Germany has also Consular representatives at the following among other

Ambassador.-Sir Edward Baldwin Malet, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., Secretary of Legation at Pekin, 1871-73; Athens, 1873-75; Rome, 1875-78; Constantinople, 1878-79; Agent and Consul-General in Egypt, 1879-83; appointed Minister Plenipotentiary in the Diplomatic Service, October 10, 1879; Envoy and Minister to Belgium, August 29, 1883; appointed to Berlin, September 20, 1884.

Secretary.-Hon. P. Le Poer Trench.

Military Attaché.-Col. L. V. Swaine, C.B., C.M.G.

Naval Attaché.-Captain Sir W. Cecil Henry Domville, Bart., R.N.
Commercial Attaché.--J. A. Crowe, C.B.

Consul-General.-Herr G. von Bleichröder.

There are also Consular representatives of the United Kingdom at the following places:

In 1884 Germany began to extend her empire beyond the bounds of Europe. Of colonies in the proper sense of the term she has none; but she has declared her protection over various areas or spheres of influence in Africa and in the Western Pacific, within which a few factories and trading posts, and in some cases some plantations, have been established by Germans and other Europeans. The following is a list of the various foreign regions at present (December 1889) under the protection or influence of Germany, the estimates given being necessarily vague :—

These possessions are almost entirely undeveloped; and their affairs, so far as they are not left entirely to the natives, are managed in most cases by German trading companies and private firms, which have received various concessions from the German Government. The Colonial Budget for the three West African dependencies alone for 1889 showed an expenditure of 372,500 marks, and an income of only 270,500 marks.

TOGOLAND.

Togoland, with Little Popo and Porto Seguro, situated on the Slave Coast, in Upper Guinea, has an estimated area of 7,800 square miles, and an estimated population of 40,000. It extends from long. 0° 30′ E. to long. 1° 41' E., and from the Atlantic coast to about lat. 7° 20′ N., though the boundary towards the interior is by no means definitely fixed. Declared a German protectorate in 1884, it is placed under an imperial commissioner, assisted by a secretary, an inspector of customs, and a local council of representatives of the merchants. Little Popo is regarded as the capital; Lome is the chief port, and Porto Seguro and Bagida are also on the coast. Togo, the principal native town, which has given name to the region, is situated on Lake Togo, and is said to have 3,000 inhabitants. Maize, yams, tapioca, ginger, and bananas are cultivated to some extent by the natives, most of whom are Ewe negroes; and cocoa, oil-palms, caoutchouc, and dye-woods grow in the forests; but the country is still entirely unexploited, and the only commerce is the barter trade for palm-oil and ivory, carried on by a few factories on the coast. On August 1, 1887, an import tax was imposed upon European goods. An armed police force of thirty negroes has been organised.

CAMEROONS.

The Cameroon region, with a coast line of 190 miles on the Bight of Biafra, between the Campo River and the Rio del Rey, is bounded on the north-east by a treaty-line running north-east to the east of Yola on the

Upper Benue, and on the south by a line running inland due east from the mouth of the Campo River to about the meridian of long. 15° E., which may be regarded as the eastern or inland limit of the protectorate. The area is estimated at 115,000 square miles; the population at 500,000. It became a German protectorate in 1884, and is placed under an imperial governor (gouverneur), assisted by a chancellor, two secretaries, and a local council of three representative merchants. The country is fertile, and numerous valuable African vegetable productions grow in profusion. Plantations of cacao and tobacco have been formed by the Deutsche Plantagen Gesellschaft (1886), and numerous factories carry on an active trade in ivory and palm-oil. On January 1, 1888, an import duty was imposed on European goods. The chief town is Cameroons, and in the south Batanga. Bimbia and Bakundu-town are other important trading stations, and Aqua-town and Bell-town are the principal native settlements.

GERMAN SOUTH-WEST AFRICA.

This immense region, sometimes spoken of as Lüderitzland, extends along the coast for about 930 miles, from the Orange River, which forms the south boundary, to the Cunene River, which limits it on the north. On the east the boundary is the meridian of long. 20° E. The total area is estimated at 300,000 square miles, and the population at 250,000. The region to the south of Walfisch Bay (which is British) is known as Great Namaqualand, that to the north as Damaraland, while still further north is Ovamboland and Kaokoland. The whole southern part and much of the east is barren and desert. The coast lands are under the jurisdiction of the Deutsche Kolonial Gesellschaft für Südwest Africa,' which has given the special names of Deutsch-Namaland to the southern part of its territories, and Deutsch-Damaraland to the northern. The two chief harbours in German possession are Sandwich Harbour and Angra Pequeña, or Lüderitz Bay. Damaraland is well adapted for cattle-rearing. Copper has been found, though the expense of working it has hitherto rendered the discovery almost useless. Rumours of the discovery of gold attracted numerous immigrants in 1887 and 1888; and traces of other minerals have been observed. But the mineral, agricultural, and commercial development of this region lies still in the future. An imperial commissioner exercises a nominal authority in the protectorate.

GERMAN EAST AFRICA.

The German sphere of influence in East Africa, with an estimated area of 430,000 square miles, and an estimated population of 800,000, is bounded on the south by the Rovuma River, and on the north by a treaty line, defined in 1886, running north-west from the Umbe River, by KilimaNjaro, to the east shore of the Victoria Nyanza. Its extent westwards is indeterminate. The narrow strip of territory on the coast, recognised as belonging to Zanzibar, was leased by the Sultan of that island to the Germans for fifty years, from April 1888, with its harbours and customs. Most of the interior of this vast region is quite unexploited except by Arab dealers in slaves and ivory. The German East Africa Company, however, founded in 1885, has received special concessions and jurisdiction in the districts of Useguha, Nguru, Usagara, and Ukami (together about 60,000 square miles), for the commercial and agricultural development of which fifteen stations have been established, but most of them were ruined and abandoned on the outbreak of the natives in 1889. The German Empire is represented in this region by an imperial commissioner. The chief

seaports are Dar-es-Salaam, Bagomoyo, Saadani, Pangani, Kiloa, Lindi, Mekendani, and Tanga. The total value of the trade of German East Africa (exports and imports) in the year August 18, 1888, to August 17, 1889, was 5,000,000 rupees, of which 2,847,100 rupees stood for exports. The most important exports are ivory, 1,197,251 rupees; copal gum, 364,289 rupees; caoutchouc, 306,805 rupees; sesame seed, 250,679 rupees. Nearly one-half the exports were from Bagamoyo.

The small district of Witu (520 square miles), on the coast to the north of the British sphere of influence in East Africa, is also under German protection, as also a strip of coast between that and Kismayu on the north, ceded by the Sultan in 1889.

IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC.

1. Kaiser Wilhelm's Land.

Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, the northern section of south-east New Guinea, was declared a German protectorate in 1884. Including Long Island, Dampier Island, and some other small islands, it has an estimated area of 70,000 square miles, and a population of about 20,000. Its development has been entrusted to the German New Guinea Company, which has extended its operations also to other German possessions in this ocean. The chief executive official is the Landeshauptmann (whose appointment must be approved by the Imperial Chancellor), under whom are several magistrates. The Empire is directly represented by an imperial commissioner. Areca and sago palms, bamboos, ebony, and other woods are among the natural riches of the protectorate. Tobacco has hitherto been the most successful cultivated crop. Horses, cattle, and goats flourish on the island, which seems less adapted for sheep. Three steamers and several sailing ships are engaged in the trade of the New Guinea Company. The chief harbours are Finschhafen, Konstantinhafen, and Hatzfeldhafen.

2. Bismarck Archipelago.

In November 1884 a German protectorate was declared over the New Britain Archipelago and several adjacent groups of islands, which were then renamed together the Bismarck Archipelago. The aggregate area is estimated at 15,625 square miles, and the population at 250,000. The chief islands of this archipelago are Neu Pommern (formerly New Britain), Neu Mecklenburg (New Ireland), Neu Lauenburg (Duke of York Islands), and Vischer, Gerrit Denys, Admiralty, Anchorite, Commerson, Hermit, and other islands. The New Guinea Company has a trading station at Mioko, in New Lauenburg. The chief exports are copra and coco-nut fibre.

3. Solomon Islands.

Germany owns the more northerly part of this group, including the islands of Bougainville, Choiseul, Isobel or Mahaga, and various smaller islands. The aggregate area under the German flag is estimated at 5,700 square miles, and the population at 80,000. Sandal wood and tortoiseshell are the chief commercial products. The islands are placed under the officials of Kaiser Wilhelm's Land.

4. Marshall Islands.

The Marshall Islands, consisting of two chains or rows of lagoon islands, known respectively as Ratack (with thirteen islands) and Ralick (with eleven islands), have belonged to Germany since 1885. The aggregate area is estimated at 1,400 square miles, and the population at 10,000. The chief island and seat of the German imperial commissioner is Jaluit. Copra is the chief article of trade.

STATES OF GERMANY.

ALSACE-LORRAINE.

(REICHSLAND ELSASS-LOTHRINGEN.)

Constitution.

The fundamental laws under which the Reichsland, or Imperial Land, of Alsace-Lorraine is governed were voted by the German Reichstag June 9, 1871, June 20, 1872, June 25, 1873, May 2, 1877, July 4, 1879, and September 28, 1885. By the law of June 9, 1871, it is enacted, The provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, ceded by France in the peace preliminaries of February 26, 1871, under limits definitely fixed in the Treaty of Peace of May 10, 1871, shall be for ever united with the German Empire.' The Constitution of the German Empire was introduced in Alsace-Lorraine on January 1, 1874.

The administration of Alsace-Lorraine is under a Governor-General, bearing the title of Statthalter.'

Statthalter of Alsace-Lorraine.-Prince Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, born March 31, 1819; Doctor in Law; Ambassador from the German Empire to the French Republic, 1874-85. Appointed Governor of Alsace-Lorraine, July 22, 1885; assumed office November 1885.

According to the constitutional law of July 4, 1879, the Emperor appoints the Statthalter, who exercises power as the representative of the Imperial Government, having his residence at Strassburg. A Ministry composed of three departments, with a responsible Secretary of State at its head, acts under the Statthalter, who also is assisted by a Council of State, comprising the Statthalter as President, the Secretary of State at the head of the Ministry, the chief provincial officials, and eight to twelve other members appointed by the Emperor, of whom three are presented by the Landesausschuss, or Provincial Committee. This Committee, which attends to local legislation, consists of 58 members.

Area and Population.

The Reichsland has an area of 14,509 square kilometers or 5,668 English square miles. It is administratively divided into three Bezirke, or districts, called Ober-Elsass, Unter-Elsass, and Lothringen, the first of which is subdivided into six, and the other two each into eight Kreise, or circles. The following table shows the area, population, and the inhabitants per square mile of each of the districts and of the whole :