of the unarmoured screw steamers of the French navy, more than one-half are not in active service, being either stripped of their guns, or on the reserve list. A considerable proportion of the sailing vessels are employed as 'Garde-pêches,' on the fishing grounds near the coasts of France.

By a resolution of the National Assembly passed in the session of 1875, large additions were made to the navy of war, an annual credit of 30,000,000 francs, or 1,200,000l., being set aside for the purpose, to be applied to 50 vessels, the construction of which was either to be finished, continued, or simply commenced within five years. The greater number of these vessels are being built in the government dockyards at Brest, Cherbourg, and Toulon.

The French navy is manned partly by conscription and partly by voluntary enlistment. The marine conscription was introduced as early as the year 1683. There is an Inscription maritime,' on the lists of which are the names of all male individuals of the 'maritime population; that is, men and youths devoted to a seafaring life, from the 18th to the 50th year of age. The number of men thus inscribed fluctuates from 150,000 to 180,000. Though all are liable to conscription, the government, as a rule, dispenses from taking men over forty and under twenty, as well as pilots, captains, the fathers of large families, and able seamen who have signed for long voyages. The time of service in the navy is the same as that in the army, with similar conditions as to reserve duties, furloughs, and leave of absence for lengthened periods. It is enacted by the law of 1872 that a certain number of young men liable to service in the Active Army may select instead the navy service, if recognised fit for the duties, even if not enrolled in the 'Inscription maritime.' For administrative purposes, France is divided into five divisions maritimes,' and subdivided into twelve 'arrondissements maritimes,' as follows:

Divisions

1. Cherbourg
2. Brest

3. Lorient

4. Rochefort

5. Toulon

Arrondissements

Dunkerque-Le Havre.
Brest-Saint Servan.
Lorient Nantes.

Rochefort-Bordeaux-Bayonne.
Marseilles-Toulon-Ajaccio.

6

At the head of the administrative government of each maritime division is a Vice-admiral bearing the title of 'Préfet maritime.' According to the budget estimates for 1884 the French navy, in all its departments, had 2 admirals; 24 vice-admirals; 36 rearadmirals; 100 captains of first-class men of war; 201 captains of frigates; 724 lieutenants; 420 ensigns; 195 aspirants'; and 38,263 warrant officers and men, besides marines, naval engineers, constructors, surgeons, dockyard police, &c. The total sum al

lotted in the budget of 1884 for the navy is 204,570,377 francs, or 8,182,8157.

Area and Population.

The following statement gives the area and population of France at the enumerations of May 1866, of May 1872, of December 31, 1876, and December 18, 1881 :

The decrease in area and population between 1866 and 1872 was due to the cessions made to Germany in the terms of the Treaty of Peace, concluded May 10, 1871. By its terms, France lost one entire department, that of the Bas-Rhin; two arrondissements, with fractions of a third, of the adjoining department of the Haut-Rhin ; and the greater portion of the department of the Moselle. The increase of population between 1872 and 1876 was ascribed in part to immigration from the provinces ceded to Germany. Between 1872 and 1876 there was an increase in the population of 802,867, or 2-2 per cent. in four years, equal to 5 per cent. per annum. Between 1876 and 1881 the increase was 766,260, or 2.1 per cent. in five years, equal to 42 per cent. per annum.

The following table gives the area, in English square miles, and the population of the present 87 departments of France-or 86, excluding the small district of Belfort, remnant of the old department of Rhin-according to the census returns of December 31, 1876, and of December 18, 1881:

In 1882 there were 36,093 communes in France; the number is constantly on the increase by the creation of new communes.

The population, on the 18th of December 1881, was composed of 18,656,518 males and 18,748,772 females, the excess of females over males being less than in any other state of Western Europe.

Of the total population, 1,230,000 of the inhabitants of Brittany are estimated, unofficially, as speaking the Breton Celtic, and of these, 768,000 are stated not to understand French. In the Pyrennean departments are 116,000 Basques, and in Corsica and Nice about 300,000 Italian speaking population.

The increase of population between the two census periods 1876 and 1881, amounting to 766,260, did not extend over all the departments of France, as will be seen from the preceding table. In 34 Aartments there was a decline of population (as compared with Abetween the two previous censuses), the greatest in Orne, which had 16,400 inhabitants less at the end of 1881 than in May 1876. The increase of population in France within the last century

and a half has been comparatively less than in any other State of Western Europe. The natural increase, from the surplus of births over deaths, amounted, when at its highest, between the years 1820 and 1830, to not quite 280,000 per annum, and during part of the decennial period 1850 and 1860, sank to 51,200 per annum. There was a slight recovery during the first half of the next decennial period, but in the year 1869, the surplus of births over deaths had again fallen to 84,206. In the following two years, 1870 and 1871, the deaths exceeded the births, the excess of deaths amounting to 103,394 in 1870, and to 444,889 in 1871, due mainly no doubt to the war. In the year 1872 there was again a surplus of 172,937 births, and the surplus continued in 1874 and 1875. The birth-rate per hundred inhabitants was 3.11 in 1827, and had fallen to 2.62 in 1868. It fell to 2.57 per cent. in 1869, and to 2.26 per cent. in 1871, and was 2.61 in 1873, 2-64 in 1875, and 2.79 in 1881-a birth-rate lower than that of any other country in Europe.

The following table, compiled from the last official returns, gives the number of births, deaths, and marriages, with the surplus of births over deaths, in each of the ten years from 1873 to 1882:

Not included under either the births or deaths of the above table are the still-born. The number of still-born was 39,778 in 1863, and, gradually increasing, reached 43,875 in the year 1879, 41,737 in 1880, and 44,352 in 1882. The births of 1882 consisted of 864,261 legitimate, and of 71,305 illegitimate, or 'natural,' children, the latter forming 7.6 per cent. of the total. In the capital, represented by the department of the Seine, the proportion of illegitimate children was 26-77 in the year 1880, 23-8 in 1881, and 23-4 in 1882. In twenty-three departments the deaths were in excess of the births in 1882; in Eure the births were 6,779, deaths 7,795, excess of deaths 1,016; Gers, births 4,867, deaths, 6,008, excess 1,141; somewhat similar excess of deaths over births occurred in Lot-et-Garonne, Orne, Rhône, Tarn-et-Garonne, and Var. In the