the curious experiment of boring holes in it, to show the effect of allowing the gases to escape, which we described in a former part of this article. These trials were made in August 1861: they are the same referred to by Captain Blakely in his evidence, he being the only witness before the House of Commons Committee who seems to have heard of them. So far the French artillerists had proceeded at that time in their attempt to combine the maximum of power with the minimum of weight and size, these being the essential conditions of naval ordnance. Since then no further progress has been made, chiefly, as we are given to understand, by reason of the want of cordial co-operation between departments of Government. In France the Ministry of Marine has the exclusive control over the manufacture of iron guns and of guns designed for sea service. It is not as in this country, where the whole Ordnance forms in reality a distinct branch, now attached to the War Office and under the control of the Secretary of State for War. The naval authorities of France, therefore, saw with some jealousy innovations introduced into their service by military officers, and more especially by Colonel Treuille de Beaulieu, who is the chief inventor of all the cannons, both field-guns and heavy guns, that we have here described, and was sent on that account by the Emperor to the Great Exhibition in London in 1862, to report on arms and accoutrements of war.1

These differences led to the postponement of the experiments in hollow projectiles from heavy guns,

1 Colonel Treuille's Report is published in the second volume of the Reports of the French Commissioners,

which were contemplated three years ago, but it appears that they are now likely to be resumed under the direction of General Leboeuf, an officer of the highest distinction and the new President of the Board of Artillery. General Leboeuf is an aide-decamp of the Emperor, and he was the commanderin-chief of the artillery in the campaign of Italy in 1859. He is therefore a warm and able supporter of the new French system; but it is due to the Emperor himself to add that rifled ordnance would never have made the progress it has in France, if it had not been for the persevering, intelligent, and sagacious personal attention His Majesty has given to the subject. It is not an exaggeration to say that he has made it one of the chief occupations of his reign, and it is not unreasonable to believe that the results arrived at are commensurate with his exertions. We are aware that the French naval administration has also continued its experiments since 1861, but we are unacquainted with the results of these trials. There is, however, reason to believe that in France, as well as in America and in England, a certain number of monster guns, weighing 12, 15, and even 20 tons, have been constructed. Our readers will have already perceived that we do not attach to these enormous pieces of ordnance the importance which it is the fashion to give them. Their cost is enormous, their duration questionable, their application to the purposes of war limited. We hold it therefore to be no progress in the science of artillery, but rather the reverse, to supply quality

1 General Lebœuf is now the Major-General of the French army, and chief of the Imperial Staff (1870).

by size, and to make guns enormous before it is certain that they are good. All civilised nations are now, we lament to say, turning their scientific skill and mechanical ingenuity to the improvement of the engines of war, and we have no doubt that the resources of this country will enable us to hold our own in this contest. But for want of a judicious and uniform direction by competent persons, acting on behalf of the Government, many costly mistakes have been made: let us hope that the most fatal of all errors will not be added to them—that, namely, of flattering ourselves that we have already attained to unrivalled superiority over the rest of the world.

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APPENDIX.

LOI SUR LE RECRUTEMENT DE L'ARMÉE ET L'ORGANISATION DE LA GARDE NATIONALE MOBILE.

Du 1er février 1868.

NAPOLEON, par la grâce de Dieu et la volonté nationale, EMPEREUR DES FRANÇAIS, à tous présents et à venir, SALUT. AVONS SANCTIONNÉ ET SANCTIONNONS, PROMULGUÉ et PROMULGUONS ce qui suit:

LOI.

Extrait du procès-verbal du Corps législatif.

LE CORPS LÉGISLATIF A ADOPTÉ LE PROJET DE LOI dont la teneur suit:

TITRE Ier.

DU RECRUTEMENT DE L'ARMÉE.

ART. 1er. Les articles 4, 13, 15, 30, 33 et 36 de la loi du 21 mars 1832 sont modifiés ainsi qu'il suit :

Art. 4. Le tableau de la répartition entre les départements du nombre d'hommes à fournir en vertu de la loi annuelle du contingent pour les troupes de terre et de mer sera annexé à ladite loi.

Les premiers numéros sortis au tirage au sort déterminé par l'article suivant formeront le contingent des troupes de mer.

Le mode de cette répartition sera fixé par la même loi.

Art. 13. Seront exemptés et remplacés, dans l'ordre des numéros subséquents, les jeunes gens que leur numéro désignera pour faire partie du contingent, et qui se trouveront dans un des cas suivants, savoir:

1o Ceux qui n'auront pas la taille d'un mètre cinquantecinq centimètres ;

2o Ceux que leurs infirmités rendront impropres au service; 3o L'aîné d'orphelins de père et de mère;

4o Le fils unique, ou l'aîné des fils, ou, à défaut de fils ou de gendre, le petit-fils unique ou l'aîné des petits-fils d'une femme actuellement veuve, ou d'un père aveugle ou entré dans sa soixante et dixième année;

Dans les cas prévus par les paragraphes ci-dessus notés troisième et quatrième, le frère puîné jouira de l'exemption si le frère aîné est aveugle ou atteint de toute autre infirmité incurable qui le rende impotent;

5o Le plus âgé de deux frères appelés à faire partie du même tirage et désignés tous deux par le sort, si le plus jeune est reconnu propre au service;

6o Celui dont un frère sera sous les drapeaux à tout autre titre que pour remplacement;

7° Celui dont un frère sera mort en activité de service, ou aura été réformé ou admis à la retraite, pour blessures reçues dans un service commandé, ou infirmités contractées dans les armées de terre ou de mer.

L'exemption accordée conformément, soit au no 6, soit au no 7 ci-dessus, ne sera appliquée qu'à un seul frère pour un même cas, mais elle se répétera dans la même famille autant de fois que les mêmes droits s'y reproduiront.

Seront néanmoins comptées en déduction desdites exemptions les exemptions déjà accordées aux frères vivants, en vertu des nos 1, 3, 4 et 5 du présent article.

Le jeune homme omis qui ne se sera pas présenté, par lui ou ses ayants cause, pour concourir au tirage de la classe à laquelle il appartenait, ne pourra réclamer le bénéfice des exemptions indiquées par les nos 3, 4, 5, 6 et 7 du présent article, si les causes de ses exemptions ne sont survenues que