the State Council-Statsraadet-consists of the following depart

ments:

1. The Presidency of the Council.-Jacob Bronnum Scavenius Estrup, appointed President of the Council of Ministers, and Minister of Finance, June 11, 1875.

2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs.-Otto Ditlev, Baron RosenornLehn, appointed October 11, 1875.

3. Ministry of the Interior.-E. V. R. Skeel, appointed June 15, 1875.

4. Ministry of Public Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs.— J. C. H. Fischer, appointed June 11, 1875.

5. Ministry of Justice and for Iceland.-J. M. V. Nellemann, appointed June 11, 1875.

6. Ministry of War and of Marine.-General I. C. F. Dreyer, appointed July 28, 1877.

The ministers are individually and collectively responsible for their acts, and in case of impeachment, and being found guilty, cannot be pardoned without the consent of the Folkething.

The chief of the dependencies of the Crown of Denmark, Iceland, has its own constitution and administration, under a charter dated January 5, 1874, and which came into force August 1, 1874. By the terms of this charter, the legislative power is vested in the Althing, consisting of 36 members, 30 elected by popular suffrage, and six nominated by the king. The Althing is one chamber, but for discussion and partly for voting purposes, separates into two, like the Norwegian Storthing. A minister for Iceland, nominated by the king and responsible to the Althing, is at the head of the Administration: while the highest local authority is vested in the Governor, called stiftamtmand, who resides at Reikjavik. Besides him there are three amtmands for the western, the northern, and eastern districts of Iceland.-(Official Communication.)

Church and Education.

The established religion in Denmark is the Lutheran, which was introduced as early as 1536, the Church revenue being at that time seized by the Crown, to be delivered up to the University, and other religious and educational establishments The affairs of the national Church are under the superintendence of the seven bishops of Själland, Lolland, Fyen, Ribe, Aarhuus, Viborg, and Aalborg. The bishops have no political character; they inspect, the conduct of the subordinate clergy, confer holy orders, and enjoy nearly all the privileges of episcopal dignitaries in Great Britain, except that of voting in the legislature. Complete religious toleration is extended to every sect. It is enacted, by Art. 76 of the Constitution, that all citizens may worship God according to their own fashion, provided

they do not offend morality or public order.' By Art. 77, no man is bound to contribute to the support of a form of worship of which he is not a member; and by Art. 79 no man can be deprived of his civil and political rights on the score of religion, nor be exempted on this account from the performance of his duties as a citizen.

According to the census of 1870, there were only 14,614 persons, or less than one per cent. of the population, not belonging to the Lutheran church. Of this number 4,400, or nearly one-third, were Jews; the remainder comprised 1,857 Roman Catholics; 1,430 members of the Reformed church, or Calvinists; 2,069 Mormons; 3,157 Anabaptists; 57 members of the Anglican church; and 1,181 members of a sect called 'Frimenighed,' or the free community.

Elementary education is widely diffused in Denmark, the attendance at school being obligatory from the age of seven to fourteen. In conformity with Art. 85 of the Constitution, education is afforded gratuitously in the public schools to children whose parents cannot afford to pay for their teaching. Besides the university of Copenhagen, there are 13 public gymnasia, or colleges, in the principal towns of the kingdom, which afford a 'classical' education, and under them are a large number of Middle Schools, for the children of the working classes. Instruction at the public expense is given in Parochial Schools, spread all over the country, to the number of 2,940, namely 28 in Copenhagen; 132 in the towns of Denmark, and 2,780 in the rural districts.-(Official Communication.)

Revenue and Expenditure.

The annual revenue of the State during the five financial years ending March 31, from 1872 to 1876, averaged 2,500,000l. The expenditure during this quinquennial period was fully balanced by the revenue, with an annual surplus, employed for the reduction of the public debt.

By the terms of the Constitution of Denmark the annual financial budget, called the Finantslovforslag,' must be laid on the table of the Folkething at the beginning of each session. As to the annual financial accounts called 'Statsregnskab,' the Constitutional Charter prescribes them to be examined by five paid revisors, two of whom are elected by the Folkething, and two by the Landsthing. The revisors are entitled to call for persons and papers, and their scrutiny of accounts is very rigid. Their report is submitted to both Chambers, which, after due consideration, pass their resolution, generally to the effect that they have no remarks to make on the balance-sheet.

In the budget estimates of revenue and expenditure for the financial year ending March 31, 1878, the revenue was calculated at

48,085,952 kroner, or 2,671,4417., and the expenditure at 46,695,071 kroner, or 2,594,170l. The chief sources of revenue and branches of expenditure were as follows:—

According to these financial estimates, there was a calculated surplus of 8,905,416 kroner, or 494,7461. in the financial estimates for the year ending March 31, 1878.

An important feature in the administration of the finances of the kingdom is the maintenance of a Reserve Fund of a comparatively large amount. On the 31st of March 1868, the Fund stood at 6,317,000l., or as much as the national revenue for two years, but it was reduced to 5,687,000l. in 1869, and further reduced to 5,033,000. in 1871, to 3,746,000l. in 1872, and stood on the 31st of March,

1877, at 2,131,0001. The object of the Reserve Fund is to provide means at the disposal of the government in the event of sudden

occurrences.

The public debt of Denmark, incurred in part by large annual deficits in former years, before the establishment of parliamentary government, and in part by railway undertakings, and the construction of harbours, lighthouses, and other works of public importance, amounted to 176,248,442 kroner, or 9,791,580l., on March 31, 1875. The debt has been in course of reduction since 1866, as shown in the following table, which gives the national liabilities at six different periods, from 1866 to 1877 :—

The annual charge of the national debt, comprising interest, management, and a sinking fund, is gradually diminishing. It amounted to the following sums in each of the financial years 1867-69, and in the estimates of 1876-77 :—

The latter

The debt is divided into an internal and a foreign. consisted, March 1877, in part of an English loan contracted in 1825, of the original amount of 5,500,000l., which is to be paid off entirely in 1878, and of another loan, raised in London in 1864, the last portion of which, 38,000l., was paid on the 1st of May 1877. (Official Communication.)

Army and Navy.

The army of Denmark consists, according to a law of re-organisation, passed by the Rigsdag on July 6, 1867, of all the ablebodied young men of the kingdom who have reached the age of 22 years. They are liable to service for eight years in the regular army, and for eight years subsequent in the army of reserve. The drilling is divided into two periods: the first lasts six months for the infantry, five months for the field artillery, and the engineers; nine

months and two weeks for the cavalry; and four months for the siege artillery and the technic corps. The second period of drill, which is for only a portion of the recruits of each branch of arms, notably those who have profited the least by the first course, lasts nine months for the infantry, eleven months for the cavalry, and one year for the artillery and the engineers. Besides, every corps has to drill each year during from thirty to forty-five days. By the terms of the law of 1867, the kingdom is divided into five territorial brigades, and every brigade into two territorial battalions, in such a way that no district and no town, the capital excepted, will belong to more than one territorial battalion. Every territorial brigade furnishes the contingent of a brigade of infantry and one regiment of cavalry. The artillery contingent is furnished one-half by the two first territorial brigades, and the second half by the three other ones. The contingent of the engineers is furnished by the whole brigades. The forces of the kingdom, under the new organisation, comprise 21 battalions of infantry of the line, with 10 battalions of reserve, and 11 of second reserve; 5 regiments of cavalry, each with 3 squadrons active and a depôt; two regiments of artillery, in 12 batteries, two of the line and one of reserve; and two battalions of engineers. The total strength of the army was as follows at the commencement of September 1877:

The staff of the army was composed, in September 1877, of 25 commissioned and 21 non-commissioned officers.

The navy of Denmark consisted, at the end of 1877. of 28 steamers, of which seven were armour-clad ships, and the rest unarmoured vessels, the latter mostly of small size. The following is a tabular list of the seven ironclads, the columns of the table exhibiting -similar to that of the British ironclad navy-after the name of each ship, first, the thickness of armour at the water line; secondly, the number and weight of guns; thirdly, the indicated or nominal horse-power of engines; and fourthly, the tonnage, that is, the displacement in tons. The ironclad marked by an asterisk (*) before the name was launched but not completed at the end of 1877 :