It is evident that the German Parliament will pass the
new Military Bill increasing the German Army by 40,000 men, operative from January 1st, 1887, and lasting till April 1st, 1895. General Bronsart, the new Minister of War, has declared the Bill imperative, and refused any compromise, and Marshal von Moltke on Saturday followed him in an ominous speech. He described the immense improvement in the French Army ; declared that Germany must rely on herself, and not on the Austrian alliance ; and intimated that "even rich States" could no longer bear the armaments with which Europe in ernshed. Germany is not a rich State. _ The Marshal spoke even of the possibility of invasion, and promised to be still more frank in the Committee. Little was said in debate of Russia; but it is stated that in the Committee, which is only partly secret, the Minister of War produced evidence that the Austrian Army was not in a position to encounter successfully that of Russia—a fact all Russians believe.
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