THE BRITISH ARMY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3904, 24 January 1884, Page 4

THE BRITISH ARMY.

Tho annual report on the British Army issued by the Field-Marshal Commanding* in-Chiof presents somo rather startling and significant, facts. Both in point of numbers and physique the army seems to be on the wane. Within tho last twenty years its averago strength has declined by more than 30,000, added to which thero has been a very sensible diminution in the height and chest measurement of tho men. In 1863 Our army at home and abroad was 210,000 otrong; to-day it is only 189,221). Added to this iH the fact that no leas than 75,796 soldiers are less than five feet seven inches In height and upwards of 30,000 measures less than thirty -five inches round the chest. Its moral standard is also rather discouraging,,as wo ■■find thi't 11,038 courts-martial were held during the past year, and 19,811 offences dealt with. Nearly 13,000 fines were inflicted for drunkenness, upwards of ■2,000 mon being thrico convicted for this offence within tho year. Thero are 14,520 Scotchmen in the army, and 13,900 who ;adhero to the Presbyterian form of worship, tvhilo tho Roman Catholics, the bulk of whom are Irishmen, represent tho large tokd of 42,300. Recruiting was rather inoro favorable .thau during tho previous yottl', but it appears that a largo proportion of the enlistments were tlioso of youths under soventoen and eighteen years of age. With regard to the volunteer force a much tnoi'O favorable state of things prevails, as facts chow the continued popularity of this force has increased at the rale of a thousand a year, and it is gratifying to find the outturns at the annual inspections so large, the attendance last year having been 81.83 per cent, of the whole forco of" 210,119, which is tho present strength of our volunteer battalions.—Court Journal.