DENMARK. 



275 



crowns went to Great Britain, 61,834,000 

 crowns went to Germany, and 27,963,000 

 crowns went to Sweden. The United States 

 was the next largest importing country, fur- 

 nishing 18,943,000 crowns of the imports, but 

 took only 1,619,000 crowns of Danish prod- 

 ucts in return. The imports and exports of 

 the general classes of merchandise in 1881 

 were valued as follows, in millions and tenths 

 of millions of crowns : 



In 1880 the total imports amounted to 227,- 

 400,000 crowns and the total exports to 196,- 

 600,000 crowns. 



The total tonnage of vessels entered at Dan- 

 ish ports in 1881 was 1,394,996 tons in the 

 maritime, and 343,554 tons in the coasting 

 trade. Of the former, 566,545 tons represent- 

 ed steam, and 828,451 tons sailing-vessels. The 

 total tonnage cleared was 1,444,263 tons in 

 the maritime, and 322,352 tons in the coasting 

 trade. 



The mercantile fleet numbered in 1881 3,016 

 sailing-vessels, of 203,555 tons, and 202 steam- 

 ers, of 51,984 tons, as compared with 3,091 

 sailing-vessels, of 213,201 tons, and 188 steam- 

 ers, of 45,124 tons, in 1878. 



The railroad mileage in 1882 was 810 miles 

 belonging to the state, and 1,105 miles be- 

 longing to companies. The length of telegraph 

 lines in operation in 1881 was 2,200 miles; 

 length of wires, 5,840 miles. 



Army and Navy. Obligatory personal military 

 service for all Danes was enacted by the law 

 of 1867 and the supplementary law of 1880. 

 Service begins at the age of 22 and lasts 16 

 years, 8 in the regular army, and 8 in the re- 

 serve. In the majority of cases infantry-men 

 remain with the colors only from 6 to 11 

 months, and cavalry-men 20 months, after 

 which they obtain leave of absence and are re- 

 quired only during the manoeuvres. The total 

 strength of the army on the war-footing in 

 1882 was 50,522, inclusive of officers. 



The navy in 1882 comprised 2 iron-clad 

 frigates, with 44 guns; 3 floating batteries, 

 with 14 ; 3 casemated vessels, with 20 ; 3 tor- 

 pedo-vessels, with 7; and 2 frigates, 3 cor- 

 vettes, and 5 schooners, unarmored; 13 iron 

 gunboats, 2 wheel-steamers, and 9 torpedo- 

 boats ; together 44 steam-vessels, of 31,214 ag- 

 gregate horse-power, armed with 252 cannon. 



Finances. The closed accounts of the year 

 1880-'81 state the expenditures as 47,543,367 

 crowns, and the receipts as 51,745,463 crowns. 

 The budget for the year 1883-'84 gives the 

 estimated revenue as 51,932,822 crowns, of 

 which 5,272.532 crowns come from railroads, 

 interest on reserve funds, and other state prop- 



erty, 1,136,676 crowns from the domains and 

 forests, 9,004,700 crowns from direct taxes on 

 lands, houses, and titles, 32,311,000 crowns 

 from indirect taxes, and the rest from the 

 state lottery and other sources. The expendi- 

 tures are set down at 48,335,885 crowns, of 

 which the public debt charges consume 9,821,- 

 700 crowns; civil pensions, 2,627,980; military 

 pensions, 730,011 ; the civil list and appanages, 

 1,225,760 ; the Department of Worship and In- 

 struction, 1,367,192; of Justice, 2,551,704; of 

 the Interior, 2,067,075; of War, 9,118,351; of 

 Marine, 5,833,989 ; of Finance, 3,046,768 ; Pub- 

 lic Works, 5,426,072 ; extraordinary expendi- 

 tures, 3,022,455. 



The budget for 1884-'85, laid before the 

 Folkething Oct. 2d, estimates the revenue at 

 53,578,743 crowns and the expenditures at 

 51,631,698 crowns. The increase in the reve- 

 nues is derived from the indirect taxes, which 

 are becoming more productive every year. 

 The increased expenditures are due to the pro- 

 jected new railroads and the extensive system 

 of fortifications for which the plans have been 

 adopted. 



The public debt on March 31, 1882, amount- 

 ed to 201,664,701 crowns, of which 187,907,034 

 crowns represented the domestic debt and 13,- 

 757,667 crowns foreign loans. The assets of 

 the state were valued at 84,306,206 crowns, of 

 which 40,728,814 crowns were capital expendi- 

 ture, 19,276,262 crowns reserve funds, and 24,- 

 301,130 miscellaneous assets. The cost of con- 

 struction of the state railroads was at that date 

 130,052,923 crowns. The public debt will 

 be reduced by April 1, 1884, to 197,000,000 

 crowns, making a total reduction of 38,000,000 

 crowns in fourteen years. The object of the 

 large reserve fund kept on hand "is to have 

 funds at the disposal of the Government in 

 any sudden emergency. 



Constitutional Crisis. The protracted conflict 

 between the King, supported by the Conserva- 

 tive party, and the Liberal party, which forms 

 the majority in the Folkething, and derives 

 its support from the rural population and the 

 democratic and socialistic masses in the capi- 

 tal, came no nearer to a solution in 1883. The 

 legislative deadlock became more serious. The 

 contest is over the prerogative of the King to 

 appoint his ministry, whom the Opposition 

 would require him to choose from the party 

 of the majority, in accordance with the doc- 

 trines of parliamentarism. The chief subject 

 at present in dispute between the King and the 

 Parliament is the proposed fortification of the 

 city of Copenhagen. The country party assert 

 that this project, the cost of which has grown 

 in the estimates from twenty to a hundred 

 millions, will transcend the-finaccial resources 

 of the country, while affording no security for 

 the military defense of the parts of the country 

 more in danger and for the integrity of the 

 kingdom. The items in the budget for the 

 defensive works were thrown out, as usual. In 

 April the Radicals endeavored to bring the con- 



