376 



NETHERLANDS. 



on Nov. 23, 1890, assumed the royal authority on 

 tSept. 0, 1898, the Queen Dowager having acted 

 as regent during her minority, and married on 

 Feb. 7, 1901, Prince Henry of Mecklenburg- 

 Schwerin. 



The Council of Ministers at the beginning ot 

 1901 was composed as follows: President of the 

 Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. W. 

 H. de Beaufort; Minister of Justice, Dr. P. W. A. 

 Cort van der Linden; Minister of the Interior, H. 

 Goeman Borgesius: Minister of Marine, Vice-Ad- 

 miral J. A. Roell; Minister of Finance, N. G. 

 Pierson; Minister of War, Lieut.-Gen. K. Eland; 

 Minister of Watcrstaat, Commerce, and Industry, 

 C. Lely: Minister of the Colonies, J. T. Cremer. 



Area and Population. The area of the Neth- 

 erlands, or Holland, is 12,048 square miles. The 

 population on Dec. 31, 1899, was estimated at 

 5.1:W..~><M. divided into 2,520,380 males and 2,583,- 

 544 females. The proportion living in large towns 

 was 30.7 per cent. Amsterdam had at the end 

 of 1899 a population of 523,557; Rotterdam, 319,- 

 800: The Hague, 205,328; Utrecht, 102,040. The 

 number of marriages in 1899 was 37,990; of births, 

 103.289; of deaths, 87,319; excess of births, 75,- 

 970. The number of emigrants in 1899 was 1,347, 

 of whom 1,200 were bound for America and 87 for 

 Africa. The total comprised 074 men, 332 women, 

 and 341 children. The total number of emigrants, 

 Dutch and foreigners, who sailed from Dutch 

 ports, was 20,290. 



Finances. The ordinary revenue for the fiscal 

 year 1899 was 146,480,738 guilders, and the ex- 

 traordinary receipts from loans and other sources 

 were 1,535,019 guilders; total, 148,021,758 guilders. 

 Of the ordinary receipts 34,093,180 guilders were 

 derived from direct taxes, 47,375,010 guilders from 

 excise, 22,824,240 guilders from indirect taxes, and 

 9,191,107 guilders from customs duties. The ex- 

 penditures in 1899 were 37,034,224 guilders for the 

 army and navy, 37,969,320 guilders for the ex- 

 penses of the debt, 13,085,961 guilders for public 

 works, and 61,504,478 guilders for general ex- 

 penses of government; total, 150,193,989 guilders. 

 The budget estimate of revenue for 1900 was 151,- 

 260,244 guilders, and of expenditure 144,723,185 

 guilders. For 1901 the budget estimate of revenue 

 was 149,472,180 guilders, of which 12,832,000 guil- 

 ders came from the land tax, 8,750,000 guilders 

 from the personal tax, 7,200,000 guilders from the 

 tax on capital, 6,020,000 guilders from the tax on 

 incomes from trades and professions, 48,510,000 

 guilders from excise duties, 21,667,000 guilders 

 from indirect taxes, 9,618,000 guilders from im- 

 port duties, 310,000 guilders from the tax on gold 

 and silver, 1,764,000 guilders from domains, 10,- 

 389,000 guilders from the post-office, 2,248,500 guil- 

 ders from the telegraphs, 651,000 guilders from 

 the state lottery, 132,000 guilders from shooting 

 and fishing licenses, 2,300,000 guilders from pilot 

 dues, 1 1.155 guilders from dues on mines, 4,338,150 

 guilders from Government railroads, 3,801,000 

 guilders paid by the East Indies for interest and 

 sinking-fund of the public debt, and 8,869,275 

 guilders from miscellaneous sources. The expendi- 

 ture for 1901 was estimated at 154,755,492 guil- 

 ders, of which 800,000 guilders are the civil list, 

 081,500 guilders are expenses of the legislative 

 body and the royal Cabinet, 853,218 guilders are 

 for the Department of Foreign Affairs, 6,349,916 

 guilders for the Department of Justice, 15,966,758 

 guilders for the Department of the Interior, 16,- 

 657,694 guilders for the Department of Marine, 

 25,108,117 guilders for the Department of Finance, 

 22,716,429 guilders for the Department of War, 

 29.380,074 guilders for the Department of Public 

 Works, 1,317,218 guilders for the Department of 



the Colonies, 34,874,568 guilders for the public 

 debt, and 50.000 guilders for contingencies. 



The funded debt in 1901 consisted of 624,995,400 

 guilders paying 2 per cent, interest and the 3- 

 per-cent. loans of 1895, 1898, and 1899, amounting 

 to 518,740,050 guilders; total, 1,143,735,450 guil- 

 ders, in addition to which, besides 15,000,000 guil- 

 ders of paper money, there were 264,481 guilders 

 of annuities and a floating debt requiring the an- 

 nual payment of 300,000 guilders, making the an- 

 nual debt charge 34,874,508 guilders, including a 

 sinking-fund of 3,121,000 guilders. 



The Army and Navy. The peace strength of 

 the army on June 1, 1899, was 1,919 officers and 

 25,060 men. All young men at the age of nine- 

 teen who are capable of bearing arms, except theo- 

 logical students, are liable to be drawn for service, 

 the annual recruit being 11,000, and since 1898 

 substitution has not been allowed. Only sons are 

 excused, and only two sons are taken from five 

 in a family. Exemptions for physical defects are 

 liberally allowed. One year with the colors is re- 

 quired in the infantry and tw r ice that time in the 

 cavalry. The conscripts serve alongside of en- 

 listed soldiers, who are still the main reliance, 

 though no longer forming the majority. They 

 volunteer for six or eight years and form one- 

 third of the annual recruit. The active militia 

 in 1899 numbered 43,025 men. It is composed of 

 men drawn by lot at the age of twenty-five from 

 among those who have escaped conscription. The 

 general levy, including all who do not belong to 

 the army or the militia up to the age of forty-five, 

 can only be called out for the defense of the 

 country. 



The naval force was strengthened in 1896 and 

 1888 by 5 protected cruisers, 3 of 3,900 tons the 

 Holland, Friesland, and Zeeland and 3 of 3,950 

 tons the Gelderland, Nordbrabant, and Utrecht 

 each armed with 2 6-inch, 6 4.7-inch, 4 3-inch, 

 and 12 smaller quick-firers. Four armored cruisers 

 of 3,520 tons were launched, in 1894, and 4 of 5,000 

 tons are building, the latter to have -a speed of 

 17 knots and to carry 2 9.4-inch guns, with 4 

 6-inch, 8 3-inch, and numerous small quick-firers. 

 There are building also 3 monitors of 1,500 tons 

 armed with 2 8-inch guns and 1 6-inch, 2 4.7-inch, 

 and 4 3-inch quick-firers and 3 of 1,400 tons, armed 

 with 1 8-inch gun, 1 4.7-inch, and 4 3-inch quick- 

 firers. The new ships have Yarrow water-tube 

 boilers. They are supplemented by a torpedo 

 flotilla consisting of 13 first-class, 15 second-class, 

 and 30 third-class boats. 



Navigation. The number of vessels entered 

 at Dutch ports during 1899 was 11,803, of 9,467,- 

 730 tons, of which 10,952, of 9,177,450 tons, were 

 with cargoes and 851, of 290,280 tons, in 

 ballast; cleared, 11,672, of 9,392,682 tons, of which 

 7,244, of 4,640,586 tons, were with cargoes and 

 4,428, of 4,752,096 tons, in ballast. Of the total 

 number entered 3,267, of 2,354,100 tons, were 

 Dutch and 8,536, of 7,113,630 tons, were for- 

 eign, and of those cleared 3,293, of 2,351,022 

 tons, were Dutch and 8,379, of 7,041,000 tons, were 

 foreign. Of the vessels with cargoes 63.3 per cent, 

 were entered and 49.4 per cent, cleared at the 

 port of Rotterdam, 16.6 per cent, entered and 19.9 

 per cent, cleared at Amsterdam, and 7.2 per cent, 

 entered and 14.1 per cent, cleared at Flushing. 

 The merchant navy on Jan. 1, 1900, consisted of 

 432 sailing vessels, of 84,006 tons, and 192 steam- 

 ers, of 236,118 tons. 



Commerce and Production. The area uncul- 

 tivated in 1898, including building land, roads, 

 dikes, marsh, and heath, was 895,722 hectares, 

 and the cultivated area was 864,894 hectares un- 

 der farm crops and 61,710 hectares in gardens and 



