The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-05-09
The French Army.

On the 1st of January, 1878, the active
army with the colors will consist of the
first class of five annual contingents of
$4,000 each, plus the second-class OF the
contingent for the current year, the per-
manent cadres of the army, the year
volunteers and the re-engaged soldiers,
calculated to give altogether, in round
numbers, 534 900 men, due allowance
being made for casualties; and en- dispon
sJtlite, of four annual contingents of So,
900, calculated to give about 1874 900
men, similar deductions being made. The
total strength of the active army will
therefore be 10000 non commissioned
officers and men, or adding the officers
(26, 400, the grand total will be, in round
numbers, 745, 900 of all ranks, not includ
ing the gendarmerie or garde republi
caine, which together amount to $4,000
men, all regularly trained soldiers who
have spent four years in barracks, and all
actually available at a signal. The Reg
ular Army of France, in fact, may be
taken to be at the present moment for de
fensive purposes 200, 900 men, all regu'
lars under thirty, comprising great body
of cavalry, supplied with horses by a
sharply enforced CONSUMPTION, and pos
sessing material which Sir Garnet Wolse-
lev evidently considers ample. This is
an enormous force, far too great even for
the German Army to hope to break up,
and it is commanded by more than 90
900 officers, whom Sir Garnet Wolseley
considers genuinely anxious to carry out
the national idea, and make the Army as
effective as it can possibly be made:-
"The officer, who was in former times
little more than .faneur in uniform, is
now anxious to make himself Il profess
sional soldier. Formerly he cared little
for information about foreign armies; now
he is keenly alive to all that goes on in
them, as proved by the existence of the
Rerue Militaire de EEtranger, by far the
first military publication on the subject
in Europe" The Staff has been i'm
proved, and the local organization of the
Army, which is now divided into eighteen
corps d'armee, each complete army in
itself of $4,000 men, has enabled the de-
partments to II large extent to get rid of
routine writing and circumlocution. 1t
is, therefore, no exaggeration to say that
the French Army of the Republic is three
times as strong as the French Army of
the Second Empire, or that, aided by
/ 100, 600 Englishmen, and loo, 1000 DutC h
and Belgiaus, it could render the con
Quest of the two. We have spoken hith-
erto only of the Regular Army, but 1t
must not be forgotten that behind this
again is the Territorial Army, consisting
of men between twenty nine and thirty
r - Ao- l,ar
men. 1t would be impossible, without
disorganizing society, to call this army
out unless the country were invaded; but
/ in the event of invasion it would be most
useful, for it would provide 100000 more
men, all of whom will in time have passed
through the military mill, and three
fourths of whom have even now seen SER
vice either in the Regular Army or with
Gambettas Mobiles. 1t was found, we
believe, last year, though Sir Garnet
Wolseley does not mention the fact, that
the Territorial Army responded to call
made in certain districts with unexpected
alacrity and zeal, and at the worst it
would furnish an admirable body of re-
cruits for garrison and fertilization duty,
and to swell regiments reduced too low
by any great battles fought upon the soil.
The process is slow, but it advances, and
when it is complete-say ten or fifteen
wears hence-France will have an army
estimated by Sir Garnet Wolseley at p
All 900 men, or say ten tirst-class armies
of the modern scale: "Active army, 49,
900; reserve of active army, 500, 900; ter
ritorial army, 900; reserve of terrific
rial army, 63S,000; total, 2,47l, 900"
Those figures should teach us lesson of
moderation and humility in judging of
the future of history. 1t is not thirty
wears since the formation of such an army
in France would have excited wild
panic in this country, and have led to
most extreme demands upon the Govern
ment for more men, more ships, and more
fortresses. Now it is not regarded even
as menace, and Euglishmen are actually
pleased to read that Marshal MacMahon
disposcs of more trained soldiers than
we're ever at any one time at the disposal
of the First Napoleon From the London
Spectator summary Of an article oy SIR
Garnet Wolssley in the Contemporary Re-
ciesc.