28 MILITARY ORGANIZATION OF PRUSSIA. 



France : the object of this last is purely military. Some of these 

 roads traverse the dominions of other princes, but they are equally 

 well kept up along their \vhole line. 



Prussia has, therefore, on the Rhine three fortresses, Wesel, 

 Cologne, and Coblentz. She possesses besides Juliers near the Bel- 

 gian frontier, and Sarre Louis near that of France, and as a member 

 of the German Confederation, she furnishes a part of the garrisons of 

 Mayence and of Luxembourg. Coblentz and Cologne are very im- 

 portant places, because they command two passages across the Rhine, 

 and may serve as a place of refuge to a considerable number of 

 troops, and also, because a triple line of communication, by water and 

 by excellent roads on both sides of the Rhine, would facilitate the 

 rapid concentration of all the troops in the vicinity of the river in one 

 of these places in order to resume the offensive. 



We may estimate at 300,000 the forces which Prussia could 

 mobilise, supposing her finances permitted such a developement of 

 strength. 



Army of the Line 100,000 men. 



Kreigs reserve, (War reserve) . . . 50,000 

 Landwehr, 1st Ban 150,000 



The Prussian Minister of War spends annually about 3,370,000, 

 an inconsiderable sum for the support of an army of 300,000 men, 

 numerous fortresses, and an immense fe materiel" of war. The mili- 

 tary institutions by which Prussia is enabled to keep on foot such an 

 army, acquire an additional interest from being peculiar to that 

 nation. 



Prussia is divided into military provinces, in each of there are re- 

 cruited a certain number of regiments, the depots of which are 

 constantly quartered in them. Every Prussian must take arms at 

 the age of twenty years. A part of the levies serve to fill up the 

 cadres of the army of the line, and the other part are classed in the 

 landwehr. The recruits, who have been placed in the line, serve for 

 three years, after which they are sent to their homes until the age of 

 twenty-five, and form the war reserve : they may, however, be 

 called back to their colours should the government deem it necessary ; 

 but at the age of twenty-five they are drafted from the line into the 

 first ban of the landwehr. 



The non-commissioned officers and soldiers, who, after completing 

 the term of service in the line of three years fixed by the law, may 

 wish to continue the career of arms, engage themselves for six years 

 longer ; and if they contract at the end of that period another 

 engagement, a higher rate of pay is allotted to them, with the pro- 

 mise of a civil employment at a future time. 



In order to alleviate towards the upper classes of society the rigour 

 of the obligation which the law imposes on every Prussian of serving 

 in person, the government allows voluntary engagements upon 

 certain conditions. Young men who wish to follow the military 

 career may enlist at the age of seventeen in which corps they choose, 

 provided they prove on examination to possess the necessary ac- 

 quirements. Six months after they may undergo a further examina- 



