(younger line), Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Soudershausen and Waldeck; the free cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck and the imperial province of Alsace-Lorraine. This Confederate League is under the presidentship of Prussia, and since January 18, 1871, the kings of Prussia are at the same time hereditary German emperors in whom are vested the executive power of the empire and the right to declare war on the defensive and make peace, conclude alliances and enter into treaties with foreign nations and appoint and receive ambassadors. Capital: Berlin (population, 2,070,695). National colors: Black, white, red. Emperor.-Wilhelm II (Victor Albert), King of Prussia, born at Berlin, January 27, 1859, eldest son of the Emperor Frederick III and the Empress Victoria; succeeded his father June 15, 1888; married February 27, 1881, Princess Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, born at Dolzig, October 22, 1858, daughter of the late Duke Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. Children of the Emperor.-1. Prince Friedrich Wilhelm, born at Potsdam May 6, 1882; married June 6 to Princess Cecilie, born September 20, 1886, daughter of the late Friedrich Franz III of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 2. Prince Wilhelm EitelFriedrich, born July 7, 1883; married February 27, 1906, to Princess Sophie Charlotte, daughter of Grand Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg. 3. Prince Adalbert, born July 14, 1884. 4. Prince Dr. August Wilhelm, born January 29, 1887; married October 22, 1908, to Princess Alexandra Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein-SonderburgGlücksburg. 5. Prince Oscar, born July 27, 1888. 6. Prince Joachim, born December 17, 1890. 7. Princess Viktoria Luise, born September 13, 1892. Heir Apparent. Crown Prince Wilhelm, who has issue: Prince Wilhelm, born July 4, 1906; Prince Louis Ferdinand, born November 9, 1907; Prince Hubertus, born September 30, 1909. Succession. The imperial dignity is hereditary in the House of Hohenzollern, and follows the law of primogeniture. Minister of Commerce. Minister of Public Works and Railroads. Constitution and Government. Von Bethmann-Hollweg . Baron von Schorlemer .Von Trott zu Solz ...... Sydow Von Breitenbach By the terms of the Constitution of April 16, 1871, the supreme direction of the military and political affairs of the empire is vested in the King of Prussia. Except, however, to repel an attack on the territory or the coasts of the league the Emperor cannot declare war without the consent of the Bundesrath, or Federal Council. The consent of the Federal Council and Reichstag, or Diet of the Realm, is also necessary in regard to treaties that relate to matters regulated by imperial legislation. The Emperor has no veto on laws passed by these bodies. The legislative power of the empire is exercised by the Bundesrath, together with the Reichstag. The Bundesrath or Federal Council represents the individual states of Germany. It is composed of 58 members, the individual states appointing for each session as many delegates as it has votes, viz., Prussia, 17; Bavaria, 6; Saxony, 4; Würtemberg, 4; Baden and Hesse, 8 each; Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Brunswick, 2 each; the other states, as well as the 2 free cities, 1 each. Alsace-Lorraine is represented in the Bundesrath by 4 commissioners (Kommissäre), without votes, who are nominated by the Statthalter (Governor General). The Bundesrath is also a supreme administrative and consultative board, and as such elects every year 12 standing committees, in each of which at least 4 states must be representednamely, for army and fortifications; for naval matters; tariff, excise and taxes; trade and commerce; railways, posts and telegraphs; civil and criminal law; financial accounts; foreign affairs; for Alsace-Lorraine; for the Constitution; for the standing orders, and for railway tariffs. The Bundesrath is presided over by the Reichskanzler, or Chancellor of the Emperor. The Reichstag represents the German nation. It consists of 397 members, elected for 5 years by universal suffrage. Both electors and deputies must be citizens 25 years of age. The various states of Germany are represented in the Reichstag as follows: Prussia, 236; Bavaria, 48; Saxony, 23; Würtemberg, 17; Baden, 14; Hesse, 9; Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 6; Saxe-Weimar, Oldenburg, Brunswick, Hamburg, 8 each; Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Anhalt, 2 each; Alsace-Lorraine, 15; the other remaining states, 1 each. At the last elections in January, 1912, the members elected to the Reichstag were politically divided as follows: Socialists, 110; Centre Party, 90; National Liberals, 44; Conservatives, 45; Radicals, 41; Poles, 18; Free Conservatives, 13; Anti-Semites, 11; other parties, 25 (5 Alsatians, 4 Lorrainers, 5 Guelphs, 1 Dane, 2 Bavarian Peasants' League, 2 German Peasants' League, and 6 Independents). Both the Bundesrath and the Reichstag meet in annual session, convoked by the Emperor. The number of immigrants to Brazil in the year 1911 was 133,616. Military Service. Military service is obligatory for all Germans, and no substitution is allowed. It begins with the 21st year and ends with the 39th year. Those who enlist before reaching the age of 20 must serve 19 years from the year of their entering in the army. The service comprises 7 years in the standing army (3 years in active service and 4 in the reserve); 12 years in the Landwehr (5 years in the first ban and 7 years in the second ban); 12 years in the depot reserve, from which in case of mobilization the deficiency in the active is filled, the depot being composed of those who either by lot or on account of ill-health have been exempted from service. The depot reservists who have served belong to the landwehr of the first ban until the 31st of March of the year in which they finish their 39th year, while the others pass to the first ban of the landsturm. Besides, every German capable of bearing arms forms part, from the 18th to the 40th year, of the first ban of the landsturm, and of the second ban from the 40th to the 45th year of age. One-year volunteers serve at their own charges. The land forces of the empire in war and peace are under the orders of the Emperor, who is the commander-in-chief of the whole German army. All German troops are bound by the Constitution to obey unconditionally the orders of the Kaiser, and must swear accordingly the oath of fidelity; but in case of Bavaria this obedience is limited to war time, and this oath is not imposed upon the Bavarian troops. In time of peace the kings of Bavaria, Saxony and Würtemberg retain their sovereign rights as heads of their respective armies; the Bavarian army administration is wholly independent of that of the rest of the German army. The German navy is imperial, and the Emperor as such is the supreme admiral in command in peace as well as in war. The army budget for 1912 was $203,941,844, and the navy budget was $112,639,849. Colonies and Dependencies. THE BRITISH EMPIRE. UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. The British Empire consists of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, with colonies, protectorates and dependencies, and the Indian Empire (British India). The United Kingdom proper, composed of England and Wales (58,324 square miles, population in 1911, 36,075,269), Scotland (30,405 square miles, population in 1911, 4,759,445), and Ireland (32,360 square miles, population in 1911, 4,381,951), is a constitutional monarchy, hereditary in the English House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Capital: London. National colors: Red, white, blue. King-George V (Frederick Ernest Albert), "by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India," born June 3, 1865, eldest son of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, born as Princess of Denmark December 1, 1844, succeeded to the crown on the death of his father, May 6, 1910; married July 6, 1893, to Princess Mary of Teck, born May 26, 1867. Children of the King-1. Edward Albert (Christian-George-Andreas-PatrickDavid), Prince of Wales, born June 23, 1894. 2. Albert Frederick (Arthur-George), born December 14, 1895. 3. Victoria Alexandra (Alice-Mary), born April 25, 1897. 4. Henry William (Frederick-Albert), born March 31, 1900. 5. George Edward (Alexander-Edmond), born December 20, 1902. 6. John (Charles-Francis), born July 12, 1905. The fourth broadest street in the world is Pennsylvania avenue in Washington. Sisters of the King-1. Princess Louise, born February 20, 1867; married July 27, 1889, to Alexander Duff, First Duke of Fife. 2. Princess Victoria, born July 6, 1868; Princess Maude, born November 26, 1869; married July 22, 1896, to Prince Charles of Denmark, now King Haakon VII of Norway. Heir Apparent-Edward Albert, Prince of Wales. Succession-In the succession to the Crown the sons of the sovereign and their descent have the preference over the daughters, but the latter and their descent exclude the lateral lines from the succession. The salaries of members of the Cabinet range from £10,000 for the Lord High Chancellor to £2,000 for the minor posts. The composition of the Cabinet is dependent on the possession of a majority in the House of Commons. The members are appointed on the recommendation of the Premier, who dispenses the greater portion of the patronage of the Crown. Constitution and Government. The executive power is vested in the sovereign, who is limited in his powers by Parliament, to which the Ministers are responsible. The supreme legislative power of the United Kingdom is vested in Parliament, divided into two houses of legislature, the Lords and the Commons, a division which dates from the middle of the fourteenth century. The House of Lords consists of peers who hold their seats (1) by hereditary right; (2) by creation of the sovereign; (3) by virtue of office (English bishops); (4) by election for life (Irish peers); by election for duration of Parliament (Scottish peers). The full Assembly would consist of 3 princes of the blood, 2 archbishops, 22 dukes, 23 marquesses, 124 earls, 40 viscounts, 24 bishops, 334 barons and 16 Scottish and 28 Irish representative peers; total, 616. No peer can take his seat if he be under age, of unsound mind or bankrupt. The Lord Chancellor of England is always the Speaker of the House of Lords. The House of Commons consists of 670 members (465 for England, 30 for Wales, 72 for Scotland and 103 for Ireland), elected for seven years by secret ballot. No one under twenty-one years of age is eligible. All clergymen of the Church of England, ministers of the Church of Scotland and Roman Catholic clergymen are disqualified from sitting as members; all government contractors and all sheriffs and returning officers for the localities for which they act are disqualified both from voting and from sitting as members. No English or Scottish peer can be elected to the House of Commons, but non-representative Irish peers are eligible. Every elector must be twenty-one years of age, be the proprietor of a house or a piece of land, or pay an annual rent of £10. On August 10, 1911, the House of Commons voted to pay its members annual salaries of £440. It also made the veto power of the Lords on vital legislation suspensive instead of absclute. In the House of Commons, elected in December, 1910, and January, 1911, the party divisions were as follows: Government Coalitionists, 398; Unionists or Conservatives, 272. The Coalitionists consist of 272 Liberals, 76 Irish Nationalists, 8 Independent Nationalists and 42 Labor members. Coalition majority, 126. On February 1, 1912, as the result of bye-elections, the party divisions in the House of Commons were as follows: Unionists, 277; Liberals, 267; Labor, 42; Nationalists, 84. Military Service. The military forces are divided into the regular army and the territorial army. The regular army, intended for all over-sea service, comprises its own reserve and a special reserve. Service in the British army is purely voluntary. The terms of enlistment are twelve years, of which three, five or nine years may be served in the reserve. Every able bodied man of good conduct may enlist for twenty-one years, which entitles him to a pension at the end of the term. The ordinary term of service of a battalion, battery, etc., in India or the colonies is ten years. The special reserve (about eighty thousand men) is drawn from the The Bartholdi Statue, Liberty Enlightening the World, on Liberty Island, New York Harbor, is 151 feet in height and weighs 25 tons. The pedestal is 155 feet in height. militia. The territorial army, partly formed into standing brigades, is destined for home defence. It is composed of the ex-volunteers and the "imperial yeomanry" (men who bring their own horses). Enlistment in this territorial army is for a term of four years. During the exercises the men are subject to the military code. The militia is the old "constitutional" army, intended for the maintenance of order within the kingdom and for home defence. In principle, service in the militia is obligatory to every male from eighteen to forty-five. Trade of the United Kingdom with the United States. The Dominion of Canada, the largest of the British possessions, includes the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Frince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories (Mackenzie, Ungava and Franklin) and the Yukon Territories, and has an estimated total area of 3,729,665 square miles, and a population in 1911 of 7,081,868. The salary of the Prime Minister is $12,000 a year; of each member of the Cabinet, from $5,000 to $7,000, and in addition every minister of the crown, in-. cluding the Premier, receives his salary as a member of either the Senate or the House of Commons of Canada, $2,500. Constitution and Government. The executive power is vested in the King, represented by the Governor General, aided by a Council, composed of fourteen heads of departments. The Lieutenant Governors for the nine provinces forming the Dominion, and having each a separate Parliament and administration, are appointed by the Governor General for a term of five years. The legislative po power is vested in the Parliament of the Dominion, consisting of the Senate and House of Commons. The Senate is composed (at present) of eighty-seven members (24 for Ontario, 24 for Quebec, 10 for Nova Scotia, 10 for New Brunswick, 4 for Prince Edward Island, 8 for British Columbia, 4 each for Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan), appointed for life by the Crown on the nomination of the ministry for the time being. Each Senator must be thirty years of age, a born or naturalized subject of the King and the owner of property, real or personal, amounting to $4,000. Senators receive $2,500 for the session, with a deduction of $15 a day for the days when the member does not attend; the Speaker of the Senate has a salary of $4,000 a year. The House of Commons is composed of members elected by the people for five years at the longest (at the rate, at present, of one representative for every 22,688 of population). It has now 221 members-86 elected for Ontario, 65 for Quebec (which must always have 65), 18 for Nova Scotia, 13 for New Brunswick, 10 for Manitoba, 7 for British Columbia, 4 for Prince Edward Island, 7 for Alberta, 10 for Saskatchewan and 1 for Yukon. Eligible are natural born or naturalized subjects of the King, no property qualifications being required. Each member of the House of Commons has an allowance of $2,500 for the session, with a deduction of $15 a day for the days when the member does not attend. The members elect their Speaker, who has a salary of $4,000 a year. The leader of the opposition receives $7,000 a session, in addition to the ordinary sessional allowance. For electoral purposes each province is divided into districts, each of which returns a member of a majority of votes taken by ballot. The qualifications for voting vary in the several provinces, The election of a new House of Commons on September 21, 1911, resulted in an overwhelming defeat for the Laurier government and the Fielding-Knox reciprocity agreement, ratified by the United States Congress. The Liberal majority in the last The second smallest army in Europe is that of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, composed of a company of gendarmes of 2 officers and 145 men and a company of volunteers of 6 officers and 100 men. Parliament of 43 out of a total membership of 211 was swept away, and the Conservative party secured a majority of 49. The result by provinces was as follows: Conservatives-Ontario 70, Quebec 28, Nova Scotia 8, New Brunswick 5, Prince Edward Island 2, Manitoba 8, Saskatchewan 3, Alberta 2, British Columbia 7, total 133. Liberals-Ontario 15, Quebec 35, Nova Scotia 10, New Brunswick 8, Prince Edward Island 2, Manitoba 2, Saskatchewan 7, Alberta 5, total 84. Four seats-two in Quebec, one in Ontario and one in the Yukon Territory were not filled at the September election. Subsequently three of these seats were filled by Liberals and one by a Conservative. Provincial Governments. Each of the nine provinces has a separate Parliament and administration, with a Lieutenant Governor at the head of the executive. All other territories except the district of Keewatin and Yukon Territory are governed by a commissioner and a council of four, appointed by the Governor in Council at Ottawa. Yukon Territory is governed by a commissioner and an executive council of ten members, five of whom are elected by the people. Military Service. The Dominion of Canada is divided, for military purposes, into thirteen military districts. All adult males from eighteen to sixty years of age form part of the militia, called upon in four classes. The first two classes comprise all unmarried men from eighteen to thirty, and from thirty to forty-five years of age; the third class consists of the married men from eighteen to forty-five years, and the fourth, of those from forty-five to sixty years old. Enlistment is voluntary or by lot. The term of service is three years. The Commonwealth of Australia, constituted by act of the British Parliament of July 9, 1900, and established since January 1, 1901, consists of the six colonies (now denominated original states) of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania; area, 2,974,580 square miles; population in 1911 of 4,449,495, and forms an indissoluble federative unión under the British crown; that is to say, a federative state under the British flag, with an autonomous constitution and Parliament. The execuive power, vested in the King, is exercised by the Governor General, who is assisted by an executive council of seven members. Capital, Melbourne. The commonwealth government has selected Canberra, New South Wales, as the site of Australia's new capital. Governor General... .Lord Denman .. A. Fischer W. M. Hughes ..J. Thomas F. G. Tudor C. E. Frazer G. F. Pearce .K. O'Malley George Houston Reid The legislative power is vested in a federal Parliament, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Senate consists of thirty-six members, elected for six years by the parliaments of the original states (six for each state. The House of Representatives is composed, as nearly as can be, of twice as many members as there are Senators, elected for three years, on a population basis, in such a manner that no original state has less than five Representatives. Every Senator or member of the House of Representatives must be of full age, a natural born subject of the King, or have been for five years a naturalized subject under the law of the United Kingdom or of a state of the Commonowealth. Electoral qualifications are those of the several states. NEW ZEALAND. Capital, Wellington, in the North Island. The Dominion of New Zealand, officially established as a Colony in 1840, consists of three main islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles to the east of the Australian continent, e. g.: The North Island (estimated area 44,468 square miles), the South Island (58,525 square miles), and Stewart Island (665 square miles). The total area of New Zealand (inclusive of Chatham, Cook and other outlying small islands) is estimated at 104,751 square miles, with an estimated population on June 30, 1910, of Europeans, 988,276; Maoris, 47,731; Cook Islanders, 12,340; total, 1,020,718. The smallest book in the world is a copy of Fitzgerald's "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," a quarter the size of a two-cent postage stamp, printed by Charles H. Meigs in Cleveland, Ohio. |