BRITAIN'S MILITARY RESOURSES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1541, 28 May 1885, Page 2

BRITAIN'S MILITARY RESOURSES.

The number of regular forces at Home and in the colonies is given in the Almanack de Gotha for 1885 at 201,905, and tae reserve as 50,750. They com* prise—Cavalry, 16,998 ; artillery, 34,041; engineers, 5,723; infantry, 134,401; colonial corps, 2,489 ; administrative services (exclusive of India), 8,253. The militia number 130,930, and consist of—cavalry, 14,124; artillery, 20,090 men; engineers, 1,391; and infantry, 116,325.7,, The Volunteers number 247>661, made up of—cavalry, 480; artilleiy, 44,244; engineers, 10,069; infantry, 191,868. The Imperial Army in India number 120,882, which includes 17,800 oavairy and 97,050 infantry; and the grand total ia therefore 772,128, consisting of— Regulars 201,905 Reserves ... ••• 50,750 Militia 150,930 Volunteers ... ... 247,661 Imperial troops in India 120,883

Total 772,128 _ In addition to these there are in India an immense number of trained troops maintained by tho native chiefs. Returns for the year 1879 reported ♦'ho combined armies of the native chiefs to number 305,235 men, with an artillery of 5,252 guns, and according to a recent series of crtiolea in the this it a v * r y Viofa'

rata estimate. The service* of some of these have already been offered to the British Government, and cn an emer gene; it is probable a large proportion of the vrbele would be placed at our disposal for the defence of India Add to 772,128 and we get a total of 1,077,363 trained uoops within the British Empire, exclusive of the Volunteer and Militia fortes of the colonies. Canada alone h«d on January 1, 1879, an active militia which numbered 45,162 "fficers and men, and a reserve militia of 66,000 rank and file. Australia, we know, ia fairly capable of defending herself. But the Times of March 6 last announced that the Government intend to ask Parliament to assent to an immediate increase of the army by from 12,000 to 15,000 men. This demand, we are informed, will be readily end cordially complied with. “ The strained state of affairs in Afghanistan must be met with a firm policy, and in no way can a firm policy be made more .effective than by the production of evidence of an ability to support it. It is satisfactory to know that we are in a position to produce that evidence.' In addition to our ordinary garrisons over the empire and something like 30,000 men in Africa, we have, thanks to recent legislation, just 70,000 fresh soldiers ready to take their prace in the ranks, of whom 40,000 are well-seasoned men, with six years’ military experience. Behind them, we have in the Horae army, a certain number of young soldiers, requiring but little to enable them to become efficient, a fairly good militia, and a splendid body of Volunteers. Behind them again, we have a population, no longer, happily, confined to the inhabitants of these islands, with spirit and muscle which a short education would soon turn into the best of soldiers.”