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Army and Navy.

1. Army.

The military forces of France are in a state of nearly completed reorganisation, on the basis of a 'loi sur le recrutement,' voted by the National Assembly on July 27, 1872, supplemented by further organisation laws, passed on July 24, 1873, March 13, 1875, and March 1882. These laws enact universal liability to arms. Substitution 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 years, to enter the active army or the reserves.' By the law of 1882 the yearly contingent is divided into two categories, the first serving 3 years with the colours and 2 years in the Reserve, and the second only 1 year in the Active Army. The Active Army is composed of all the young men, not otherwise exempted, who have reached the age of twenty, and the Reserve of those who have passed through the Active Army. Neither the Active Army nor its Reserve are in any way localised, but drawn from and distributed over the whole of France. On the other hand the Territorial Army and its Reserve are spread over fixed regions, determined from time to time by administrative enactments.

The principle of universal liability to arms was not carried out strictly in all the enactments of the law of 1872. Beside those rejected on physical grounds, there were certain exemptions in the case of sons who may be the sole support of other members of a family, pupils of certain public schools, teachers, professors, ecclesiastics, artists who have gained the 'Grand Prix,' and others. Since 1882, however, teachers in public elementary schools and the pupils of clerical seminaries are required to serve for one year. 1883 the number of young men on the conscription lists was 312,924; of these 139,269 were declared fit for active service, of whom 7,206 were drafted to the marine, and the remainder for the army. 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.

In

According to the budget of the Ministry of War for 1885, the strength of the whole French army is composed of 524,797 men (including vacancies, furloughs, &c.) and 130,797 horses, independently of the provisional addition of horses in Tunis and 1,432 horses allotted to the mixed companies; but the Gendarmerie and the Garde Républicaine are included in these figures, and they amount

together to 26,865 men and 13,152 horses. The army properly so called was, therefore, in 1885, made up of 497,932 men and 117,645 horses. Of these 57,164 men and 17,506 horses were assigned to Algeria; the remainder were quartered in France and the various colonial stations. Deducting vacancies, sick, and absent, the total effective of 1884-5, including the Gendarmerie and Garde Républicaine, is 483,933. For recruiting the army in 1884, it was estimated that 161,531 conscripts would be required. Of these 101,694 were to be assigned to the infantry, 17,303 to the cavalry, 28,558 to the artillery, 3,091 to the engineers, 5,586 to the military train, and 5,299 to the administrative branches.

In the year 1869, the actual expenditure for the army amounted to 384,157,428 francs; while in the estimates (ordinary and extraordinary) for 1885 the amount stood at 716,318,580 francs, being an augmentation of 332,161,152 francs. The rise was due mainly to the increase in the numbers of the army under the new organisation.

The present organisation of the French army is as follows:

Infantry:

144 regiments of the line, each of 4 battalions of 4 companies, with 2 depôt companies.

30 battalions of chasseurs à pied, each of 4 companies, with 1 depôt

company.

4 regiments of zouaves, each of 4 battalions of 4 companies, with 2 depôt companies, one of which is in France.

3 regiments of Tirailleurs Algériens, each of 4 battalions of 4 companies, with 1 depôt company.

1 Légion Etrangère, of 6 battalions of 4 companies, with 2 depôt companies.

3 battalions of African Light Infantry of 6 companies.

4 companies of 'fusiliers de discipline' (Algeria).

1 company of 'pionniers de discipline' (Algeria).

The troops of the last six divisions form a special class, enrolled as the 19th corps d'armée.

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30 regiments of light cavalry, chasseurs and hussars 2 regiments of Algerian hussars

4 regiments of Chasseurs d'Afrique, of 6 squadrons.

3 regiments of Spahis, of 6 squadrons.

Artillery and Engineers:

38 regiments of field artillery.

each of 5 squadrons.

2 regiments of artillery pontonniers, each of 14 companies.

10 companies of artillery workmen for factories, &c. 3 companies of artificers.

57 companies of train artillery.

4 regiments of sappers and miners, each of 5 battalions, and 92 companies in all.

The total nominal force of the French army in officers and men and in horses was given as follows in the budget for 1884:

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Included in the above are 4,174 men for staff service, 3,122 unattached, 2,670 unclassed in the other corps, and 18,025 in the commissariat service. There were allowances made for 27,070 officers and 497,727 non-commissioned officers, rank and file. Taking into account the various classes of reserves, France has a war force of about 2 millions of men at her disposal; and taking account of the various classes of able-bodied men whose services have been dispensed with, the total number amounts to 3,750,000.

The whole of France is divided into 18 military regions, each under a general of division, and subdivided into districts, of the same circumference as the departments, under a general of brigade; Paris and Lyon have each a separate military government. The fortified places are specially administered by a service des fortifications,' with Paris as the centre, and the following strong places on the various frontiers-On the German frontier: first class fortresses, Belfort, Verdun, Besançon; 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, Peronne; 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 fourth class forts. Atlantic coast,

first class, Rochefort, Lorient, Brest; second class, Oléron, La Rochelle, Belle Isle; third class, Ile de Rhé, Fort Louis; and 17 fourth class forts. The Channel coast: first class, Cherbourg; second class, St. Malo, Havre; and 16 fourth class forts.

2. Navy.

The effective war navy of France is classified in the following table according to the budget estimates of the Minister of Marine for 1885 :

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The following is a tabular list of the ironclads of the navy of France, exclusive of floating batteries, at the end of the year 1884. The columns of the table exhibit, similar to that descriptive of the British ironclad navy, after the name of each ship, first, the thickness of armour at the water-line; secondly, the number and calibre of guns; thirdly, the indicated or nominal horse-power of engines; and fourthly, the tonnage, that is, displacement in tons. The guns enumerated in the larger vessels are only those that are regarded as armour-piercers. Each vessel of the French navy is enrolled at one of the five great 'divisions maritimes' of the country— namely, 1. Cherbourg; 2. Brest; 3. Lorient; 4. Rochefort; and 5. Toulon :

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