The capitalised value of private property has been the subject of many calculations, which, however, differ too greatly to be considered as reliable. The estimates by M. de Foville put the aggregate private fortunes at: land, 3,000,000,000l.; buildings, 2,000,000,000l.; specie, 200,000,0007.; convertible securities, 2,800,000,000l.; agricultural implements and live stock, 400,000,000l.; other personal property, 680,000,000l.; total private wealth, 8,080,000,000. M. Leroy Beaulieu estimates that the total yearly income of the nation reaches about 1,000,000,0007., of which three-fifths is the product of personal labour. M. Yves Guyot from fiscal data (which he shows provide an insufficient basis for a trustworthy estimate) suggests that the private wealth of France (moveable and immoveable) is under 9,520 millions sterling, and the revenue therefrom (exclusive of income from agricultural profits and personal work) about 320 millions sterling. Defence. I. LAND Defences. France has a coast line of 1,760 miles, 1,304 on the Atlantic and 456 on the Mediterranean. Its land frontier extends over 1,575 miles, of which 1,156 miles are along the Belgian, German, Swiss, and Italian frontiers, and 419 along the Spanish frontier. The fortified places are specially administered by a 'service des fortifications.' Paris, which is considered as the centre of defence, is surrounded by a wall which has 97 bastions, 17 old forts, and 38 new advance forts or batteries, the whole forming two entrenched camps at St. Denis and Versailles. The following are the strong places on the various frontiers :On the German frontier: first class fortresses, Belfort, Verdun, Briançon; second class, Langres; third class, Toul, Auxonne; and 9 fourth class places. Belgian frontier: first class, Lille, Dunkirk, Arras, Douai; second class, Cambrai, Valenciennes, Givet, St. Omer, Mézières, Sedan, Longuy, Soissons; third class, Gravelines, Condé, Landrécies, Rocroi, Montmédy, Péronne; and 6 fourth-class places. Italian frontier: first class, Lyon, Grenoble, Besançon; and 11 detached forts. Mediterranean coast, first class, Toulon (naval harbour); second class, Antibes; and 21 fourth-class forts. Spanish frontier: first class, Perpignan, Bayonne; third class, St. Jean Pied-de-Port; and 10 fourthclass forts. Atlantic coast: first class, Rochefort, Lorient, Brest; second class, Oléron, La Rochelle, Belle Isle; third class, Ile de Ré, Fort Louis; and 17 fourth-class forts. The Channel coast: first class, Cherbourg; second class, St. Malo, le Havre; and 16 fourth-class forts. II. ARMY. The military forces of France are organised on the basis of laws voted by the National Assembly in 1872, supplemented by further organisation laws, passed in 1873, 1875, 1882, 1887, 1889, 1890, and 1892. These laws enact universal liability to arms. Substitu tion and enlistment for money are forbidden, and it is ordered that every Frenchman not declared unfit for military service may be called up, from the age of twenty to that of forty-five years, to enter the active army or the reserves. By the law of 1882, supplemented by those of 1889 and 1892, the yearly contingent must serve 3 years in the Active Army, 10 in the Reserve of the Active Army, 6 in the Territorial Army, and 6 in the Territorial Reserve. The Active Army is composed of all the young men, not legally exempted, who have reached the age of twenty, and the Reserves of those who have passed through the Active Army. Neither the Active Army nor its Reserves are in any way localised, but drawn from and distributed over the whole of France. On the other hand, the Territorial Army and its Reserves are confined to fixed regions, determined from time to time by administrative enactments. Students and pupils of certain higher schools, and seminarists, are required to serve only one year, on condition of completing their studies and obtaining a certain rank before the age of twenty-six years. All soldiers in the Active Army who have learnt their duties, and who can read and write, may be sent on furlough, at the end of a year, for an indefinite time. The number of youths passed and enrolled in the contingent of recruits for 1903 was 132,400. France (including Algeria) is divided into 20 military regions, of which 17 are subdivided into 8, 2 into 4, and 1 into 9 districts. Each region is occupied by an army corps consisting generally of 2 divisions of infantry, 1 brigade of cavalry, 1 brigade of artillery, 1 battalion of engineers, and 1 squadron of train, beside staff secretaries, artizans, medical officers, and gendarmes. For the military government of Paris, and also of Algeria, special provision is made. The present organisation of the active French army is as follows: INFANTRY. 145 divisional regiments of the line, each of 3 battalions of 4 companies, each regiment of 62 officers and 1,591 men. 18 regional regiments of the line, each of 4 battalions, each regiment of 51 officers and 1,560 men, located in the various fortresses of France. 30 battalions of chasseurs-à-pied, each of 4 or 6 companies, each company having 19 officers and 552 men. 4 regiments of zouaves, each of 4 battalions of 4 companies, with 2 dépôt companies, one of which is in France, each regiment of 73 officers and 2,551 men. 4 regiments of tirailleurs algériens, each of 4 battalions of 4 companies, with 1 dépôt company, each regiment of 103 officers and 2,632 men. 2 régiments étrangers, of 5 battalions of 4 companies, with 2 dépôt CAVALRY. 13 regiments of cuirassiers, 31 of dragoons, 21 of chasseurs, 14 of hussars, 6 of Chasseurs d'Afrique, each regiment having 5 squadrons, with 37 officers, 792 men, and 722 horses. 3 regiments of Spahis, one having 8, and two 5 squadrons; 1 regiment of Tunisian Spahis. 8 companies of 'cavaliers de remonte,' 299 men each. ARTILLERY. 40 regiments of field artillery, comprising 428 mounted batteries, 52 horse batteries, 16 mountain batteries, and 4 mounted and 8 mountain batteries in Algeria and Tunis. 16 battalions of foot artillery, each of 6 batteries. 4 batteries of foot artillery for service in Africa. ENGINEERS. 6 regiments of sappers and miners, of which 5 contain each 3 battalions and 1 company of sapper-conductors, and the other 4 battalions and 1 company of sapper-conductors. 1 regiment of railway sappers. TRAIN. 20 squadrons of train, 12 of 4, 8 of 3 companies, 12 companies being in Algeria. According to the budget for 1905, the peace strength of the army in France (including vacancies, furloughs, &c.) is composed of 503,833 officers and men; in Algeria, 56, 268; in Tunis, 20,584; total, 580,420. The total number of horses is put at 141,853. The various subdivisions of the army and their relative strength are seen from the following table, the number of men including that of the officers, the number of officers being given separately in brackets: Grand Total 503,833 125,268 (693) 56,003 12.609 20,584 3,876 580,420 141,853 (2,134) 1 At the cost of the Ministry of the Colonies. (29,692) Deducting vacancies, sick and absent, the total effective for 1905 is 507,421 for the Active Army, and 24,475 for the Gendarmerie and Garde Républicaine. The colonial troops stationed in France (1905), number 27,577; in ths colonies, 60,157. The number of men liable to military service in France 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 depart ment, the services of submarine defences, hydrography, and other special branches. In addition to these are the Superior Council of the Navy, and 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. At the 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, Oran, Algiers and Bona. The 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, while the older battleships were sent into the Channel with the recent coast defence ships. Men (Officers) Horses Men (Officers) Total. Horses The principal squadrons are thus distributed for the present year :- The rating here, being the same as in the list of British ships, comparisons are easily made as to the relative values of the forces maintained. Since 1872, when the votes were 121,484,000 francs, there has been, with fluctuations, a progressive increase in the naval expenditure of France. For 1903 the estimate was 306,692,678 francs. The following was the establishment for 1902-1,905 officers (including 15 vice-admirals, 30 rear-admirals, 125 captains, 235 commanders, 774 lieutenants, 502 ensigns, and 224 midshipmen) Mechanicians, engineers, &c., numbered 1,426; warrant officers, petty officers, and seamen numbered 50,496; the reserve of all sorts comprised 6,048 officers and men. 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. A summary of French ships is as follows: |