New-York tribune., 1874-07-21
TIE FRENCH ARMY.

personal friend of the Princes.
THE FRENCH ARMY
REVIEW AT Observation-Disclosures ~ TIE
APPEARANCE OF TIE TROOPS WITHIN TIE LAST
TWELVE MONTHS.
FRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE
PARIS, June 2S. - Marshal MacMahon, the
man who is ever declaring that he has and will have
nothing whatever do with politics has just taken
most important and decisive political step Whle the
Assembly discussing and dcliberang as to what IL
shall and shall do, MacMahon has been acting NOT
content with holGing q revicwand a very successful
review-at LOngchamps, Marshal MdcMauoh has
thought fit to issue order OF the day 10 the oces
and men under his command which he Is careful to
remind all whom ii may concern that he ana tue army
are the instruments for maintaining ORDER an' IN TACT
the sole guardians of the existing order of things In
France The admirers of the Septennate t Wou1a seem
that there are still some people IN France left who
IN common with MacMlhon believe in that disorgan'
lied institution fancy that the proclamation IN qucs
ton Is important than the review ITSELF "hat Is
really to be remarked that three after disas
trous war France able put line 5000 men whose
hearing and general appearance forced the most hostile
critics TO admit the great and quite astonishing lm-
prOvement made by officers and men during the last
year. Let look at 1t as a military spectacle
and as sign OF the condition, II not OF the
French army as a whole, at least Of the garrison
of Paris and the envirOus We have a good
opporrunity for comparison, inasmuch as the same
army or something like the same army was reviewed
v Marshal MaeMahon in honor OF the Shah In the same
place last year. Then all critics. even those most hos
tile to France agreed thinking that great and most
creditab!e progress had been made by the French
army in appearance and power of mlneuverlng lhs
wear not few OF the critics were present, ana all
whom saw were unanimous in their surprise at the al
dlonal progress which has been made by the frehch
army in the last twelve months
The review itself from spectacular point was not 80
remarkable that held in honor OF the Shah last year;
there was by no much display nor do think
there were even many troops the ground a. TINS
time last year The maneuvers Of the simp.eS
descrptiOn The troops present drawn up IN line
of columns in order TO receive the Marshal, VINO rOae
down their ranks the troops sdluung as nc pas'eu'
Then he took up his station opposite the old Imperial
tribune IN front of which lie has so often lowered hs
own sword to Napoleon Ill., aud the march past began
To tell OF the way IN which the different regiments
marched past the Marshal would be supeuous and not
little tedious French regiments since the Guard has
been abolished, and the TurcOs and ZoUayes sent TO
Africa are singularly like one another, and the long'
steady flow buecoated redrOusered soldiers pastthe
salutng point not a little monotonous. The men
and officers both wonderfully improved in every
possible way since they last appeared at Longehanps'
The TUNES fit better the gaiters are cleaner, the men
hacks are straigher. As to the marching, 1t was OF
necessity very far from perfect. The French army
nrevious 70 the war OF 1870 Lad a style OF marching
peculiarly its own. Regiments under the Empire went
by with a swinging, easy gait which as 1t was the
French mode was considered very good. Whether good
or bad IL been thought necessary since the war TO
endeavor change the old style of marching and to
drill tho men into step modelled as nearly as
possible that in use IN the German army. But
what can be taught TO a German peasant does not
seem TO be as easy teach to French The former
learns to swing his right hand exactly in time with forty
AnIa fhtaa m al - 10
accomplish. In word the stiff style of drill which is
in use In Germany and England Is not adapted 10 the
French soldier and its attempted adoption Is failure
So much being said it must fairly be allowed that all
the French infantry regiments on the gronnd did very
well indeed They far from moving with that
mechanical regularity which is characteristic OF German
troops but they nevertheless marched l. for one,
have never seen French troops march before which tells
every one who in the least in the habit of observing
such matters what made Of and this something,
this neseo qud in their bearing yesterday the French
possessed
II was not in the infantry alone that a marked i'm.
provement was visible stIl remarkable was the
procress made by the artillery. which had better horses
and was better handled than last year. The cavalry,
which has generally been the weak point In French
review, even before the war, made most creditaole
dispay When the Shah's Irevew took place the falls
OF troopers from their horses were far too numerous 10
be counted this occasion only the Dragons Quilted
unruy charger IL the manner In which the animal made
use OF his after he had freed himself from his
rider was any criterion. The horses too, were better
groomed and cared for than OF old.
But favorable appearance of the troops Is owing
greatly 20 the circumstance that we saw them under
most fayorabie conditions. They were not IN heavy
marching order; there was not camp kettle on the
ground nor tent and ia more than probable Indeed.
the Repubque Franeaise, Gambetta's paper, honestly
admits as much) that they would have had very dif-
ferent appearance had they been in campaigning trim
instead OF holiday attire. But more important still
was the OF all administrative troops. such as
details from the Commissariat for spare ammunition
trains During the late the French Commissariat
was at faulty az not more sol as tho fighting
branches Tbis review Us opportunity OF Judg
whether the 5 900 men present could have been ied
for hours from their barracks. But 10 Is certain
that the wonderful Improvement Ia the French army
tells VI steady aud earnest work
POSTMASTER-GENERAL JEWELL.
THE 1sT OF AUGUST FIXED FOR HIS DEPARTURE
PROM LIVERPOOL FOR SEwYORK.
LONDON. Monday July 90 1874
-L.n la. irip Ann