SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



SWITZERLAND. 



755 



859 steamers, of 65,627 tons. The number of 

 sailors was 60,064. 



The Army. The troops are raised mainly by 

 conscription. The military forces are divided 

 into line troops, the train, the militia, or Land- 

 vaern, the civic guards, and the Landstorm, or 

 final levy. All men of the age of twenty-two 

 are liable to conscription. They are called 

 out for practice only about thirty days each 

 year, for a period of from three to five years. 

 The active force is limited to 750 officers and 

 18,000 men, which numbers can only be ex- 

 ceeded by special act of the Storthing. 



Finances. The receipts in 1882 amounted to 

 39,694.400 crowns from the ordinary revenue, 

 and 8,637,900 crowns from extraordinary 

 sources. The ordinary expenditures amount- 

 ed to 39,350,300 crowns; the expenditures for 

 railroad construction to 6,627,300 crowns. 



The national debt on June 30, 1882, amount- 

 ed to 106,124,000 crowns, the greater part 

 bearing interest at 4 per cent., the last loan, 

 contracted in 1880, at 4 per cent. The funds, 

 railroad stock, and other assets of the state, 

 exceeded the debt. 



Political Crisis. The Storthing passed twice 

 over the royal veto a bill to compel the minis- 

 ters to be present at the sittings and to answer 

 questions. The question raised by the Radi- 

 cal majority was that of the responsibility of 

 the ministers, which had never before been 

 brought to a practical issue. The King in- 

 sisted on his appointing power and the abso- 

 lute right to choose his own advisers, and 

 therefore denied the jurisdiction of the Stor- 

 thing over matters pertaining to the executive. 

 The last Storthing was dissolved with an angry 

 reproof. The new one contained a largely in- 

 creased Radical majority. When the Stor- 

 thing was opened in February, by the King in 

 person, the deputies showed an unbending 

 spirit. The King not only contests the prin- 

 ciple of ministerial responsibility, but desires 

 to alter the Constitution of the country, and, 

 in fact, deprive the Norwegian people of the 

 cherished right to make their own laws. He 

 proposes to reconstitute the Lagthing and 

 transform it into a real Senate, which will act 

 as a counterpoise to the popular chamber. In 

 this he has with him the Conservative party, 

 which is composed of a portion of the towns- 

 people, and largely of the German and other 

 foreign population in the few large towns of 

 Norway; while he is opposed by the entire 

 farming population, which composes the Lib- 

 eral party. The King has persisted in select- 

 ing his ministers from the Conservative party, 

 and exasperated the people by imposing upon 

 them a Government at variance with the sen- 

 timent of the country. The point directly at 

 issue in the constitutional struggle between the 

 King and the people is the absolute veto which 

 he claims over the acts of the Legislature. 

 The ultra-monarchic principles which he en- 

 deavors to import into the extremely liberal 

 Norwegian Constitution have excited a strong 



reaction of feeling in favor of a republican 

 form of government. The ministers still re- 

 fused to occupy the seats placed for them in 

 the legislative hall. In April, on the recom- 

 mendation of the parliamentary committee, 

 the Odelsthing decided to impeach the minis- 

 ters and Councilors of State. Toward the 

 close of the year the tribunal, composed of 

 certain members of the Lagthing and of the 

 nine judges of the Supreme Court, was consti- 

 tuted, and the recalcitrant ministers were sum- 

 moned to stand their trial. 



SWEDENBORGIMS. See NEW JERUSALEM 

 CHURCH. 



SWITZERLAND, a federal republic in central 

 Europe. The legislative and executive au- 

 thority of the confederacy is vested in the 

 State Council, composed of 44 members, chosen 

 by the twenty-two cantons, and the National 

 Council or Nationalrath, chosen by direct elec- 

 tion at the rate of one member for every 20,000 

 inhabitants. Every male citizen over twenty 

 years of age is a voter. Clergymen are not 

 eligible. Both Chambers united form the Fed- 

 eral Assembly. The executive authority is 

 delegated to the Bundesrath, or Federal Coun- 

 cil, consisting of seven members, chosen for 

 three years by the Federal Assembly. The 

 President and Vice-President of the Federal 

 Council are elected by the Federal Assembly 

 for one year, and are not eligible, for the next 

 consecutive term. 



The President of the Confederation for 1883 

 was L. Ruchonnet ; the Vice-President, Dr. E. 

 Welti. The other members are Dr. K. Schenk, 

 W. F. Hertenstein, B. Hammer, N. Droz, and 

 Dr. A. Deucher. 



Area and Population. The area of Switzer- 

 land is 41,389 square kilometres, or 15,992 

 square miles. The population, Dec. 1, 1880, 

 was 2,846,102, against 2,669,138 in 1870. The 

 number of Protestants was 1,667,109, or 58-6 

 per cent. ; of Catholics, 1,160,782, or 40-8 per 

 cent, of the total population ; there were 7,373 

 Israelites, and 10,838 of other creeds, the 

 number of emigrants in 1882 was 10,896, of 

 whom 10,047 settled in the United States. 



Education. The number of elementary schools 

 in Switzerland is 4,586 ; the number of pupils 

 434,080 in 1883; of teachers, 5,840 males and 

 2,525 females. Of the pupils, 218,191 were 

 boys and 215,889 girls. Switzerland expends 

 for primary instruction about 15,000,000 francs 

 a year, and for new school-buildings about 

 3,000,000. 



Railroads, Posts, Telegraphs. The Swiss rail- 

 roads in 1882 had a total length of 2,571 

 kilometres, or 1,594 miles. The length of tele- 

 graph lines was 6,744 kilometres at the end 

 of 1882; length of wires," 16,336 kilometres. 

 The post-office in 1882 forwarded 84,069,486 

 letters and post-cards, of which 57,872,718 

 were internal and 26,196,768 international. 



Finances. The gross receipts of the Federal 

 treasury in 1882 were 43,736,106 francs; ex- 

 penditures, 43,247,797 foancs ; receipts com- 



