, 1875-02-19
THE COMING WAR IN EUROPE.
Who Will Probably DO Engaged In It..
Fighting Capacity Of tho Various
Nations.

Fighting Capacity of tho Various
Nations.
N'llat VIII Enslnnl's Policy Dc In Case
OF a Great European Contest.
In tue Gsnttemon's Magazine fLondon) for
January, there appears at article contributed by
Mr.. II. NJ. uoslcr, which discusses tho Sighting
capacity Of tho natops In Europe In Wow Of tho
general war so confidently predicted by Mr..
Dis1acli and other EuSiix!. statesmen. hlr.
llosior aays:
Notwithstanding tho desiro that may estst on
the part OF tho French people to ruyl lnlu war
viii Germany, TO gain favongo for tue defeats OF
e1nineut t would sncoataso Tue aspiration. Tain
trem,iy doubtful whotuor any Ministry wonl1t
add the Gates and the pcrilB Of war 10 tAe o;h0r
PROMINENT dangers OF its existence. Neither Ia
tho French army III coud't!on--nor Is It likely 70
bc for many yeasr-.to undertake. campaign Of
my magnitude. Tho military organization OF
tho secoud Enlp1ro was c,,tircly Lrokon up By
thc dlsaAtera Vi tne 0erinnn var. A. tao present
imo no 1xed plan car really be sad to hayo boon
ndoatcd for tho organization. Of tho army tho
questions 10 to dopota and cadrfs arc stu IN.
roivol. French military men assclt that thor
artillery il In powerful Htato but It ulay rca-
sonaolY 10 donbto1 that In the short time that
laa eapsed Rinco thu enormous loss OF that ssu'
which occurred in the German war, Il cnn
have becn repnced by guns jndic1onHtY eoectea
and carefully manufactured, Though the5o 10
not q Rreat doartll Of men in tue Froncl army,
it csnuos be sud that tho recruits arc Of nst-
| lslacterv kii.d. The woakncss Of tho commits
| Eariat arrangement VIVA onD OF Tho potent cAuses
Of the fa1lire pf tho French IN tbs 1csulau war.
| It uas not yet beon Thoroughly changed for tho
Iottof. Ths n.trailleusss. w-l.h were 30 zeal
nusly guarded, md which wer0 expcc.e ed to ssrikc
| terror IN tho German rauks, wore found to 10
| fa:luro In tho war, and lzyo now beon hb&n-
inS 30 ,',st at present Franco is not In col,:.
| dlslon to "rnsh into Mar." j. lIH taken Engfnud
twenty years to rcor5al.iZo from tue breakdown
OF l!or military AsBten In tho Crlmoan war, and
1 \ vast amount OF lucnoy hae been expended III
ofrcct;ng tho ctauEos aud 1t can hardly bo
| possible that til ngs aro 80 much better nan-
aged IN Franco thu: e'lo can IN four or five yea,s
put an army IN tnc field with Guy rEospsce Of
winning back tt.e sAnrela 40 ludey wiestcd from
| lIer III tho last great Cous.st.
Spain may bo considered 1t tho pscseut
motnent OIL of tho military Grenn Of Europe. sl0
II tlo ,nl1c cngrasscI By her Internal troubles to
bp avalab:a e!tlov ~ M ally Or cucWy IN caAo Of
| international disturbances. ltals possoaaoa nn
army IT considerable numerical fosro-au army
| WHICH may be III round numbers said to amount
arc waiting. Tho Italian Government Is hard
pressad by financial dilllcultias+ The 1tailau
army is . new nschao, aud, like all other new
machines, It canlot bo expected t, work u!no1lhly
aero originally cupled from tho F1anch: but
siuce tho breakdown Of tue Frehca syntsm tho
organization OF tue ltalan army haB been con-
Bidersbly modified. Still, It cannos he denlo'1
powor to bs cousilnrodiu tho fighting capacity
Of Europe. aud would olBt an ENORMOUS weight
Into tue ecale on eittet side.
| liELO1uM AND sW1r1EhIANp.
Az to tie Two neutral coanttIcs Of Belgium
and HWitzerland llttto nceh oe said. The neu-
traty Ut ono is guaranteed by the urcat Powers,
aud the other has pornaos still greater guaran-
tee Of neutrality In tho sl,apo OF public opinion
IN Europe. Tho Belgian nrmv llay 30 W. 00O
strong. Perhaps they ala not tho tiuoat troops
III tho world, but ettl they a.o not. al = great
statesman IL reported to have sa.d III them
"1nsreiY al Goa! and muskcs aud lttn mAn." II
Ia certain that Belgium, unaldcd cuuld hol1 bar
frontiers aEalust no.lusr Germany nor Franeo II
either OF thcBo poiefI wished to mako tho Nekl'
er1anda lts blstlo-aal1 or lis Hue Of comalunlca.
tons.
a great ana mysterious power looma up It It
cumo into forco n Rus ia BY "hlch every Husalar
aabject becsmo Liable to military serv'eo, auathe
cunHo1ueuce Ut thla decree Is au enormous iu'
crease III tho army. 1t is estimated that no3
year NusAia will bs ablo to put into tLa Held
1,5UD, QUO meu. These men aro excellent eoloicrt
III many respoc!s. Tuey may nJs DO acute Or In.
beastug fatigue, bayo an intctbo loyalty 10 tholl
sovereign. bolioye thas tho isuBaAn Government
can 10 10 wong, autl would eu,cs upon any cam
raigu ordered hy that Government with all shG
religious excitement Of = osusade. Tie organlza
tfou Of lhe army is simple aud vol conceived
rLs men arc thll. strong, and hno and If propcri'
led and supplied with good ammunition tbt
nusaan army would bo m0st formidable In any
| rnr Enr AhfNuntVn n HidHa n01dA 4
cuIiary advan,a ,eous r-altion. The terrible OK
, ample of tho Fl1es Napoleon Btiil gives shlse
to almost anybody who contotpplatcs the Idea ol
invading ilcr. No doubt an inyaslou OF tho pres
ont t.mo would be ye.y datIerent natssr troa
,, what 1t wns at tho bcYlnpiuK Of this centnrT
! Sui 1t would be attondod With enormous dill
oultlcB, not the lolst OF which would be tue IN
l,osPtah!e ollmato, the imposstolty Of foetltue
au Invading army on 3 w.ld and sparsely.popu
| lated county, and tho ,e:eheity which wonlt
lal On tho Invaders Ut drawing thcir supplies a.
, ! moat uholly from ttcis baso. a llno Of COMMIT
nicatiou pig4t become 10 much exteaded thai
The troopa rasluiBits to guard the llne. and tue
OTTO III necessary to administer Il, would couHun
more OF The pxoys!oua than the llne tssolk co III
bring up. In future wars It IL doubtful whether
, considering tho number 81 mon that Mouis
prooably 10 engaged, 1t will eSer ba posslbls t.
rely on the Huppiy OF an army from its base
; communications. 4 welgllty oppression, hoMcr
CT, lungs over tue military organization OF Nus
lhat 1t IL afu.obt cortaln that case Of Wal pee
u!atiou would bo rife, and that tile lsrsaian sol
t1era-t.aye, loyal, and haris I'd they might b
D would nni themselves worstol by Ru iutes
; | nal enotny more deadly than any extctnhl foe
i AL this 10 wo!l known and talkcd Of openly d
> | the eoil OF Russia.
SWEDEN And NORWAY.
Tho united northern power OF Eweden an
: Norway possesses certainly sinall but c1cellon
:, army. out probably would b. too w,se to- ente
: upou aug European nar, even Of great dinler
! slous. II would have little to gala by descend
lug iuto tho theatre Of contust, aud posslbl
:. might lose sou,o provinces to llussia. Deamas
: might indeed, ba anxious to Join ~ alliat,c
!, nKaiust acEmany, for tho Boro Of the Sohieswil
), Holstein campaign III not Yet healed over: nr
. sllo Las teon 60 hampered by tho war of 1a6
Q aud her population has boon 20 reduced. that Ae
/ at,fcy il,afgpi.icnn, III tho consideration OF III
! military capacities Of tue Continent.
TURKEY.
! Turkey ia always q sonroo OF danger to Euro
y renn rotlcy, anl must bo almost nighsnAr
In every tCraIEn ollica." THO men Of the ARID
ut.- =