TEE PRESENT MILITARY CONDITION OF FRANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7270, 7 March 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

TEE PRESENT MILITARY CONDITION OF FRANCE.

We (Army and Navy Gazette) gave lately an account of the vast suow which France has laid ont since 1871 in repairing the ravages of war—over £100,000.000, in addition to a heavily-increased ordinary expenditure. The lesson waa a severe one. Better for r ranee had she listened to the warding voice of her Military Attache at Berlin (Baron Stoffel), or to that ot General Ducrot, who commanded at Strasburg. Both of these officers warned their Government of the storm which was brewing. Liberal ideas, however, and economy were in the ascendant in Paris, and Napoleon 111. was endeavouring to " crown the edifice" which wa3 destined to topple over a lew months later. When, as the vulgar saying goes, all the fat was in the fire, and there was wailing and gnashing of teeth, Sennacherib had came down like a wolf ou the fold, and itwas we victis with avengeance. No sooner was peace concluded than France set to work with energy to set her military house in order. Everyone dreamed of revenge, and recovering Alsace and. Lorraine. Marshal Oanrobert said the other day that the Frenchman who spoke ot revenge was an idiot, and that the Frenchman who did not mentally desire it ought to be kicked. With the whole nation in this frame of mind, noone can wonder at the pecuniary sacrifices made by France with the view of ultimately recovering her lost territory and her lo3t prestige. This in what she has done with the large sums voted by Parliament. The army has been thoroughly reorganised. The active army is thus composed :—IS army corpa, each consisting of two divisions, each division of two brigades, each brigade of two regiments ; in addition a battalion of duuiseurs-apied, a brigade of cavalry, a brigade of artillery, a squadron of military train, a battalion ot engineers, &c. Mot comprised in the army corps, but forming independent corps, are 41 regiments of cavalry, which comprise rive divisions, each division of three brigades, a brigade of cuirassiers, a brigade of hussars, a brigade of horse artillery, two squadrons of military tiain, five bv-talions of chasscurs-a pied, eight sections of railway men. There is a 19:-h army corps, which lies iu Algeria. Service in the French Army has been rendered compulsory siace the fall ot the Empire ; but the period has been reduced from seven to five years, and it will shortly be reduced to three years. Every Frenchman now, after his five years in the active army, lias to pass four years in the reserve, then five years in the territorial and six yeai-s in the reserve of that force. J , , very able-bodied Frenchman, with a few exceptions, has, therefore, to serve his country for twenty years. This reorganisation has naturally cost vast sums of money, especially in the way of clothing ami arming. The 144 regiments of infantry of the line, with the 30 battalions of chasseurs, four regiments of Zouaves, and other Algerian troop*, show a strength of 253.563 men and 3275 horses. The cavalry, with its 32 regiments of chasseurs and hussars, 2b" regiments of cuirassiers, etc., show a strength of 65.722 men and 61,692 horses. The artillery is composed of 533 batteries ; the total force amounts to 70,370 men and 31,059 horses. The engineers count 11,000 men anil 94 > horses, and the military tram about the same. The total strength of the French Army is set down at 502.781J men and 124,977 horses. The territorial army is composed of 145 regiments of infantry. These regiments, from No. 1 to S, are attached to the Ist Army Corps ; from U to IG, to the 2nd Army Corps ; ana so on. There are also 144 squadrons of cavalry at home and four in Algeria ; 364 batteries of artillery, 56 companies ot military train, and IS squadrons, with 52 companies of engineers, ifcc. In addition to Van above, it is calculated that the wood-rangers and Custom-house men, who received a military organisation, can turn out 20,000 men. If Vranee were now attacked she could set in the field no less than 24 army corps, the men of five of which exist, though the corps are not; yet organised, together with the independent corps above mentioned, and she would still, in case of necessity, have men enough to form eight more army corps. This, then, is the total strength of the French Army :—Five classes of tho active army, 704,714 men; four classes of the reserve, 510,249 ; live classes of territorial army, 552, 523 ; six classes ot the territorial reserve, (325,033 : total, 2,434,164 men. And if necessary the War Minister could call up 20 classes ot men dispensed from service, which, with men attached to the auxiliary services, would make more than a million additional men. Aims could not, perhaps, be supplied to this mighty host, or at least not improved arni3. "Since IST 1. the chassepot has been replaced by the gras with a metal cartridge, wnile steel breech-loading guns have been served out to the field artillery. We in3y add that since the Franeo-German War every horse and cart has been registered, so that they may be instantly available for military service. Throughout the country, too, riile clubs have been formed, as well as gymnastic societies, on highly patriotic principles. Iu a great many places the playground has been turned into a parade-ground, where scholastic battalions manoeuvre under the eye of the drill sergeant; and in fact the military feeliDg has become exceedingly inteuse since the war of IS7O aud IS7I. In this sketch we must not omit to mention the fortified places constructed to replace Metz, Strasburg, Peronuela Pacelle, and the other French places, which, with the exception ot Belfort, had to open their gates to the enemy. A number of new forts, some of the first order, have been constructed at a greater distance from the encierite, and it is to be hoped that these works, together with permanent batteries, will foil any further attempts on the part of the Germane. It was estimated, and the estimate was far too low. that these works would not cosl less than £2,500,030. It may be added that the expeoao ot arming these forte has been very heavy, and also that a special corps of fortress artillerymen has been organise.!, so that the fortifications may be turned to the best account in the event of an attack. So much has been recently said and written about the sums laid out on the French, fleet, that we may terminate our remarks here for the present.