THE MILITARY FORCE OF EUROPE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1463, 22 January 1887, Page 2

THE MILITARY FORCE OF EUROPE

Let us ace ace now what foroes can be brought into the field m case of war. By the law of May, 1874, Germany made provision for a levy of 6,000,000 men. Bat that law has never been curried oat, and perhaps never can be. She has, however, under the various ,. heads into which her military strength Is divided, an effective force of 3,870,000 trained men all of whom are familiar with the manual of arms, iand with military evolutions. Prince Bismarck has labored earnestly m the past year to effect such an alliance with Austria ac would cime that Power to join Germany m oaßo of a conflict w'th Russia or France. No one knows how far he has sacoeeded. If Austria threw her strength to Germany it would add a force of 1,500,000 more trained soldiers to Von Moltke'a army, and would raise it to the almost incredible number of 6,370,000 fighting men. This is probably more than Russia and France oould pat .a the field. Russia has on paper, under arms and m various, re ssrves, something like IO.OOOjOO 1 ) men, but her aotual fighting force does not probably exoeed 2,500,000 men. France has 2,000,000 meo, trained to war and m admirable ojndltion and discipline. General Boulanger lately said that the whole of this force could take the field within thirty dayß after a declaration of a war. It is known that the French artillery is now the finest m the world, Without taking this into aooount, France, and Russia oould meet Germany and Austria with 4,000,000 fighting men These enormous figures can only be realised by comparison with former armies. At the opening of the Franco-German war m 1870 the total effective strength of Frande Including "aotive" army, depdt troops and mobile guard, was reported to the Emperor at 600,361 men, while the total effective strength of the North German Confederation, inoluding " active " army reserve! 1 , and garrisons, was 842,126, bealde iheae Germany commanded the services of 187,600 troops belonging to the South German Confederation. It has often been said that at one time during the War of the Rebellion the North had a million men nnder arms, and the South half a million. Rut the highest returns of the Secretary of War showing the available national force present for duty on May 1, 1864, was 842,345, and the field returns on that doy show the total foroe present for doty, equipped, to have been only 533,447 men. On the other hand, the whole strength as given m the archives of the Confederate War Department, from returns nearest to May 1, 1864— when the rebel army probably reaohed its highest numerical strength — was 477,233. These figures contrast curiously with the figures of the armies now massing for the fray m Earope. *i

Purify the blood, oleaose the stomach, and sweeten the breath with Hop Bitters, Armei* Oftn Go. make the genuine. Bead.