The Berlin correspondent of the Times states that the Military
Bill reduces the time of service in-the German Army from three years to two, thus allowing the reform against which the King- of Prussia fought so fiercely up. to 1866. The reduction is a great-concession to the Liberals, but that is ,not the object of the change, which is to pass the population-more rapidly through the military mill, and thus add by degrees half a million of men to the Reserve Army. Already the annual draft of recruits has. been raised silently from 130,000 to 170,000, and the military budget to 113,000,000 -thalers, or £16,950,000. These excessive demands on the country -are justffi-ed -britlanhal--Von -Moltke, in a speech of the 18th inst., in which-he said that Germany needed a numerous army, for she would "-have to defend the possessions acquired in six months by .force of arms for fifty years." France, was imitating the German organisation, and though Germany had no desire for conquest, she had become a. powerful nation. It is difficult for outsiders to believe, even on such authority, that a conquest which entails half a century of armed peace can be advantageous to any State, or that such enormous crowds of men, however disciplined, can add seriously to the strength of armies which already --tax heavily all means of transport or commissariat.
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