of the national education». They are attended largely by farmers’
sons. The school companies, which thus make up the entire standing
Norwegian army, number in all about 1700 privates.
The officers also either have regular appointments, or are conscripted.
They must all have gone through the lowest division of the
military college. The college is divided into five lines according to
the kind of arms, and admits only students or young men with a
corresponding education (to the engineers are admitted only pupils
who have gone through the building or engineering course in the
higher polytechnic schools). I t is further required that the candidates
shall have been trained as privates in their weapon, by
exercises almost answering to the general ones of the recruiting year.
Only a small proportion of the cadets in the one-year lower
division of the military college are admitted to the two-years upper
division, where permanent officers are trained (in the 5 lines). The
cadets that have passed, obtain appointments as lieutenants in the
corresponding weapon. In order to enter the staff, a further
two-years’ training is required in the staff division of the military
highschool, and in order to obtain promotion in the artillery or
engineers, it is necessary to have gone through its artillery or
engineer division.
Most of the (abont 150) cadets that annually pass through the
lower division of the military college, on the other hand, immediately
obtain appointments as «conscripted officers», as second-
lieutenants in the line, and take part in the annual exercises in
the opbuds with promotion in some cases to lieutenant in the
landvem, captain or even major (second in command) in the land-
storm. This last opbud, which is intended for local defence, thereby
acquires a more decided militia character than the other opbuds,
in which it is only the subalterns who do not have a more complete
officer’s training.
The Supreme Administration. The king has the supreme command
over the land and sea. forces of the kingdom. The constitutional
responsibility for the administrative rule rests with the head
of the defence department. This department has two separate
branches, one for the army, and one for the navy. The head of
the army branch is the general-in-command, who has the chief
command when the king does not take it upon himself. Matters
that refer purely to command, are attended to through his adjutants,
who do not belong to the department; but if the matters are to
be brought before the king, this is done by means of the head of
the department. The General Staff is independently organised.
Division. Each of the three opbuds has the following various
commands :
Infantry. Five brigades of 4 battalions of 4 companies.
Tromso district’s command is not yet finally organised, the conscription
first having come into force there in 1897. (In the mean
time 8 district companies,) H. M. Norwegian Guard is not included
in the brigade formation or the opbuds.
Cavalry. Three corps and one orderly squadron, 9 squadrons.
Field artillery. Three battalions of field artillery in 3 batteries
and one park company. Two mountain batteries.
Engineers. One battalion of 5 companies.
• Sanitary. One corps of 3 companies.
Train. One corps of 3 companies.
The coast artillery occupies a peculiar position in the organisation,
in as much as, from its nature as a stationary weapon, it
is not divided into three separate opbuds, but includes all year-
classes in one. The exercises are also arranged differently. For
the fortifications now complete, there are 5 garrison battalions,
5 signal and 5 mining sections. The men are conscripted from
the neighbourhood of the fortresses, in order to be able to mobilise
quickly. - Corporal schools — at Oscarsborg also a sub-officers’
school 5 - serve as garrisons at the fortified places.
The supply department is organised in th e . form of a complete
military corps under a major-general. The staff is recruited from
the army.
The veterinary corps is also under military organisation. Its
head is- a major, and the staff is recruited with veterinaries who
have passed through a higher veterinary college.
The recruiting service is under a civil-military official who has
the rank of major-general, and the title of «generalkrigskommissær».
The military administration of justice is also under a civil-
military official, with the rank of major-general, ,and the title of
auditor-general. The military criminal law dates from 1866. A
motion for altering it, and for a new law regarding military criminal
procedure is now before the Storthing.
Fortresses. On Drebak Sound, the narrowest part of the Kri-
stiama Fjord, the first new fortifications were commenced (Oscarsborg),
after the numerous coast fortifications that we had at the