out, and he raises his revenue, estimated at 500,000l. per annum, by an armed force of 8,000 men, of whom 5,000 constitute the Imperial body-guard, one half infantry and the other half cavalry. For civil and military purposes, Morocco is divided into twentyeight provinces, some of them extending over vast tracts of country, and others confined to a single town. Each province is ruled by a Kaid, or governor, absolute within his district, and commander of all the military forces within, but liable to instant dismissal or death at the Sultan's will. Morocco has 24 fortified and garrison towns, the principal of which are Azamer, Mazegan, and Tangier.

The Sultan of Morocco and his subjects differ as a sectarian body from the followers of Mahomet in Turkey, Persia, and other countries by adopting as their text-book of faith the commentary upon the Koran by Sidi Beccari, the original of which is kept at the Imperial palace, and deposited in time of war in a tent within the centre of the army, around which the soldiers rally as a religious and national standard. The bulk of the population, strongly imbued with religious fanaticism, is still in a state of the deepest ignorance, and even printing is almost unknown among them, the Koran and its sacred Commentary existing only in written copies, the production of which occupies the lower class of teachers of religion all over the country.

Area, Population, and Trade.

The area of Morocco can only be vaguely estimated, as the southern frontiers, towards the Sahara, are unsettled, and claimed alternately by the Sultan and a number of wandering tribes not in any manner under his authority. According to the most recent investigation, the area of the Sultan's dominions is about 219,000 English square miles, inclusive of a conquered portion of the Sahara. The estimates of the population of Morocco vary from 2,500,000 to 8,000,000; and, taking the known density of population of the neighbouring Algeria as measure, it may be fixed, with probably some approximation to truth, at 2,750,000 souls. More than two-thirds of the population belong to the race commonly known as Moors, the remaining third consisting mainly of Bedouin Arabs, Jews, estimated at 340,000, and negroes. The number of Christians is very small, not exceeding 500. A large part of the interior of Morocco is entirely unknown to Europeans.

The trade with foreign countries is not very considerable; still it has increased greatly since the year 1856, when a treaty of commerce was concluded between Great Britain and Morocco. In the year 1873 the total imports amounted to 834,4787., and the total exports to 1,555,4661. In the year 1875 the imports were of the total value of 1,011,588., and the exports of 1,561,312. The

foreign trade of Morocco is chiefly with Great Britain, Spain, and France, and it passes mainly through the port of Tangier. There are, besides Tangier, seven other ports open to foreign commerce.

The following table gives the value of the exports from Morocco to Great Britain, and of the imports of British home produce into Morocco, in each of the five years from 1871 to 1875:

The chief articles of export from Morocco to Great Britain in the year 1875 were corn, chiefly beans and maize, of the value of 371,6687., and olive oil, of the value of 42,1251. The staple article of British imports into Morocco consists of cotton manufactures, of the value of 290,4067., in 1875. It is stated in a recent Consular report from Tangier that 'owing to an unfortunate prejudice on the part of the Sultan of Morocco a prohibition is imposed upon the exportation of wheat and barley."

Diplomatic and Consular Representatives.

1. OF MOROCCO IN GREAT BRITAIN.

Consul.-Hadj Said Guesus, accredited Dec. 31, 1863.

2. OF GREAT BRITAIN IN MOROCCO.

Minister and Consul- General.-Sir John Hay Drummond Hay, appointed Minister Resident June 9, 1860, and Minister Plenipotentiary Sept. 1, 1872.

Money, Weights, and Measures.

The money, weights, and measures of Morocco, and the British equivalents, are:

24 Flues Approximate English value =

MONEY.

4 Blankeels

The Blankeel
The Ounce

d.

1

54 blankeels are considered equal to 1 Spanish dollar or 4s. The gold coins generally in use are doubloons, worth 3l. 4s., with half and quarter doubloons, and two-dollar pieces.

Oil is sold by the kula, which weighs 22 rotal (of Morocco), and is equal to about 3-335565 British imperial gallons, or 15.155 litres, but all other liquids are sold by weight.

Statistical and other Books of Reference concerning Morocco.

1. OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

Report by Mr. Consul White on the Commerce and Government of Morocco, dated Tangier, Nov. 19, 1872; in Reports by H.M.'s Consuls on British Trade abroad.' Part. I. 8. London, 1873.

Reports by Mr. Vice-Consul Lapeen on the Trade of Dar-el-Baida; by Mr. Vice-Consul Imossi on the Trade of Laraiche; by Mr. Vice-Consul Redman on the Trade of Mazagan; by Mr. Vice-Consul Puente on the Trade of Rabat; by Mr. Vice-Consul Hunot on the Trade of Saffi; and by Mr. Consul White on the Trade and Commerce of Tangier; dated December 1873 to February 1874; in Reports from H.M.'s Consuls on the Manufactures, Commerce, &c., of their consular districts.' Part III. 1874. 8. London, 1874.

Report by Mr. Consul White on the Trade and Commerce of Morocco in the year 1873, dated Tangier, August 3, 1874; in Reports from H.M.'s Consuls.' Part I. 1875. 8. London, 1875.

Reports by Mr. Vice-Consul Lapeen on the Trade of Dar-al-Baida; by Mr. Vice-Consul Imossi on the Trade of Laraiche; by Mr. Vice-Consul Redman on the Trade of Mazagan; by Mr. Vice-Consul Beaumier on the Trade of Mogador; by Mr. Vice-Consul Frost on the Trade of Rabat; and by Mr. Consul White on the Trade of Tangier, dated December 1874 to January 1875; in Reports from H.M.'s Consuls.' Part III. 1875. 8. London, 1875.

Report by Mr. Vice-Consul Hunot on the Commerce of the port of Saffi, dated March 28, 1875; in Reports from H.M.'s Consuls.' Part V. 1875. 8. London, 1875.

Report by Mr. Consul White on the Trade and Commerce of Morocco for the year 1875, dated Tangier, March 28, 1876; in Reports from H.M.'s Consuls. Part VI. 1876. 8. London, 1876.

Trade of Morocco with the United Kingdom; in Annual Statement of the Trade of the United Kingdom with Foreign Countries and British Possessions in the year 1875.' Imp. London, 1876.

2. NON-OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS.

Augustin (C.), Marokko in seinen geographischen, historischen, religiösen, politischen, militärischen und gesellschaftlichen Zuständen. 8. Pesth, 1845. Calderon (S.E.), Cuadro geografico, estadistico, historico, politico, del imperio de Marrueccos. 8. Madrid, 1844.

Leared (Arthur), Morocco and the Moors; being an Account of Travels, with a General Description of the Country and its People. 8. London, 1876. Maltzan (Heinrich, Freiherr von), Drei Jahre im Nordwesten von Afrika: Reisen in Algerien und Marokko. 4 vols. 8. Leipzig, 1869. Renou (C.), Description géographique de l'empire de Maroc. Rohlfs (Gerhard), Land und Volk in Afrika. 8. Bremen, 1870. Rohlfs (Gerhard), Mein erster Aufenthalt in Marokko. 8. Bremen, 1873.

8. Paris, 1846.

NATAL

Constitution and Government.

THE Colony of Natal, formerly an integral part of the Cape of Good Hope settlement, was erected in 1856 into a separate colony under the British crown, represented by a Lieutenant-Governor. Under the charter of constitution granted in 1856, and modified in 1875, the Lieutenant-Governor is assisted in the administration of the colony by an Executive and a Legislative Council. The Executive Council is composed of the Chief-justice, the senior officer in command of the troops, the Colonial Secretary, the Treasurer, the Attorney-General, the Secretary for Native Affairs, and two members nominated by the Governor from among the Deputies elected to the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council is composed of thirteen official members, the members including the Colonial Secretary, the Treasurer, the Attorney-General, and the Secretary for Native Affairs, and of fifteen members elected by the counties and boroughs.

Lieutenant-Governor of Natal.-Sir Henry Ernest Bulwer, K.C. M.G., born 1837; educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. 1859; British Resident at Paxo, Ionian Islands, 1860-64; Receiver-General at Trinidad, 1866-67; Administrator of Dominica, 1867-68; Governor of Trinidad, 1868-70; Governor of Labuan, 1871-75; appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, July 3, 1875. The Lieutenant-Governor has a salary of 2,500l. per annum.

Revenue and Expenditure.

The public revenue and expenditure of the colony in the six years from 1870 to 1875 were as follows:

About one-fourth of the revenue is derived from customs, and the rest from miscellaneous sources of income, among them a 'huttax on natives.' The chief branch of expenditure is for police and the administration of justice. The public debt consists of five loans, all at six per cent., three of them contracted for harbour works, and

two for coolie immigration. The total of these loans, amounting to 263,000l., was converted in 1873 into a five per cent Natal Consolidated Loan,' which had been increased to 331,600l. at the end of 1875.

Natal is an almost solitary instance of a colony having been established by Great Britain without cost to imperial funds. In its early days it had a loan of ten thousand pounds, which has long since been repaid. Its military expenditure is, however, still paid by Great Britain, with the exception of a sum of 4,000l. given as a contribution by the colony.-(Official Communication.)

Population.

The colony has an estimated area of about 18,000 English square miles, with a seaboard of 150 miles. But the extent of some of the districts is all but unknown. The following table gives the area of the best explored counties and divisions, and the population of each, according to Government returns of June 1869 :—

Another return, dated 1874, stated the total population of the colony at 307,241. Only about one-seventh of the population are of European origin. In the two towns of Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the European and native population are about equal in numbers. Comparatively few emigrants arrived in recent years, the former government aid to this effect having come to an end