The New York herald., 1870-05-23
BERLIN, May 4, 1870.

IMPOVERISHED ana eAnaustea peoples.
BERLIN, May a, 1870
In presenting the following comparative state.
ment showing the strength OF The prominent mill
tary Powers OF the Continent, yiz.:-AustrIa, Rus
eia italy, France and North and South Germany-I
would remark thar the ngures for The most part,
are from authentic and oficial sources, though
It must be recoliected that governments are
generally prone to state their numerical
strength they woad wish IL to be and
not it is IN reality. II topic ike this should only
be Of interest in Of impending war admit that
there Is direct indication Of such an event. though
Il cannot be denied that the political aspect "a less
cheering than II was some months past, and certain
undercurrents appear TO agtste the peoples OF the
Continent Instead Of indulgng IN Introductory re-
marks prefer presenting the reader with facts and
ngnres al once, and commence with The exhibits OF
the force or
THE AUsTRo.HUNGARIAN ENPIRE.
The reorganization OF the Austrian army sane
tioned hy the law 0f December s, 1858, and made
known by his Apostolic Majesty Francis Joseph in
pr clamation containing sentences such as:-"Both
parts Of my realm have now an equal interest in
maintaining IT'S magnitude, power and security. Ny
peoples obelent TO the law, without distinction OF
rank, viii mock TO my standard with just ambition
and pride III order to fulfil the nobest of duties.
+,
serving for the purpose, composed Of the same
elements and partly originating from it,
Some OF The principal features OF the new Army
law are: general liability OF all citizens to In
the regular army three years, In the reserve seven
years. Those not serving IN either have to enter the
landwehr for twelve years. The strength OF rBe
army footing is liked for the ext ten years
at 500 men, Inclusive OF the reserve. The strength
OF the landwehr, ana men OF the second ban, land
sturm, is regulae by distinct laws. The share or
Cis.ethania In the war strength OF 100000 men s,
FOR the time being fixed at ,35s men, thai OF Hun
gary at 329,es2. The minimum age for entering the
standing army is seventeen, the maximum age
thirty-sx years. Those VINO possess collegiate
education are entitled enter as volunteers, cloth
Ing equippng and maintaining themselves; II the
cavalry they have TO furnish their own horse and
feed. Volunteers need 70 serve bat year IN the
regular ranks, when they are admitted to the re-
serve. and, giving proofs Of capacity, may become
officers Of the Land vehr. From official returns II Is
seen that a very low degree OF intelligence is
prevalent fn the Austrian army. During four
years, from 1853 TO 1865. the average num-
ber (deductng "A, 900 non-commissioned onicers)
ofprvates 492 $50, and OF these only 81, 53o or
eeven per cent, able write, being one out of
nine. The proportion differs considerably in tn G
various species OF arms. OF the engineers ana
pioneers forybree per cent could read; Of the ar
tery rwenty-eiQht per cent; infantry. seven per
cent; cavalry, Iour per cent. and IN the Quarter
master Department only two and a half per cent.
The greatest ignorance was observed IN the dra-
goons, OF whom two per cent only, and IN the
Tyrolee rife regiments, OF whom one-half per cent
III the budget Of 1850 ind tie imperial standing
army numbering 27S740 In the military schools
there were 34s3 cadets. The number of horses was
3s l69 Included in this total strength Of 27S, 740 are
g. 249 officers and combatans. The army expene
estimated for the year 1869 at ~ 2250o0) FORMS
and 800, 900 0rns for the extraordinary etat. Ac
cordng 70 the present ganzation the war siren ,th
Of the Austrian infantry including rfflemen Is fixed
81 I'VE eghhs Of the aggregate 500 600 though there
are figuring, a. least on paper, s04 men--an ex-
cess OF %. s04 men not warranted by the new law.
The reorganization Of the Austrian army aud the
entirely new feature OF general liability to military
duty have been operation from the early part OF
1869, though 1t would be to suppose that
the empire has reaped already any benefit from it,
as the erect OF such alterations be felt only after
long series Of years. II Austrais army were to be
called TO the field at present it would not materially
differ from what 1t was 1855. Indes the nation
allty question and other Internal difcdltes OF the
empire justify the belief that her active military
time Her Northern army in 1865 numbered about
100000, the southern 10000. In war at this mo:
ment Austria could barely dispose OF an army OF
more than 800, 600 fighting men.
TIE RUSSIAN ARMY.
Corresponding to Its vast area aud population the
Russian empire has a numerous army, composed of
the Lest rural element, combining physical strength
with that endurance and perseverance which gene
rally belong TO primitive condition. Euro
pean Russia, with lo7, 200 geographical square
miles and T2,000,000 Inhabitants, las 671 souls
to square mile; Asiatic Russia, with 27c,0oo
geographical square miles and only eight millions
Inhabitants, only thirty souls TO square mile. Ir
the army were equally distributed throughout her
territory there would be but twelve soldiers to a
square mile, and single army division would have
TO be stretched out over 1000 niles making 1t in
army s.s, therefore, OF solid imposing groups
in different sections OF the empire, each an army OF
ITSELF rejecting the peculiar local and national char
acter, and forming a stTateglcal system OF its own.
The following REMARKS apply TO the European por-
tion OF the Russian army onlyt consists OF regular
and irregular troops The former are annually evied
10y conscrpton, an imperial ukase liking the quota
Of each 1000 male Inhabitants. The exemption OF
the nobility officers OF government and merchants
OF the first anu second guild has ceased; but sub
sttues are admitted, the military department sup
plying them at the charge, Tor 1852 OF go roubes
The recruiting age Is from twenty TO thirty the
time OF service in the ranks ten In the reserve, five
years. late uksse grants re iucton OF tn lime
oil service to those who voluntarily oer themselves
previous TO the twentieth year OF age.
For recruiting purposes tue Russian empire Is di..
vided into an Eastern and western department. and
levy is to lake place alternately in each OF $4,000
men or five men per thousand. In the year 1854,
during the Crimeah war, The levy in both depart
ments was nineteen per thousand, Ia the folio wing
year twelve per thousand in the Western ana ten
per thousand IN the Eastern department, not count.
ing the Drushna or landwehr Tor which thirteen per
thousand were levied throughout the empire.
ukase OF November 1862 orders for the present year
levy throughout the empire and in Poland or four
men per thousand. This does not apply to the
province Of Finland and TO the irregular Cossacks,
the former having retained It's old Swedish organi
za,i0n OF q militia numbering 10000 me H. and the
latter being employed at the same time colonsts
on the Southern frontiers and other outposts. Only
q moderate portion OF the army Is supplied with
breech-ioad ny muskets, and several years must
elapse before a sufllcent quantity can he obtained.
The Mnfes changed into breech-loaders are con-
sidered useless hence contracts are said to have
been made for e00 OF these 30oo OF the Berdan
system at the Colt factories the others OF the Carl
system ana the invention OF Kruka. The improve
ment in the ery since the year 1896 has been far
greater; the Russian factories have furnished in
1869 no less than $50 rifle bofsd guns and the two
establishments ut ST. petersburg ana one at Br1ansk
have furnished 1859 inclusive, 1910 bronze and
300 cast iron ordnance.
1he strength OF The Russian army Is not easily esti.