In this manner is organised the Army which has now for about ten years proudly taken its place alongside the proved and war-tried armies of the senior Powers. Anyone accustomed to English or German troops, such as the Brigade of Guards in Hyde Park, or the German Foot-Guards at Potsdam, will find much that is strange on seeing the Italian Army, resulting from the peculiarity of race. He will miss the upright bearing, the regular movements and the steady drill of the Infantry, and the well-groomed and glossy horses of the Cavalry; but he will be pleased with the picturesque uniforms of the Army, the extremely smart appearance and active movements of the Bersaglieri, with their waving green plumes, and with the martial and powerful bearing of the Alpini, with their upright plumes in their head-dress; and he will find that the cry of “Evviva il Re Umberto” sounds just as loud and strong here as our own English “God save the Queen.” The impression that he will take away with him will be that the like spirit of the ancient Romans has not been lost in their descendants, and that the young kingdom of Italy is well prepared to throw her Army as a decisive weight on to the side of victory in some future European war. ADDENDUM TO ITALY P. 43. Additional troops have lately been raised for service in Africa. They consist of— 1 Regiment African Rifles (4 battalions), 1 Regiment Native African Infantry (4 battalions), 1 Battalion African Bersaglieri, 1 Squadron Native Cavalry, 3 Batteries African Mountain Artillery. These are all for service at Massowah. [Illustration: Italy. _Printed by G. Löwensohn, Fuerth Bavaria_ _Published by William Clowes & Sons, L^{d}, London._] FRANCE. [Illustration: Officer of Mountain Artillery.] The next on the list is France, our nearest continental neighbour, who for a long time was the foremost of European Military Powers. In the disastrous war of 1870 she lost this position entirely, and has ever since then been making the most strenuous exertions to regain something of her old strength by thorough revision and reorganisation of her Army. The laws of 1872 and 1873 were passed with a view to this object, and by them Universal Conscription was introduced, as in Germany. On economical grounds, all able-bodied conscripts were divided into two classes, the first of which serves five years with the Colours, and the second only one year. [Sidenote: +Terms of Service.+] After his five years’ active service (or one year, as the case may be) the soldier goes for four (or eight) years to the Active Reserve. Thereafter he enters the Territorial Army for five years, and the Territorial Army Reserve for a subsequent six years, making twenty years in all. The Active Army and its Reserve form the Army of the 1st Line, and the Territorial Army and its Reserve the Army of the 2nd Line.