approval of the Sovereign; and each commune having its council elected for 6 years, with a mayor and aldermen. Entire liberty and social equality granted to all religions. Over 2,500,000 belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, but there are over 1,800,000 Roman Catholics, and the State pays certain fixed allowances to the different Churches. Education is compulsory for children from 6 to 13 years of age, and is well organised, and practically free as to the primary schools. Great importance is attached to the teaching of modern languages and to technical and scientific education. The judicial system includes 106 cantonal courts, 23 district tribunals, 5 Courts of Appeal, and the High Court. Trial by jury does not exist. Length of railways 2180 miles. Length of canals about 2000 miles, and of other navigable waterways about 3000 miles. The chief newspapers are the Liberal Algemeen Handelsblad, the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, and the Standaard.

The chief imports are cereals and flour, iron and steel, textiles, and raw materials and food products generally. The chief exports are food products, drugs, iron, steel, textiles, sugar, etc. The few duties that are levied are not for purposes of protection. Practically free trade prevails. The chief towns are Amsterdam (pop. 564,186), Rotterdam (390,364), and The Hague (248,995).

Statistics and Diplomatic. Area, 12,648 sq. m.; pop. 5,672,237. Revenue, 19ro (estimated), £16,000,000; expenditure, 1910 (estimated), 17,016,500; debt, 1909, £94,014,941. Imports, 1906, £210,289,007; 1907, £224,341,563; 1908, £222,641,541; 1909, £235,311,668; exports, 1906, 173,662,141; 1907, 184,336,753; 1908, £184,345,087; 1909, 181,754,738.

Ministry: Interior, Dr. Th. Heemskerk.-Foreign Affairs, Jonkheer R. de Marees van Swinderen.-Justice, Dr. A. P. L. Nelissen. Marine, Vice-Admiral J. Wentholt.-Finance, Dr. M. J. C. M. Kolkman.-War, Major-Gen. W. Cool.-Public Works, Dr. L. H. W. Regout. Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, A. S. Talma.-Colonies, de W. Malefyt.

Minister in London, Baron Gericke van Herwijnen, 8, Grosvenor Gardens, S.W.-Councillor of the Legation, A. van der Goes.-Consul General, H.S.J. Maas, 12, Blomfield Street, E.C. British Minister at The Hague, The Hon. Sir Alan Johnstone, G.C.V.O.

British Consuls: Rotterdam, H. Turing; Amsterdam, W. A. Churchill.

History in 1910. The Royal Commission for the Revision of the Constitution promised in the Speech from the Throne in Sept. 1909 was constituted in March.

A motion brought forward in March for the appointment of a Royal Commission to investi gate the conditions of national defence, "in order to impress upon the population the necessity for pecuniary and personal sacrifices in the defence of their country.' was carried unanimously in the Second Chamber.

Some allegations of corruption against Dr. Kuyper, the ex-Premier, in connection with the granting of decorations during his tenure of office were inquired into, at his instance, by a court of honour, which declared the charges to be unsubstantiated,

The Dutch possessions in the Asiatic Archipelago include (1) Java, with Madura, area 50,554 sq. m., population about 29,000,000; and (2) what are called the Outposts, viz., Sumatra, part of Borneo, Celebes, the Moluccas, part of New Guinea, and the Sunda and other islands, which have an estimated area of about 686,000 sq. m., and an estimated population of about 7,500,000, and are administered by Governors, Residents, etc., according to their status. The administrative and executive authority for the whole of Dutch East India is in the hands of a Governor-General, assisted by a Council, with partly legislative and partly advisory functions, consisting of five members. Under him the administration is carried on by Residents and subordinate officers. The army, which is purely colonial, numbers about 12,150 Europeans and 24,000 natives. The cost of the navy is borne partly by the colony and partly by the Government of the Netherlands. There is complete religious liberty, and education is well looked after. There are 2950 miles of railroad (2460 in Java and 490 in Sumatra) opened for traffic. The chief exports are sugar, coffee, tea, indigo, and tobacco. The number of Europeans is about 76,000, the bulk of whom are Dutch. There are about 550,000 Chinese, and a number of Arabs, etc. Revenue, about £14,000,000; expenditure, £13,865,465; average imports, £15,000,000; average exports, £17,000,000.

Java is the chief seat of Dutch power in the East Indies. Capital, Batavia, pop. 149,006. Other chief towns are Samarang (pop. 89,286) and Sourabaya (pop. 146,944). Land is Govern ment property, except in the west, and is let on hereditary lease to individuals, or to villages in the case of communal holdings. Most of the coffee plantations are directly under Government management, the natives cultivating coffee instead of paying taxes. This system still obtains in part, but a poll tax of one florin was in '82 substituted for the performance of enforced services.

British Consul at Batavia, J. W. Stewart.

Borneo. Of the estimated total area of 300,000 sq. m., estimated pop. 1,846,000, Holland claims as a possession 212,000 sq. m. of territory on the south, east, and west of the island, with a population of about 1,250,000. In reality this immense tract is parcelled out into various native states. Those on the coast are more or less under Dutch influence. Of the interior settlements are at Sambas, Pontiana, Banjar little is even known. The principal Dutch massin, and Koti.

Celebes has an area of 72,000 sq. m.; pop. about 2,000,000. Besides the towns of Menado, Port Rotterdam, and Vlaardingen or Macassar, there are a number of native states, which, however, recognise the authority of the Dutch.

Dutch New Guinea, lying to the west of the British possessions in New Guinea, covers an area of 151,790 sq. m., and has a population of about 200,000. It is administered by a Resident at Ternate, Molucca Islands.

Dutch West Indies.

The

Curaçao, an island in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Venezuela, is the chief of Holland's West Indian possessions. colony of Curaçao includes the islands of Curaçao, Buen Ayre or Bonaire, Aruba, St. Eustache, and Saba, with part of the island of St. Martin. The total area is 403 sq. m., and the population (1906) 53.466. The colony is administered by a Governor with a Council of 4 members all nominated by the sovereign, and a Colonial Council of 13 nominated members. Cattle, sheep, goats, etc., are bred for exportation. Estimated revenue, 1908-9, £53,627. Expenditure, £79.475-the deficit being met by

a subsidy from the Netherlands Government. Imports 1907, 332,569; exports, £107,159. British Consul at Curacao, J. Jesurun.

Surinam, or Dutch Guiana, is a colony on the north coast of South America, bounded on the east by French Guiana, on the west by British Guiana, and on the south by the mountains which separate it from Brazil. It is governed by a governor and council of four members, all appointed by the sovereign. There is a representative body called the Colonial States, elected for six years by the inhabitants. The capital is Paramaribo, pop. 34,870. The chief products are sugar, cocoa, fruits, coffee, rice, etc. Some gold mining is carried on also. The Lawa Railway is being built, and 65 miles were open in 1906. Area 46,060 sq. miles; pop. 81,237. Imports, 1907, 575.391; exports, 490,714.

British Consul at Paramaribo, J. R. W. Pigott. New Guinea, or Papua. An island lying directly N. of Australia, and after Australia the largest island in the world. It is about 1490 miles from E. to W., with a breadth at centre of 430 miles. The area is now computed to be 234,768 sq. m. The British territory com prises the south-eastern part of the island and neighbouring island groups. See BRITISH EMPIRE, p. 175. The German territory is known as Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, and lies to the north of the British territory. See GERMANY (Colonies), p. 259. -Dutch New Guinea lies to the west of the British territory.

New Hebrides. A long chain of volcanic islands in western Polynesia, lying W. of Fiji and N.E. of New Caledonia. Area about 3000 sq. m.; pop. about 100,000. At the end of 1905 there were 225 British and 417 French settlers. The larger number of the natives are still cannibals. There are both Protestant and Roman Catholic missions. Under the AngloFrench Convention of Nov. 16th, '87, and the Agreement of June 26th, '88, the islands were, for the protection of life and property, placed under a joint commission of French and English naval officers on Pacific stations. Under the Anglo-French Agreement of April 8th, 1904, and the Convention signed Oct. 20th, 1906, the subjects of the two Powers enjoy equal rights of residence, personal protection, and trade, each Power retaining jurisdiction over its subjects or citizens, and neither exercising a separate control over the group. As to citizens of other Powers, they must choose within six months between the legal systems of the two Powers, failing which the two High Commissioners decide under which system they should be placed. The two Powers undertook not to erect fortifications or establish penal settlements in the

group. The two High Commissioners are appointed by the British and French Governments, and each is assisted by a Resident Commissioner. A police force sufficient to protect life and property is provided in two divisions of equal strength, each under one of the two of Efate, is the seat of government. Various Resident Commissioners. Vila, in the island public services, the posts and telegraphs, public Works, public health, ports and harbours, are undertaken in common, a Joint Court is established, and regulations are made as to land suits, land grants and sales, the recruitment of native labourers, etc. The sale of arms, ammunition, and intoxicating liquors to natives

is forbidden.

NICARAGUA.

Nicaragua is a Central American republic, bounded on the N. by Honduras, S. by Costa Rica, W. by the Pacific, and E. by the Caribbean Sea. The Constitution of '94 and 95, amended in '96, vests the executive in a President elected for 6 years, and the legislative in a Congress of one House, containing 36 members elected by universal suffrage for 6 years. The prevailing religion is Roman Catholic, and primary instruction is nominally free and compulsory. The permanent troops vary greatly in number, being generally about 2,000, and they are not to exceed 3,500. The war strength may be 30,000. Military service is nominally obligatory. The culture of the land is improving, coffee, bananas, and rubber plantations showing good returns. German capital is largely invested in coffee estates. The most Some important industry is cattle-raising. mining is also done by British and American There are 171 miles of railways, and a line is being built from San Miguelito, Monkey Point Bay, on the Atlantic coast. Imon the coast of the Lake of Nicaragua, to ports: cotton and woollen goods, flour, wines and spirits, drugs, hardware, provisions, etc. Exports: coffee, bananas, gold, rubber, hides,

companies.

and cattle.

By treaties signed in Dec. 1907 a High Court was set up for Central America, to meet in Costa Rica, whose neutrality was guaranteed.

In

The military activities of President Zelaya in the spring of 1909 occasioned some disquietude to his neighbours, and Mexico and the United States sent warships to Nicaragua. In October 1909 a revolution broke out under General Estrada, who assumed the provisional presidency of the Atlantic Coast States. December, President Zelaya having executed two Americans who were captured while serving with the revolutionary army, the United States Government handed his passports to the Nicaraguan chargé d'affaires, and informed him in scathing terms that henceforth the United States could recognise neither Zelaya nor Estrada as President of the Republic, while holding both strictly accountable for the protection of American life and property. American warships and troops were sent to both coasts of Nicaragua to protect American interests and to confine the struggle to within the borders of the Republic. On Dec. 23rd General Estrada defeated the Government forces at Rama, and Señor Zelaya took refuge on a Mexican warship, Dr. Jose Madriz having been elected President in his place. Fighting continued till August 1910, when Señor Madriz fled to Corinto, General Estrada was pro

Haakon VII., King of Norway, was b. Aug. 3rd, 1872, and is the second son of King Frederik of Denmark, and therefore a cousin of King George of England. His baptismal name was Charles, but he assumed the above title on becoming King on Nov. 18th, 1905, on the separation of Norway and Sweden. King Haakon and Queen Maud made their formal entry into Christiania Nov. 25th, 1905, and the King took the oath before the Storthing on the 27th, and was crowned at Trondhjem on June 22nd, 1906. The King married Princess Maud Alexandra, sister of King George V., on July 22nd, 1896. His son and heir-apparent is Prince Alexander, b. July 2nd, 1903, and renamed Prince Olaf on his father's accession to the throne. The King's Civil List is settled at 700,000 kroner (38,888). He is a K.G. (Nov. 9th, 1906), G.C.B., G.C.V.O., and Hon. Admiral in the British Fleet.

Government.

The dissolution of the union with Sweden, which had endured from 1814 to 1905, but was dissolved by the action of the Norwegian Storthing on June 7th, 1905, following on a protracted dispute between the two countries as to their diplomatic representation abroad; and the Karlsbad Convention was signed Sept. 24th, 1905, settling the details of a mutual agreement for the repeal of the Union. King Oscar declined the offer of the throne to a prince of his house, and after a plébiscite it was offered to and accepted by Prince Charles of Denmark, who became King as Haakon VII. The maritime frontier of the two countries was determined by The Hague Tribunal in Oct. 1909. The Grisbadarna Islands, which are important as fishing centres, were allotted to Sweden, while Skjoette Grund was awarded to Norway.

The Norwegian Constitution of 1814, several times modified since, vests the legislative power in the Storthing, which has 123 members (41 from urban and 82 from rural districts), who are elected for 3 years. Every male citizen of 25 who has resided in the country for 5 years is qualified as an elector, except for legal disabilities. A Bill granting citizenship and the franchise to women under the same conditions as at municipal elections-i.e. the women or their husbands must have paid the taxes for the past year-was adopted by 96 votes to 25, June 14th, 1907. The electorate was thus increased by about 300,000. The Storthing

NORWAY. ·

is divided into the Odelsthing, composed of three-fourths of the members, and the Lagthing, consisting of the remainder; all new bills originate in the former. If the two divisions do not agree, the combined house deliberates, and the measure must be passed by a two-thirds majority. Members are paid 13s. 4d. a day during the session. The King has the right of vetoing the laws passed by the Storthing, but if the same bill pass three Storthings separately and consecutively elected, his veto is overridden. The executive power is in the hands of the King with a Council of State composed of a Minister of State and 8 Councillors.

On Nov. 2nd, 1907, the 1855 treaty, under which the integrity of Norway and Sweden as against Russia was guaranteed by Great Britain and France, was dissolved, and a new treaty guaranteeing the independence and territorial integrity of Norway was signed by the representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and Norway.

The Norwegian Government undertook to cede no part of Norwegian territory to any Power either by way of occupation or by way of any arrangement.

The treaty is in force for ten years. Should the treaty not be denounced by one or the other party at least two years before the expiry of the ten years, it will remain in force for a fresh period of ten years, and so forth. In the event of the treaty being denounced by one of the Powers which participated with Norway in its conclusion, this denunciation will only have effect in regard to that Power.

Army and Navy.

The Storthing voted in 1909 a reorganisation of the Army based on the report of a Parliamentary Committee. The reorganisation amalgamates some of the existing forces, and establishes what is called the Ligne, with a service of 12 years, the Landvaern (8 years) and the Landstorm, to which Norwegians belong until the age of 50. The Army is still on a skeleton or cadre basis. Numbers are completed by volunteers and men who serve compulsorily for periods varying between 126 days yearly for the artillery and 72 days for the infantry. The military force available for service beyond the frontier, with officers and men, is estimated at 30,000, and the total armed strength at 70,000 on mobilisation. Under the new organisation the regiment becomes the unit; but there is a system of brigade formation for all arms, and the mobi lisation of the troops has been facilitated. The permanent staff for the 5 brigades numbers in all, in 1910, 8,344 officers and men.

The Naval Budget for 1910-11 amounts to £304,000, an increase £15,000 over the previous year. The Storthing agreed in July 1910 to the grant of £218,500 (4,000,000 kroner) for extraordinary defence purposes," but how much of this sum would be allocated to naval purposes was not stated.

The Naval Personnel numbers about 2400, of whom 1500 are permanent, and the remainder yearly conscripts. Conscripts for the Navy are entered on May 1st and Nov. 1st in each year. The men entered on the first date are assigned to coast-defence vessels for training on entry, afterwards passing to the gun and torpedo boats, etc., from July 1st. The second contingent serve their entire term on the coastdefence vessels. The executive officers are