NAVAL AND MILITARY STRENGTH OF RUSSIA.

New Zealander, Volume 9, Issue 785, 22 October 1853, Page 4

NAVAL AND MILITARY STRENGTH OF RUSSIA.

The following information in regard to the Russian army and navy, the fortifications of Sebastopol,'and the present position of the Greek ■phurch in reference to Russia, is selected from the Vienna correspondence of the Times and the Berlin correspondence of the Morning Chronicle :— THE NAVY. The fleet in the Black Sea consists of two “ divisions.” Each division, or squadron, is supposed to contain one three-decker, eight twodeckers, two of which are 84 and the other 74 'guns, six frigates, one corvette, and four brigs. Thus the fleet, if complete, would consist of two three deckers, four two-deckers of 84 and twelve of 74 guns, twelve frigates, two corvettes, and eight brigs. “To these,” says Haxthauscn, “must be added several steamers and a great many galleys or row-boats.” Tin re may be about 180 of these gallics, which are principally employed on the east coast of the Black Sea. M. Haxthausen, although he writes in a Russian sense, insinuates that the navy appears more formidable on paper than it is in reality. We are told that the gallics have, up to the present time (1858), rendered more service than the large vessels. In 1743 Admiral Golovin did not attack the Swedish fleet “because he had hut 17 vessels to his adversary’s 12.” General Keith, however, in the same year, attacked a Swedish squadron of equal strength, and came off victorious. Under Catherine 11. a certain Spiridoff acquired some reputation, but the names of the commanders under him wore Elphinstonc, Groig, and Dugdale. During the war which after the first French revolution desolated Europe, the Russian navy was a mere cipher. When allied with England the fleets of the latter were powerful enough ; when opposed to her, Russian vessels were of no avail. The fact that the ships are still principally manned with “landlubbers” is not denied, but this is not surprising when it is considered that Russia has no mercantile fleet worth mentioning. There is a law that the captain of a merchantman sailing under Russian colours must be a native of the country, but this is continually evaded. In port the Russian is the captain ; but once at sea, off goes his uniform, on goes an apron, and he figures as ship’s cook. The real skipper is generally either a German, a Swede, or a Norwegian, as the English have been unpopular since, during the war, they took a great part of the Russian fleet into “safe keeping.” The ships are thus manned : a three-decker and a corvette have a crew composed of 1100 sailors and marines ; a two-decker of 84 and two brigs have the same number of men. A crew of the same strength also suffices for a two-decker of 74 guns and one frigate. The vessels, being built after different models, do not ■sail well together. English seamen may well sneer at the way in which Russian ships are in general handled.* The newer large vessels are of oak, but of such inferior quality that they do not last more than ten or fifteen years ; the others are of larch. The Black Sea Fleet has some good sailors, who are taken from the coasts, and also many Greeks. Of the Cossacks dwelling on the shores of the Sea of Azof, good boats’ crews are formed. The fact that the Black Sea is continually subject to squalls nearly os violent as those near the tropics, must not be lost sight of ; shallows and dangerous reefs also abound. How many of the Russian ships above enumerated have been damaged or completely wrecked has never transpired, but we often read that, in consequence of a violent'storm, a great many vessels have been lost in the Black Sea. “.Sebastopol is a fortified seaport, which, in the opinion of scientific men, is almost without its equal in the world. If Europe should have n weak moment, and Russia a thirst for conquest, Hostilities may be begun from Sebastopol with energy and security. Either the fleet can disembark troops behind the mountains and rivers on the west coast of the Black Sea, or at any port that can he found. No one can seriously suppose that the Turkish fleet at present or in future will be able to prevent this. Before the battle of Navarino it was otherwise., for then the Greek sailors could be depended on.” The Prussian Baron, who probably did not foresee that Russia would so soon make a move against Turkey, continues—- “ It is more difficult to provide for 20,000 men in Turkey than 200,000 in Germany. On this account the communication which the fleet can keep up between Varna and Visa, and the productive countries on the banks of the Bug, Dniester, Dnieper (Borysthene‘s), and Don, render it invaluable,” To this it is but necessary to add, that even here tht re is a very prevalent idea that if the united fleets should be necessitated to visit the Black Sea, very few of the Russian vessels would escape the war-steamers. As to Rear-Admiral Kornileff’s 46 gun-boats in the Danube, the Admirals could take 20 each, and i (toss up for the odd six.

THE ARMY. It would be unpardonable to speak with the tame levity of the army. The men are well clothed and armed, and so well disciplined that when properly led on they walk up to the enemy as cadmly as if on parade. The Russian army consists of one guard corps (comprising the whole guard), one grenadier corps, six infantry corps, and three reserve cavalry corps. At present we have to do but with .the infantry corps, which are what under Napoleon were called army corps. Each of them consists on paper of 49 battalions of infantry and one of sappers, of 32 squadrons of lancers and hussars, and ot 32 heavy and 80 light guns. The real strength of the battalions and squadrons is unknown. Until the Hungarian war, there was always a vast difference between the nominal and effective strength of the army. A corrupt administration is still the curse of Russia, and the justic3 of this assertion is fully borne out by the recent trial at St. Petersburg, in the course of which the first Generals of the Empire were convicted either of conniving at peculation or of gross negligence. During his reign of 26 years, the Emperor Nicholas lias in vain endeavoured to eradicate the evil. The “ grenadier corps,” which it is believed, has received orders to be prepared to march, consists of nine grenadier and three carabineer regiments of three battalions each; one grenadier-chasseur battalion ; and one of sappers; further of 32 squadrons of light cavalry, with 48 heavy and 64 light guns. _ The Kalish correspondent of the Lloyd gives some information relative to the Russian forces. The 2d infantry corps in the kingdom of Poland was above 60,000 strong when reviewed on the 2d of June 18.52. Its commander is LieutenantGeneral Panuitine. This is the army corps which, in case of war, would be pushed forward through Volhynia and Podolia to the support of the corps now in those provinces and on the Pruth. These last troops, which are under the command of Lieutenant-General Danenberg, were reviewed by the Emperor Nicholas in September 1831. The sth army corps, now in ..Bessarabia, under the command of Lieutenant-General Luders, was inspected by the Czar in 1851 and 1852. The Sovereign satisfied himself that his armies were not imaginary, like the villages and towns which Catherine 11. saw when she passed through the Crimea with Potemkin. The general opinion among Austrian military men is that Russia can send at most 160,000 men across the Rentiers. The army brought into the field against the Hungarians was 120,000, and 60,000 as reserve, but this was merely a political, not a national war. Hnxthausen says :—“ The sympathies of the Russians were with the Hungarians and against the Niemotz (Germans), but the Imperial fiat ‘lt is commanded,’ was pronounced, ‘and the army did its duty.’” That tbesßucsians are but carrying out a long cherished and well arranged plan is evident from the fact that eighteen of their officers were last autumn -surveying and mapping in the countries they are now about to occupy. “Preparations,” says the Tricst Zeitung, “ have been making for the present enterprise for the last twenty years, and maps and plans exist which are in the hands of the Russians alone.” At a moment when so much is said of the movements of Russian corps d'armee it may not be uninteresting to give a rough detail of one of these corps, and as, with the exception of the

corps of guards, which lias its head-quarters at St. Petersburg, and of that of grenadiers, echeloned between Wilna and the capital, all the four corps forming the so-called active army, as well as the sth corps, stationed in Bessarabia, are similarly organized, the detail of one corps will serve a? a guide to the remainder. It would be superfluous to give the names of regiments or commanders. The important point is the total on paper, which, making allowance for sick and so forth, corresponds nearly with the effective, that is, at the period of first concentration. Men. One division of cavalry, comprising 2 brigades, 4 regiments (two of hussars and two of lancers), and 32 squadrons, 5,8 X) Three divisions of infantry, comprising 0 brigades, 12 regiments, and 48 battalions, ...... 48,000 One battalion of rifles, . . . COO One battalion of sappers and miners, • 800 Throe horse and 11 foot batteries of artillery, with 112 guns, . . . 3,000 Train, including complete pontoon equipage, 1,000 Total 59,260 The cavalry regiments, each consisting of 1469 sabres or lances, attached to corps d’ armce , are exclusively hussars and lancers. The heavy cavalry, composed of 8 cuirassier, 8 dragoon, and the remaining 10 lancer regiments, giving altogether 200 squadrons, or 32,000 sabres, with 96 fieldpieces, form the reserve of cavalry in the headquarters at Wossncsensk. The regiments of line infantry consist of 4 active, 1 reserve, and 1 depot battalion. The number of squadrons differs according to specialities; thus the dragoons have 10, whilst hussars and lancers have 8. The field batteries, of which a large proportion are 12pounders, and some 18-pounders, consist of 8 guns, and sometimes more. The average proportion, as will be seen from the above, is nearly 1 gun for 300 effective bayonets or sabres. The full effective bayonets and sabres of a corps d ’ armce cannot be rated at more than 48,000 men, after the first ten days of campaigning—and above all, in such a climate us that in the vicinity of the Danube. It is a well-known fact that the ravages committed by disease, during the last campaign in Hungary, were twentyfold that effected by sword and shot. Nor can it be otherwise in such pestilential countries—above all, with under-fed soldiers who have not stamina to assist in carrying them through heavy work. Be this as it may, Russia without moving the 2nd corps of the “ active army” occupying Poland, or without advancing the corps of guards and grenadiers, could, in the event of war with the Ottoman Porte, throw forward three corps of the active army, and the sth corps, usually cantoned in Bessarabia; which four corps combined would give an effective force of not less than 200,000 fighting men, with nearly 450 field-pieces—anti this independent of the reserve cavalry and artillery attached thereto, or of numerous regiments of regular and irregular Cossacks. Fortifications of Sebastopol. The fortifications of Sebastopol consist of three large forts. Those called Constantine and Alexander are at the entrance to the port; that which bears the name of Nicholas is in the haven itself. Except the fortifications of Paris this is perhaps the most important, and strategically important, piece of military architecture which has been eomplcted since 1830. The harbour of Odessa is formed by two large moles, defended by strong works. It can contain 200 ships. The town is regularly built, in the form of an oblong parallelogram, on a declivity, which slopes down to the bay. The Greek Church. The present situation of the Greek Church is thus described by the able writer from whom the greater part of the foregoing particulars has been extracted. The Russian is de facto the Oriental Church. The expression “ Greek” is incorrect, inasmuch as Constantinople has ceased to be the centre of the Oriental Church, The Eastern Sclaves have still great veneration for the Patriarchate of Constantinople, because from that city Christianity first found its way to them, but it has little real influence over either the Russian or the Austrian Sclaves. “In fact, it is no longer Rome and Constantinople that arc opposed to each other, but Rome and St. Petersburg.” One extract more must be made from the most Interesting political-statistical work which has ever fallen into my hands, as it contains a complete justification of the policy of the great Powers :—“ Russia cannot acquire possession of Turkey until it has conquered Europe. As long as the present political system ;s maintained none of the Powers can consent to let Turkey fall into the hands ot Russia.” Here speaks the Prussian who has for the moment laid aside his Russian predilections; and immediately after we have the politician in the higher sense of the word, —“ In the event of a war, the whole of Europe, witli England at its head, would be united against Russia. With Great Britain it would be war to the knife.”