used in the Russian army in foraging parties, pursuits, patroles, videttes, or scouts; its discipline not being organized on the regular cavalry system.

The Russian army, taken in general, was under no improved military establishment until the reign of Peter the Great, although some particular regiments, in the time of Michael Romanoff, were disciplined according to the German manner. For the better teaching of his own, he had also several thousand soldiers from the banks of the Rhine, both infantry and cavalry. His native troops were exercised and commanded by French, German, and Scotch officers; and thus he made foreign nations teach his the art of war. The Tzar Michaelovitz, the father of Peter the Great, pursued the same plan; but while he invited experienced soldiers from every country, he strictly forbad the adoption of their manners with their tactics, for fear that by such a change the established faith might be shaken. The completion of the organized state of the Russian military system was left, like almost every great achievement of the empire, to the divine genius of Peter. You are too well acquainted with his life to require me to say more on the subject; but certainly his mind was the sun from which alone has irradiated every science that now blesses this country.

He disciplined the whole of the army in the German style, officering it with foreign officers of noted experience and renown. His friend and preceptor Le Fort, shewed him what would be his future greatness by fulfilling such a design; and awakening the generous enthusiasm of his nature, every suggestion that promised the future welfare of the country was adopted with promptitude and zeal. By his advice the Emperor formed the young nobility of Mosco into two regiments, in order to

teach them the exercise which he afterwards extended throughout his whole army. These were the foundation of the guards, now known by the name of Preobrajenski and Simenouski, and who took the place of the ancient Tzarish guards; a body of men resembling in power the Janissaries of Turkey; and that they did not exercise it with less wantonness, the bloody acts on record too horribly proclaim. It was

in the year 1690 that this new military system, now so gigantic, received its birth. Before a few years had elapsed, this great Monarch had regularly clothed, disciplined, and appointed pay for a vast army. In 1711, it consisted of fifty-one regiments of infantry; thirty-nine of cavalry, and grenadiers, and bombardiers to the amount of 5600 men: making a total of 109,650. Besides these there were forces in the frontiers and in garrison, calculated at 150,000 men; not including the Cossacs, Calmucs, and Tartars, in the service of Russia, amounting to an equal number.

The uniform of the infantry was commonly green with red facings : the cavalry wore blue returned with red; the artillery and bombardiers scarlet, with blue and black facings. The whole army was distinguished with white cockades. Every regiment, like our own, takes its name from the district in which it was raised. The grenadiers are the only exception, and they are called by the name of their commanders. The pay, in the time of the Tzar, was not very considerable; but, according to the period, perhaps fully adequate to the expences of the soldier. To foreign officers he gave almost one third more than he paid to those of his own country. This of course was to induce them to serve him.

I by chance met with a little work on the subject (printed at Strawberry-Hill; it is scarce; and as probably you may have never seen it,

I shall make an extract from it relative to the pay, &c. of the Russian soldier during the year 1710. It was a memorandum of Sir Charles Whitworth's while Embassador at this court.

The whole expence for clothing and arming a foot soldier was twelve rubles. They were new equipped every two years; and a kopeck a day was stopped for that purpose out of their pay. The nobility were obliged to furnish horses for the cavalry, for which government allowed them seven rubles for each animal. Sir Charles Whitworth says, that eleven rubles per annum was the pay of a soldier, exclusive of his inonthly allowances of corn, peas, bacon, &c. Another author shews that this sum is merely nominal, as more than half of it was deducted for the purchase of clothes, medicines, flints, arms, and a hundred etcetera. As far as relates to these regulations, little difference has taken place to this day; you may judge for yourself, as underneath I have set down the state of the pay in the time of Peter, and have added to it that of the army at the present period.

The evolutions of the army remained in the state Peter the First left them, until Peter the Third, smitten by the military fame of Frederic the Second, adopted the Prussian tactics as far as his short reign would allow. Amongst other transformations he changed the generally red facings of the infantry to colours varied according to the respective regiments. His successor the Great Catherine, had no whims in her

alterations: she laid aside all the stiffnesses premeditated by her late husband, and studied the utility and ease of the soldier more than the smartness of his appearance. It was she who gave the commodious large trouser which the Cossacs now wear. Her son Paul again embraced the Prussian passion, entirely altering the system introduced by her, and making all around him German to the most violent excess. Indeed, the martial law, dress and parade attending every minute circumstance, civil and military, are too well known for me to descant on here. However, no fault can be found with the aspect of the present Russian soldier. His air is martial, and his general appearance admirable.

The heavy cavalry wear green uniforms, cut short in the Austrian fashion, with various facings. Their helmets are very high, crested with an enormous quantity of bristly hair; and the effect is altogether more that of an antique casque, than of a modern invention. White pantaloons have superseded the trousers; and so far from being on the easy plan, they girdle the wearer so tightly round the waist that you cannot look on him without being reminded of a wasp. This custom is not handsome; and by no means friendly to health, as the encirclement comes up so high on the body as to subject the soldier to great inconveniences; and, in the course of a little time, must produce the most serious consequences.

The infantry wear a similar coat with the cavalry; and have felt caps like our own, decorated with a feather formed of hair dyed black, green, or red. The sword and bayonet are girt round their loins; and a broad wide belt, crossing their left shoulder, carries the cartouch-box. This latter appendage belongs to all the troops. White cloth pantaloons and boots complete their apparel.