Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/552

 516 FRANCE [ARMY. nient, but only to the payment of a certain interest fixed by law. This debt, which was arranged by the law of the 9th of Vende&quot;miaire, year VI. (27th September 1797), to liquidate the old debts of the monarchy, then amounted to 40,216,000 francs of interest to be paid yearly to the creditors. From 1800 to 1814 it increased by 23,091,635 francs ; and the Government of the Restoration added 101,260,463 francs, making a total of 164,568,100 f nines in interest. Louis Philippe carried it to 176,845,367 francs, and at the time of the coup d etat, it amounted to 230,768,863 francs. The second empire, during a period of eighteen years, created 168,187,663 francs of consols, thus charging France with an annual payment of 398,956,526 francs. As an unavoidable consequence of the Prussian war, the funded debt has been still further increased, so that the interest was 748,593,642 francs in 1874, and 747,571,030 francs in 1877, which gives an average of about 21 francs per head of the population. The floating debt, which the Government contracts either by receiving private deposits and using them for its needs or by issuing bills of exchange called bom du tresor, amounted in 1872 to 761,000,000 francs. This part of the public debt, including some other items under the name of capitaux rembour sables a divers litres, appears in the budget of 1877 for the much, lower figure of 300,226,686 francs. Budget The following table gives a summary of the budget for 1877. proposed for 1877 : Expenditure. Francs. Ministry of justice and religion 87,960,485 foreign affairs 12,720,500 interior 81,528,386 finance 1,497,042,632 war 531,148,836 marine and colonies 186,622,116 public instruction and the fine arts... 56,628,762 agriculture and commerce 19,762,388 public works 238,246,535 Government of Algeria 24, 587, 322 2,736,247,962 Receipts. Direct taxes 412,470,600 Indirect taxes (excise) 1,039, 293, 800 Enregistrement, timbre, et domaines 634, 605, 451 Forests 38,548,680 Customs 268, 355, 800 Post-office 116,126,000 Miscellaneous revenues 227,600,481 2,737,003,812 IX. Army and Navy. Army. The principle that every citizen is a soldier is the found ation of the military system of France ; but it has received a new force and a more complete application from the law Com- of the 27th July 1872. According to this law, every young pulsory man O f twenty years of age, free from bodily defects, owes to the country five years of active service, five years in the territorial army, and six years in the reserve of the terri torial army. The chief causes of exemption are physical infirmities and diminutive stature (the standard of height being 1 metre 54 centimetres or 60 631 inches). In a family of orphans, or of a widow, or of a septuagenarian, or of blind parents, the eldest son is also exempt. If the eldest son is himself blind or invalid, the next one enjoys the privilege. Exemptions are likewise granted to brothers of soldiers on active service, or that have died when so engaged, or that have been pensioned, and to the elder of two brothers who should, on account of their age, be included in the same levy. Men serving in the navy, students of the Polytechnic school, of the $cole forestiere, Ecole des Langues orientates vivantes, and Ecole des Charles, public teachers, and ministers of any of the religions recognized by the state are not called upon, but must .serve the public in their re spective capacities during a period which varies from five to ten years. In 1875, out of a total number of 283,708, 72,065 were exempted, 29,797 of them because of unfit- ness to serve, and 30,073 were deducted from the contingent as serving the state in some of the ways mentioned above. The law authorizes young men who hold the diploma of bachelier, or a certificate bearing that their studies have been carried on at a public school to a certain fixed standard (certificat d etudes), and those who pass a special examin ation held for the purpose, to engage for one year as volun tary recruits, at the end of which, they are sent home, provided they can give evidence of having received a good military training ; but they are always, as long as they have not served for the time fixed by law, subject to be called out again in case of need. In 1875, 9804 men took advantage of this partial exemption. Voluntary enlistments are also permitted in the French army, which are binding for a period of not less than two years and not more than five. Many soldiers who have completed their legal time of service contract a re-engagement. Such engages volpntaires receive extra pay, but no bounty as formerly. They numbered 24,091 in 1875. The minister of war is assisted at Paris by 2 general directors, a brigade major (chef d etat major), a historio grapher, a law-agent, and 434 other functionaries of various ranks, attended by 108 servants ; the whole costs 1,895,350 francs a year. Under the control of this central office, the army is divided into 19 corps, quartered in 19 territorial districts, Algeria being one of them. The infantry is composed of 144 regiments (three battalions of six companies each forming a regiment), numbering in all 225,111 men; 30 battalions of chasseurs a pied (light infantry), with 8 com panies in each battalion, giving a total of 1 8,889 men ; 4 regiments of zouaves, 1 2,000 men ; 3 African battalions of light infantry, 3000 men ; 5 compagnies de discipline, 1000 men; 1 foreign regiment, 3000 men; and 3 regi ments of natives (Algerians), 9000 men. The cavalry consists of 75 regiments, viz., 12 cuirassiers, 26 dragoons, 19 chasseurs and 11 hussars, numbering 47,498 men; 4 regi ments of chasseurs d Afrique, 3812 men; and 3 regi ments of spahis, 2134 men. The ordnance comprises 38 regiments, each of them having 3 batteries served by foot soldiers, and 6 mounted batteries,- in all 42, 500 men; 1 regiment of pontoon soldiers, 1877 men ; 15 companies of workmen (ouvriers) and pyrotechnists (artijiciers), in all 2215 men ; 50 compagnies du train, 3870 men. There are 3 regiments of engineers, numbering 9000 men. Finally, 8000 men, distributed into 64 companies, arc specially charged with the equipages militaires. The gendarmerie and the republican guard of Paris (mounted police) are also, for all military duties, under the orders of the minister of war, and now form a corps of about 40,000 men. France has thus in time of peace an effective force of about 440,000 men. The French army is commanded by a staff of 5 marshals, 121 generals of division, and 200 generals of brigade. There are besides 81 generals of division and 197 generals of brigade on the rolls of the reserve. The following table shows the division of France into 1 9 military districts : ALGERIA. AMIENS Aisne, Oise. Somme, part of Scinc-ct-Oisc, and Seine. BESANCON Ain, Doubs, Jura. Hautc-Marnc, Belfort, Hautc-Saonc, &amp;gt; part of Rhone. BORDEAUX Clmrente-Infe rieure, Girondc, Lamles, Basses-Pyrcndes, Hautes-Pyrdndes. BOURGKS Cher, Cotc-d Or, Nievre, SaOne-ct-Loirc, part of RhOne. CHAI.ONS-SUR-MAKXK Ardennes, Aube, Marne, Meuse, Vo.sges, S!eurthe-et- Moselle. CLERMONT-FKRKAND Allier, Loire, Puy-de-DOme, Hautc-Loire, Canto], part of Rhone. GIIENOBLE IIuutes-Alpcs, Drome, Isfere, Savoie, Tluute-Savoie, part of Khdne. Milit orgai ; tion.