THE FRENCH NAVY. Horse-power,. STEAM VESSELS. Screw Ships of the Line. No. vessels, (total,),......9 | Guns,. ...8,300 Screw Frigates, (Fast.) ..850 Ships of the Line, with Auxiliary Screws. No. vessels, total,.......24 | Guns, total,... ..12,740 Frigates, with Auxiliary Screws. .... ..2,170 .32 Avisos, with Auxiliary Screws. Number vessels, total, .3 | Horse-power, total, Iron, 66 2 Guns, Floating Batteries, with Screws. Number vessels, total,......5 | Guns, tot al, Horse-power, 66 '..1,125 ..155 66 ..........90 Screw Gun.Boats. Number vessels, total,.. .20 Guns, total,.... Horse-power, 66 ..2,040 Screw Gun- Vessels. 66 ..200 Number vessels, total,. 8 | Guns, total,. Steam Transports, with Auxiliary Screws. Iron, 66 ..3 Guns, Steam Frigates, 'paddle.) Number vessels, total,. .19 | Guns, total,. .... ...9,340 66 .... .64 24 .2,830 74 ..... Steam Corvettes, (paddle.) Avisos, (paddles.) .50 | Horse-power, total, Horse-power, 66 Number vessels, total, 66 ..... Number vessels, total, 66 66 .8,480 66 Number vessels, total, Steam Tenders, (paddle.) .14 | Horse-power, total,. Line-of-Battle-Ships. .14 | Guns, total,. Frigates, (sailing.) Number vessels total, .....28 | Guns total,... Corvettes, (sailing.) Number vessels, total,.......... 15 | Guns, total, Brigs, (sailing.) .1,140 ..1,382 ..286 Number vessels, total,...........33 | Guns, total,.........................340 Gun-Brigs, (sailing.) Number vessels, total,......6 | Guns, total,.......... Schooners, Cutters and small craft, (sailing.) Number vessels, total,.....36Guns, total,....... .24 .84 Mortar Vessels, (sailing.) Number vessels, total,......5 | Guns, total,. Number vessels, total,.....26 | Guns, total, .... ..10 MEN-OF-WAR, (STEAM) ON THE STOCKS. Number vessels, total,......4 | Guns, total,.... 66 .3,400 | Screw Frigates, (Fast.) Number vessels, total,......5 Guns total,.. Horse-power, 66 4,400 | Screw Corvettes, (Fast.) .58 ..360 202 Number vessels, total,. ..2 | Horse-power, total,......800 ...... Screw Avisos, (Fast.) Number vessels, total,......8 | Horse-power, total,. ..1,400 Wood and iron, 66 ..... .41 Frigates with Auxiliary Screws. No. vessels, wood and iron, Horse power, total,..............750 total,. ....... Transports, with Auxiliary Screws, (on the stocks.) Nnmber vessels, * total,. .7 | Horse-power, total, .1,490 Iron, ..2 Guns, *20 more ordered. SAILING VESSELS ON THE STOCKS. Frigates. Number vessels, total,.....12 | Guns, total,.. Corvettes. Number vessels, total,......3 | Guns, total,. 28 .574 ..66 BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT NAVAL FORCE OF Steam War Vessels, total Sailing FRANCE. Grand Total, (Efficient, Sail and Steam,). Ships of the Line,.. Frigates,... ...... ..... THE FRENCH ARMY AND NAVY. The following admirably written statement of the condition and efficiency of the French Army and Navy, has been kindly furnished us for publication. It was prepared in Paris, by a thoroughly competent and faithful hand. All the cannon now used by the French are rifled. The equipment secures rapid movement over heavy grounds; and plenty of spare men, horses and material, make up for casualties, and preserve efficiency in action. I am also informed that the Emperor does not occupy himself much with new arms, but gives much attention to new modes of doing things, new drills, new tactics, new evolutions, new corps organized for special work in the field, the siege, the trenches, the escalades; new ways of crossing rivers, ditches, marshes, climbing walls or houses and surmounting obstacles of all sorts,― much practice in manoeuvring large bodies massed, much athletic practice with arms, with sticks and without either-a great deal of target firing with guns, rifles, and muskets, at various ranges and over variable grounds; rapid marches and new paces, square, short, quick — - a return in some degree to the athletic drill and physical discipline of the Roman Legions. The central ideas being the development of athletic endurance, rapidity of movement, accuracy of firing, and by the division of labor, speciality of employment and perfection of evolutionary drill, to produce the highest combined effect, with a given force. As to the movements in ship building, &c., I can give you no information, for I can get none- but it is pretty clear that the Emperor does not consider the number of men as any guage of the strength of an army. Small armies have generally done the greatest work. The Russian army on its present footing is about 850,000; the Austrian, 740,000; the Prussian, 720,000; the French, 626,000; the English pretend to muster 534,000, but this includes 218,000 olacks in India, 18,000 colonists, and 61,000 militia and yeomanry, 140,000 volunteers, 15,000 pensioners, and 12,000 constables. There are no breech-loading guns in the army. The Emperor, I am told, does not like them; has tried them; thinks them too liable to blow out or get out of order, and too expensive; had experience of the Armstrongs in the China war, alongside his own, and, on the whole, prefers the latter. The artillery arm of the French army, (for field work) consists of 32 batteries of horse artillery, (6 guns) 192 guns; ten batteries foot artillery, sixty guns; six squadrons train pontoonier, and one hundred batteries mounted artillery, six hundred guns; in all, eight hundred and fifty-two guns, thirty-seven thousand men, and about as many horses. The mounted artillery, one hundred batteries, is the great arm; each gun in marching order is as follows:-First, one gun, six horses and three postilions, (no man on the caisson); second, eight mounted gunners; third, one caisson, six horses, and three postilions; fourth, eight mounted ammunition men; fifth, three spare wheels-that is to say, the fore wheels of a gun carriage, with gun caisson, and spare wheel, (making three,) with two horses and one postilion; sixth, six spare horses and three postilions. The rack gun has sixteen mounted men, six postilions, and four spare postilions, eight spare horses, three spare wheels, and one spare gun caisson; in all, twenty-six men and twenty-six horses. Six of these form a battery. My own impression is, that all breech-loading cannon fail in rapid work-they get hot-the parts expand unequally and no longer fit-gas gets in, and the parts become deranged or burst. I don't believe Armstrong's cups" for gas, will afford any remedy. Nevertheless, rifled guns are a great improvement, on account of 66 |