the direction which the Russian military movements will take, the following statement is probably nearly correct: “The main strength of this vast military force will be concentrated at two points. The first army is already gathering about Kichiney, in the vicinity of the Pruth, which divides Bessarabia from Roumania. Across the river her forces ’ will sweep down through Roumania into Bulgaria, threatening Constantinople on the left. To meet this force the Turks are abopt concentrating 2X),000 men in Bulgaria- They are also strengthening Wldaut and other Dauubian fortresses ana reinforcing the fleet on that river. The second army will have Tiflis as ifs base, on the trans-Caucasian side, and operate in Armenia, which is friendly to Russia, Trebizond and Siva, threaten* tag Constantinople on the right. A powerful army ta already concentrated at Tiflis, With so corresponding Turkish' army, to meet it, so that the principal fighting, if war should be declared, wonld_ be la European Turkey.”—Boston Journal. “;< ; ' S —... i ii— -M-Rif Crawford County, Pennsylvania, has sixly eight factories, producing 6,810,000 pounds of cheese; Erie County, twentytwo factories, producing 2,610,000 pounds; Mercer and Venango counties, eleven factories, producing 647,700 ponuds. Total, 101 factories, producine 1,557,300p00ud5* Nine-ton ths of these factories jmaaufacturc striotly ftill-inlfk Cheese. ;) , v , Firrt thousand pe iple in Brooklyn will have to be fed on the crumbs of charity this winter.