The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-22 00:00:00

08 AY UVENING, JANUARY 225 1868.

the reserved leaves and margin of your instructions,
I have the honour of informing your Excellency
that on the evening of the 16th of October, in
consequence of an urgent despatch in cypher
signed by the Minister of Marine, and couched in
the following terms This evening go to meet
the train ; a ministerial envoy will arrive by it'
—I went to the railway station to await the arrival
of the Florence train. It arrived the same even-
ing about half-past nine, and I saw descend from
it the captain of a frigate, Orengo, who, on pre-
senting himself to me in company with the Deputy
Cadolini, gave me a despatch, folio No. 2,410, Ist
division, dated from the cabinet of your Excel-
lency on the 15th of the month.
" By this letter I received orders to second to
the utmost of my power the verbal orders which
should be given me by the bearer, Captain Orengo.
These orders consisted in desiring me to do Pimpos-
sible, in order to subtract immediately, and with
the greatest secrecy, from the naval stores, 120,000
cartouches for small arms and 61,000 for smooth-
bore rifles, and to consign them on a written receipt
to the Honourable Cadolini at the railway station
before the departure of the morning train.
" Some difficulty occurred in carrying out such
an order at so advanced an hour of the night ; but

this was happily overcome by putting in requisiti
on all the means at my disposition. Incurred, more-
over, a slight expense of 20 lire for transport and
porterage, which was charged to the local command
in expectation of superior's approbation.
"The materials of war which were consigned
were enclosed in thirty wooden cases and two bar-
rels, and sent to Florence directed to the Expedi-
tionary Canallini, under the denomination of mine-

rals,

"The receipt given me by the Honourable Cado-
lini was consigned by me to the Captain Orengo,
with a request to present it to the Minister of
Marine for the regularity of pratique. That of the
expenses is preserved in the local bureau.
" E. MONTEZUNOLO, Local Commandant."
No. 7.
To the President of the Council of Ministers,
Florence.

" Narin, Oct. 18.

"Prevent the departure of volunteers; they are
a trouble, and no use. We have too many, and do
not know what to do with them. " CRISPI."

THE FRENCH ARMY.

After an interesting debate, the Army Bill

has now been passed by the Corps Legislatif.
The clause, increasing the time of service from
seven to nine years, met with much opposition ;
its opponents maintaining that eight years' ser-
vice was sufficient, and that an annual contingent
of 100,000 men, after the usual deductions, would
enable France to dispose of 500,000 men for a
foreign war. The Government, on the other hand,
insists on nine years' service, and on an effective
force of 800,000, and has carried the clause. The
time of service is to be five years in the active

army, and four in the reserve—instead of seven
years as hitherto. This diminution of constant
service with the colours will be, in our opinion, in-
jurious to the efficiency of the regiments. The
bill, on the other band, will increase the available
strength of the army, and will, on the whole, weigh
less heavily on the population. It was against
this short service system that one of the French
Generals warned the Chamber, saying that how-
ever great might be the valour of the Prussian
army, there was not a General in France who
would not greatly prefer to encounter 100,000
Prussians than the same number of British troops.
The annual contingent is fixed at 100,000 men,
of which 15,000 are exempted for various reasons;
9,000 are drafted into the navy, leaving 76,000
recruits for the army, of which, however, only
63,000 are sent to the regiments. The remaining
13,000 are merely drilled at the depots for a short
time each year, and form what is called the young
reserve. They are liable to be enrolled in the ac-
tive army at any time during the nine years, and
number upwards of 100,000, so that it is obvious
that the reserve of the French army is only in part
composed of old soldiers. The prohibition as to
marriage is to be maintained until the end of the
second year's service in the reserve, or until twenty-
eight years of age, for all young men drawn for
service either in the army or reserve. There was
an animated discussion on this question Marshal
Niel playfully saying that the men who were ex-
empted for defects in their eye-sight, for squinting,
loss of a hand, or lameness, would make most excel-
lent husbands though bad soldiers ; and if the
young women insisted on having the fine young
men for their husbands, they must wait patiently
until he had done with them. We do not know what
the charmantes filler de France will say to the un-
gallant Marshal.
But Marshal Niel seems to forget that this com-
pulsory defering of marriage until the soldier in
the army as well as in the reserve has reached his
twenty-eighth year, is open to grave objections
both on social and moral grounds. We object on
principle to the interference of the State in a matter
so closely connected with morality. Such a prohi-
bition, especially as regards soldiers in the reserve,
is but too likely to lead to immorality, and to serve
as a pretext for a dissolute life. After this protest
in passing, let us return to the consideration of the
clauses of the Bill.
The clause creating a Nationale Garde Mobile,
tojconsist of all young men not drawn for the army,
or who have been exempted for weakly constitutions
(with the exception of workmen in the dockyards
and Government officials), and to serve for five
years, was passed almost unanimously. No substi-
tutes are to be allowed in this force, which is esti-
mated at 485,000 men, and only twenty days' drill
are to be required in the year. If properly orga-
nized and drilled it might, no doubt, be made a
valuable reserve for the defence of fortresses and
coasts ; indeed, it was on the supposition of the
National Guard being available for the internal de-
fence of France that the partisans of an eight-
years' service mainly rested their case. The Go-
vernment, it seems to lus, intends it rather as an
organized nucleus for a general levee in case of an
actual invasion, and in time of peace to do merely
nominal service. The details of the Bill, after much
discussion, have been finally settled. At ;present
the French army consists of 620,000 men, including
the reserve, and is described by the Minister of
War as being in the highest state of efficiency.
The following official statement of the strength
of the army at the time of the Italian war was laid
before the Chambers :
The total strength was 639,000
73,000
Recruits just raised
Troops in Algeria
7,000
Rome
71
Gendarmerie, prisoners, military
departments, &c .. .
Depots
Frontier garrisons
324,000

Leaving available 315,000
Of these 315,000 men 229,000 were sent to Italy,
leaving a reserve in France of 96,000. At the
battle of Solferino the French could only bring
107,000 into line. The Minister gave the follow-

ing returns :
Detached corps in Tuscany 23,000
Ditto for blockade of Venice B,OOO
Reserve at Alessandria
Artillery reserve
A reserve division at Milan B,OOO
Men of the reserve on their way to join the •
army
Depot of the same at Genoa

96,000
Loss in killed, wounded, and in hospita... 26,000

Total

.122,000
Thtis leavi❑b of 229,000 only 107,000 present at
the battle of Solferino.

We have given the above official returns, as they
well exhibit what large deductions an army is
subject to before it takes the field, as well as the
number of men which must be allowed for depots,
reserves, and detached service afterwards. When
we call to mind the fact that the Prussians suc-
ceeded in bringing 280,000 into line at Kiinig-
gratz, besides having a reserve in Saxony and
another army in South Germany, we must allow
the French have good reason to increase their
army.—Westminster Gazette.