It will be seen from the above tables that there has been almost constant deficits in the finances of the Netherlands in recent years, these deficits being partly caused by expenditure on public works, which are paid for out of revenue each year. The expenditure of the 'Department for the Colonies,' entered in the budget estimates, only refers to the central administration. There is a separate budget for the great colonial possessions in the East Indies, voted as such by the States-General. The financial estimates for the year 1883 calculated the total revenue at 139,238,492 guilders, or 11,603,2087., with an expenditure of 147,700,121 guilders, or 12,308,343. The expenditure of 1883 was distributed between the colonies and the mother country in the following proportions: Administrative and other expenses in the colonies. Total expenditure Guilders 123,311,629 24,388,492 See under Dutch East Indies, in Part II. of the Statesman's Year-book. It will be seen from the preceding budget estimates for the kingdom of the Netherlands, that the largest branch of expenditure is that for the national debt. In the budget for 1884 the national debt is given as follows:— The various provinces and communes have their own separate budgets, the total provincial expenditure in 1882 being 4,743,665 guilders, or, 395,3051.; the special communal expenses are estimated at 3 millions sterling annually, half of which is covered by direct taxation. Among direct taxes for the national revenue that on land and buildings is the most important, estimated to yield 921,4777. in 1884, and next the personal tax (on incomes, doors, windows, servants, &c.), estimated at 884,000l. in 1884. The rateable annual value of buildings was given at 6,820,8937. in 1882, and of land 3,931,0811. The personal tax amounts to 4s. 2d. head. per total debt amounts to 201. per head, and the annual charge (1884) to 13s. 3d. The total exports amount to about 147. per head. Army and Navy. The The army of the Netherlands, which was reorganised partly on the system of Germany, in 1881, is formed partly by conscription and partly by enlistment, the volunteers forming the stock, but not the majority of the troops. The men drawn by conscription, at the age of twenty, have to serve, nominally, five years; but really only for twelve months, meeting afterwards for six weeks annually for practice, during four years. Besides the regular army, there exists a militia-schutteryen-mainly for internal defence, divided into two classes. To the first, the active militia,' belong all men from 25 to 34; and to the second, the 'resting (rustende) militia,' all from 35 to 55. The first class, numbering about 30,000 men, is again subdivided into two parts: 1, the unmarried men and widowers without children, and 2, married soldiers. The 'resting militia,' to the number of 40,000 men, is organised in eighty-nine battalions. Besides this there is the landstorm,' consisting of all between 19 and 50 capable of bearing arms, and the Society of Sharpshooters,' corresponding somewhat to the English Volunteers.' 6 6 The regular army stationed in the Netherlands, consisted, according to the budget of 1884, of 42,843 infantry, 3,987 cavalry, 1,432 engineers, 13,291 artillery, 362 mounted police; in all, including special services, 62,687 under-officers and men, besides 2,320 officers, staff and administration. Included in the infantry are 1 regiment of guards and 8 regiments of the line; there are 3 regiments of cavalry, 1 battalion of sappers and miners, 3 regiments of field artillery, 4 of fortress artillery, 1 regiment of lighthorse artillery, 1 company of pontonniers, and 1 torpedo company. The army of the Netherlands in the Dutch East Indies in 1882 numbered 32,149 officers and men, composed as follows: Colonial Army : Of the rank and file 14,524 were Europeans, 119 Africans, and 16,290 natives. There are besides small garrisons, altogether about 600 officers and men, in the Dutch West Indies, besides several companies of volunteers. The navy of the Netherlands was composed, in January 1882, of 135 steamers, including 19 ironclads; and 30 steamers, mostly small, for service in the East Indies. There are besides 22 torpedo boats. The following is a tabular list of the armour-clad ships, the columns of the table exhibiting, after the name of each ship, first, the armour thickness at the water-line; secondly, the number and weight of guns; thirdly, the indicated horse-power of the engines; and fourthly, the tonnage, that is, the displacement in tons: The largest ironclad of the navy, the Koning der Nederlanden, was built at the Government dockyard at Amsterdam, and launched in August 1876. It is a double-turret ship, 268 feet in length, and nearly 50 feet in breadth, and armed with four 35-ton Armstrong guns. The next armour-clad vessel in the preceding list, the Schorpioen, constructed by the 'Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée,' at Marseilles, France, is 194 feet long, and 36 feet in extreme breadth, and has its armament of two 12-ton guns in a single turret. The Guinea is a sister-ship of the Schorpioen, and also built on the same plan are the Buffel and the Stier, all of them with single turrets and ram bows; while the Prince Hendrik der Nederlanden, constructed at Birkenhead, is a double-turret ship. The iron armour-clad ships of the second class are all constructed on the same model. They are each 187 feet in length, and 44 feet in breadth, with their two 12-ton guns in a single turret. They are intended only for coast defence, their maximum not being greater than eight knots per hour. The unarmoured ships of the navy of the Netherlands comprise 24 corvettes, while the rest are avisos and gunboats, all of them screw steamers. There are also numerous paddle steamers, most of them used as despatch boats. The whole of the sailing vessels, as well as many of the smaller steamers, are employed in the colonial service. The navy was officered, in 1883-4, by 1 admiral, 2 vice-admirals, 4 rear-admirals ('schouten-bij-nacht'), 25 captains, 35 commanders, 345 first and second lieutenants, 55 midshipmen ('adelborsten'), 92 administrative and 91 medical officers. The marine infantry, at the same date, consisted of 57 officers and 2,221 non-commissioned officers and privates. Both sailors and marines are recruited by enlistment, conscription being allowed, but not actually in force. The Government of the Netherlands spends from two to three million florins annually (160,000l. to 250,000l.) in strengthening its various means of defence. The Netherlands have some small fortresses and a great many forts connected with each other, which would serve, with the aid of inundations, to defend the interior of the country, while most of the avenues from the coast are fortified. Area and Population. The Netherlands, since the separation of Belgium, consists of eleven provinces. Connected with the kingdom in the person of the sovereign, though possessed of a separate administration, is the Grand-duchy of Luxemburg, included from 1815 to 1866 in the dissolved Germanic Confederation. The King of the Netherlands is Grand-Duke of Luxemburg, and nominates the Government. There is a Chamber of Deputies of 42 members, elected directly by the Cantons for six years. By the Treaty of London, 1867, Luxemburg is declared neutral territory. It has an area of 998 square miles, and a population (Dec. 1, 1880) of 209,570, of whom 207,782 were Catholics. In 1882 the revenue was 414,6751., and expenditure 389,4461. There is a debt of almost 600,000l., contracted mainly for the construction of railways. For commercial purposes Luxemburg is included in the German Zollverein. There are 220 miles of railway, and 450 miles of telegraph lines. A census of the Netherlands is taken every ten years. The last decennial census of December 31, 1879, gave the area at 32,972 square kilometres, or 12,648 English square miles, with a population of 4,012,693, comprising 1,983,164 males and 2,029,529 females. The following table shows the area and population of each of the eleven provinces of the kingdom at the |