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Books of Reference concerning the French Colonies generally.

Annuaire de la Marine et des Colonies. Paris.

Annuaire du Ministère des Colonies. Paris.

Budget voté des dépenses du Ministère des Colonies. Annual. Paris.
Compte définitif des dépenses du Ministère des Colonies. Annual. Paris.

Exposition universelle de 1900. Les Colonies Françaises. [Descriptions of the several Colonies from various points of view by various authors.] 5 vols. Paris, 1900.

Feuille de Renseignements de l'Office Colonial. (Published at least once a month) Paris.
Foreign Office Reports, Miscellaneous Series. No. 520.

Les Colonies Françaises. Vol. I. Paris, 1902.
L'Année Coloniale. Annual. Paris.

Revue coloniale. (Weekly). Paris.

Résumé des Statisques Coloniales, 1892-1895. Paris, 1898.

Statistiques coloniales. Annual. Paris.

London. 1900.

Tableaux de population, de culture, &c., sur les Colonies Françaises. Paris, 1896.

Le Régime des Protectorats. 2 vols. Paris, 1898-99.

Deschamps (L.), Histoire de la Question coloniale en France. S. Paris, 1891. Histoire sommaire de la Colonisation Française. 12. Paris, 1894.

Dubois, Géographie de la France et de ses Colonies. 8. Paris, 1892.

Gaffarel (P.). Les Colonies Françaises. 4th edition. Paris, 1888.

Gasquet (A.), Géographie de la France et de ses Colonies et Protectorats. 8. Paris, 1892. Girault (A.), Principes de Colonisation et de Législation coloniale. S. Paris, 1896. Joanne (P.), Dictionnaire géographique et administratif de la France et de ses Colonies. Paris, 1895. [In progress.]

Lalanne, La France et ses Colonies

Paris.

Lemaire (E.), Les Chemins de Fer aux Colonies Françaises. Poitiers, 1900.

Madrolle, La France et ses Colonies.

Paris.

Mouret (C.) and Brunel (L.) (Editors), L'Année Coloniale. Paris, 1900.

Petit (E.), Organisation des Colonies Françaises et des Pays de Protectorats. S. Paris, 1894, &c.

Rongier (J. C. P.), Précis de Legislation et d'Economie coloniale 12. Paris, 1895. Zay (E.), Histoire monétaire des Colonies Françaises. 8. Paris, 1892.

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GERMAN EMPIRE.

(DEUTSCHES REICH.)

Reigning Emperor and King.

Wilhelm II., German Emperor, and King of Prussia, born January 27, 1859, became German Emperor June 15, 1888 (see Prussia).

Heir Apparent.

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, born May 6, 1882, eldest son of the Emperor-King (see Prussia).

The present German Empire is essentially different from the Holy Roman Empire which came to an end in 1806. But though Austria, the most important factor in the earlier empire, is not a member of the present, a brief historical summary, including both, is for convenience inserted here. The imperial throne, after the extinction of the Carlovingian line, was filled by election, though with a tendency towards the hereditary principle of succession. At first the Emperor was chosen by the vote of all the Princes and Peers of the Reich; but the mode came to be changed in the fourteenth century, when a limited number of Princes, fixed at seven for a time, and afterwards enlarged to eight (nine from 1692 to 1777), assumed the privilege of disposing of the crown, and, their right being acknowledged, were called Electors. With the overthrow of the old Empire by the Emperor Napoleon, in 1806, the Electoral dignity virtually ceased, although the title of Elector was retained sixty years longer by the sovereigns of Hesse-Cassel, the last of them dethroned in 1866 by Prussia. The election of Wilhelm I., King of Prussia, as the German Emperor (1871) was by vote of the Reichstag of the North German Confederation, on the initiative of all the reigning Princes of Germany. The imperial dignity is hereditary in the House of Hohenzollern, and follows the law of primogeniture.

Since Charlemagne was crowned

Kaiser' at Rome, on

Christmas Day in the year 800, there have been the following Emperors:

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The Constitution of the Empire bears date April 16, 1871. By its terms, all the States of Germany 'form an eternal union for the protection of the realm and the care of the welfare of the German people.' The supreme direction of the military and political affairs of the Empire is vested in the King of Prussia, who, in this capacity, bears the title of Deutscher Kaiser. According to Art. 11 of the Constitution, the Emperor represents the Empire internationally,' and can declare war if

defensive, and make peace, as well as enter into treaties with other nations, and appoint and receive ambassadors. But when treaties relate to matters regulated by imperial legislation, and when war is not merely defensive, the Kaiser must have the consent of the Bundesrat, or Federal Council, in which body, together with the Reichstag, or Diet of the Realm, are vested the legislative functions of the Empire. The Emperor has no veto on laws passed by these bodies. The Bundesrat represents the individual States of Germany, and the Reichstag the German nation. The 58 members of the Bundesrat are appointed by the Governments of the individual States for each session, while the members of the Reichstag, 397 in number (about one for every 131,604 inhabitants), are elected by universal suffrage and ballot, for the term of five years. By the law of March 19, 1888, which came into force in 1890, the duration of the legislative period is five years. The various States of Germany are represented as follows in the Bundesrat and the Reichstag :

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Alsace-Lorraine is represented in the Bundesrat by four commissioners (Kommissäre) without votes, who are nominated by the Statthalter.

The total number of electors to the Reichstag inscribed on the lists at the general election of 1903 was 12,531,200, while the number of actual voters was 9,533,800. Of the votes given, 9,495,600 were valid, and 38,200 were invalid, so that of the total number of electors, only 75.8 per cent. recorded valid votes. The valid votes given for candidates belonging to the various political parties in 1903, and the composition of the Reichstag on March 3, 1904 (3 seats being then vacant), was as follows:

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Both the Bundesrat and the Reichstag meet in annual session, convoked by the Emperor. The Emperor has the right to prorogue and dissolve, after a vote by the Bundesrat, the Reichstag. Without consent of the Reichstag the prorogation may not exceed thirty days; while in case of dissolution new elections must take place within sixty days, and a new session must open within ninety days. All laws for the Empire must receive the votes of an absolute majority of the Bundesrat and the Reichstag. The Bundesrat is presided over by the Reichskanzler, or Chancellor of the Empire, and the President of the Reichstag is elected by the deputies.

The laws of the Empire, passed by the Bundesrat and the Reichstag, to take effect must be promulgated by the Emperor, and the promulgation, like all other official acts of the Emperor, requires the counter-signature of the Chancellor of the Empire. All the members of the Bundesrat have the

right to be present at the deliberations of the Reichstag.

The following are the imperial authorities or Secretaries of State: they do not form a Ministry or Cabinet, but act independently of each other, under the general supervision of the Chancellor.

1. Chancellor of the Empire.-Graf von Bülow.

2. Ministry for Foreign Affairs.-Freiherr von Richthofen.

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3. Imperial Home Office and Representative of the Chancellor.'-Dr. Graf von Posadowsky-Wehner.

4. Imperial Admiralty.—Herr von Tirpitz. Admiral Commanding-in Chief.-von Knorr.

5. Imperial Ministry of Justice.-Herr Nieberding.

6. Imperial Treasury.-Freiherr von Stengel.

7. Imperial Post-Office.-Herr Kraetke.

And, in addition, the following presidents of imperial bureaus :

8. Railways.-Dr. Schulz.

9. Imperial Exchequer.-Herr Magdeburg.

10. Imperial Invalid Fund.-Herr Plath.

11. Imperial Bank.-President, Dr. Koch.

12. Imperial Debt Commission.-President, von Hoffmann. 13. Administration of Imperial Railways.-Herr von Budde. 14. Imperial Court Martial.-Freiherr von Gemmingen.

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