EUROPE IN ARMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4771, 24 January 1887, Page 3

EUROPE IN ARMS.

In view of the nearness of war the following is interesting. The numbers of armed men which the several European countries are able to raise havo always bee:>, to some degree, a matter of speculation, although there is a generally prevailiug impression that they are prodigious. The publication of tho figures given below, -therefore, of interest at any time, will be more so at tho present moment aa it enables us to form an approximate idea of what " Europe in arms'' really means. . Both the peace and war sjron^ths of the tar loua armies, with tho number' of guns and horses wu*» •»" a war footing, as they were at She end of 1885, are indicated. It will be seen that, as regards numbers of armed men, Cx«rmany occupies the chief position,although «ome statisticians would place Russia first. It ahouid be borue in mind that, while RusHia has the largest population to draw upon, she is not nearly ready for war to the same extent as the German Empire, for every man enumerated in the case of the latter country has been passed through the active army, which cannot be said with regard to Russia nor any other country in the statement below. Austria. — Poace strength of the nutted army of Austria and Hungary, 17,867 oflicers, 288,5r»5 rauk and file ; total, 256.-122, with 766 guns and 50,302 horses. War streugth, 32,785 olficers, 1,044,319 men ; total, 1,077,104, with 1,679 guns and 211,462 horses. Belgium. — The peace strength of the Belgian army is 45,600 (2,700 officers), with 2C4 field guns and 10,465 horses. The war strength is 101,268 (3,020 officers), with 210 guns and 20,794 horses. Ihe active Garde Oivique numbers 30,954 (27,125 of which are infantry), the non-active Garde Civique about 90,000 men. Denmark.— The peace streugth of tho Danish army (first levy) is 36,510 men, of whom 1,291 are officers. By calling in the second levy, or reserve, the army reaches a war strength of 50,500 (1,496 officers), with 228 guns und about 3,000 horses. JTkanuk. — The peacu strength of the French army is as follows :— 26,974 commissioned officers, 42,720 non-commissioned officers, 454,130 men ; total, 523,824, with 2,694 guns and 110,890 horses. On the outbreak of war France is able to raise an army, including the reserve and territorial forces, of 1,959,861 men, with 2,952 guns, of which 1,355,205 are field and reserve troopa, and 004,650 territorial troops. The army of the first line is estimated by French sources as 2,051,459 men, that of the second line as 2,057,196 men, or a total of 4,108,655 ; but that estimate can scarcely bo depended upon. Germany.— The peace strength of the German army, according to the budget of 1886, is 445,424 men, of which number 18,153 are officers, 51,591 non-commissioned officers, 13,127 musicians, 1,698 surgeons, 3,532 hospital assistants, 618 veterinary sur"eons. 1,570 paymasters, 656 gunsmiths, 10,091 artisans. In the above total arc not included one-year volunteers (between 7,000 and 8,000 men), the gendarmerie (about 'Jt.SOO men), about 2.5C0 cadets, and the reserves of the first class. The number of horses is 81.595. Of Prussia and the contingents incorporated with the Prussian army furnishes 14,045 officers, .'330,629 rank and file, and 64,423 horses ; Bavaria, 2,125 officers, 50,224 rank and file, 8,771 horses ; SaxoDy, 1,138 officers, 27,606 rank and file, aud 5,133 horses ; Wurtemberg, 772 officers, 18,815 rank and rile, and 3,443 horses. The war strength of tho German army is — without the Landsturm, which by law is placed under international protection, without being specially organised as an army — 1,519,104 men. The number of guns is 2,808, that of horses, 312,731. The' Landsturm is estimated at 993,000 men. The total war strength of the forces at the disposal of Germany is consequently, in round numbers, 2,762,000 men. Grkat Buitain. — The British army has aa effective strength of 595,320 officers and jnen, of which the regular forces at home and in the colonies number 130,729; firstclass reserve, 39,268 ; second-clas3 reserve, 7,738 ; militia, including reierve, 139,78(5; yeomanry, 11,488 ; volunteers, 208,365 ; regular forces in India, 57,928, If we add the native forces of India (120.552 men) we obtain a total of 716,202 ; and by including the Irish police (12,0Cf0 men) and Indian go'ice (190,000 men), both forces being organised on a military basis, a grand total of 918,202, of which number 26,077 are officers. The number of guns is 610, aud of noises 59,568. The peace strength of the regular army \3 only 203,791. Holland. — The European forces of Holland have a peace strength of 65,014 men (2,3*25 officers), with 130 guns. The Dutch Indian army has an eflective of 39,683. This a total peace effective of 104,697. By calling out the Schutterye.n (communal guard), to the number of 114,301, the Dutch army is raised to a war strength of 218.995, besides which there is the levee en mastse, which is estimated at about 100,000 men. Italy. — The Italian forces arc divided into the regular army, the mobilised militia, arid the territorial militia. The peace streugth of the standing army is 215,CJ0 (14,000 officers). In this number are not included the Carbineers (about 23,000) and the Douanierd (18,000). The total number of guns is 1,032, and that of horses of the standing army 35,000. The war strength of the Italian army, according to the budget of 1885, i 3 2,400,07S men, of which 881,203 belong to the regular forces, 362,353 to the mobilised militia, and 1,156,522 to the territorial militia. Norway. — The Norwegian forces are divided into three branches — Line, Landvoern, and Lankstorm. The troops of the line number 750 officers and 18,000 rank and file of all arms. On a war footing, the army of Norway is to compriso in future about 50,000 men, with 108 guns and about 4,000 horses. Portugal, — The Portugese army has a peace strength of 35,775 men (2,506 officers, with 132 guns and 4,409 horses and mules. Its war strength (including the colonial forces) was estimated in 1885 at 128,778, of which number 3,862 are officers, with 280 guns and 12,973 horses. Russia. — The peace strength of the Russian army is 807,242 (27,472 officers), with 1,632 guns, and 129,736 horses. The war atre igth is 2,459,333, with 4,016 gum au i 464,586 horses. Of this total, 1,241,013 be long to the active army, and 1,064,013 to the reserve army, 41,486 are enrolled on the front tr hattalions, while the Cossacks form a for^e of 142,8.l combatants. There is besides a. territorial reserve of nearly 2,000 000 men, and a national militia of 1,200.000 men. Thus Russia has at her diapovil an armed hest of nearly 6,C00,C00 men. Spain.— The peace strength of the Spanish sunny is about f J5,000 men, with 3SS guns and 20,000 horses. Its war strength, when the re-Org.uiiß;ui<>u cclicnu: of 1882 i:; carried •at in its entirety, will be about 600,000

men, cf which "00,000 will be enrolled in the active army and 295,000 in tho reserve, with GOO guni and about 50,000 horses. The colonial forces of Spain number about 34,000 men. Sweden. — The regular forces of Sweden compriso 37.249 troops of the line, with 2">S guns and 6,490 horses. These*, with 134,1 OS reserves, and 20,811 militia with 24 guns give a w:iv strength of 192,100 men, with 282 gnus and 0,490 horse?. Switzerland. — The Swiss Confederation has no standing army, but in case of war it may raise a force cf 202,000 men, with 360 field and 250 siege guns aud about 9,000 horses. Tri'.KEY. — In ISSS tho active army of Turkey numbered about 170,(!00 men with 82S guns and 23,025 horses. The war ntrungth of the Turkish army, when completely re-or gmiscd, will comprise :— Field army (Nizam mid Redit) 555.600 men, 1,512 field guns ; garrison army, 203,000 men, 1,83G siege guns; Mnstehaliz, 370,000 men ; total strength, 1,161,000 men, 3,348 guns, 95,000 horses. Balkan States. — AmoDgst the armies of the Balkan Peninsula are comprised those of Bulgaria aud Eastern Roumelia, Greece, Montenegro, Roumania, and Servia. The combined forces of Bulgaria and Eastern Roumelia havo a peace strength of 26,000 men, with 106 guns and about 6,000 horses. The Greek army comprises, in round numbers, .'50,000 men on a peace and SO.OCD on a war footing, with 72 guns and 4,000 horses. Montenegro has no regular troops, excepting 300 men of the Prince's body guard and 1,470 infantry, organised in three battalions. In war the country would raise about 30,000 men, with 46 guns. The peace strength of the Roumanian army is about 35,000 men, and its war effective close upon 100,000 men, with 300 guns and 24,000 horses. During peace the Servian army has a strength of about 17,000 men, with 144 guns, raised in the time of war to a effective of 170,000 men, with 408 guns and 10,000 horses. The grand totals of the above figures aro as follows:— Men (peace strength), 3,134,304; (war strength). 14,75'2,G5i ; guns, 17,985 ; homes, 1,404,093.