THE BULGARIAN AND SERVIAN ARMIES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1430, 21 November 1885, Page 2

THE BULGARIAN AND SERVIAN ARMIES.

The Army of Bulgaria has been in existence seven years. Besides the active) army and reserve, there is a militia force in which the period of service is eight years. The men of this militia, eoraprise all citizens under 40 years of age not satving in the active army or reserve. The activo army consists of 24 drnjinas or battalions of infantry, 9 squadrons of cavalry, 12 batteries of artillery, with 96 guns, 4 companies of engineers, and one instructional drujiea. The period of service is 10 years, two of which are spent with the colors. The Bulgarian prociivitas are not decidedly military. The military forces of Eastern Rouraelia are not even so formidable as those of her norihern neighbors, and comprise the lo al militia and gendarmerie. According to law the Roumelian Militia is a component part of the Ottoman army, And is bound to second the defensive action of the Imperial forces in ease of an invasion of the province, or of hostilities on the frontier; while, provided the Turkish Qoyennnent fulfil the obligations imposed when Roumelian autonomy was granted, the Sublime Porte has power to call upon the militia to serve in any part of European Turkey. In oases of national dangar, all men fit for service between 18 and 50 may be called out. The peace effective including 1400 gendarmerie, is about 6000 men. The war strength is about 21,000, and the total lumber attainable with the act.ial orginisation cannot far exceed 30,000 men possessed of any degree of military training. The combined military forces of United Bulgaria may thus be estimated at itbout 100,000 men. The organisation of both armies is entirely Russian ; nearly sll the officers are Russians, and the regulations, instructions, and words of command are in the Russian language. The total population of Bulgaria, according to last census of 1881, was 1,999,000 inhabitants ; that of Eastern Roumelia (in 1880) 816,000. United Bulgaria would, therefore, number 2,815,000 inhabitants, with an area of of 99,873 square kiloinetfos. The Kingdom of Servia labors under an abnormal military burden, whish (says a Home paper), compared rith the total population, and alfo with the peace et-tiblishmen' of the army, is absolutely ridiculous. Thus a State with a population of 1,865,000 souls with a normal standing army of 13,000 men has a war '•Htablishmont of 250,000, or 24 per cent, of the total population. But taking into consideration that under the old system, with a war footing of 138,000, Servia o-\]y succeeded in 1876-8, in placing some 60,000 men in the field, it may reasonably be supposed that 100,000 soldiers would represent the result of a supreme effort, the remainder of the men rieceagary to complete the nominal war strength being, if they should even be forthcoming, totally untrained.