The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-09-17

number of souls engaged, for the num-
Der of available soldiers is so great
that il is merely question oil trans
portation facilities as to how many
men will be in the first engagements.
At any rate there could be 5,OOO,OoO
soldiers in actual movement before the
firing of the first gun, and before ac-
ton will have resulted in settlement
of differences over 2O,0O0,0OO men may
report for duty.
The French have no NapOleans, but
they have military and naval leaders
who are by no means such WeaKlIngs
as surrounded Napolean. Inc Ger
mans, with whom war is the most
practical of all human affairs, under
stand the difference in respect to
French leaders, and the Military Wo-
chenblatt, one OF the German military
publications, has recently been DIS
cussing the question of whether the
French army has lost any of its keen
ness. 1t appears from this publication
that the Germans have an idea that
the French will not hug the fortresses
erected on the eastern frontler, out
will use them for mobilization pur-
poses, and aim to invade the German
frontier, if possible. AS to equipment
the French are certainly We'll ad-
vanced. The artillery has rapld-hre
guns and melinite shells, and the lat
est improved rifle of small caliber is in
use.
Then, if England is drawn in the
contest, there will Be great times on
the sea. A French comparison be-
tween the floating strength of the va
rious nations was effected by grouping
the ships in typical squadrons of three
battleships, two cruisers, one torpedo
cruiser and six topedo boats. OF these
typical squadrons England possesses
%, France 8, Russia 8, Italy g., Ger
many 5, Austria 4, Spain 3, Turkey 3,
Denmark 2, and Greece, Holland and
Sweden and Norway each l. By this
system of comparison France and
Russia can set eighteen typical squad
rons against the fifteen of the triple
alliance, but that, with England, the
triple alliance can count upon thirty
seven squadrons, against the twenty
nine of all the other European powers
put together. Of the Frrnch annual
maneuvers carried on upon tremend-
Gus scale in the Mediterranean, and
concerning the fleet maneuvers in the
channel, one Of our naval officers writes
home:
"No doubt you have been posted le-
1ardipg the movements of the British
and French fleets last month. L have
seen the two, and must say the gen.
eral opinion among our naval officers,
and fully concur with them, is that
the French have better organization
for battle and concentration than the
British. The movements of their tor
pedo boats are perfect"
France, indeed, would have not the
slightest chance of winning cam
paign If it were not for Russia, which
seeks an outlet at Constantinople, and
deems the suppression of France
enough to make it impossible for a
Russian warship to ever pass through
the Bosyhorus. Russia has 15O, 600, 900
subjects, three times the population of
Germany, and there is ample evidence
that war with the Germans, Aus
trians and Hungarians will be well
coined by the Russians. who have
been preparing within the last year
for such an event. In addition to the
combination of England, Italy, Ger
many and Austria, China will join
her fate, while with the others men
toned Japan will put an excellent
navy in co operation.