FRANCE. 



327 



significant amortization fund that would extin- 

 guish the debt in seven thousand years, and low- 

 ering the rate of interest in the Government sav- 

 ings bank. Still there remained, after applying 

 26,400,000 francs remaining from former loans to 

 the military budget, a deficit of 60,000,000 francs, 

 and to avoid this required a surtax on sugar, 

 duty on petroleum, higher taxes on certificates 

 and personal property, and a new increase in 

 spirit duty. The committee would not agree to 

 a higher direct tax on houses than 3*20 per cent. 

 In the autumn M. Rouvier proposed to the 

 budget committee a stamp duty on proprietary 

 medicines and cosmetics that was calculated to 

 yield 12,000,000 francs. He estimated then that 

 the accounts of 1889 would show a surplus of 

 12,000,000 francs, that the budget of 1890 would 

 end with a surplus of 50,000,000 francs, and that 

 in 1891 a surplus of 4,000,000 francs would be 

 available for supplementary credits. The emis- 

 sion of the new loan of 700,000,000 francs for 

 the consolidation of short-term obligations was 

 delayed, but not abandoned. The holders of 

 the 250,000,000 or 300,000,000 francs of six.-year 

 obligations were to have the priority. The ex- 

 traordinary expenditure of 160,000,000 francs on 

 railroads was not included in the budget because 

 it is raised by bonds, although the bonds are guar- 

 anteed by the state and there is no expectation 

 that the lines will pay interest and expenses. 



The national debt at the fall of the third em- 

 pire amounted to 12,454,000,000 francs, and the 

 annual interest was 386,000,000 francs. On Jan. 

 1, 1887, the capital was 23,728,000,000 francs 

 and the interest charge had risen to 826,000,000 

 francs. The interest and annuities provided for 

 in the budget for 1890 are 433,555,116 francs of 

 3 per cent, rente, 305,540,303 francs for the 4 

 per cents., 72,139.207 francs for annuities, 19,- 

 525,000 francs for interest on the floating debt, 

 and 221,344,826 francs for pensions and other 

 life interests. The capitalized amount of the 

 consolidated debt is 21,241,621,710 francs. The 

 floating debt consists of 824,962,500 francs of 

 interest-bearing obligations and 81,725,700 francs 

 bearing no interest. Annuities to companies, 

 redeemable debt, and other obligations swell the 

 total to over 30,000,000,000 francs. The national 

 income has been estimated at 25,000,000,000 

 francs a year and the total valuation of private 

 property at 200,000,000,000 francs. 



The Army. By the military law of 1889 the 

 length of service is changed from twenty to 

 twenty-five years, of which three (instead of five, 

 as in the old law) are passed in the active army, 

 seven in the reserve, six in the territorial army, 

 and nine in the reserve of the territorial army. 

 The system of one-year volunteers is abolished, 

 and all who are incapable of serving must pay 

 a military tax. Students for the liberal profes- 

 sions are required to serve one year only. 



The infantry of the line is organized in 162 

 regiments, of which 144, each having 62 officers 

 and 1,591 men, are divided among the 18 corps 

 d'armee in Prance, and 18, each having 51 offi- 

 cers and 1,560 men, are destined to garrison the 

 principal strong places. There are 12 battalions 

 of mounted rifles, each with 27 officers and 800 

 men ; 18 battalions of foot rifles, each with 19 

 officers and 532 men ; 4 regiments of zouaves, 

 each with 73 officers and 2,551 men ; 4 regiments 



of Algerian sharpshooters, each with 103 officers 

 and 2,632 men : 2 regiments of the foreign le- 

 gion ; 5 battalions of African light infantry, 

 each with 31 officers and 271 men ; 4 companies 

 of disciplinary troops in Algeria and Tunis ; a 

 regiment of Tonquinese sharpshooters ; and 4 

 battalions of Annamite rifles. 



The cavalry forces comprise 79 regiments of 

 regular cavalry, 12 of cuirassiers, 28 of dragoons, 

 21 of rifles, 12 of hussars, and 6 of African 

 mounted rifles. Every regiment has 37 officers, 

 829 men, and 722 horses. There are besides 4 

 regiments of spahis, 1 of Tunisian spahis, and 8 

 companies and 20 depots for the remount serv- 

 ice. In accordance with the law of July 25, 

 1887, 2 regiments of dragoons, 2 of African rifles, 

 and 1 of mounted rifles' have been formed, and 

 the budget of 1890 provides for 2 new regiments 

 of hussars. 



There are 19 regiments of mounted artillery, 

 of 12 batteries each, every regiment having 77 

 officers, 1,274 men, and 767 horses; 19 other 

 regiments with 9 batteries mounted and 3 bat- 

 teries of horse artillery, the strength of these 

 regiments being 77 officers, 1,280 men, and 845 

 horses ; 4 mounted batteries, one in Algeria, one 

 in Corsica, and two attached to the Fourteenth 

 and Fifteenth Army Corps, each of which num- 

 bers 4 officers, 153 men, and 132 horses ; and 20 

 batteries of mountain artillery, each consisting 

 of 4 officers, 238 men, and 167 horses or mules. 

 The entire number of field batteries is 480, with 

 2,060 pieces. The fortress artillery consists of 

 16 battalions of 6 batteries, each battalion num- 

 bering 4 officers, 152 men, and 6 horses, which 

 with 4 batteries of foot artillery in Algeria make 

 a total of 100 batteries. The artillery has a 

 special general staff of 318 officers. There were 



2 regiments of pontonniers which have been at- 

 tached to the engineer corps. 



The engineers comprise 3 regiments of sap- 

 pers and miners of 4 battalions, 1 of 3 battalions, 

 and 1 regiment of railroad sappers, havin7 a 

 total strength of 60 officers and 1,958 men, ex- 

 clusive of 1 company of sapper conductors, with 



3 officers, 77 men, and 74 horses. A battalion 

 of engineers in Algeria and 15 companies of sap- 

 per conductors are to be created. 



The train consists of 20 squadrons of 3 com- 

 panies each, besides 12 companies in Algeria and 



4 in Tunisia. 



The budget for 1890 fixes the strength of the 

 army on the peace footing at 555,330 officers and 

 men and 138,301 horses, an increase of 13,965 men, 

 of whom 201 are officers, and of 2.324 horses over 

 1889. The total number of officers is 26,629. 

 The staff consists of 2,829 officers, the total per- 

 sonnel being 3,575. In the military schools are 

 3,214 men, of whom 567 are officers. There are 

 2,070 officers with 270 men unattached. The 

 infantry of the army corps numbers 290,675 

 troops, including 10,781 officers ; administrative 

 troops, 11,459; cavalry, 66,509 men, including 

 3,188 officers ; artillery, 73,162 men, including 

 3,078 officers ; engineers, 10,212 men, including 

 412 officers ; train, 6,907 men, including 348 offi- 

 cers. In Algeria there is a staff of 270 officers ; 

 an infantry force of 28,643 men, with 773 offi- 

 cers; 3,975 administrative troops; 600 officers and 

 251 men unattached; 8,327 cavalry, with 331 

 officers ; 2,720 artillery, with 57 officers ; 583 en- 



