376 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



powder, and a number of lives were lost. This 

 outrage was attributed to the Fenians, but some 

 of their leaders denied all knowledge of it. Other 

 crimes were rife at the close of the year, and 

 frequent arrests were made. (See FENIANISM.) 



The question of Parliamentary Reform at- 

 tracted great interest during the first half of 

 the year. The Conservative Administration 

 were at first loth to introduce a reform bill into 

 Parliament; but the popular pressure was so 

 great, and the excitement in the large cities so 

 intense, that they were compelled to do so. 

 The bill at first introduced was very unsatis- 

 factory, but was amended repeatedly, and final- 

 ly passed in its modified form on the 15th of 

 July, with the sanction of Mr. Disraeli, the 

 Government leader in the House, though not 

 without the resignation of several members of 

 the Cabinet, from dissatisfaction with its pro- 

 visions. It passed the House of Lords August 

 6th, and was approved by the Queen August 

 15th. Its design is to extend the suffrage to 

 every man whose earnings amount to from 100 

 to 120 per year, and will add about 800,000 

 voters. Its provisions do not, however, take 

 effect till 1869. 



Theodore, an Abyssinian prince, who styled 

 himself King of the Kings of Abyssinia, seized, 

 in 1865, some British subjects, and without any 

 offence on their part held them close prisoners, 

 and it is supposed still holds them. The British 

 Government tried by every means in its power 

 to obtain their release, but Theodore being 

 obstinate they were at last compelled to send a 

 military expedition, to compel him to give 

 them up. The enterprise, when finally under- 

 taken, assumed much larger proportions than 

 were at first expected. Troops Avere sent from 

 England, and others brought from Bombay. 

 The first transports sailed from England on 

 the 14th of September. At the close of the 

 year the troops had advanced some distance 

 from the coast of the Red Sea, but had not as 

 yet encountered any of Theodore's followers. 

 (See ABYSSINIA.) 



STATISTICS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. I. FI- 

 NANCES: 1. Revenue and Expenditure, The 

 gross revenue for the year coding March 31, 

 1867, was 69,434,567 15s. 9d. = $336,063,- 

 308. The gross expenditure for the same peri- 

 od was 67,230,395 18s. 6d. = $325,395,116.24. 

 Of the revenue, customs yielded 22,303,000 = 

 $97,946,520; excise, 20,670,000 = $100,042,- 

 800 ; stamps, 9,420,000 = $45,692,800 ; taxes' 

 (land and assessed), 3,468,000 = $16,785,120; 

 property tax (corresponding to our income tax), 

 5,700,000 = $27,588,000; post-office, 4,470,- 

 000 = $21,634,800; crown lands (net), 330,- 

 000 = $1,597,200; miscellaneous items, 3,- 

 073,567 15s. 9d. = $14,874,858.06. 



Of the gross expenditure, 26,081,777 14s. 

 Id., = $126,233,804.06, was for indreston the 

 payment and temporary debt ; 1,864,330 14s. 

 7d., = $9,123,360.70, was for charges in the con- 

 solidated fund (civil list, salaries, annuities, pen- 

 sions, diplomatic salaries, courts of justice, and 



miscellaneous charges); 38,834,287 9s. 10d., 

 = $187,957,952.44, was for the supply service, 

 including the army and navy (which together 

 absorbed two-thirds of it), miscellaneous civil 

 services, salaries, etc., of the customs, inland 

 revenue, and post-office, the post-office packet- 

 service, and the marriage-portion (30,000 = 

 $145,200) of the Princess Helena ; and 450,- 

 000, = $2,178,000, was for special expenses of 

 fortifications provided for the previous year. 

 Mr. Disraeli's estimates for the year ending 

 March 31, 1868, were, revenue, 69,340,000 = 

 $335,605.600, and expenditure 68,134,000 = 

 $329,768,660. 



The principal of the national debt stood, on 

 the 31st of March, 1867, at 777,497,804 = 

 $3,763,089,371.36, being a decrease of about 

 4,000,000 from the previous year. 



The total army of the United Kingdom dur- 

 ing the year 1867-'6S consisted of 139,163 men, 

 divided as follows: officers on the general staff, 

 75 ; regiments of the general army, having 

 6,509 commissioned and 12,107 non-commis- 

 sioned officers, and 108,858 rank and file ; de- 

 pots of Indian regiments, including horse artil- 

 lery, cavalry, royal artillery, and infantry, 392 

 commissioned and 974 non-commissioned offi- 

 cers, and 8,412 rank and file; recruiting ant! 

 other establishments, 132 commissioned and 

 267 non-commissioned officers, and 76 rank and 

 file; and training-schools, having 32 commis- 

 sioned, 236 non-commis&ioned officers, and 10 

 rank and file. Besides these, the British army 

 in India comprises 65,287 men, of whom 3,615 

 were commissioned, 5,306 non-commissioned 

 officers, and 56,366 rank and file. The total 

 volunteer force enrolled was 162,681 ; of which 

 662 were light horse, 23,363 artillery, 2,904 en- 

 gineers, 656 mounted rifles, and 134.096 rifle 

 volunteers. The number of unenrolled militia, 

 to be called up for twenty-one days' training, is 

 stated at 128,971, but large deductions are to 

 be made for absentees. The expenditure for 

 military service for 1867-'68 is estimated at 

 14,752,200 = $71,400,648. There are two 

 military schools: the Royal Military Academy 

 at "Woolwich, and the Royal Military College 

 at Sandhurst, besides regimental 'and garrison 

 schools and libraries. There is also a Royal 

 Military Asylum at Chelsea, the Royal Hiber- 

 nian Military School at Dublin, a Department 

 for the Instruction of Artillery Officers, and the 

 Military Medical School. The total charge for 

 all of them is 172,201 == $833,452.84. 



II. NAVY. There were in commission at the 

 beginning of the year 152 sea-going vessels, all 

 steamers, of which 4 were line-of-battle ships, 

 16 iron-clads, 34 frigates and corvettes, and 98 

 sloops-of-war and smaller vessels. Of gunnery 

 and training ships, stationary, receiving and 

 depot ships, including royal yachts, surveying 

 vessels, troop-ships, store-ships, drill-ships, and 

 tenders', there were 41 sailing-vessels and 57 

 steamers. There were also 10 steamers of 

 the coast-guard service, and 41 sailing-vessels 

 and 18 steamers employed as tenders; making 



