458 RESOURCES, &C. OF RUSSIA. 



Crimea. Nearly three weeks are necessary to concentrate this army 

 on the Pruth. 



" Fourth. — The Army of the Centre, the First or the Grand Army, 

 presents a mass equivalent to the three preceding armies, conse- 

 quently of 240,000 combatants. The cantonments of this army ex- 

 tend on one side to more than 234 leagues, from Ostroy to Murom, 

 upon the frontier of the governments of Vladimir and of Ashui-No- 

 vogorod. Six weeks, at least, are required for concentrating the grand 

 army in Volhynia. 



" Besides these four armies, 480,000 strong, Russia has many de- 

 tached corps, which amount to more than 267,000 men. The whole 

 of the armed forces of Russia are, therefore, included in the follow- 

 ing summary : — men. 



The four armies 480,000 



The detached corpsof Iceland, of Oxenburg, and of Siberia 45,000 

 The corps of the Caucasus ..... 85,000 

 The military colonies . . . . , . 67,000 

 Garrison troops . ..... 70,000 



747,000 



"To these let us add the hordes of the Kirghessians and of the 

 Paschkirs, and we shall have an idea of the military state of the 

 Russian empire." 



It will be observed that, in the above statement, the Russian army 

 is supposed to be considerably under 1,000,000. We know, how- 

 ever, from other sources of undoubted anthenticity, that in some 

 cases — in that of the military colonies, for example — this writer far 

 underrates the numerical force of the Russian army. 



The soldiery of the northern Autocrat are maintained by conscrip- 

 tion. The yearly expenses of their maintenance is 20,000,000 rubles. 

 A first captain in the cavalry receives about 170^. per annum as 

 pay; in the infantry about 120/. Soldiers holding inferior stations 

 in the army receive proportionably lower pay, down to the private, 

 who is paid at the rate of three halfpence per diem. In ad- 

 dition to this, however, lodging is provided for him, together with 

 an allowance of 1501bs of meal and 44lbs of salt per annum. 



This pay, though scanty in appearance, is, when the relative value 

 of money in both countries is taken into account, actually greater 

 than is allowed in Great Britain. The uniform of the infantry is 

 green, with white waistcoat and breeches ; that of the cavalry, blue; 

 and of the artillery, red. The Cossacks, and other irregulars, have 

 the privilege of choosing their own commanders, These receive no 

 pay from government ; but must support themselves. To enable 

 them to do this a certain portion of land is allotted to them. 



A short time previous to the death of Alexander a plan was de- 

 vised for raising and keeping up an effective army at a mere trifling 

 expense. This plan, which owes its origin to the ingenuity of Count 

 ArakschejefF, is extremely simple. He suggested that a number of 

 "villages, to be called Military Villages, should be built and placed 

 under a peculiar code of laws. The crown peasantry, of whom there 

 are some hundred thousands, were lo people these villages, and the 

 male part of them were to be trained to tiie use of arms, and made 



