Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1292

 93G RUSSIA

Kars and Batum in the Caucasus district. There are also forty- six places unclassed, many of them being mere fortified posts. The list is as follows : — Zegrj in the Warsaw district ; St. Peters- burg ; Kiev and Dubno ; Dvinsk in the Yiliia district ; Alexan- dropol, Evdokimov Shatoi, Yevgenievsk, Karadagh, Khunzakh, Khodjal Makhi, Preobrajensk, Veden, Georgievsk, Guvieb, Akhti and Zakatali in the Caucasus district ; Kushk Port, Alexan- drovsk, Krasnovodsk, Ashkhabad, Merv, Chikishliar, Tashkend, Ura Tiube, Namangan, Kokand, Aulieata, Khodjend, Samar- kand, Chinaz, Kliuchevoi, Khust, Makhram, Petro Alexan- drovsk, Andijan, Margelan, Chimkend, Perovsk, Djarkend, Bakhti, Karakol, Narin, and Zaisan in the Turkestan district ; and Nikolaievsk in the Pri-Amur district.

II. Army.

Since January 13, 1874, military service has been rendered obligatory for all men from their 21st year. With the modifica- tions introduced in that law on October 30, 1876, and June 26, 1888, military service is organised as follows : — Out of about 870,000 young men reaching every year their 21st year, about 275,000 are taken into the active army, and the remainder are in- scribed partly in the reserve and partly in the 2nd reserve, or * Za- pas.' The period of service is, in European Russia, five years in the active army (in reality reduced by furloughs to 4 years), 13 years in the reserve, and 5 years in the ' Zapas ; ' 7 years in active army and 6 years in the reserve in the Asiatic dominions ; and 3 years in the active army and 15 years in the reserve in Caucasia. In case of need the Minister of War has the right of keeping the men for another six months under the colours.

Certain privileges are granted on account of education, and clergymen are exempt, as also doctors and teachers.

In 1896, of the 987,917 young men liable to military service (of whom 50,641 Jews and 26,382 Mussulmans), 30,585 (7,736 Jews) did not appear ; 77,542 were found too weak for military service; 212,209 inscribed in the first part of the militia, and 275,247 (15,831 Jews) were taken into the army, besides 3,394 Caucasian natives, out of 26,228 liable to service. The contin- gent for 1896 was 274,650 men, besides 2,750 Caucasians. The men inscribed in the reserve troops are convoked for drill six weeks twice a year.

The 'Opoltchciiie,' formerly a simple militia, was reorganised in 1888 and 1891 (April 27th), and the duration of the service prolonged to 43 years in- stead of 40, for the soldiers, and from 50 to 55 for the officers. It is divided into two parts. The first i)art {pervyi razryad) has the character of reserve