THE RUSSIAN GUARDS.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4586, 15 September 1883, Page 2

THE RUSSIAN GUARDS.

The Standard's correspondent, wriing [ from Moscow, says :—This morning I witnessed a a wonderful display of horsemanship. It took place in the Petrovsky Park. Here, in the presence of the Grand Dnke Nicholas and most of the foreign officers, the Guards went through an extraordinary series of exercise, which threw the most daring feats of the circus in the shade. The entire regiment went past at full gallop, in loose order, with many of the men standing upright in the saddle, others upon their heads, with leg 3 in the air, many leaping on to the ground and then into the saddle again at fall I speed, some springing over their horses heads and picking stones from the ground and yet regaining their seats. While performing these feats all were brandish* ing their sabres and firing pistols, throwing their carbines into the air and catching them again, and yelling like maniacs* Some went past in pairs, standing leg on each other's .horse—one sfe-I«L fellow carried off another dressed as a woman. The effect of the scene was absolutely bewildering, and it seemed as if the whole regiment had gone mad. |/TJpon a signal being given the regiment divided into two parts. One rode off, the other halted and made their horses lie down on the ground and lay beside them, wating as in war the approach of an enemy. The other section of the regiment then charged down, and in an instatn every horse was on its feet, every rider in his saddle, and with wild yells, they rode at their supposed enemy. When the manoeuvres were over the regiment rode past singing, and uncommonly well together, a military chorus.