Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/325

 AKMY AND NAVY. 289

British portion, was relinquished in favour of the present King of the Hellenes, during his reign.

Besides its funded debt, Greece has a floating debt, which, accord- ing to official returns, amounted to 32,000,000 drachmas on the 1st of January 1869. But according to other statements, from Greek sources, the floating debt, at the same period, was above 1GG millions of drachmas, or near six millions sterling. A royal ordinance, dated January 17, 1869, authorised the Minister of Finance to issue 15,000,000 drachmas of notes with compulsory circulation.

Army and Navy.

The army of the kingdom is formed by conscription, with the general privilege to procure substitutes, which is made use of to a very large extent. A considerable number of the men actually under arms are veteran soldiers, including many Albanians, and a few Ger- mans and other foreigners.

In the budget estimates for 1869, the strength of the army was given at 14,716 men, including 799 commissioned officers, with 862 horses. The actual number of soldiers under arms, the year pre- vious, was reported to be as follows : —

10 battalions of infantry with 280 officers and 6,980 men

4 squadrons of cavalry „ 23 „ 381 „

5 companies of artillery „ 26 „ 466 „ 1 company of sappers and miners 4 „ 92 „ 1 „ „ artillery workmen 4 ,, 127 „

Staff ..... 43 „ 31 ,

Total. . .380 officers and 8,077 men

The cost of the army in the year 1869 was given in the budget estimates at 8,070,507 drachmas, or 288,232/. The pay of a private soldier is 42 lepta, or nearly 4c?., daily, but the soldier only receives 16 lepta, or l^d., in cash, the remaining 26 lepta being retained for payment of his mess, and other purposes. The ration of bread, which he receives over and above this allowance, is computed to cost the country 24 lepta per head, and the clothing about 20 lepta daily. By a law which passed the Boule in March 1867, the army was reorganised and increased, nominally to 31,300 men, viz, 14,300 ' regular ' and 1 7,000 ' irregular ' troops.

The navy consisted, at the commencement of 1868, of a frigate of 50 guns, two corvettes of 26 and 22 guns ; one paddle-steamer of 110 horse-power, with 6 guns; five screw- steamers of 36 horse- power each, with altogether 10 guns; and twenty-three smaller vessels and gunboats. The navy is manned by conscription from the inhabitants of the sea-coast ; but volunteering is greatly encouraged by the Government.

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