Railway Troop.
The French horse is not by a long way as lasting or as fit for service as the German (i.e., Lithuanian and Hanoverian) horse. Nor is the French Cavalry soldier a good groom. The Chasseurs d’Afrique and the Spahis, mounted on Arabian stallions, form exceptions to this rule. The Spahis are for the most part natives of Africa, officered by Frenchmen. Their whole appearance produces a novel impression, dressed as they are in their Oriental attire of blue jacket and baggy breeches, long red-leather riding-boots, with the white burnous slung over their shoulders, and mounted on their sinewy little horses, which they guide at will with a mere turn of the wrist. It is a strange sight to see these children of the desert at their games, tearing along with wild war-shrieks and waving their long guns frantically over their heads, each man and horse straining every muscle to be first in the race.
Artillery.
The Field Artillery consists of 19 brigades (one to each Army Corps), each of 2 regiments. One of these regiments has 12, the other 11 batteries, including between them 3 batteries of Horse Artillery, so that each Army Corps has 23 batteries. Each battery has 6 guns, fully-horsed even in peace-time. Besides these, some mountain batteries are going to be formed, but only in case of need.
The Artillery is armed with an excellent (3·53-in.) gun, on the De Bange system. It was entirely re-armed with these after the 1870–71 campaign, and at an enormous cost.
The Garrison Artillery, 16 battalions of 6 batteries each, is also armed with first-rate new guns.
Engineers.
Of Engineers there are 4 regiments, each of 5 battalions. An independent Railway Regiment has lately been formed.
The Corps of Gendarmerie, numbering as many as 25,000 men, is more or less connected with the Army, for though in peace-time it is employed on police-duty, in war-time it would be formed into as many Field Divisions of military police as would be required for keeping order in rear of the Army. The Garde-Républicaine of Paris (Cavalry and Infantry), is a branch of the Gendarmerie, and not of the Army, and the Regiment of Sapeurs-Pompiers, though militarily organised, is in reality only the Fire Brigade.
