354 



FEANCE. 



Finance. The budget of 1886, presented to 

 the Chamber in February, 1885, estimated the 

 ordinary revenue at 3,030,660,651 francs, and 

 the ordinary expenditures at 3,030,612,388 

 francs. The extraordinary expenditures were 

 calculated at 169,808,200 francs, balanced by 

 the receipts, the special resources at 470,175,- 

 043 francs, and special budgets at 76,863,191 

 francs, making the total revenue for 1886, 

 3,747,507,085 francs, and the total expenditure 

 3,747,458,822 francs. The totals voted by the 

 Chamber in August, 1885, were 3,729,561,188, 

 and 3,729,948,164 francs respectively. The 

 extraordinary credits voted in 1885 were ex- 

 ceeded to the amount of 65,106,326 francs, 

 while a supplementary credit of 200,000,000 

 francs was voted for Tonquin, and the revenue 

 from taxation fell below the estimates 21,000,- 

 000, leaving a deficit in the accounts for 1885 

 of about 286,000,000 francs. The deficiency 

 in the revenue from 1880 to the 1st of Janu- 

 ary, 1885, amounted to the sum of 607,265,563 

 francs. The nominal capital of the consoli- 

 dated debt is, according to the budget of 1886, 

 19,722,645,866 francs, and the annual rentes 

 706,115,779 francs. 



The Army. The budget for 1886 fixed the 

 strength of the French army at 523,838 men, 

 including those on furlough, with 131,385 

 horses. Excluding the gendarmerie, there are 

 497,458 men, of whom 52,052 are quartered in 

 Algeria. The expenditure for the army in 

 1886 was set down as 657,661,360 francs. In- 

 cluding the various classes of reserves, France 

 can raise an army of about 2,500,000 men who 

 have received military training, and can call 

 upon 1,250,000 more that are capable of bear- 

 ing arms. 



The Navy. The French navy numbers 389 

 effective vessels, of all descriptions. In the 

 beginning of 1886 there were 20 squadron iron- 

 clads completed, 11 ironclad cruisers, 11 guard- 

 ships that were plated, and 4 armored gun- 

 boats. There were 2 torpedo- vessels, 18 tor- 

 pedo-boats of the first class, and 43 of the 

 second class. The most powerful ship is the 

 " Amiral Baudin," with 11,200 tons displace- 

 ment, carrying three 14|-inch guns and six of 

 smaller caliber. The " Carman " and " Re- 

 quin," launched in 1885, having two barbette 

 towers, mounting 16^-inch, or 74^-ton, guns, 

 are sister ships to the " Indomptable " and 

 "Terrible." The " Formidable," launched in 

 April, 1885, is a monster ironclad of 11,200 

 tons, of the same type as the " Amiral Baudin." 

 Six other first- class battle- ships, of 10,400 tons, 

 estimated to cost from 9,000,000 to 11,000,000 

 francs each, were building, besides 11 gun- 

 boats, 3 torpedo-cruisers, 3 torpedo dispatch- 

 boats, a number of sea-going torpedo-boats, and 

 several dispatch-boats. In the later ironclads 

 horizontal steel armor is used to protect the 

 decks, and the guns are mounted en ~barbette, 

 and are capable of being pointed in nearly 

 every direction. The total value of the fleet 

 was estimated on Jan. 1, 1886, to be 599,886,411 



francs. The sum allotted to the navy in the 

 budget of 1886 was 200,392,937 francs. A pow- 

 erful party in the French navy is opposed to 

 building any more large ironclads. After the 

 advent of Admiral Aube, the new Minister of 

 the Navy, 26 first-class torpedo-boats, to cost 

 175,000 francs each, were ordered. Each boat 

 is to have two torpedo launching-tubes, and 

 to carry four torpedoes, and will be constructed 

 in seven water-tight compartments. They 

 must be capable of a maximum speed of 20 

 knots. Two twin screw-steamers, the "Sure- 

 ouf "and "Torbin," were begun in the summer 

 of 1886. They will have a speed of 19 knots, 

 and carry machine-guns, mitrailleuses, 5^-inch 

 guns, and each will have five launching-tubes 

 for torpedoes. Admiral Aube, the new Minis- 

 ter for Naval Affairs, was an old Republican, 

 but no party man. He has often shown sym- 

 pathy with the Catholics, and recognition of 

 their services to France in the East. He was 

 highly respected for his integrity and his pro- 

 feSsional ability. He expects the torpedo to 

 play a leading part in the naval warfare of the 

 future. Consequently, his appointment was 

 taken to signify a cessation of the construction 

 of great ironclads. 



The Legislative Session. The new Cabinet was 

 variously designated as the " long-desired re- 

 form ministry," or as simply as a "working 

 Cabinet," or derisively, from its heterogeneous 

 composition, as "Noah's Ark." A peaceful 

 policy was inaugurated in Tonquin by the re- 

 call of Gen. de Courcy, and the appointment 

 of Paul Bert as civil governor. M. de Frey- 

 cinet announced that the protectorate over 

 Annam and that over Madagascar, with which 

 a treaty had just been Concluded, would rest 

 on a simple basis. The Minister of War prom- 

 ised a saving of 40,000,000 francs in his depart- 

 ment, and at the same time a vigorous prose- 

 cution of the army reorganization. The naval 

 minister promised retrenchments to the amount 

 of 10,000,000 francs. M. Lockroy began his 

 ministerial career with a proposal for an ex- 

 position in 1889, which is to commemorate the 

 Revolution of 1789, and show to the world 

 the progress that has taken place since that 

 epoch. On the opening of the Chambers, 

 which took place on January 12, M. Floquet 

 was again elected Speaker. The Radical de- 

 mands for an income-tax and the separation of 

 church and state were not adopted in the min- 

 isterial programme. The great gains of the 

 monarchical parties in the late elections drove 

 the new Government to issue directions for the 

 future repression of political activity among the 

 episcopacy and the rural clergy, and for the 

 removal of secret enemies of the republic from 

 offices in the civil service. Lockroy and Granet 

 had been taken into the Cabinet from Clemen- 

 ceau's party, in order to prevent the one hun- 

 dred Radicals from uniting with the Monarch- 

 ists to overthrow the ministry. Sarrien was 

 also a member of the Radical Left, and Gen. 

 Boulanger was supposed to entertain close re- 



