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DENMARK. 



DENMARK, a kingdom in northern Europe. 

 The legislative body, called the Rigsdag, is com- 

 posed of two Chambers. The Landsthing is the 

 upper house, containing 66 members, 12 of whom 

 'are appointed by the Crown for life and the others 

 electea by the highest taxpayers in the country, 

 delegates of the same class in the towns, and dele- 

 gates of the whole electorate. The Polkething, or 

 popular assembly, is composed of 114 members 

 elected by all male citizens above the age of thirty 

 except domestic servants and recipients of public 

 chanty. 



The reigning King is Christian IX, born April 

 18, 1818, the son of Duke Wilhelm of Schleswig- 

 llolsteiii-Sonderburg-Glucksburg and the successor 

 of Fredcrik VII, the last sovereign of the Olden- 

 burg line, who died Nov. 15, 1863. The heir ap- 

 parent is Prince Frederik, born July 28, 1843. 



The Cabinet constituted on May 23, 1897, was com- 

 posed of the following Ministers: President of the 

 Council ami Minister of Finance, H. E. Horring; 

 Minister of Marine and Acting Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, Vice- Admiral N. F. Ravn; Minister of 

 Justice and for Iceland, N. R. Rump ; Minister of 

 Ec-clesiastical Affairs and Public Instruction, Bishop 

 II. V. Sthvr: Minister of War, Col. C. F. F. E. 

 Tuxen; Minister of the Interior and of Public 

 Works, V. von Bardenfleth ; Minister of Agricul- 

 ture, Alfred Hage. 



Area and Population. Denmark has an area 

 of 15,289 square miles, with a population estimated 

 in 1896 at 2,304,000. The number of marriages in 

 1896 was 16,823 ; of births, 70,271 ; of deaths, 36,- 

 090; excess of births, 34,181. There were 2,876 

 emigrants in 1896. 



Finances. The revenue for the year ending 

 March 31, 1897, was 65,235,336 kroner; expenditure, 

 65,957,594 kroner. The budget for the year ending 

 March 31, 1898, makes the revenue 66,847,101 

 kroner, of which 43,455,400 kroner come from indi- 

 rect taxes, 10,182,550 kroner from direct taxes, 

 4,540,331 kroner from interest and income, 1,390,- 

 000 kroner from lotteries, 764,957 kroner from do- 

 mains, 202,610 kroner from posts and telegraphs, 

 722,145 kroner from miscellaneous receipts, and 

 5,589,108 kroner from expenditure of capital and 

 contraction of debt. The total expenditure is cal- 

 culated at 64,734,189 kroner, of which 10,385,152 

 kroner are for public works, 10,011,745 kroner for 

 the army, 6,973,370 kroner for the charges of the 

 public debt, 6,571,406 kroner for the navy, 4,492,088 

 kroner for the interior, 4,387,368 kroner for the De- 

 partment of Justice, 4,225,493 kroner for education 

 and worship, 3,686,511 kroner for finance, 3,197,178 

 kroner for pensions, 2,250,001 kroner for agricul- 

 ture, 1,155,200 kroner for the civil list and appa- 

 nages, 620,656 kroner for foreign affairs, 319,016 

 kroner for the Rigsdag and Council of State, 81,764 

 kroner for the administration of Iceland, 4,362,641 

 kroner for extraordinary expenditure, and 2,014.600 

 kroner for loans, advances, and reduction of debt. 

 The public debt at that date amounted to 196,405,- 

 438 kroner, of which 66,515,250 kroner were owed 

 to foreign creditors. The reserve fund on March 

 :<1. 1897, amounted to 17,864,565 kroner, and the 

 total value of state investments was 62,706,131 

 kroner, not including the domains nor the capital 

 of tin- state railroads, which was 206.942,082 kroner, 

 nt budgets have shown a steady increase of rev- 

 enue from indirect taxation, increased expenditure 

 on railroads, a decrease in the interest on the pub- 

 lic debt due to conversion, a decrease in expendi- 

 ture on the army, and a reduction in taxation, beer 

 being the only article on which the tax has been in- 

 creased since 1891. 



The Army and Navy. All young men of good 

 physique on reaching the age of twenty-two are 



drilled six months for the infantry service, eight 

 for the cavalry, or three or four for the artillery 

 and engineers, which is supplemented by a second 

 period of drill lasting from eight months to a year 

 for those who do not show sufficient proficiency af- 

 ter the first course of training. The liability to 

 service lasts eight years in the regular army and 

 reserve and eight in the extra reserve. The regu- 

 lar array in 1896 numbered 751 officers and about 

 10,000 men with the colors, while the war strength 

 was 1,352 officers and 45,910 men. The volunteer 

 forces bring the total strength up to 60,000, not 

 including 16,500 in the extra reserve, or second 

 line. 



The Danish fleet consists of the turret ship 

 " Helgoland," of 5,300 tons; the coast-defense iron- 

 clads "Odin," of 3,050, " Gorm," of 2,350, and 

 " Lindormen," of 2,050 tons; the "Tordenskjold,'* 

 of 2,400 tons, carrying a 52-ton gun in an armored 

 barbette ; the barbette ship " Iver Hvitfeldt," of 

 3,250 tons ; the new turret ship " Skjold," of 4,500 

 tons : and the deck-armored cruisers " Fyen," of 

 2,540, "Valkyrien," of 2,850, and " Geiser," 

 " Hekla," and " Heimdal," of 1,270 tons. 



Commerce. The value of the agricultural prod- 

 uce in 1896, including 37,350,000 bushels of oats, 

 20,600,000 of barley, 19,480,000 of rye, 3,575,000 of 

 wheat, 21,040,000 of potatoes, and 147,200,000 of 

 beets and other root crops, with the crops of hay 

 and vegetables, was 323,598,188 kroner. The pro- 

 duction of proof spirits was 7,444,000 gallons; of 

 beer, 48,160,000 gallons ; of beet sugar, 44,152 tons. 



The value of the imports in 1896 was 383,936,695 

 kroner, and of exports 283,878,946 kroner, of which 

 218,600,000 kroner represent the domestic exports. 

 Of the total value of imports 138,200,000 kroner 

 were for articles of food and drink, 121,800,000 for 

 raw materials, 42,500,000 kroner for machinery and 

 other means of production, and 81,400,000 kroner 

 for manufactured articles. In the total value of ex- 

 ports articles of food are represented by 217,600,000 

 kroner, raw materials by 33,300,000 kroner, means of 

 production by 19,000,000 kroner, and manufactured 

 articles by 14,000,000 kroner. The imports of colo- 

 nial goods were 31,788,000 kroner, and exports 11,- 

 892,000 kroner in value; imports of beverages 

 5.467,000, and exports 2,713,000 kroner; imports 

 of textile manufactures 42,645,000. and exports 

 5,384.000 kroner ; imports of metal and hardware 

 44,268,000, and exports 9,041,000 kroner; imports 

 of wood and its manufactures 21,598,000, and ex- 

 ports 2,676,000 kroner; imports of coal 22,138,000, 

 and exports 1,610,000 kroner; imports of animals 

 3,169,000, and exports 24,440,000 kroner ; imports 

 of butter, eggs, pork, and lard 35,485,000, and ex- 

 ports 169,744,000 kroner; imports of cereals 40,- 

 801,000, and exports 8,500,000 kroner. The exports 

 of live stock were 16,972 horses, 91,794 cattle, and 

 4,366 sheep. 



The distribution of the foreign trade of 1896 

 among commercial nations is shown in the follow- 

 ing table, giving values in kroner: 



Navigation. The number of vessels in the for- 

 eign trade entered at Danish ports during 1896 was 

 31,559, of 2,275,815 tons ; the number cleared was 



