The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-08-14

A lecture On The "Armed Strength oi
Europe" was recently delivered at the
| Royal United Service Institution, White
hall, England, by an ex-oficer Of the
English army. 1t was valuable, as pre-.
senting pretty complete statistics On a
subject that is Of very general and engros-
sing interest at present. The lecturer
took each nation in succession.
His starting point was Holland, which
he showed TO have fighting strength on
shore of 10000 infantry, and Of nearly
| 1000 cavalry. Belgium has a cOmbatant
force Of 12O, 900 infantry and Z, 500 cavalry.
| Norway and Sweden, l50, 600 infantry,
10000 cavalry and 800 guns, Plus : 900
volunteers. Denmark, $4,000 infantry.
1000 cavalry, and 81 guns Germany,
| he showed, has a peace Cd establishment
Of 1000 men, 81 900 horses, capable If
being increased, in the event Of war to
more than million Of fighting men, with
27O, 900 horses and 2, 472 field guns. Rus
sia $50, 900 infantry, 17O, 900 cavalry.
200 guns, and 400 mitrailleuses- and ID
from ten to fifteen years, it Is thought will
have an army consisting OF fully z, 900. 900,
Of whom three-fourths will be combatants
AbS NAV 10 AllSICdSlllR, hASO, Idpltlb III ltIl-
portance, comprising, even now, 800 yes
sells, including % iron-clads, and having a
floating armament of l 800 guns Turkey
has $50, 900 infantry, 2l, 900 cavalry, and
64S guns. Greece possesses an army Of
100, 900 men and 90 guns, with 20 ships
and two iron-clads. Austria has close up-
on 800,0 900 infantry, more than 60, 900
cavalry, over | 600 guns, and ION the
Adriatic) fleet of something like ten iron
clads. Italy has an army Of over 400, 900
infantry, 10, 900 cavalry, and !, 200 guns
SPANS military force-delivered over, az
1t Is, to civil war-cannot be taken at the
moment into calculation. Portugal, how
ever, has 90, 600 combatants, 90 ships, and
100 guns. Switzerland has more than
ITO. 900 infantry 5000 cavalry, and nearly
300 guns. France, the lecturer had
difficulty in estimating the force of, seeing
that 1t Is in course Of transition or de-
velopment. He conceived it to be barely
possible, however, that she could bring in
to the field an aggregate Of 500, 900 com
batants--a conception that is certainly
very wrong. The French people have
made up their minds to square accounts
with their neighbors over the Rhine, and
no time is being lost in preparing for
the renewal Of the struggle Of 187O-7l
And # Germany can put more than a
million fighting men in the field France.
with its slight inferiority in population.
amply made up by the invincible spirit
Of revenge permeating all classes, will
surely he able to rally under her banners
Rore than half a million men. IT the
English lecturer had conceived her capa-
BILE Of putting IN the field a million and
half combatants. re would have been
nearest the mark. The lecturer credited
France with reliable navy Of 3oT ships
Of war, with 90 iron-cads From The
shores Of Great Britain the lecturer main
tanned that a reliable and efficient army
corps Of 80, 600 regular troops could, with
in week, set sail. Saying nothing here
about the auxiliary force of yeomanry.
cavalry and rifle vOlunteers-veryf furmida-
BILE on paper, but generally useless outside
Of the mess room or parade ground-the
Royal Navy, the blue jackets, furnish the
following figures: As many as 566 vessels
Of war aiiUat-how many of them were
really in ut condition to be atioat the
lecturer did not state, although parliament
was told some time ago that the navy was
rotten and useless iron-clads,
armed with 6, ,250 guns, and manned by
go, 900 sailors. Altogether, there are in
Europe for armies Of the first class. Ger
many, Austria, Russia and France; two VI
the second, Italy and England Cd; nine Of
the third, Belgium, Turkey, sweden, anu
Norway, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Portu-
gal, Switzerland and Greece a paper
strength of seven and half millions, and
combatant strength Of five millions
Couple with the foregoing figures the fol
lowing fact, and then, as Shakespeare has
il, perpend-that in all Europe the arma-
ments Of Turkey and Austria are main
tanned at the least cost, viz, at about 600
year per man, and that the armaments
OF Great Britain are maintained at the
most cost-clnse upon El0O year.