718 SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



SWITZERLAND. 



ditures to 8,013,000 specie dalers. The public 

 debt on December 31, 1874, was 9,660,000 

 specie dalers. On January 1, 1872, the troops 

 of the line numbered 13,000 men, the reserve 

 forces 19,000, and the landvaern 11,000. The 

 naval force, in 1873, consisted of 125 vessels, 

 with an armament of 324 guns. Of these 27, 

 with 151 guns, were steamers. 



The commerce in 1873 was as follows (value 

 in specie dalers) : 



The movement of shipping, in 1873, was as 

 follows: 



The aggregate length of railroads in opera- 

 tion at the end of 1874 was 502 kilometres. 

 The aggregate length of -telegraph-lines 6,415 

 kilometres ; of wires, 10,276 kilometres. 



The Swedish Riksdag met on January Itfth. 

 The presidents elected were, in the First Cham- 

 ber, Lagebjelke and Asker ; and, for the Second, 

 Lagerstrale and Nyk. On the 18th the session 

 was formally opened by the King. The trans- 

 actions of the Riksdag were of no great im- 

 portance. On March 3d the First Chamber re- 

 jected the Government bill providing for the 

 changes in the fundamental law of those pro- 

 visions relating to military affairs. On April 

 10th both Chambers adopted a resolution to 

 reorganize the Council of State. The Second 

 Chamber, on May 15th, rejected the military 

 bill, demanding an army of 180,000 men and a 

 term of service of from twelve to seventeen 

 and a half months, and at the same time 

 adopted a law fixing the strength of the 

 army at 80,000 men and the term of service 

 at ninety days. The session closed on the 

 26th of May. 



The> elections for members of the Riksdag 

 took place during September ; the members of 

 the First Chamber, 54 in number, and the entire 

 Second Chamber, 198 members, were voted for. 

 Of these the Landmanna, or Farmer party, ob- 

 tained 10 in the First Chamber, a gain of eight, 

 and 130 in the Second Chamber, being a loss 

 of six. 



The Storthing of Norway was opened on 

 February 2d. The speech from the throne 

 contained the following passages : 



The revenues of the state have come in quite rap- 

 idly, and especially the duties have reached a figure, 

 during the past year, never yet before attained, a 

 proof that the consumption of the country has been 

 unusually large. Together with the commercial prog- 

 ress, the general raising of prices continues, and 

 and makes the fixed salaries, which were regulated 

 under different circumstances, insufficient. I will 

 therefore present again to the Storthing the same 

 motion for the increase of salaries of persons in the 

 service of the state, which has already been partly 

 adopted. A motion will also be introduced to in- 

 crease the salary of the lower military classes as made 

 necessary by the circumstances. The demand for 

 new railroads, and the willingness to make sacrifices 

 for them, continue undiminished. A commission 

 has been appointed to deliver an opinion on various 

 questions connected with this important matter. I 

 shall present a bill to the 'Storthing providing for 

 the complete reform of the monetary system, as laid 

 down in the law of June 4, 1873. In connection 

 herewith it will be moved that Norway join the mone- 

 tary convention existing between Denmark and 

 Sweden. Our relations with foreign powers con- 

 tinue to be of the most friendly nature. 



In March the Storthing adopted the bill in- 

 troduced by the Government, joining the Skan- 

 dinavian Monetary Convention. It adjourned 

 on June 12th. 



On May 24th the King and Queen left on a 

 visit to Berlin, where, having passed through 

 Copenhagen on the 25th, they arrived on the 

 28th. (See GERMANY.) 



In the beginning of July the King also paid 

 a visit to St. Petersburg. (See RUSSIA.) 



SWITZERLAND, a republic of Central Eu- 

 rope, consisting of twenty-two cantons, three 

 of which are divided each into two indepen- 

 dent half-cantons. The supreme legislative 

 and executive authority is vested in a Parlia- 

 ment of two Chambers, the Standerath, or 

 State Council, and the Nationalrath, or Na- 

 tional Council. The first is composed of forty- 

 four members, two for each canton. The 

 Nationalrath consists of 135 representatives 

 of the Swiss people, chosen in direct election, 

 at the rate of one deputy for every 20,000 

 souls. Both Chambers united are called the 

 Federal Assembly, and as such represent the 

 supreme Government of the republic. The 

 chief executive authority is deputed to a Fed- 

 eral Council, consisting of seven members, 

 elected for three years by the Federal Assem- 

 bly. The President and Vice-President of the 

 Federal Council, who are the first magistrates 

 of the republic,, are elected by the Federal As- 

 sembly for the term of one year, and are not 

 reeligible till after the expiration of another 

 year. The President of the Federal Council 

 for the year 1875 was J. J. Soberer, of the can- 

 ton of Zurich ; Yice-President, E. Borel, of 

 the canton of Neufchatel. President of the 

 National Council for the session of the Federal 

 Assembly, beginning in June, 1875, J. J. Stam- 

 pfli, of the canton of Bern ; Vice-President, 

 E. Frey, of the canton of Basel Country. 

 President of the State Council, G. Ringier, of 

 the canton of Aargau ; Vice-President, R. 

 Droz, of the canton of Neufchatel. 



Area of Switzerland, 15,992 square miles. 



