EUROPEAN ENGINEER CORPS. The Corps of Royal Engineers of the English Army was first organized in 17C3, and has always had its head quarte•s and training school at Chatham. near the south coast. Its strength in 1901 was given as 083 officers, 1525 non-commissioned officers and buglers, and ;749 rank and file. The corps is divided into companies, the sappers, as the en listed men are called, being recruited from men who have served an apprenticeship to some trade, preferably machinists, electricians, car penters, masons, bricklayers, smiths, painters, printers, telegraphists, etc. The corps has always been On a different basis from the other branches (excepting artillery) of the army, even in the days of the purchase system, which never applied to the engineers. First appointment as a com missioned officer is obtained through the Royal _Military Academy at Woolwich by open com petitive examination. Students are examined and classed, and receive commissions in the engineers and artillery according to their standing. Those selected for the engineers are sent to Chatham for two or more years before receiving their active commission. Officers and men receive extra pay in addition to their regular daily pay. The dis tinct departments served by the different com panies are fortress, submarine mines, field, rail way, and survey; the telegraph battalion consists of three divisions, and the bridging battalion of 10 or more troops. The balloon corps is divided into sections, and the submarine mines into a coast battalion of 10 companies. The corps is stationed throughout the British Empire. The pioneer sergeants of all infantry regiments, ar tificers by trade. must also be in possession of a Chatham certificate. Officers and non-commis
• slimly(' officers of cavalry and infantry may also obtain eertifieutes as assistant instructors of field works, if nominated to attend the short course of at. Chathnin set apart for them. Com manding ofileers are required to see that repre sentatives of their command are reg-tilarly nomi nated.
The French Engineer Corps consists of six regi ments of slippers and miners. five• containing three battalions and one company of sapper conduc tors, and the remaining four battalions and one company of sapper conductors. There is also a special regiment of railway sappers. European military critics generally give the corps a high rating for efficiency.
The German. Pioneer troops (Teehnische Trap pen) number 25 battalions, consisting of 571 offi cers and 14,814 rank and file; with special corps or railway troops, balloon detachments, and tel egraph service, aggregating 6311 and men; making a grand total of 21,696 all ranks.
The Russian Engineer Corps comprises sapper battalions, pontoon battalions, river-mine com panies, instructional balloon park companies, for tress engineers, submarine miners, fortress bal loon detachments, fortress telegraph detachments. The army organization of the Russian army calls for one company of sappers, one telegraph com pany, one section of field engineers, half-bat talion of pontoon engineers to each separate army corps. The engineer services of Austria, Italy, Rumania, Holland, Belgium, and Spain are sim ilar in organization to the French and German. See ARMY OnnANiziTios: and ENGINEERING, MILITARY.