THE STRENGTH OF THE FRENCH ARMY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1999, 30 April 1885, Page 4

THE STRENGTH OF THE FRENCH ARMY.

The acive army of France is nomi nally composed of 1,240,000 men, but the actual number on duty is but .■)02,786 aolrlieis and 110,000 sailors and maimes The others will be called on to join their regiments only in case wai is deflated Tlie active army and it~> te~et\es are organised in such .1 w,u tliat the v .u ions coips will four tm distinct armies of about 230,000 nun In tune of peace theie aie eighteen ai m> uoip3, all organised on the same plan, \\7 , a genei.il stuff, two divisions, of in fan tiy, a brigade of cavalry, alr.ig.ide of aitillery, a battalion of dussans, i !i.ittalion of engineers, an ewhon tint mm and the accessoiy services. Tin -i ijghteen army corps rontnin in nil \AA regiments of infantry, eighteen battilio.i--of cli.issL'ins, thuty-six regiments of cavalry, and thirty sik cannon. Then* arc twenty two battalions of clinwiua and thirty-four legimcnts of casali\ which are not attached to any corn* and winch will go to form the mult us of sik additional army corps to be foimcd in case of war. Battalions of infantij and chasseurs — there are 606 of them —will on a war footing number each 1000 men. There are at present S.V2 cadres of batteries, not counting the fortress ami mounted ones. The ca\alrj is, on the whole, on about the sime footing in time of peace as it would be in time of war ; it is composed of thirty four complete regiments and thnty-six skeleton ones, which can be filled up to the regulation force the moment wai is declaied. The calculation i-, that each crops shall number in war 50,000 of all branches. The territorial army is com posed of all able-bodied inon, from twenty nine to forty years of age, and it is di\ ided into an aetiw and r« serve foico ; the first, with the five classes of men from thirty to thirty four inclusive, numbers 051, 520, and tho lemaining six classes about (i2(i, 000. Thus fai the Wai Department has acted on the supposition that the active portion of the tenitorial army Mould suffice, and uono other has been omauiscd. It has boon diwdtd into 11.1 leginients of nifantiy, and tin necessary ai tillcTN, cavnliy, and baggage trains.