GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION. 373 



has its defined recruiting district, Avithin whicli the material for its equipment is 

 kejot, and near which it is usually stationed.^' 



The fortresses of Germany are not very numerous, and several amongst them 

 have lately been disrated, but they occupy carefully chosen positions, and are 

 constructed in the most eflective manner. Their total number is 38. f 



The German navy is sufficiently powerful, not only for the defence of the coast, 

 but also to encounter the naval armaments of all but the largest states. It 

 includes 20 ironclads (7 frigates, 5 corvettes, 2 floating batteries, and 5 gunboats), 

 with 152 guns, a ship of the line (23 guns), 19 screw corvettes (259 guns), 

 4 dispatch boats, 2 imperial yachts, 16 gunboats, 3 torpedo boats, 2 steam 

 transports, and 4 sailing vessels. The largest amongst these vessels is the 

 Konig WilJtelm (9,425 tons, 8,000 horse-power, 26 12-ton guns), but the most 

 formidable are the Kainer and the Dcidacldand, twin ships, each covered with 10-inch 

 armour, and armed with 1 18-ton and 8 22-ton guns. The principal naval arsenals 

 are at Kiel, on the Baltic, and at "VVilhelmshafen, on the North Sea. 



Finances. 



The military power of Germany need not dread being paralyzed through 

 financial embarrassments, for though the states of Germany have incurred debts to 

 the amount of millions, they possess in their Government railways, mines, and 

 domains an amount of productive property more than sufficient to pay off all 

 their liabilities. Taxation cannot be said to be heavy, but there are nevertheless 

 several of the states whose financial resources are far from elastic, and anion est 

 these more especially is Bavaria, which conforms with the least grace to the 



* The German army is divided into 18 army corps, usually composed of 8 regiments of infantry, 

 1 battalion of rifles, 5 regiments of cavalry, 2 regiments of artillery (96 guns), 1 battalion of pioneers, 

 and the requisite army train. 



On a peace footing the army numbers 17,184 officers, 401,659 men, 3,705 surgeons and paymasters, 

 and 79,89:j public horses. On a war footing its strength and organization are as follows : — 



t 1st rate :— Strassburg, Metz, Eastatt, Mayence, Germersheim, Coblenz, Cologne, Wesel, Ulm, 

 Ingolstadt, Magdeburg, Glogau, Neisse, Kiistrin, Spandau, Thorn, Posen, Danzig, Konigsberg. 



2nd rate:— Neu Breisach, Bitsch, Diedcnhofen (Thion ville), Saarlouis, Torgau, KiJnigstein, Glatz, 

 Marienburg, and Boyen. 



Coast defences :— Wilhelmshafen, Mouths of the Weser and Elbe, Sonderburg, Friedrichsort (Kiel), 

 Pillau, Memel, Kolberg, Swinemiinde, Stralsund. 



