which is considered, though not formally declared, the religion of the State. The Roman Catholics are under a bishop, who has his seat at Rottenburg, but who, in all important matters, has to act in conjunction with a Catholic church-council-Kirchenrath-appointed by the government. The Jews likewise are under a special board, nominated by the minister of ecclesiastical affairs. Most independent of the State are the small number of Christian Dissenters, including a singular sect called the Kornthaler.

Education is compulsory in Würtemberg; every child between the age of 6 and 14 must attend school; and there must be a public school in every community of 30 families. It was ascertained, according to recent official returns, that there is not an individual in the kingdom, above the age of ten, unable to read and write. There are about 2,500 elementary schools, attended by 350,000 pupils; besides numerous seminaries for imparting a classical education; four Protestant and two Roman Catholic training establishments for ministers, and seven colleges, providing a classical education, at Stuttgart, Heilbronn, Ulm, Ellwangen, Ludwigsburg, Hall, and Rottweil. The whole educational system is centred in the university of Tübingen, founded in 1477, which has upwards of seventy professors and teachers, is attended, on the average, by from seven to eight hundred students. (For number of professors and students, in 1872, see Germany, p. 95.)

Revenue and Expenditure.

The following table gives the amount of the public revenue of the kingdom during each of the three financial years, ending June 30, from 1871-72 to 1873-74:

The expenditure for the financial period ending June 30, 1874,

was distributed as follows:-
:-

The public debt of Würtemberg more than doubled within the last twenty years, owing to the establishment of the railway lines of the kingdom, the greater part of which are State property. The capital of the public debt was as follows on the 10th May, 1874:—

The debt of the kingdom is divided into two portions, namely, the general debt, and the railway debt. The latter, forming the by far largest portion of the total, amounted to 141,272,835 florins, or 11,831,0697. on May 10, 1874.

The net income of the railways, all expenses deducted, and making allowance for wear and tear, amounts to between six and seven per cent., and the surplus is devoted to the payment of the interest of the public debt.

Area and Population,

Würtemberg has an area of 354 geographical, 7,675 English square miles, with 1,818,484 inhabitants. The kingdom is divided into four Kreise, or circles, the area of which, in geographical square miles, and number of inhabitants was as follows at the two census terms of December 3, 1867, and December 1, 1871:

The increase of population between the two census periods, amounting on the whole to 2.55 per cent., varies greatly in the four circles of the kingdom. It was 47 for each 1,000 of the population in the Neckar circle; 22 per thousand in the Danube circle; and 7 per thousand in each of the other two circles. The total increase during the 30 years from 1841 to 1871 was very slight, and at one period, from 1849 to 1855, there was a decline of population.

The kingdom has but four towns with more than fifteen thousand inhabitants, namely Stuttgart, the capital, which had 91,623; Ulm, fortress and principal military establishment, which had 26,290; Heilbronn, which had 18,955; and Esslingen, which had 17,941 inhabitants at the census of December 1, 1871. The population, following generally agricultural pursuits, including extensive cultivation of the vine, is dispersed over a great many villages and small boroughs. Emigration, chiefly directed to the United States of America, is drawing off large numbers of the people. In the three years 1871 to 1873, there was an average annual emigration of 6,000 inhabitants of the kingdom.

IV. SAXONY.

(KÖNIGREICH SACHSEN.)

Reigning Sovereign and Family.

Albert I., King of Saxony, born April 23, 1828, eldest son of King Johann I. of Saxony and of his consort, Queen Amalie. Educated for the military career, and entered the army of Saxony, 1846, and of Prussia, 1867. Commander of a German corps d'armée in the war against France, 1870-71. Nominated Field-Marshal in the German army, 1871. Succeeded to the throne, at the death of his father, October 29, 1873. Married June 18, 1853, to

CAROLINE, Queen of Saxony, born Aug. 5, 1833, daughter of Prince Gustav of Vasa.

Sister and Brother of the King.-1. Princess Elisabeth, born Feb. 4, 1830; married, in 1850, to Prince Ferdinand of Sardinia ; widow, Feb. 10, 1855; married, in second nuptials, Oct. 1856, to the Marchese Rapallo, of Florence; 2. Prince Georg, Duke of Saxony, born August 8, 1832; married May 11, 1859, to Infanta Maria, born July 21, 1843, daughter of King Ferdinand of Portugal, of which union there are issue three sons and two daughters, namely Mathilda, born March 19, 1863; Friedrich August, born May 25, 1865; Marie, born May 31, 1867; Johann Georg, born July 11, 1869, and Maximilian, born November 17, 1870.

Mother of the King.-Amalie, Queen Dowager of Saxony, born Nov. 13, 1801, daughter of the late King Maximilian I. of Bavaria; married Nov. 21, 1822, to Prince Johann, afterwards King Johann I. of Saxony; widow Oct. 29, 1873.

The royal house of Saxony counts among the oldest reigning families in Europe. It gave an emperor to Germany as early as the beginning of the tenth century; but the house subsequently spread into numerous branches, the elder of which, called the Ernestine line, is represented at this moment by the ducal families of Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, and SaxeWeimar, while the younger, the Albertine line, lives in the rulers of the kingdom of Saxony.

King Albert I. has a civil list of 863,575 thalers, or 128,000l. per annum; which includes a grant to the queen of 30,000 thalers, and the dotations of the princes and princesses, amounting to 235,000 thalers, or 35,2501. The formerly royal domains, consisting chiefly in extensive forests, valued at above 25,000,000 thalers, became, in 1830, the property of the State.

1

Constitution and Government.

The present Constitution of Saxony dates from Sept. 4, 1831; but has undergone alterations and modifications by the laws of March 31, 1849; May 5, 1851; November 27, 1860; and October 19, 1861. According to the terms of the Constitution, the crown is hereditary in the male line; but, at the extinction of the latter, also in the female line. The sovereign comes of age at the completed eighteenth year, and, during his minority, the nearest heir to the throne takes the regency. In the hands of the King is the sole executive power, which he exercises through responsible ministers. The legislature is jointly in the King and Parliament, the latter consisting of twochambers. The Upper Chamber comprises the princes of the blood royal; the proprietors of eight baronial domains; twelve deputies. elected by the owners of other nobiliar estates; ten noble proprietors nominated by the King for life; the burgomasters of eight towns; and the superintendents and deputies of five collegiate institutions, of the university of Leipzig, and of the Roman Catholic chapter of St. Peter at Bautzen. The Lower Chamber is made up of twenty deputies of landed proprietors; twenty-five of towns and city corporations; twenty-five of peasants and commnunes; and ten representatives of commerce and manufacturing industry. The qualification for a seat in the Upper House, as well as the right of election to the same, is the possession of a landed estate worth at least 1,000 thalers a year; which qualification, however, is not required by the ex officio deputies of chapters and universities. To be a member of the Lower House, no fixed income is required; and electors are all men above twenty-five years of age who pay taxes, or contribute in any way to the public burdens. A salary is attached to the performance of the legislative functions; the members of the Upper House being allowed seven thalers, or about a guinea a day, during the sittings of Parliament, and the deputies to the Second Chamber three thalers, or 98. Both Houses have the right to make propositions for new laws, the bills for which, however, must come from the ministry. No taxes can be made, levied, or altered without the sanction of both Chambers.

The executive is in the King and a Council of Ministers, consisting of five members, namely, the President of the Council, the Ministers of the Interior, of Justice, of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs, and of Finance.

Church and Education.

Although the royal family profess the Roman Catholic religion, the vast majority of the inhabitants are Protestants. At the census