EUROPE. 



249 



prived of many rights which they enjoy in 

 nearly every country of Europe; still, ^the 

 rigorous laws against the press, and the. right 

 of holding meetings, were relaxed, and the 

 number of Liberal papers therefore largely in- 

 creased. Russia issued new edicts for the ex- 

 tirpation of the Polish language and nation- 

 ality, but rnade considerable progress in point 

 of education, in the extension of her railroad 

 system, and other points of home administra- 

 tion. Turkey feels herself compelled to make 

 every year some concession to the liberal ten- 

 dencies in the Christian provinces. The most 

 important reform introduced last year was the 

 organization of a Council of State, to consist 

 of fifty members, both Mohammedans and 

 Christians. 



The overthrow of the throne of Queen Isa- 

 bella of Spain adds another to the many vicis- 

 situdes which have befallen monarchy in Eu- 

 rope since the beginning of the present century. 

 Absolute monarchy is nearly gone, and an irre- 

 sistible current drives the peoples onward, tow- 

 ard securing greater liberties, and more and more 

 threatens the very existence of all monarchies. 

 In view of the unceasing conflict which may 

 bring important changes in the course of the 

 year 1869, the following brief retrospect (from 

 the Paris Siecle) of the fate of European mon- 

 archy will be found useful for reference, when- 

 ever a new change may take place : 



The great conqueror of the century, lie who trans- 

 muted the French Eepublic into a sort of universal 

 monarchy. Napoleon I., was thrown down definitively 

 in 1815. His brothers, the Kings Jerome and Joseph, 

 had already succumbed. Murat, King of Naples, dis- 

 appeared soon after. Immediately upon being re- 

 stored, the Bourbon monarchy in Spain began to tot- 

 ter. It lost all its American colonies, which became 

 republics, and Ferdinand VH. was kept on the throne 

 only by the French expedition in 1823. In the follow- 

 ing year took place the fall of Iturbide, Emperor of 

 Mexico. The Sultan of Turkey was shortly afterward 

 deprived of Greece, which was proclaimed an inde- 

 pendent monarchy on the 3d of February, 1830. In 

 the same year fell the Dey of Algiers, and also 

 Charles X., led on by M. de Polignac, and the Ultra Le- 

 gitimist and clerical faction. The King of Holland 

 lost Belgium, that is to say, one-half of his states, on 

 the 25th of August, and the deposition of the house 

 of Orange-Nassau was proclaimed at Brussels. The 

 Duke Charles of Brunswick was, on the 7th Septem- 

 ber, 1830, driven from his dominions by an insurrec- 

 tion. The Czar, at the same epoch, lost Poland for 

 a time. In 1833, the too famous Dom Miguel, King 

 of Portugal, was compelled to cede the crown to Dona 

 Maria, daughter of Dom Pedro, who retained the sov- 

 ereignty of Brazil. Louis Philippe was sacrificed to 

 the faults and obstinacy of M. Guizot. On the 1st 

 December. 1848, the Emperor Ferdinand of Austria 

 had to abdicate, in order to avoid being expelled. At 

 that epoch Pius IX. was brought back to and has 

 since been supported at Eome only by the French 

 arms. Austria, for a short time, lost possession of 

 Hungary. The King of Prussia, Frederick William 

 IV., threatened all along from 1848, was forced on the 

 6th of February, 1850, to take an oath to preserve the 

 Prussian charter. In 1855, Nicholas I. died of vex- 

 ation and wounded self-love, because he was stopped 

 on the road to Constantinople. In 1859, the Duke 

 of Modena, the Duchess of Parma, and the Grand- 

 duke of Tuscany were struck out from the list of 

 reigning princes. Soulouque, the Emperor of Hayti, 



was hurled from his throne on the 15th January, 1859. 

 In the following year, Francis II., King of Naples, 

 saw Garibaldi enter his capital on the 7th September, 

 and again another deposition was announced. Otho, 

 King of the Hellenes, was driven from his throne by 

 an insurrection in 1862. Three years later, Prince 

 Couza lost the quasi-sovereignty of Eoumania. In 

 1866, the Emperor of Austria definitively gave up 

 Venetiaj the surrender of which may, perhaps, have 

 saved his empire. In the same year Prussia over- 

 threw the thrones of Hanover, Nassau, and Electoral 

 Hesse ; and Maximilian fell in Mexico. During all 

 this lapse of time no constitutional monarchy has 

 been disturbed no revolution has taken place in 

 England or in Sweden, where the young dynasty 

 continues ; in Belgium the royal house has survived 

 the storms of 1848 ; so in Portugal. 



At the close of the year 1868, according to 

 the official censuses or calculations published 

 up to that time, the area and population of the 

 countries of Europe were as follows : 



