BELGIUM. 



C5 



Catholic party : 1. Barth61emy Theodore, Count 

 de Theux de Meylandt, President of the Coun- 

 cil, born February 25, 1794, Minister of the In- 

 terior, 1831, 1832, 1846; and 1848; and Minis- 

 ter of Foreign Affairs, 1834-1840 ; appointed 

 President of the Council of Ministers, Decem- 

 ber 7, 1871. Connt de Theux is one of the 

 veterans of Belgian independence, aud has 

 been, since 1831, a member of the Chamber 

 of Representatives. 2. Jules Malou, Minister 

 of Finance (appointed December 7, 1871). 3. 

 T. de Lantsheere, Minister of Justice. 4. M. 

 Beernaert, Minister of Public Works (Octo- 

 ber 23, 1873). 5. Minister of War (vacant). 

 6. C. B. Delcour, Minister of the Interior, for- 

 merly professor at the Catholic University of 

 Louvain (appointed December 7, 1871). 7. 

 Baron d'Aspremont-Lynden, Minister of For- 

 eign Affairs (appointed December 6, 1871). 



The power of making laws is vested in the 

 Chamber of Representatives and the Senate. 

 The members of both Houses are chosen by the 

 people. The Chamber of Representatives is 

 composed of deputies chosen directly by the 

 citizens for four years. Their number cannot 

 exceed one member for every 40,000 inhabit- 

 ants, and in 1873 amounted to 124. The Sen- 

 ate consists of the heir-apparent to the throne, 

 and of one-half the number of members com- 

 posing the Chamber of Representatives ; its 

 members are elected for eight years, by the 

 same class of citizens who choose the Chamber 

 of Representatives. According to the new 

 electoral law of May 18, 1872, the right of 

 voting belongs to all Belgian citizens who 

 have completed their twenty-first year of age, 

 and pay direct taxes to the amount of 42 francs 

 31 centimes. To be eligible, it is necessary 

 to be a Belgian by birth, or to have received 

 la grande naturalization, to be in possession 

 of tha civil and political rights of the kingdom, 

 to reside in Belgium, to* have attained the 

 twenty-fifth year for the Chamber of Repre- 

 sentatives, and the fortieth for the Senate, and 

 for the latter to pay direct taxes, to the 

 amount of 2,1 16 francs 40 centimes. The mem- 

 bers of either Chamber cannot be elected to 

 any salaried office (except that of minister, 

 diplomatic agent, or governor) until one year 

 after the cessation of their term of office, un- 

 le.-H convoked by the King earlier. The Cham- 

 bers meet annually on November 2d : they 

 appoint, at the beginning of every session, 

 tli.-ir presidents ; their meetings are public, 

 Provincial councils have been introduced lor 

 the care of provincial interests. Their mem- 

 bers are chosen for a terra of four years. In 

 order to be eligible, it is necessary, according 

 to the new electoral law of May'lS, 1872, to 

 [i iv taxes to the amount of 20 francs. 



lii'l.'ium is divided into 9 provinces and 41 

 arrondissements; at the head of the former 

 are governors, who are assisted by stnndiriir 

 deputations of the provincial council ; at the 

 litM'l of the latter commissioners, who have 

 the direct control of the communes, with the 



VOL. XIII. 5 A 



exception of the towns with a population of 

 more than 5,000 inhabitants, the burgomasters 

 of which are immediately subordinate to the 

 governor. Of courts there are in Belgium : 

 1 court of cassation in Brussels, 2 courts of 

 appeal, 26 tribunals of primary jurisdiction, 9 

 courts of assizes, 204 justices of the peace, 14 

 commercial tribunals, 1 military court, and 9 

 provincial martial courts. 



In the budget for 1873, the receipts were 

 estimated at 205,985,000 francs ; the expendi- 

 tures at 201,412,211 ; the public debt (on June 

 1, 1871) at 684,549,013. 



The military system of Belgium, which was 

 partly reorganized by a law of June 3, 1870, 

 is based on conscription, with the right of 

 substitution. The legal period of service is 

 eiirht years, of which, however, two-thirds are 

 allowed, as a rule, on furlough, The strength 

 of the army is to be of about 100,000 on the 

 war-footing, and of 40,000 in time of peace. 

 Besides the standing army, there is a civil rnili- 

 thi Garde Nationale embracing all citizens 

 between twenty and fifty years of age, able to 

 bear arms. It is active in communes of more 

 than 10,000 inhabitants : in the others it is not 

 in active service, and can only be mobilized by 

 law. The active militia, in 1872, numbered 

 about 30,000 ; the active and non-active to- 

 gether about 500,000. The standing army is 

 divided into 4 divisions of infantry, 2 divis- 

 ions of cavalry, and 3 brigades of artillery. 

 The navy numbers 10 steamers, which, in 

 times of peace, are employed as transport and 

 mail steamers between Ostend and Antwerp. 



The progress of the commerce of Belgium, 

 comprising such imports as are consumed 

 within, and such exports as have been pro- 

 duced in the country, is shown by the follow- 

 ing table (the value being expressed in million 

 francs) : 



The merchant navy, on December 31, 1871, 

 was composed as follows : 



The following table shows the movement 

 in shipping in the Belgian ports during the pe- 

 riod from 1869 to 1871 : 



