THE MILITARY FORCE OF EUROPE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2515, 3 February 1887, Page 2

THE MILITARY FORCE OF EUROPE.

Let caa-.be brought mto the Md..in case.of war. By the law of Germany made provision for a hHm -6,000,000 mto. Bat that law bas\ never been:caniei oat, aad patliapa pover can be, Bhfl has, -however, undsrth.Q various Leada •into which her - niilitary strength id divided,"an effectiveforce 0f3,870,000 trained mehj : all v of wboai»6 familiar with the- with miliary Bismarck hasjlabqred the past year ■to effect BQcb afl;?4iano9 with Aua< tria aewoold -cause.itbat Power to •join 1 Germany -m- ease of a conflict with .Rossis':-.or ";Frdncß,'/ one knows how-far .belts'; succeeded.-- If ■Austria threw, 'far Strength' many it would add a /arce of 1 M},OOO mow trained soldiers'-to Vob army, and would- raisa it to fchraliijosfcinorediblo number of -5,370,000 lighting, mrn. ■ I'bift is |irobaH|y ;:rtpre than Russia and Franco uoiild'piit l in' the field, llnssia lias, on pajjei:,.iinder arms, and in various reserves,/. something like 10,000,000 men''blither, actual fighting force db'es"'n6't .probably exceed 2,500,000 tuft]/ France has.2,OQO,OQO men, trained to war,-and in admiral condition and discipline. General Bonlanger lately, stated.; that the wholt! of this force;c'oiild take the field within thirty days after a declaration of war. It is known that,the French artillery, ia now tlio tiiu-atrnth# world, i Without taking this iA- account, FranceHiid Russia could m.eetGefinany und A ustria. with.,, 4,500,000 fighting men. '{'■ " .. : '

The enormous. figures can only'be realised by 'comparisoii with lordM».>' ; .. armies, At the opening of the FrancoGerman war in 1870 the totil effective slrenftth of France, irij&iding " active" army, depot. troops, and mobile guard, was reported- to the Emperor as 600,361 men, while the total effeofive strength of the Nort h German Confederation including aetivo army reserves, and garrisons l was 842,125 besides these Germany commanded the services of 187,600 troops belonging to the South .Gorman Confederation.' It has oftea B,iid that at ono time during the War of the .Rebellion the North bid a million of men under arms, and.rthe.ijoutli half a million. But the. ! highest returns of the Secretary- of 'War showing the available national'toroe ■ present for ditty on May 1,1861; wag 843,345, and the'field returns on that day show the total force present for duty, equipped, to' have beenonly 533,447 men. On the other hand, the whole strength ae'given in the archive® of the Confederate War Department, from'returns nearest to May 1, 1864 when the rebel army prow^F-reached : " its highest numerical pengthv-ffaa Tlifese figiiVes cqci; oiisty with the fig&reg . of/He^a)mi^((