There are no vital statistics collected for the Dominion; it is therefore impossible to say what is the rate of natural increase of the population. The death rate per 1,000 was as follows in 1891 in the towns named:Montreal, 28.11; Toronto, 15.61; Quebec, 41.11; Hamilton, 16-23; Halifax, 20.51; Ottawa, 21.35; St. John, N.B., 19-75; Winnipeg, 14.66; Victoria, B. C., 19.35.

As it has been found impossible to collect trustworthy figures, no returns concerning emigration and immigration are now published. A tax of 50 dollars a head is levied on all Chinamen landing at Vancouver, but the number of Chinese immigrants is largely on the increase.

Religion.

There is no State Church in the whole of British North America. The Church of England is governed by twenty bishops, with about 1,000 clergy; the Roman Catholic Church by one cardinal, seven archbishops, twenty-three bishops, and about 1,500 clergy; and the Presbyterian Church in Canada, with about 1,000 ministers-formed in 1875 by the union of two formerly distinct bodies-by presbyteries, synods, and an annual assembly as in the Scotch Church, with 2,358 churches and stations. The Methodists have 1,700 and the Baptists about 500 ministers. All these bodies have one or more divinity schools. The number of meinbers of each religious creed in the Dominion was as follows at the census of April 6, 1891 :

The following shows the numbers of the leading denominations in the several provinces according to the census of 1891 :

Instruction.

All the provinces of the Dominion have one or more universities, and several colleges which prepare for university degrees. There are in all about 16 degree-granting bodies in the Dominion, with about 24 colleges, including denominational, medical, and other special institutions. From special official statistics of these institutions it may be estimated that they are attended by about 13,000 students, and their total annual expenditure is upwards of 700,000 dollars, while the estimated value of their endowments, buildings, land, &c., is over 16,000,000 dollars.

The following table gives some information respecting the public, high, and superior schools in the Dominion, the pupils attending them and the amount expended for education:

The number of public schools included in the table was 17,363, with 27,123 teachers and 1,067,035 pupils, their average attendance being 633,000 If the number of those attending the universities and private schools were added to the above figures, the total number of pupils would be considerably over one million. The expenditure for the year on public and high schools, including Government grants, was over 10,000,000 dollars. The supervision of education is under the control of the Governments of the several provinces, and the systems in use vary somewhat, but are all based on the principle of free education, the funds being supplied in nearly all the In British Columbia provinces by Government grants and local taxation. and the North-West Territories the schools are supported wholly by Government. Education is more or less compulsory in all the provinces, but the law is not very strictly enforced. In Ontario, Quebec, and the North-West Territories there are separate schools for Roman Catholics; in the other provinces the schools are unsectarian. Separate schools in Manitoba were abolished by a Provincial Act passed in 1890.

Justice and Crime.

There is a Supreme Court in Ottawa, having appellate, civil and criminal jurisdiction in and throughout Canada. There is also an exchequer court,

which is also a colonial court of admiralty, with powers as provided in the Imperial "Colonial Courts of Admiralty Act, 1890. There is a Superior Court in each province; county courts, with limited jurisdiction, in most of the provinces; all the judges in these courts being appointed by the GovernorGeneral. Police magistrates and justices of the peace are appointed by the Provincial Governments.

In 1897, 8,027 persons were charged with indictable offences; of these 5,721 were convicted, being sentenced to death, 609 sent to the penitentiary, and the rest sentenced to various terms of imprisonment; and 32,257 were summarily convicted, 27,147 of these with the option of a fine.

Finance.

The financial accounts of the Dominion of Canada are made up under three different headings-namely, first, 'Consolidated Fund,' comprising the general sources of revenue and branches of expenditure; secondly, 'Loans' in revenue, and Redemption' with 'Premiums and Discounts' in expenditure; and thirdly, 'Open accounts.' The headings 'Loans' and 'Redemption' include the deposits in and withdrawals from the Post Office and Government Savings Banks, the amount on deposit forming part of the floating or unfunded debt of the country. Under the head of 'Open Accounts' are included investments, trust funds, Province accounts, and expenditure on capital account on public works.

The revenue and expenditure, Consolidated Fund, for five fiscal years ending June 30, have been :

The total actual receipts and expenditure, under these three divisions, were as follows in the financial year ending June 30, 1898 :

The actual sources of revenue and branches of expenditure comprised under the division called Consolidated Fund were as follows in the financial year, ending June 30, 1898 :

The public debt of the Dominion, incurred chiefly on account of public works, and the interest of which forms the largest branch of the expenditure, was as follows on July 1, 1898 :

There are assets which make the net debt 263,956,399 dollars. The following shows the gross and net debts in five years :

which 300,954 were British. There are 36 miles of telegraph wire, and 15 of cable. There is also a private telephone company, which has about 240 subscribers and upwards of 700 miles of wire in line. A telegraph cable connecting the islands with Halifax, Nova Scotia, was successfully laid in July 1890. The currency, weights, and measures are British.

REFERENCES: Bermuda in Colonial Reports. Annual. London.
Heilprin (A.), Bermuda Islands. 8. Philadelphia, 1889.

Newton (Margaret), Glimpses of Life in Bermuda and the Tropics. London, 1897.

CANADA.

(DOMINION OF CANADA.)

Constitution and Government.

As originally constituted the Dominion of Canada was composed of the Provinces of Canada-Upper and Lower-Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. They were united under the provisions of an Act of the Imperial Parliament passed in March 1867, known as 'The British North America Act 1867,' which came into operation on the 1st July, 1867, by royal proclamation. The Act provides that the Constitution of the Dominion shall be 'similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom;' that the executive authority shall be vested in the Sovereign of Great Britain and Ireland, and carried on in her name by a GovernorGeneral and Privy Council; and that the legislative power shall be exercised by a Parliament of two Houses, called the Senate' and the House of Commons.' Provision was made in the Act for the admission of British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, the North-West Territories, and Newfoundland into the Dominion; Newfoundland alone has not availed itself of such provision. In 1869 the extensive region known as the NorthWest Territories was added to the Dominion by purchase from the Hudson's Bay Company; the province of Manitoba was set apart out of a portion of it, and admitted into the confederation of 15th July, 1870. On 20th July, 1871, the province of British Columbia, and on the 1st July, 1873, the province of Prince Edward Island, respectively entered the confederation.

The members of the Senate of the Parliament of the Dominion are nominated for life, by summons of the GovernorGeneral under the Great Seal of Canada. By the terms of the Constitution, there are now 81 senators-namely, 24 from the Province of Ontario, 24 from Quebec, 10 from Nova Scotia, 10 from New Brunswick, 4 from Manitoba, 3 from British Columbia,