EUROPE. 



287 



The Government of Cis-Leitlian Austria, 

 after many years of indecision and vacillation, 

 laid in December before the Reichsrath a new 

 electoral law which introduced the principle of 

 direct elections, and which is looked upon as the 

 first of a series of radical measures for strength- 

 ening the powers of the Central Government, 

 and reducing those of the provincial Diets. 



The following table shows the area and pop- 

 ulation of the countries of Europe, arranged 

 according to the density of their population at 

 the close of the year 1872, and also the num- 

 ber of inhabitants per square mile : 



The ecclesiastical statistics of Europe, at the 

 close of the year 1872, are exhibited as follows: 



The number of Mohammedans in Europe 

 is about 6,915,000, of whom 4,550,000 are in 

 European Turkey, 2,359,000 in Russia, 5,000 

 in Servia, 1,000 in Roumania, and a smaller 

 number in Poland and Hungary. The num- 

 ber of pagans (in Russia and Turkey), and of 

 those whose religion was unknown, amounted 

 to about 5,000. 



The revised Constitution of Switzerland, 

 when submitted to the popular vote, was re- 

 jected by 257,000 votes against 252,000, and 

 by thirteen cantons against nine. The friends 

 of the revision were, however, not discour- 

 aged, but at once resumed the discussion of 

 the subject in the Federal Assembly. 



The Gotha Almanac, for 1873, gives the fol- 

 lowing table on the nationalities of Europe, 

 which is a valuable aid in understanding the 

 great conflicts arising out of the nationality 

 question : 



The Germanic nations constitute about 31.2 

 per cent, of the aggregate population of Eu- 

 rope ; they comprise the German, Dutch, and 

 Flemish (56,500,000, or 18.5 per cent, of the 

 population of Europe), Anglo-Saxons (29,400,- 

 000, or 9.8 per cent.), and Scandivavians (8,- 

 000,000, or 2.7 per cent.). 



The Romanic nations embrace the French 

 (including Occitanians and Catalanians, 41,- 

 260,000, or 13.7 per cent.) ; Italians and Rheto- 

 Roumanians (27,620,000, or 9.2 per cent.); 

 Spaniards and Portuguese (16,320,000, or 5.4 

 per cent.) ; Daco-Roumanians and Macedo- Wal- 

 lachians (8,100,000, or 2.7 per cent.); Greeks 

 (2,450,000, or 0.8 per cent.) ; Albanians (1,- 

 440,000, or 0.5 per cent.). 



The Slavic nations embrace Russians and 

 Ruthenians (54,530,000, or 18.1 per cent); 

 Poles (9,420,000, or 3.1 per cent.) ; Czechs and 

 Vindes (6,900,000, or 2.3 per cent.) ; Servians, 

 Croatians, and Sloventzi (7,200,000, or 2.4 per 

 cent.) ; Bulgarians (4,080,000, or 1.4 per cent.). 



Of other races not belonging to any of the 

 three large groups, the table enumerates Kym- 

 rians and Celts, 3,400,000, or 1.1 per cent. (2,- 



