322 



FRANCE. 



Of the colonial expenditures of 1879, the 

 French Government furnished in subventions 

 1,253,000 francs, leaving 37,799,000 francs as 

 the amount raised in the colonies. 



TUNIS. The Treaty of Kasr-el-Said, made 

 May 12, 1881, provided for a French protecto- 

 rate over Tunis, which was completed by the 

 laws of April 22, 1882. The different depart- 

 ments of the public service undertaken by the 

 French Government in Tunis are placed under 

 the direction of the corresponding ministries 

 in France, which give their directions to the 

 minister resident at Tunis. The Bey Moham- 

 med-es-Sadok, who was born in 1813 and suc- 

 ceeded his brother Mohammed September 28, 

 1859, died October 28th. He was succeeded 

 by his younger brother, Sidi Ali, born in 1817. 

 The French minister resident who succeeded 

 to M. Eoustan is M. Cambon. The area of 

 the regency of Tunis is 116,348 square kilo- 

 metres, the population about 2,100,000, includ- 

 ing some 45,000 Israelites and 25,600 Chris- 

 tians. The public debt has been reduced by 

 the European commission, which was given 

 control of the finances, to about 125,000,000 

 francs. The revenue, derived from export 

 duties, tax on olive-trees, salt and tobacco 

 monopolies, etc., was, in 1875, 6,832,300 francs, 

 nearly all of which was applied to the service 

 of the debt. 



ARMY AND NAVY. Universal military ser- 

 vice was established by the law of July 27, 

 1872, by which every Frenchman is obliged to 

 belong to the active army for five years, to the 

 active army reserve four years, to the terri- 

 torial army five years, and to the territorial 

 army reserve six years. The effective of the 

 army in 1882 was as follows : Infantry 144 

 regiments of the line, of four active battal- 

 ions, of four companies each, and two com- 

 panies at the depot, numbering 288,464 men ; 

 thirty battalions of rifles, or chasseurs, num- 

 bering 17,730 men ; four regiments of zouaves, 

 numbering 10,480 men ; three regiments of Al- 

 gerian sharp-shooters, numbering 8,493 men ; 

 the Foreign Legion in Algiers, numbering 2,526 



men ; three battalions of light infantry in Al- 

 giers, numbering 4,140 men; and fusileers and 

 pioneers forming the corps of instruction, num- 

 bering 1,330 men; altogether 283,163 officers 

 and men, with 2,631 horses. Cavalry twelve 

 regiments of cuirassiers and twenty-six of dra- 

 goons, and twenty regiments of chasseurs and 

 twelve of hussars, of five squadrons each, num- 

 bering altogether 58,240 men, with 51,800 

 horses; four regiments of Chasseurs d'Afrique, 

 numbering 4,152 men, with 3,720 horses, and 

 three regiments of Spahis, numbering 3,477 

 men, with 3,423 horses ; nineteen squadrons of 

 scouts to be formed in time of war ; and eight 

 companies for the remounting service, num- 

 bering 3,038 men, with 80 horses; total effec- 

 tive force 68,907 men, with 59,023 horses. 

 Artillery nineteen regiments organized in di- 

 vision and nineteen attached to corps, together 

 57 battalions of foot, 304 of mounted and 57 

 of flying artillery, and 76 of mounted artillery 

 at the depots, numbering together 55,717 men, 

 with 30,381 horses; and the corps for pon- 

 toon-service, repairing, the artillery train, etc., 

 making the total effective force 68,762 men, 

 with 33,298 horses. Engineers 11,007 men, 

 with 945 horses. Train 9,540 men, with 8,918 

 horses. Staff and administrative troops 27,- 

 990 officers and men, with 4,888 horses. Gen- 

 darmerie 26,511 men, with 13,013 horses. The 

 total effective of the French army is 495,880 

 men, with 122,716 horses. The war effective 

 numbers 2,423,164 men, organized in 24 

 complete corps in the first line, and 8 corps 

 in the second line ; to which number may 

 be added about 1,330,000 excused or non-com- 

 batants. By a law introduced July 26, 1882, 

 the African army is to be increased, by which 

 the active army will receive an augmentation 

 of 23 infantry battalions, 18 squadrons of 

 cavalry, 15 batteries of artillery, and a cor- 

 responding number in the auxiliary services. 

 The French infantry is armed with the Gi 

 rifle, a species of Chassep6t with metal car- 

 tridges. The artillery has cast-steel breech- 

 loading guns of 80 and 90 millimetres' caliber. 



