The following table gives the revenue and expenditure during each of the six years ending March 31 from 1885 to 1890; 1885 and 1886 being the final accounts, 1887 and 1888 being revenue accounts, and 1889 and 1890 the budget estimates :

The total expenditure amounts to a little more than 27. 108. per head of population. The direct taxes amount to 58. 6d. per head. The incometax averages about 18. 5d. per head of population. The other direct taxes. are a land tax, a house tax, a class tax, and a trading tax.

The expenditure for the army and navy is not entered in the budget of Prussia, but forms part of the budget of the Empire.

The public debt of the Kingdom, inclusive of the provinces annexed in 1866, was, according to the budget of 1889-90, as follows:

The charges for interest. amortisation, and management of the debt amounted to 217,068,192 marks in the financial year 1889–90.

The debt amounts to 77. 178. per head of population, and the interest to 78. 8d. per head. The clear income from the State railways alone in 188788 would more than pay for the yearly interest, amortisation, and management of the debt.

Army.

The military organisation of the Kingdom, dating from the year 1814, is based on the principle that every man, capable of bearing arms, shall receive military instruction and enter the army for a certain number of years. The conditions of service have been already described under Germany.

The peace strength of the Prussian contingent of the Imperial army was given as follows in the budget estimates of 1889–90:

The table on p. 523, showing the division of the population of Germany according to occupations, indicates which branches are of most importance in Prussia. About one-half, or twelve millions, of the inhabitants are dependent upon agriculture as sole or chief occupation. Of the total area 20,853,532 hectares are productively occupied by crops or forests. On June 5, 1882, the number and areas of separate farms were as follows:-

Under 1 hectare 1-10 hectares 10-100 hectares Above 100 hectares

Total

1,456,724

1,178,625

653,941

24,991

3,040,196

These farms supported a population of 11,678,383, of whom 4,625,893 were actively engaged in agriculture. The areas under the chief crops and the yield in metric tons per hectare in 1888-89 and the annual average yield for the period 1878-87 are as follows:

The largest wheat-crops are grown in Silesia, Rhineland, and East Prussia; rye is a common crop all over the Kingdom; barley is produced in greatest quantities in Silesia and Saxony; and oats in Silesia, Rhineland, Saxony, and other northern provinces. Silesia, Brandenburg, and Posen produce the most potatoes.

In 1887-88 Prussia contained 305 establishments engaged in the manufacture of beet-root sugar, which consumed 5,568,614 metric tons of beetroot in the production of 727,997 tons of raw sugar and 149,863 tons of molasses. In 1888-89 there were 6,817 breweries in action in Prussia, which brewed 20,150,272 hectolitres of beer, or 70-7 litres per head of the population.

In 1887-88 there were 6,351 distilleries in operation, which produced 2,579,401 hectolitres of alcohol.

II. MINERALS.

The mineral riches of Prussia are very considerable. The coal-mines especially have developed greatly during the last half-century. The coal raised in Prussia amounts to 93 per cent. of the total coal produced in Germany, and is found mostly in Silesia, Westphalia, and the Rhine Province; lignite being mainly worked in Saxony. The output of brown coal increased from 2,192,949 tons in 1831 to 26,063,965 tons in 1871.

Considerable quantities of iron are also raised in Prussia, chiefly in the Rhine Province, Westphalia, Silesia, Hanover, and Hesse-Nassau. The following table shows statistics of the coal and iron ore raised and the pig-iron produced in the years 1887-88 (in metric tons):

Prussia yields about one-half (666,700 tons in 1888) of the world's annual production of zinc, and copper (530,866 tons) and lead (161,777 tons) are also found. The total value of the mining products in 1888 was 411,008,617 marks.

Commerce.

The trade of Prussia forms an important part of the general trade of the German customs district (Zollverein), which now includes the whole of the Empire. This is carried on through the various ports of the Baltic and North Seas, through many navigable rivers and canals, and an extensive network of roads, railways, and telegraphs. There are 82 chambers and corporations of commerce in the large towns of the Kingdom. The most important commercial towns are Berlin, Königsberg, Danzig, Stettin, Posen, Breslau, Magdeburg, Altona, Hanover, Frankfort-on-Main, Cologne, Elberfeld, and Barmen. There are no separate statistics for the trade of Prussia; it is included in that of Germany, which is given on pp. 543 et seq.

Internal Communications.

The railway system of Prussia is extensive and complete. In April 1889 the length of the system open for traffic was as follows:

There were in addition 156 miles of narrow-gauge line.

In 1878 the lines owned by the State had a length of only 3,066 miles, while those owned by private companies extended to 11,066 miles.

The whole of the railways of Prussia will in time become national property. As will be seen from the budget statement, a very large revenue is derived by the State from the railways.

REUSS-GREIZ, REUSS-SCHLEIZ, SAXE-ALTENBURG, SAXE-COBURGGOTHA, and SAXE-MEININGEN. For these see under THURINGIAN STATES.

SAXE-WEIMAR.

(GROSSHERZOGTHUM SACHSEN-WEIMAR.)

Reigning Grand-duke.

Karl Alexander, born June 24, 1818; the son of Grand-duke Karl Friedrich and of Grand-duchess Marie, daughter of the late Czar Paul I. of Russia. Succeeded his father July 8, 1853; married October 8, 1842, to Sophie, born April 8, 1824, daughter of the late King Willem II. of the Netherlands. Offspring:-I. Prince Karl August, heir-apparent, born July 31, 1844; married August 26, 1873, to Princess Pauline, born July 25, 1852, eldest daughter of Prince Hermann of Saxe-Weimar, of which union there are offspring two sons, namely, Wilhelm Ernst, born June 10, 1876, and Bernhard, born April 18, 1878. II. Princess Maria, born January 20, 1849; married February 6, 1876, to Prince Heinrich VII., of Reuss-Schleiz-Köstritz; offspring, Heinrich XXXII., born March 4, 1878; Heinrich XXXIII., born July 26, 1879; Sophie, born June 27, 1884; Heinrich XXXV., born August 1, 1887. III. Princess Elisabeth, born February 28, 1854; married Nov. 6, 1886, to Johann, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.

Cousins of the Grand-duke.

I. Prince Eduard, born October 11, 1823, the son of the late Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar; major-general in the British army; married Nov. 27, 1851, to Lady Augusta Catherine, born Jan. 14, 1827, daughter of the fifth Duke of Richmond.

II. Prince Hermann, born August 4, 1825, brother of the preceding; married June 17, 1851, to Princess Augusta, born October 4, 1826, youngest daughter of King Wilhelm I. of Württemberg, of which union there are offspring six children.

III. Prince Gustav, born June 28, 1827, brother of the preceding; majorgeneral in the Austrian army; married February 14, 1870, to Pierina Marcochia, Countess von Neupurg.

The family of the Grand-duke stands at the head of the Ernestine or elder line of the princely houses of Saxony, which include Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha; while the younger, or Albertine line, is represented by the Kings of Saxony. In the event of the Albertine line becoming extinct, the Grand-duke of Weimar would ascend the Saxon throne. Saxe-Weimar was formed into an independent Principality in 1640, and Eisenach was joined to it in 1644. After a temporary subdivision the Principality was finally united into a compact whole under Ernest Augustus (1728-1748), who introduced the principle of primogeniture. On entering

the Confederation of the Rhine, the Principality (Fürstenthum) became a Duchy (Herzogthum). At the Congress of Vienna a considerable increase of territory, together with the title of Grand-duke, was awarded to Duke Karl August, known as a patron of German literature.

The Grand-duke has a large private fortune, part of which he obtained in dowry with his consort, Princess Sophie of the Netherlands. He has also a civil list of 930,000 marks, or 46,000l., amounting to nearly oneseventh of the revenues of Saxe-Weimar.

Constitution and Revenue.

The Constitution of the Grand-duchy was granted May 5, 1816; but slightly altered by the law of October 15, 1850. It was the first liberal Constitution granted in Germany. According to this charter the legislative power is vested in a House of Parliament of one chamber. It is composed of 31 members, of whom one is chosen by the noble landowners; four by other landowners having a yearly income of from 3,000 marks upwards; five by other persons of the same income; and twenty-one by the other inhabitants. The first-mentioned ten deputies are elected directly, the remaining twenty-one indirectly. All citizens over twenty-five years of age have the franchise. The Chamber meets every three years. The executive, acting under the orders of the Grand-duke, but responsible to the representatives of the country, is divided into three departments.

The budget is granted by the Chamber for a period of three years. That from 1887 to 1889 comprised an annual income and an annual expenditure of 6,746,544 marks. The State forests yield a large income, while there is a graduated tax on all incomes, the estimates for which are based on a total income for the population of 82,371,600 marks. The public debt amounted to 5,856,775 marks on January 1, 1889. The debt is more than covered by the productive capital of the State.

Area and Population.

The Grand-duchy has an area of 1,404 English square miles, and consists of the three detached districts of Weimar, Eisenach, and Neustadt, to which belong also 24 smaller exclaves. The population was 292,933 in 1875, 309,577 in 1880, and 313,946 on December 1, 1885. During the years from 1875 to 1880 the increase was at the rate of 1·10 per cent. per annum, and 0.28 in 1880-85. Of the population in 1885, 151,996 were males and 161,950 females; i.e. 106-5 females per 100 males. Foreigners numbered 1,046. Marriages, 1888, 2,563; births, 11,386; deaths, 7,407; surplus, 3,979. Among the births 406 (3.75 per cent.) were stillborn, and 1,032 (9.8 per cent.) illegitimate.

In 1885 34 per cent. of the population lived in towns with 2,000 inhabitants and upwards, and 66 per cent. in rural communes. The town of Weimar, capital and largest town of the Grand-duchy, had 21,565 inhabitants at the census of December 1, 1885. The number of emigrants in 1882-88 was as follows: