236 



FRANCE. 



from indirect contributions, and 186,494,900 francs 

 from the sugar duty; 691,007,100 francs came from 

 state monopolies, including 395,319,000 francs from 

 tobacco, 43.t>05.0<tO francs from matches and gun- 

 powder, 235,399,400 francs from the post office and 

 telegraphs and telephones, and 16,083,700 francs 

 from the mint, railroads, and various other monop- 

 olies; 62,219,410 francs came from domains and 

 forests, 56,621,694 francs were miscellaneous re- 

 ceipts, and 67,498,731 francs for recettcs d'ordre. 

 The total budget of expenditure was 3,477,575,535 

 francs, including 73,012,516 francs for Algeria. 

 Of 3,404,563,019 francs expended in France 1,249,- 

 896,915 francs were for the public debt, 13,302,560 

 francs for the President, Chamber of Deputies, and 

 Senate, 20,034,610 francs for the Ministry of Fi- 

 nance, 35,112,933 francs for the Ministry of Jus- 

 tic*'. 16,076,800 francs for the Ministry of Foreign 

 A Hairs, 76,644,327 francs for the Ministry of the 

 Interior, 43.024,553 francs for the Ministry of 

 \\m-ship, 649,496,036 francs for the Ministry of 

 War, 303,600,510 francs for the Ministry of Marine, 

 217,432,696 francs for the Ministry of Education 

 and the Fine Arts, 35,653,153 francs for the Min- 

 istry of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Tele- 

 graphs, 90,794,762 francs for the Ministry of the 

 Colonies, 30,701,433 francs for the Ministry of 

 Agriculture, 187,619,864 francs for the Ministry of 

 Public Works, 218,111,881 francs for regie, collec- 

 tion of taxes, etc., 176,800,824 francs for the post 

 office and telegraphs, and 40,259,162 francs for re- 

 payments. The capital valuation of the debt of 

 France on Jan. 1, 1899, was 29,948,331,297 francs, 

 consisting of 22,002,683,638 francs of perpetual 

 rentes, 6,930,154,925 francs of redeemable debt, in- 

 cluding the Morgan loan of 199,514,454 francs, 

 1,902,515,260 francs of annuities to railroads, and 

 4,828,125,211 francs of other obligations, and the 

 floating debt, reported to amount to 1,015,492,734 

 francs. The annual amount of rentes is 692,157,850 

 francs; interest and amortization of the redeem- 

 able debt, 314,109,110 francs; interest on floating 

 debt, 241,518,402 francs; total annual charge, 

 1,247,785,362 francs, as set down in the budget for 

 1900. The debt is about $150 per head of popu- 

 lation. The annual income of the nation has been 

 estimated at 25,000,000,000 francs, of which 

 15,000,000,000 francs are the fruits of personal 

 labor. The private wealth of France has been 

 estimated at 202,000.000,000 francs, of which 

 75,000,000,000 francs represent land, 50,000,000,000 

 francs buildings, 5,000,000,000 francs specie, 70,- 

 000,000,000 francs securities, 10,000,000,000 francs 

 farm implements and live stock, and 17,000,000,000 

 francs other personal property. By the conversion 

 of 5 per cents, into 4J per cents, in 1883 an annual 

 saving of 34,000,000 francs was effected, a further 

 saving of 5,000,000 francs by the conversion of old 

 4J and 4 per cents, into 3 per cents, in 1887, and 

 one of 68,000,000 francs by the conversion of the 

 4J per cents, into 3J per cents., making a total 

 reduction of 107,000,000 francs in the annual cost 

 of the national debt. The refunding of 3J and 3 

 per cents, at 2f per cent, was contemplated when 

 the 3 per cents, stood above par, but has been 

 delayed owing to the fall in rentes. 



The Army. The period of military duty is 

 from the age of twenty to that of forty-five. Every 

 Frenchman fit for service is liable to serve three 

 years in the active army, ten years in the reserve, 

 six years in the territorial army, and six years 

 in the territorial reserve. Students and semina- 

 rists are only required to perform one year of active 

 service, provided that they complete their studies. 

 The peace strength as fixed in the budget of 1900 

 is 540,405 of all ranks in France, 60,102 in Algeria, 

 and 15,968 in Tunis. The number of officers is 



26,847 in France, 2,309 in Algeria, and 584 in Tunis. 

 The general staff in France numbered 3,636 officers, 

 with 702 men; in Algeria, 294 officers, with 95 

 men; in Tunis, 69 officers, with 24 men. In the 

 military schools were 3,644 men, including 420 

 officers. Unclassed amid the troops were 1,960, of 

 whom 1,707 were officers, in France; 779, of whom 

 560 were officers, in Algeria; and 111, of whom 

 107 were officers, in Tunis. In the 19 army corps 

 of France there were 328,703 infantry, including 

 12,152 officers; 11,881 administrative troops; 66,671 

 cavalry, including 3,490 officers; 77,709 artillery, 

 including 3,891 officers; 12,299 engineers, including 

 484 officers; and 8,519 train, including 360 officers; 

 a total of 505,842 men, including 20,377 officers. 

 The gendarmery numbered 21,571 men, including 

 624 officers; the Republican Guards, 3,050 men, 

 including 83 officers. In Algeria the infantry num- 

 bered 41,001 men, including 954 officers; the ad- 

 ministrative troops, 3,512 men; the cavalry, 7.-V.)7 

 men, including 365 officers; the artillery, 2,716 

 men, including 53 officers; the engineers, 802 men, 

 including 13 officers; the train, 2,114 men, in- 

 cluding 39 officers; total, 57,742 men, including 

 1,424 officers. The Algerian gendarmery numbered 

 1,192 men, of whom 31 were officers. In Tunis 

 there were 11,202 infantry, including 280 officers; 

 534 administrative troops; 1,853 cavalry, including 

 86 officers; 993 artillery, including 21 officers; 325 

 engineers, including 4 officers; and 714 train, in- 

 cluding 13 officers; total, 15,621 men, including 

 404 officers, besides 143 gendarmes, including 4 

 officers. Deducting the men on furlough and sick 

 leave and other vacancies, the present strength of 

 the active army is 539,515 officers and men and 

 that of the gendarmery and Republican Guards 

 is 25,693. Including vacancies and furloughs, the 

 active army in France numbered 515,784 men, in- 

 cluding 26,140 officers, with 114,601 horses; in 

 Algeria, 58,910 men, including 2,378 officers, with 

 12,548 horses; in Tunis, 15,825 men, including 580 

 officers, with 3,556 horses; total active armv, 

 590,519 men, including 28,998 officers, with 130,705 

 horses; total gendarmery, 22,906 men, including 

 659 officers, with 11.830 horses; grand total, in- 

 cluding Republican Guards. 616,475 men, of whom 

 29,740 were officers, with 143,275 horses. The num- 

 ber of men liable to service in case of war is esti- 

 mated to be 2,350,000 in the active army and its re- 

 serve, 900,000 in the territorial army, and l.lOO.ono 

 in the territorial army reserve; total. 4,350,000 

 men, of whom not more than 2,500.000 could be 

 counted on for effective service. France is divided 

 into 19 regions, and Algeria makes another region, 

 each occupied by an army corps. But the active- 

 army is not organized on a territorial basis. In 

 every regiment are commingled recruits from every 

 part of France, and the same system is continued 

 in the reserves. There are 145 regiments of in- 

 fantry of the line in France of 4 battalions each, 

 19 regional regiments of 4 battalions for garrison- 

 ing the fortresses, 18 battalions of chasseurs, and 

 12 battalions of mountain chasseurs, making in 

 all 658 battalions. In Algeria and Tunis there 

 are 4 regiments of zouaves of 5 battalions. 4 regi- 

 ments of Algerian rifles, called Turcos, of (i bat- 

 talions, 2 regiments of the foreign legion of 5 bat- 

 talions, 1 company of Saharan rifles, and 5 bat- 

 talions of African light infantry. The infantry 

 is armed with the Lebel rifle of the model of issi;. 

 having 5 cartridges in the magazine and a caliber 

 of 8 millimetres. Two of the army corps liave 

 attached to them a company of veloci|iet!iMs. Kadi 

 of the army corps of France has a brigade of cav- 

 alry, and there are 7 separate divisions, composed 

 of 20 brigades or 41 regiments. In Algeria and 

 Tunis there are 4 brigades, comprising 10 regi- 



