NETHERLANDS. 



The paper money amounts to 15,000,000 guilders. 

 Since 1850 the payments for redemption ot debt 

 have amounted to' 302,8(58.081) guilders. 



The expenditure of the provincial administra- 

 tions amount to 5,700.000 guilders per annum, 

 and the expenditures of communes to 93.1U4.00I 

 guilders, including 22,051,000 guilders of interest 

 on debts. 



The Army. The standing army at the end 

 of 1807 consisted of 1.971 officers and 27,834 men. 

 The main part is composed of soldiers enlisted 

 for a term of years, in addition to whom about 

 11. (KM) young men are drawn by lot every year 

 to serve in the ranks for twelve months, after 

 which thev are summoned for six weeks of tram- 

 in" each year till the live years of service in the 

 active nniiv have passed. Substitution was abol- 

 lished by the law of 1898, and personal service 

 was rendered compulsory without exemption ex- 

 cept for ministers of religion. The militia em- 

 braces the whole male population capable of bear- 

 ing arms, and is divided into three bans, one 

 composed of the unmarried men and widowers who 

 have no children, one of men with small families 

 which are able to subsist without their labor, 

 and one of married men and widowers who have 

 >.ns in the militia. The first ban in 1897 num- 

 Ix-red 42.243 men. The colonial army of the East 

 Indies has no connection with that of the Nether- 

 lands. 



The Navy. The naval force maintained for 

 the defense both of the Dutch coast and the East 

 Indies consists of 6 armor clads, 20 armored gun- 

 boats of from 240 to 2,500 tons, 3 fast and power- 

 ful deck-protected cruisers, 50 unprotected cruis- 

 ers, gunboats, and small-armed craft for river 

 and harbor defense, 28 first-class torpedo craft, 

 and 28 torpedo boats of the second and third 

 classes. Whenever vessels become obsolete or 

 inefficient they are replaced by modern ships, ac- 

 cording to an authorized programme. The ram 

 Koningin Willemine, of 4,000 tons, carries 1 11- 

 inch. 1 8]-inch. and 2 0-inch guns in turrets pro- 

 tected by 1U inches of armor, and has a nominal 

 speed of 17 knots. The Koning der Nederlanden, 

 of ;.400 tons, is protected by 8-inch plates and 

 armed with 4 11 -inch guns, but can make only 

 11 knots. The Prins Hendrik, of 3,375 tons, car- 

 ries 4* 8]-inch and 4 4-inch guns, and has a speed 

 of 12 knots. The Evertsen, Kortenaer, and Piet 

 Hein. of 3,400 tons, having 6 inches of armor on 

 their sides, are designed to carry 3 guns of 8| 

 and inches caliber, and to have a speed of 20 

 knots. The new protected cruisers are the Hol- 

 land. Zeeland, and Friesland, built for a speed 

 of 20 knots, and an armament of 2 6-inch and 6 

 4i-inch guns, besides smaller quick-firing and ma- 

 chine guns. 



Commerce and Production. There were 865,- 

 458 hectares under crops in 1896, and of pasture 

 lands 1,182,879 hectares, 61,405 hectares of gar- 

 den and orchard, and 248,383 hectares of forest; 

 total productive area, 2,358,125 hectares. Of 

 estates exceeding 100 hectares there were only 

 192, while 25,198 ranged from 20 to 100 hectares, 

 r>4,147 from 5 to 20 hectares, and 78,813 were 

 less than 5 hectares, 58.5 per cent, of the total 

 number being cultivated bv the proprietors and 

 42.8 per cent, by tenant farmers. Of the area 

 cropped. 214.917 hectares were devoted to rye, 

 150,203 hectares to potatoes, 128,429 hectares to 

 oats, 62.205 hectares to wheat, 45,571 hectares to 

 beets, and the rest to barley, beans, buckwheat, 

 peas, flax, and minor crops. The imports of 

 wheat in 1897 were 144.359,000 guilders in value, 

 Jind exports 113,677,000 guilders; imports of rye 

 were 78,838,000 guilders, and exports 37,769,000 



cniilders; imports of rye and wheat flour were 

 48,870,000 guilders, and exports 12,227,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of barley were 27,395,000 guilders, 

 and exports 19,239,000 guilders; imports of oats 

 were 23,398,000 guilders, and exports 20,352,000 

 guilders: imports of potatoes were 197,000 guil- 

 ders, and exports 1.081,000 guilders; imports of 

 potato starch were 4,230,000 guilders, and exports 

 10,059.000 guilders; imports of buck\vheat were 

 2,950,000 guilders, and exports 1,013,000 guilders; 

 imports of flax were 907,000 guilders, and exports 

 13.585,000 guilders; imports of beets were 107,- 

 000 guilders, and exports 1,494,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of bulbs, plants, and trees were 425,000 

 guilders, and exports 5,109,000 guilders; imports 

 of vegetables were 1,752,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports 39,107,000 guilders. The herring catch in 

 the North Sea in 1897 was valued at 5,567,756 

 guilders. 



The total value of imports of cereals and flour 

 in 1897 was 325,810,000 guilders, and of exports 

 204,277,000 guilders; imports of drugs were 176,- 

 105,000 guilders, and exports 236,726,000 guilders; 

 imports of iron and steel and manufactures there- 

 of were 100,190,000 guilders, and exports 101,142,- 

 000 guilders; imports of textile materials and 

 manufactures were 98,339,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports 73,984,000 guilders; imports of copper were 

 72,882,000 guilders, and exports 07,801,000 guil- 

 ders; imports of timber and wood were 50,944,000 

 guilders, and exports 34,298,000 guilders; imports 

 of coffee were 47,939,000 guilders, and exports 

 24,702,000 guilders; imports of sugar were 25,- 

 854,000 guilders, and exports 54,440,000 guilders; 

 imports of margarine w r ere 19,018,000 guilders, 

 and exports 48,093,000 guilders; imports of rice 

 were 44,955,000 guilders, and exports 20,110,000 

 guilders; imports of hides and skins were 26,921,- 

 000 guilders, and exports 29,696,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of coal were 49,516,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports 3,480,000 guilders; imports of saltpeter 

 were 21,700,000 guilders, and exports 19,686,000 

 guilders; imports of oil seeds were 32,917,000 

 guilders, and exports 15,881,000 guilders; imports 

 of paper were 5,144,000 guilders, and exports 32,- 

 035,000 guilders; imports of tin were 18,914,000 

 guilders, and exports 15,365,000 guilders; imports 

 of paints were 12,250,000 guilders, and exports 

 10,787,000 guilders; imports of grease and tallow 

 were 22,331,000 guilders, and exports 9,326,000 

 guilders; imports of butter were 1,655,000 guil- 

 ders, and exports 17,625,000 guilders; imports of 

 cheese were 82,000 guilders, and exports 13,334,000 

 guilders; imports of mineral oil were 11,419,000 

 guilders, and exports were 82,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of flax were 967,000 guilders, and exports 

 12,685,000 guilders; imports of indigo were 8,789,- 

 000 guilders, and exports 6,119,000 guilders; im- 

 ports of zinc were 10,997,000 guilders, and ex- 

 ports 10,792,000 guilders; imports of tobacco were 

 9,208,000 guilders, and exports 5,388,000 guilders. 

 The imports of gold and silver in 1897 were 22,- 

 194,000 guilders, and the exports were 81,000 

 guilders. 



The total value of imports in 1898 was 1,795,- 

 700,000 guilders, of which amount 544,300,000 

 guilders represent articles of alimentation, 654,- 

 800,000 guilders raw materials, 290,500,000 guil- 

 ders manufactured articles, 273,500.000 guilders 

 miscellaneous merchandise, and 32,600,000 guilders 

 precious metals. The total value of exports was 

 1,515,800,000 guilders, of which 518,300,000 guil- 

 ders represent alimentary substances, 547,300,000 

 guilders raw materials, 288,600,000 guilders manu- 

 factured articles, 159,300,000 guilders miscellane- 

 ous merchandise, and 2,300,000 guilders precious 

 metals. The commerce of 1898, valued in guilders, 



