GOVERNMENT AND LAW. 



89 



with the internal affairs of either Catholic or Protes- 

 tant churches. Full religious liberty is granted by the 

 Constitution, and part of the income or the ministers 

 of all denominations is paid from the national treas- 

 sury. 



Instruction. There are four universities in the 

 kingdom, three of them with four "facultcs." or 

 branches of study, and one Louvain, nursery of the 

 rloruy, with five; Ghent and Liege are State universi- 

 ties, Brussels and Louvain free. 



Attached to the universities are various '"special 

 schools of engineering, arts, manufactures, mining, 

 etc. 



Besides the above public schools there are many pri- 

 vate or free schools about 80 colleges, 65 middle-class 

 schools for boys, 15'J institutions for girls, besides many 

 infant, primary, and adult schools, mostly under ecclesi- 

 astical care. 



Justice. Judges are appointed for life by the King 

 from lists prepared by the Senate and by the Court. 

 There is one Court of Cassation for the whole kingdom. 

 There are three Courts of Appeal, and there are Assize 

 Courts for criminal cases. The country is divided into 

 26 judicial arrondissements or districts, in each of 

 which is a Court of first instance. In each canton there 

 is a justice of the peace, a police court, and a judge of 

 the peace ; there are 216 such cantons. There are, be- 

 sides, special military, commercial, and other tribunals. 

 There is trial by jury in all criminal and political cases. 

 The Gendarmerie (2',58C) and the Garde Civique are util- 

 ized for the maintenance of internal order. 



BRAZIL. 



In 1307 the royal family of Portugal fled to 

 Brazil; in 1815 the colony was declared " a 

 kingdom ' ' ; and the Portuguese Court having 

 returned to Europe in 1821, a National Con- 

 gress assembled at Rio de Janeiro, and on May 

 13, 1822, Dom Pedro, eldest son of King Joao 

 VI. of Portugal, was chosen " Perpetual De- 

 fender" of Brazil. He proclaimed the inde- 

 pendence of the country on September 7, 1822, 

 and was chosen " Constitutional Emperor and 

 Perpetual Defender " 011 October 12 following. 

 In 1831 he abdicated the crown in favor of his 

 only son, Dom Pedro II., who reigned as Em- 

 peror until November 15, 1889, when by a 

 revolution he was dethroned, and he and his 

 family exiled, and Brazil declared a Republic 

 under the title of the United States of Brazil. 



General Deodoro Fonseca was the first Pres- 

 ident. On November 23, 1891, he resigned, 

 and Vice-President Peixoto took his place. 

 Dissatisfaction, occasioned principally by mil- 

 itary interference in the States, led to a rising 

 in I\io Grande do Sul, and to a naval revolt in 

 the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. The rising in the 

 South terminated in August, 1895, and the 

 naval revolt was suppressed in March, 1894. 



According to the constitution adopted by the 

 National Congress in February, 1891, the Bra- 

 zilian nation is constituted as the United 

 States of Brazil Each of. the old Provinces 

 forms a State, administered at its own expense 

 without interference from the Federal Gov- 

 ernment save for defense, for the maintenance 

 of order, and for the execution of the Federal 

 laws. Fiscal arrangements in such matters as 

 import duties, stamps, rates of postage, and 

 bank note circulation belong to the Union ; 



but export duties are the property of the vari- 

 ous States. 



The legislative authority is exercised by the 

 National Congress with the sanction of the 

 President of the Republic. Congress consists 

 of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. 

 It meets annually on the 3d of May, without 

 being convoked, unless another day be fixed 

 by law, and sits four months, but may be pro- 

 rogued or convoked extraordinarily. No mem- 

 ber of Congress, after his election, can con- 

 tract with the executive power or accept any 

 commission or paid office, except such as are 

 diplomatic or military or imposed by law. If, 

 in ordinary circumstances, the acceptance of 

 diplomatic or military office would cause the 

 loss of the legislative services of a member, 

 the permission of the Chamber is required. 

 Nor can any member of Congress take part in 

 the administration of any company which re- 

 ceives a subsidy from the Federal Government. 

 Deputies and Senators are paid, and neither 

 can be Ministers of State, and retain at the 

 same time their seats in Congress. Deputies 

 must have been Brazilian citizens for four 

 years. Senators must be over thirty-five years 

 of age and must have been citizens for six 

 years. 



The Chamber of Deputies consists cf 212 

 members elected for three years by direct vote 

 (providing for the representation of the minor- 

 ity), in a proportion not greater than one to 

 every 70,000 of population as shown by a de- 

 cennial census, but so that no State will have 

 less than four representatives. It has the in- 

 itiative iu legislation relating to taxation. . 



Senators, 63 in number, are chosen by direct 

 vote, three for each state, and for the Federal 

 district, for nine years, and the Senate is re- 

 newed to the extent of one third every three 

 years. The Vice-President of the Republic is 

 President ~of the Senate. 



The executive authority is exercised by the 

 President of the Republic. He imist be a na- 

 tive of Brazil, over thirty-five years of age. 

 His term of office is four years, and he is not 

 eligible for the succeeding term. The Presi- 

 dent and the Vice-President are elected by the 

 people directly, by an absolute majority of 

 votes. The election is held on the 1st of 

 March in the last year of each presidential 

 period in accordance with forms prescribed by 



I law. No candidate must be related by blood 

 or marriage, in the first or second degree, to 



I the actual President or Vice-President, or to 



i either who has ceased to be so within six 

 months. 



The PresMent has the nomination and dis- 

 missal of ministers, supreme command of the 



j army and navy, and, within certain limits, the 



