THE FRENCH AND PRUSSIAN WAR.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 711, 15 September 1870, Page 2

THE FRENCH AND PRUSSIAN WAR.

THE TWO ABMIES. France has an active army of 400,000; Prussia, 200,000. France has a thoroughly trained reserve of about 100,000, and slightly instructed ones of 160,000, while Prussia has trained reserves of 600,000. France has a National Guard of 550,000; Prussia has her Landsturm; and Bavaria, Baden, and Wurtemberg are bound to place their forces at Prussia's disposal, which would add to her force about 100,000 in active service, and reserves of a like force. "France can place at once under arms for active service, exclusive of her 550,000 National Guard, nominally 650,000, of whom 500,000 are trained troops, while her depots and garrisons consist of 440,000 more. The entire forces of North Germany have been recently reckoned at 542,000 available for the field, and 188,000 depot troops, which, with reserves and the South German forces, raise the Prussian forces to a total of 1,140,000. THE TWO KATIES. The entire navy of the North German Confederation does not exceed 89 ships, carrying 563 guns. Forty-four of the ships are propelled by steam. Eight are sailing vessels, and the remainder seem to be merely armed boats for coast-guard service. Three frigates, one corvette, and two ships of the line are armor-plated. The French nary, on January .Is*-, 1869, consisted of 55 armor-plated vessels of various descriptions, including 3 steam-rams, 14 frigates, 8 corvettes, 4 guard ships, 15 floating batteries, and 11 batteries of smaller size. She had also 231 vessels not armor-plated, including 15 line-of-battle ships, 17 frigates, 14 corvettes, 49 despatch boats, 23 batteries, 70 gunboats, 66 transports. In addition to the above must be added 7 paddle-wheel corvettes, 34 despatch boats, and 10 transports, aggregating 116 guns and 10,225 horse-power. The sailing vessels comprised 2 line-of-battle ships, 10 frigates, 6 corvettes, 25 transports and other armed craft of smaller proportions ; the sailing fleet amounting altogether to about 100 ships and 900 guns. At the beginning of 1869 armor-clads and 23 non-armor-clads

were under construction, and doubtless some of these ships have been set afloat before now. THE SIITRAILLETTR. This weapon, which has for the first time been introduced in this war, is an assemblage of barrels contaiued in a i wrought-iron tube, mounted much on the same principle as an ordinary field-gun, wmcn it resembles somewhat in form. To this there is a massive breech-action. When the weapon is i set at full-cock ready for firing, a second of time is sufficient to give a complere revolution of the firing handle, and to discharge the whole of the 37 barrels of which the weapon consists. 1 When the one set of 37 cartridges has ' been fired the plate is lifted from its i grooves, carrying with it the emptycases, and can immediately be replaced by a plate filled with loaded cartridges, > and the operation is repeated. This weapon has been fired 12 times in a i minute, throwing thereby 444 rifle shots in that time. A year ago the French mitrailleur batteries were already numerous. They consisted of eight guns each, each gun served by " three men only." With a complement of men the weapon should throw about " 300 shots per minute for five or six consecutive minutes," to very considerable ranges, and with an admirable trajectory. In the experiments at Woolwich with the Montigny mitrailleur, 3G shots out of 37 (one was a miss fire) were placed in a target 18ft by 15ft, at 800 yards distance; and the practice at 1,000 yards was nearly equally good. The value of a single mitrailleur is rather above than below ■ that of 120 iulantry. Supposing this calculation to be correct, a French battery would equal in value an ordinary • infantry regiment, whilst there would • be this advantage, that only 24 men | would bo exposed to the enemy's fire 1 instead of 900.

A Paris correspondent writes:—l was present the other day at a trial made of one of these destructive engines, the invention of which is ascribed to the Emperor himself, and which are called " mitrailleuses," " grape shot shooters.) In a large space of ground set apart for reviews, near Versailles, had been assembled some 500 horses, broken down, worn out by age, in a word, just ready for the knackers; two of these mitrailleuses, and only two, were brought up ; the signal was given, and within 45 seconds the mangled bodies of 300 horses lay strewn upon the ground, horrible to see! What, then, will it be when the mark shot at will be the breasts of men; and that on both sides, for the Prus. sians have also their "mitrailleuses?'' THE PBINCE OF HOUEXZOLLERtf. The Prince of Hohenzollern, who was selected by Prim as King of Spain, is a young man of 35, in other respects as fit as he could be for the place. He is a Iloman Catholic; he is a mild and moderate character; he is rich; he has a family. It is true that he is of the Royal Family of Prussia, but the connection is more in name than in fact. This branch of the Hohenzollerns had been separate from the parent Btem for nearly 600 years. It had acquired its title of Royal Highness only in consideration of the surrender by the father ofPrinco Leopold of his principality to Prussia. On the other hand, tho Hohenzollerns are

closely related by blood to the French Emperor. One grandmother of Prince Leopold was a Murat —the other was a Beauharnais, sister to Hortense ; so that, in fact, the new King of Spain would have been first cousin once removed to the Emperor Napoleon. The graveness of the charge against Prim is, of course, the secrecy with which he had planned this coup, and the dramatic suddenness of its announcement. The French people cannot be persuaded but that it is all an intrigue of their arch enemy Bismarck, to further the designs of Prussia and to lower the prestige of France. THE WAR'S DESTIOY. The " Ballarat Courier " asks the following solemn question: Is the dynasty of the Emperor Napoleon, the " Apollyon " of Baxter, drawing to & close ? It will be remembered that the year 1870 was fixed as that of his fall by that remarkable student of prophecy, and as there are yet four months to run, plenty of time yet remains for the ruiu of the empire within the predicted time as reckoned. The London " Times" Bayß : " Woe to the Emperor if the ardour of his troops has time to abate—if there is anything like a check in the enterprise—still worse, a repulse. There is no possible return for hiin, except as a conqueror, and a conqueror on the scale to which Austerlitz and Wagram accustomed his uncle's subjects." PBEPAEATIOJTS IN VICTOHIA. Active steps are already being taken in Victoria to improve the defence of Melbourne, and to render effective the armament possessed by the Government. It is more complete than people were avrare of. It consists of the following guns, viz. : Latest pattern of Imperial ordinance authorities, 6 300-pounder3, 24 80pounders ; Armstrong pattern, 6 40pounders, 6 12-pounders, and 6 9-pounders; "Whitworth pattern, 6 3-pounders ; Palliser's pattern, 20 64pounders, and 27-pounders ; smoothbore patterns, 30 68-pounders, 58 22-pounders, and 26-pounders; 1 24-pounder, and 15 12-pounders. Small arms (rifles), 1835 Enfields, 826 Hay's, 3831 Lancasters, 529 seaservice, and 573 breech-loaders. Accompanying all these are the stores required by the Queen's Regulations. There are eight batteries in existence, all in great need of repair, but they could be quickly put in order. The naval armaments will comprise the 4 18-tons turret guns, llin bore, to be brought out in the Cerberus, and the 8 32-pounders, and one 80-pounder pivot-gun, with which H.M.C.S. Victoria can be speedily furnished. At H.M.V.S. Nelson, which is without exception the heaviest armed wooden vessel now afloat. Further, there is in the possession of the Military Department full magazire and laboratory stores, a large supply of entrenching tools and miscellaneous stores, and a complete collection of the necessary stores for the creation of a service, for the erection and management of a -war telegraph, and the construction, laying, and management of torpedoes of the latest pattern.