30 MARCH 1872, Page 2

A French correspondent says the Government now controls an army

of 871,000 men, all ready for service. Of these 380,000 are regular soldiers, 68,000 reserves, and 423,000 Gerdes Mobiles who have seen service. The Artillery, however, have only 1,900 field- pieces, many of them antiquated or useless, and the expenditure of all materiel during the war has been enormous. It is calculated that, exclusive of buildings, the military expenditure of the year cannot be less than 220,000,000, a sum within the resources of France, but still extremely large for the force obtained and for a time of peace. The full regular strength will not be reached for- another two years, when it will exceed half a million of men.