FRANCE. 



337 



The general commerce in 1882 amounted to 

 411,900,000 francs of imports, and 150,000,000 

 francs of exports, against 342,300,000 francs 

 of imports and 143,600,000 francs of exports 

 in 1881. Three quarters of the import trade 

 and more than half of the export trade were 

 with France. 



The length of railroads in operation in the 

 beginning of 1883 was 1,737 kilometres^ not 

 including 206 kilometres on Tunisian territory ; 

 the length of telegraph lines, 5,832 kilometres ; 

 of wires, 13,885 kilometres. 



Tunis. By the treaty of Kasr-el-Said, con- 

 cluded May 12, 1881, a French protectorate 

 was instituted in Tunis. Decrees for the exe- 

 cution of the treaty were issued April 22, 1882. 

 The Bey is Sidi Ali Pasha, who succeeded his 

 brother, Sidi Mohammed, Oct. 28, 1882. 



The area of the regency of Tunis is 116,348 

 square kilometres. The population is about 

 1,500,000, of whom 45,000 are Israelites, 25,100 

 Catholics, 400 Greek Catholics, 100 Protes- 

 tants, and the rest Mohammedans. Tunis, the 

 capital, contains about 125,000 inhabitants* 



The receipts-of the Treasury in 1882 amount- 

 ed to 13,904,444 francs, the expenditures to 

 15,304,444 francs. The consolidated debt is 

 about 125,000,000 francs in amount, the floating 

 debt 17,550,000. A decree was issued by the 

 Bey, May 27, 1884, and a law enacted by the 

 French Chambers, June 8, 1884, regulating the 

 conversion and amortizement of the Tunis- 

 ian debt in accordance with the convention 

 of June 8, 1883. The Tunisian army has been 

 disbanded, and mixed companies are in the pro- 

 cess of formation. The value of the imports 

 in 1883 was 46,153,954 piasters, of the exports 

 33,870,967 piasters (one piaster=ll'8 cents). 

 Olive-oil constituted more than two thirds of 

 the total exports, the other articles being es- 

 parto - grass, olives, sponges, dates, leather, 

 wax, wool, fez, etc. The length of railroads in 

 1882 was 245 kilometres, of telegraph lines 

 4,000 kilometres. 



Aimam. By the treaty of Aug. 21, 1883, con- 

 firmed and completed by the convention of June 

 6, 1884, the kingdom of Annam acknowledged 

 the protectorate of France, which henceforth 

 will represent it in its external relations. The 

 Annamite functionaries continue to administer 

 the provinces under the supervision of the 

 French authorities, excepting in the depart- 

 ments of the customs and public works and in 

 services which require a single head or the 

 employment of European agents or engineers. 

 Annamites in foreign countries are placed un- 

 der the protection of France. Thou-an, the 

 port of Hue, receives a French garrison. Be- 

 sides the port of Quinhone, the ports of Tou- 

 rane and Huan-day are to be opened. 



The kingdom of Annam, exclusive of the 

 province of Tonquin ceded to France, com- 

 prises Cochin-China, without the six provinces 

 of Lower Cochin-China annexed to France, and 

 Tsiampa, also the tributary Laos states and the 

 territory of the independent Moi tribes. The 

 VOL. XXIT. 22 A 



area is about 263,300 square kilometres, the 

 population about 6,000,000. The capital, Hu6, 

 contains. 30^000 inhabitants, or with its suburbs 

 50,000. The religion of the mass of the popu- 

 lation is a worship of tutelary divinities ; the 

 educated classes are believers in the doctrines of 

 Confucius. Buddhism is also tolerated. There 

 are in the neighborhood of 420,000 Christians 

 under six Roman Catholic bishops. 



The value of the commerce of Haiphong in 

 1881 was 2,171,428 taels. The principal arti- 

 cles of export were silksy raw silk, lac, tin^ 

 medicines, cotton, edible fungi, oil of anise- 

 seed, etc. The leading imports were cotton, 

 yarn, shoes, iron, Chinese pottery, mirrors, 

 opium, potatoes, petroleum,, etc. Commercial 

 intercourse exists only with China. 



The Army. By the recruiting law of July 27, 

 1872, personal military service is declared ob- 

 ligatory on all Frenchmen capable of bearing 

 arms for five years- in the active army, four in 

 the active army reserve, five in the territorial 

 army, and six in the territorial army reserve. 

 The effective in 1884 was as follows : In- 

 fantry of the line, 238,464 men ; chasseurs d 

 pied, 18,130; zouaves, 10,480; Algerian tirail- 

 leurs, 8,493 ; the Foreign Legion, 3,750 ; Af- 

 rican light infantry, 4,140 ; drill companies, 

 1,330; total infantry, 284,787 officers and men, 

 with 3,287 horseSi, Cuirassiers dragoons, chas- 

 seurs, and hussars^ 58,240 men ; chasseurs 

 d'-4/H^w<?, 4,152; spahis, 3,292 ; remount com- 

 panies, 3,038 ; total cavalry, 68,722, with 61,- 

 692 horses. Mounted artillery, 228 batteries, 

 25,422 men, and 14,307 horses; mounted and 

 flying artillery, 152 batteries of the former 

 and 57 of the latter, 23,503 men and 14,644 

 horses ; foot artillery, 96 batteries, 13,104 men ; 

 artillery pontonniers, 3,014 men ; musicians and 

 artificers, 2,945 men; 12 detached batteries in 

 Africa, 2,391 men ; total artillery, 70,379 men, 

 with 31,059 horses. Engineers, 11,007 men. 

 Train, 11,696 men, with 9,918 horses. Mixed 

 corps of Frenchmen and natives in Tunis and 

 Tonquin, 8,664 men. Staff and administration, 

 28,567. Gendarmerie, 26,511 men, with 13,- 

 013 horses. Total effective of the active army, 

 510,333 men and 124,989 horses. The infantry 

 are armed with the Gras rifle, a kind of Chas- 

 sep6t with metallic cartridges. The cuirassiers 

 carry revolvers, the other cavalry regiments 

 muskets. The field artillery has breech-load- 

 ing cannon of cast-steel, 80 and 90 millimetres 

 thick. 



The present organization permits of putting 

 into the field 24 complete army corps in the 

 first line and 8 in the second line, besides 

 about 1,330,000 men exempted or employed in 

 the auxiliary services and without military 

 instruction, who would bring the total war 

 effective up to 3,753.164 men. The active and 

 territorial armies have on their lists the follow- 

 ing numbers : active army, 704,714 men ; act- 

 ive army reserve, 510,294 men ; territorial 

 army, 582,523 men; territorial reserve, 625,- 

 633 men; total, 2,423,1 64 men. Their present 



