GERMANY. 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 359 



their expectations by the result of the new elec- 

 tions to the House of Deputies on the 19th and 

 26th of October. The Progressists lost many 

 seats to the Conservatives, while they gained 

 almost as many from the moderate Liberals. 

 The new Landtag was opened in person by the 

 King on November 14th. The speech urged 

 that, while the other features of the tax reform 

 were awaiting the development of more en- 

 lightened opinions in the legislative assemblies, 

 the relief of the poorer classes from the income- 

 tax should be proceeded with immediately. 

 The collection of this tax was stated to necessi- 

 tate frequent legal executions and entail great 

 distress. To supply the loss of revenue from 

 the abolition of the four lowest grades of the 

 class-tax, the imposition of license-taxes for 

 the sale of beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco, was 

 proposed. The Landtag showed little inclina- 

 tion to accept this new project of the Govern- 

 ment, its opponents proposing instead the re- 

 adjustment of the income-tax. 



BAVARIA. The liberal provisions of the 

 Bavarian Constitution regarding change of 

 domicile were not superseded upon the entrance 

 into the empire. The monarchy retains also 

 its post-office and telegraphs, and the separate 

 organization of its army. The President of 

 the Ministry is Dr. von Lutz. The ministry 

 was retained by the King, although the Ultra- 

 montane majority in the Chamber in 1882 

 sought to displace it. Von Lutz showed a 

 willingness to make some concessions to the 

 majority, but held firmly to the interpretation 

 of the ecclesiastical provisions in the organic 

 law, which, since the Kulturlcampf, has been 

 made to conform to the construction put upon 

 the analogous articles in the Prussian Consti- 

 tution. The financial statement for the budget 

 period of 1882 and 1883 shows 228,705,333 

 marks of gross receipts, and 137,718,537 of net 

 receipts. The public debt, on the 1st of Janu- 

 ary, amounted to 1,341,078,131 marks. The 

 Chamber of Deputies reduced the obligatory 

 school period from seven to six years. 



SAXONY. The President of the Ministry is 

 General von Fabrice. The Chambers celebrat- 

 ed on the 1st of September the fiftieth anni- 

 versary of the Constitution. The budget for 

 1882-'83 fixes the revenue and expenditure at 

 67,767,236 marks. Nearly two thirds of the 

 receipts are from railroads, forests, etc. The 

 debt stood, on January 1st, at 673,445,475 

 marks. 



WIJRTEMBERG. The President of the Minis- 

 try is Dr. von Mittnacht. Elections to the 

 Landtag took place on the 20th of December, 

 in which the Conservative-National party of 

 the ministry obtained a decisive victory over 

 their opponents, the Democratic Volkspartei. 

 The National-Liberal party was merged with 

 the Conservative upon the entrance of its lead- 

 er, Von Holder, into the ministry in October, 

 1881. The budget for 1882-'83 fixes the re- 

 ceipts at 52,303,615 marks. 



ALSACE-LORRAINE. This province of the 



empire is administered under the immediate 

 direction of the General Government. In vir- 

 tue of the law of July 4, 1879, a lieutenant of 

 the Emperor is placed over it, the adminis- 

 tration of which is directed by a ministry, 

 presided over by a secretary of state. The 

 conciliatory intentions avowed since the ap- 

 pointment of Baron Manteuffel as Lieutenant- 

 Governor have not diminished the opposition 

 of the protesting party in the Reichsland. A 

 bill which was introduced in the extra session 

 of the Reichstag, to allow the use of French in 

 deliberative bodies under special circumstances, 

 was defeated in the November session through 

 the influence of the Government, and by the 

 new law the deliberations of the provincial 

 committee must be public and in the German 

 language. The budget for 1882-'83 places the 

 total expenses at 46,830,713 marks. The rev- 

 enues are derived from imposts on wine, beer, 

 etc., the public forests, and to a less extent 

 than in other states from land and other direct 

 taxes. The gross receipts of the tobacco mo- 

 nopoly are stated at 5,688,000 marks, and the 

 expenses at 4,631,562 marks. 



GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, a 

 constitutional monarchy of Western Europe. 

 The supreme legislative power resides in Par- 

 liament, which must be convoked annually. 

 The prerogative of the crown, which the re- 

 sistance of the feudal barons prevented from 

 becoming as absolute as in Continental coun- 

 tries, was greatly curtailed in the conflicts with 

 the princes of the Stuart dynasty. During the 

 last three reigns little has remained of the royal 

 authority but the forms. During the same 

 period the hereditary senate of the Peers has 

 been driven to practically relinquish its share 

 of the legislative authority, while the basis of 

 representation in the House of Commons, or 

 elective assembly, has been considerably ex- 

 tended. By the Reform Bill of 1867-'68 the 

 franchise was conferred upon all rate-payers 

 and occupants of real estate of 10 annual 

 value in the towns and cities, and 12 in the 

 country. The executive authority and the 

 initiative in legislation are virtually concen- 

 trated in the hands of the Prime Minister, 

 who is appointed as the leader of the dominant 

 party, and who selects his associates to preside 

 over the different departments and to prepare 

 with him the schemes of legislation to be 

 brought forward in Parliament. The Queen, 

 Victoria I, was born May 24, 1819, and suc- 

 ceeded her uncle, William IV, June 20, 1837. 

 The heir-apparent is Albert Edward, born in 

 1841. The present House of Commons first 

 met in April, 1880. It is the twenty-second 

 since the Union, and the tenth of the reign of 

 Victoria. Unless previously dissolved, it will 

 last until 1887. The House of Commons con- 

 sists of 187 members representing counties, 

 295 representing cities and boroughs, and 5 

 representing universities in England and 

 Wales, together 487 members; 32 representing 

 counties, 26 representing cities and burgh dis- 



