100 SCANDINAVIA. 



to pass a ]3art of the year in Norway, wliere he exercises his functions by the aid 

 of a State Council (Statsrad) composed of two ministers and nine councillors, all 

 N^orwegian citizens. One of the ministers and two of the councillors attend on the 

 King during his absence in Sweden, the others constituting the National Govern- 

 ment in Norway. On the advice of this Cabinet, the King appoints the civil, 

 military, and ecclesiastical functionaries. But he can confer no patents of 

 nobility, which have long been abolished by the Storthing, notwithstanding the 

 royal opposition shown by three successive votes. Since this decision all sons of 

 earls took the title of baron, those of barons becoming simple citizens, and the 

 aristocracy thus gradually died out. 



Formerly the judicial functions, which were combined with the legislative, 

 belonged exclusively to the people, who exercised them through their delegates to 

 the assemblies. Even now the electors name the two judges of the commission of 

 peace in each commune, who hear all civil affairs before suits are commenced. 

 In police cases, when a fine is incurred, it must be submitted for voluntary acceptance 

 before being formally imposed. In criminal affairs and matters connected with 

 property the nation is also directly represented by four jurymen taking their seats 

 on the bench, and voting on the same footing as, and often even against, the judge. 

 Judges are in other respects always responsible for all wrongs inflicted by them 

 wilfully or through ignorance. Summoned before a higher court, they are liable 

 to grave punishments in their persons or property, and in case of death their heirs 

 may be sued for the penalties incurred. 



Norway possesses 116 courts of first instance, 36 for the boroughs and 80 fur 

 the rural districts, which try all civil and criminal cases. That of Christiania 

 comprises eight judges and a president, but all the rest one judge only — byfoged 

 in the towns, sorenskricer in the country. In litigation connected with property 

 four jurymen are added, expressly named in each case. 



There are five tribunals of second instance, each with a president and one, two, 

 or three judges, and special jurisdictions exist for ecclesiastics, teachers, and even 

 the military. A Supreme Court, comprising a president and ten judges, constitutes 

 a final court of appeal in all cases sent up from the lower courts. These latter, 

 united with thirty-seven members of the Lagthing, form a tribunal which, under 

 the name of State Court {Eigsref), tries all cases of crime or misdemeanour com- 

 mitted by members of the Storthing, the Council of State, or the High Court in 

 the exercise of their functions. 



The Lutheran Church, in Norway the State religion, enjoys considerable 

 powers, since it possesses much property, and largely controls public instruction. 

 Although appointed by the King, the clergy receive no direct salaries, but they have 

 a residence, and in the country the usufruct of common lands. They have also 

 the revenues of their benefices, besides tithes and ofieringSj the minimum of which 

 is fixed by the law. The average income of each cannot be estimated at less than 

 £150. They are relatively few in numbers, at the end of 1877 only 637 

 altogether, according to which proportion there would be no more than 12,000 

 priests in France. The country is divided into 6 bishoprics {stifter), 83 



