The French military system is not in order yet, or
there could not be all this delay in the march on Kairouan. The French Chambers meet on October 28th, and the expedition, be it as successful as it may, will take ten days. It is, therefore, an object of the highest interest to the War Ministry that General Logerot should start by the 12th inst., and everything was said to be ready for that day. It is now, however, alleged that the expeditionary force must wait till the 20th, and that this date depends upon the quietude of the city of Tunis, the forts round which are to be previously occupied. The materials for the light railway which is to be laid down as the troops ad- vance are not quite ready, and there is still a want of men, every day developing necessity for new garrisons. There is weakness somewhere, whether it be in the Ministry of War, as the Parisian journals say ; or in the local Commissariat, as the Irreconcilable orators say ; or in a conflict between two de- partments, the War Office and the Foreign Office, as we very strongly suspect. Whatever the reason, the expedition is delayed unexpectedly, and to the annoyance of the troops.
