Deducting vacancies, sick and absent, the total effective for 1899 is 540,582 for the Active Army, and 25,647 for the Gendarmerie and Garde Républicaine. The number of men liable to military service is estimated as follows:active army and its reserve, 2,350,000; territorial army, 900,000; territorial reserve, 1,100,000; total, 4,350,000 men, of whom about 2,500,000 would be available. NAVY. The French navy is under the supreme direction of the Minister of Marine, who is assisted by a Chief of the Staff. The functions of the last-named officer, who is a vice-admiral, were enlarged in 1898. Under the Minister he has charge of all the work of the department having reference to the building, maintenance, commissioning, and mobilization of the fleet, and particularly of all that concerns preparations for war. He is chief of the Military Cabinet, while the Civil Cabinet, devoted to administrative work, is directly under the Minister. There are two sub-chiefs of the staff, of whom one is in charge of various sections, and the other of the work of the Military Cabinet. The central administration also embraces the directorates of personnel, matériel, and artillery, the inspectorate of works, the finance department, the services of submarine defences, hydrography, and other special branches. In addition to these are the Superior Council of the Navy, and the Horses At the committee of inspectors-general, with a series of particular inspectorates, the council of works, and a number of special and permanent technical and professional committees. For purposes of administration the French coasts are divided into five maritime arrondissements, having their headquarters at the naval ports of Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, and Toulon, at each of which the Government has important shipbuilding establishments. head of each arrondissement is a vice-admiral, with the title of Maritime Prefect, who is responsible for the port administration and the coast defences, mobile and fixed. The chief torpedo-stations are Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, Rochefort, Toulon, Corsica, Bizerta (Tunis), Algiers and Bona. naval forces afloat are the Mediterranean squadron, the northern squadron in the Channel, and the divisions of the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Far East, Cochin China, and the Indian Ocean; and there are ships on local stations. In 1898 the principal squadrons were reorganised, the most modern battleships being collected in the Mediterranean, with the recent coast defence ships, while the older battleships were sent into the Channel. The Since 1872, when the votes were 121,484,000 francs, there has been, with fluctuations, a progressive increase in the naval expenditure of France. In round millions of francs the following have been the naval votes since 18801880, 186; 1881, 193; 1882, 202; 1883, 232; 1884, 254; 1885, 266; 1886, 233; 1887, 211; 1888, 194; 1889, 199; 1890, 201; 1891, 222; 1892, 219; 1893, 255; 1894, 267; 1895, 278; 1896, 268; 1897, 265; 1898, 287; 1899 (estimate), 304,078,400 fr. The following was the establishment for 18981,733 officers (including 15 vice-admirals, 30 rear-admirals, 125 captains, 215 commanders, 758 lieutenants, 420 sub-lieutenants, and 170 midshipmen). The warrant officers, petty officers, and seamen numbered 40,589. It is intended to increase the fleet by a programme covering a period of years, though not fixed, by legislative enactment. The total sum proposed to be outlayed during eight years, beginning in 1998, is 721,815,572 francs, and the expenditure will be progressive up to the year 1901. In all, the programme at present in hand and thus contemplated includes 85 vessels of various classes, of which eight are battleships, ten armoured cruisers, ten cruisers of other classes, ten destroyers, and forty-two various torpedo boats. The sum to be devoted to new constructions in 1899, according to the programme, is 111,494,942 fr. The list of ships to be laid down, according to the Government proposals, is as follows: one battleship of 14,500 tons, two armoured cruisers of 10,014 tons, two cruisers of 4,000 tons, two destroyers of 400 tons, four large and eleven first-class torpedo-boats, and six submarine boats. The French navy stands next in importance to that of Great Britain. It therefore becomes of much importance to compare the two. With the British navy will be found a tabular statement of its strength. The following statement of the strength of the French navy, including ships building, but excluding transports, older cruisers, and non-service vessels, is analogous. Vessels merely proposed are not included in the lists. Description The French navy is manned partly by conscription and partly by voluntary enlistment. By the channel of the 'Inscription Maritime,' which was introduced by Colbert, and on the lists of which are the names of all male individuals of the maritime population'—that is, men and youths devoted to a seafaring life, from the 18th to the 50th year of age-France is provided with a reserve of 114,000 men, of whom about 25,500 are serving with the fleet. The time of service in the navy for the 'Inscrits' is the same as that in the army, with similar conditions as to reserve duties, furloughs, and leave of absence for lengthened periods. It is enacted by the law of 1872 that a certain number of young men liable to service in the Active Army may select instead the naval service, if recognised fit for the duties, even if not enrolled in the Inscription Maritime.' The Inscription' will furnish at least 50,000 men more than the navy would require upon mobilization. The tables which follow of the French armour-clad fleet and first-class: cruisers are arranged chronologically, like the similar tables for the British navy. The ships named in italics in the first list are coast-defence vessels. The numbers following the names of the others indicate the classes to which they have been assigned in the foregoing statement of strength. Abbreviations: b., broadside; c. b., central battery; t. turret ; bar, barbette; Q.F.,. quick-firing. |