War-Strength.
The war-strength of France was, before the passing of this law, and according to French sources:—
| Army of the 1st Line | 2,051,458 men. | |
| Army of the 2nd Line | 2,057,196 men. | |
| ———— | ||
| Total | 4,108,654 men. |
It is almost impossible to calculate, from the new law, what her strength will be exactly, but it appears to be nearly equal to that of the three Powers together who form the Triple Alliance!
Whether this law has been promulgated in view of an approaching war, or whether it will be carried out in all its Spartan severity throughout the present peace—and long may it last!—is a question only to be determined by the future. In either case the spirit of self-sacrifice which has prompted the French to lay the heavy burden on themselves is much to be admired. The mainspring of this spirit appears, however, to be more the frantic effort to get back the country’s former military prestige than pure patriotism.
The peace-strength of France is no criterion by which to measure the forces that she could put in the field in case of war.
Infantry.
The Infantry consists of—
162 Line Regiments, each of 3 battalions—486 battalions.
4 Zouave Regiments, each of 4 battalions—16 battalions.