FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1489, 22 February 1887, Page 4

FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Should the French Government think fit to pick up the glove which the " honest broker." with bis usual brutal frankness, has chosen to ,throw down a study of the military resources of these two great powers will possess universal interest. It is not merely the foroes on paper that affect the question—ln these thi peace establithment of France Is nearly 80,000 men larger than that of her rival — but their convenience of mobilisation and the power of the country to replace losses. The French standing army consists of Mi regiments of the line, each of four battalions of four companies, with two depot companies, 80 battalions of Chasseurs & pied, four regiments of Zouaves, three regiments of Tirailleurs Al^erlens, one foreign legion, three battalions of African light infantry, 77 regiments of cavalry (heavy and light), 38 regiments of field artillery, with a soluble complement of workmen, artifioers and pontonnieis. The total strength, attached and unattached, included m the budget for 1886. was 523,833 < fficers and men, and 131385 horits. Taking Into acoount tbß various olaeses of reserves available, France has about 2 500,000 men at her disposal, and induing the various classes nf able bodied men whose services have been dispensed with she may command a grand total of 3,750,000. The peac« strength of the army is as follows :— 26,974 commissioned officers. 42 720 nono mmlsstoned officers, 454 130 men ; total, 523,824, with 2694 guns and 110 B^o horses. On the outbreak of war France would be able to raise an army, including the reserve and territorial f-TCts, of 2,000,000 men, #ith about : 000 »uns of which 1,400,000 m n are field aud reserve troops, and over 500,000 territorial troops The army of tbe firat line Is estimated by French an horities at 2,151,460 men, and that of the second Una at 2 0)7,196 mtn, or a total of 4 108 656. 3he whole of France is divided into 18 military regions, each under a general of division, and subdivided into districts of the same circumference as the departments, under a general of brigade. The fortified places have Paris for their centre, those on the German frontier being 3 tint class fortresses, 1 second o'ass, 2 third, and 9 fourth class On the Belgium frontier there are 4 fir-t class, 8 second, 6 third and 6 fourth class. The Ital'an frontier possesses 3 first class fo tresses and 11 detiohed forte, Un tbe Mediterranean c<>»Bt are the gie t naval harbor and arsenal of Toulon, 1 second cUss and 21 fourth class forts. On the Atlantic coast are 3 fiiat olass, 3 second, 2 third and 17 fourth class I forts ; and on the channel coast 1 first claas, 2 second and 16 fou th class works.

The German empire is divided Into nine fortress dtatrlotß : Eonlgsbe'rg, Dam zip, Posan, Berlin, Mainz, Mcz, Cologne, Altonn. and Mmich, containing 17 forti. fled camps, and 26 other fortresses. The strength of the Imperial army on » pe*ea footiDg is 445, 424. <• fibers and men, 81.000 horeeß, and 1374 pieces of fleld artillery. Iq addition t hese are 1686 autgeona, 783 paymasters, 619 vets., 737 armorers, and 93 saddlers The war strength Is more than treble this numbtr, being e&ieed to 1,535,4C0 < fibers and men, 312,000 horsei and 2500 gons. The railway and telegraph Bervioes m war time employ over 8000 officers and men and 5400 horsei, The Lsndsturm and one-year volunteer number a reserve < £ nearly 1,C00,000, and th* total available fr rce of all clauses is estimated at 5,670,000. The army is divided into companies, battalions, regiments, and corps d' owe, the war strength of a bat. trfhon being 1 002 men, divided into four companies of 250 each, commanded by a mounted officer. The corps d' armee, with the exception of the guard*, are locally distributed through the empire* Each consists of two divisions of iafan ry a cavalry division of fi or regiments, with two horse artillery batteries attached, besides the two cavalry regiments attached to the infantry division, and a reserve of artillery of fix fleld and one flying battery. E*ch corps d' armee has m addition a bat* talion ot pioneers and one of train. Such are the means for land combat at the disposal of France and Germany. It must, however, be borne m mind that the latter Power has all her vat force m hand ready for concentration, not scattered abroad at Madagascar, Oocbln China, or other places, which the insane * foreign i policy of the Republio has led her to annex. Another element m the calculation Is the superior physique (except to far as eyesight is concerned) possessed by the Teutons, and their increasing po^nUtion. Before the Franco-Prussian war the population of the Stat s. now fora ing the Ge imn empire, wes ?8 000,000— it is now 47.000,000 ; while France, during the fftnne period. h»s on'y increased from 36,000 000 to 38 000 000

At tea, of coi ae, the superiority of France is unquestioned, her total number of w»r yea els afloat being nearly 400, Inoladfng 22 squadron Ironclads; while Germany possesses only 96 ships, 13 of which aie ironolada.

Glanolng at the establishments of other continental power* likely to take part In a struggle, which may become genera l , we find tha pencn strength of Austm-Sanpary to be 17,867 officers, 268,655 rank and file ; total, 286,422, with 766 gars *ni 60,362 horses. War strength, 32,785 officers, 1,044,319 men total 1,077,104, with 1679 guns and 211,462 ho- ees, Russia, peace strength, 807,242. (27.441 officer*), with 1632 gons and ) 29. 736 hoi nee ; war strength, 2,289,333, 4016 guns and 464,686 horaee* Of this total, 1,241,013 belong to the aotive Briny, and 1,064,013 to the reserve army, 41,4 86 are enrolled m the frontier battalions, while the Cossacks foim a force of 142,821 combatants. There is, b>Blde«, a territorial reserve of nearly 2,000,000 men, and a national militia of 1,200,000 men, or nearly 6,000,000 men all told. Italy, peace strength, 215,000 ■ war strength, 2,400 000; and Turkey 1,161, C00 men, 3348 guns and 95,000 hor-es,

Wise Folly.—" For ten years my wife was confined to her bed with such a complication of ailments that no doctor could tell what was the matter or cure her, and I used up a small fortune m humbug stuff. Six months ago I saw an American flag with American Co c Hop Bitters ,pn it, and I thought I would be a fool once more. I tried it, but my folly proved to be wisdom. Two bottles oared her. she xb now v well and strong as any man's