the ministers are responsible. The age of majority of the sovereign IS eighteen. The crown is hereditary i11 both the male and the female lme according to primogemture, but it IS only in default of male heirs that females can come to the throne. The crown prince or he1r apparent is the first subject of the sovereign, and bears the title of the prince of Orange. The sovereign alone has executive authority. To him belong the ultimate direction of foreign affairs, the power to declare war and peace, to make treaties and alliances, and to dissolve one or both chambers of parliament, the supreme command of the army and navy, the supreme administration of the state finances and of the colonies and other possessions of the kingdom, and the prerogative of mercy. By the provisions of the same constitution he establishes the ministerial departments, and shares the legislative power with the first and second chambers of parliament, which constitute the states-geneial and sit at the Hague The heads of the departments to whom the especial executive functions are entrusted are eight in number-mmistcrs respectively of the 1nter1or, of “ vt ater-staat, ” trade and industry (that IS, of public works, including railways, post-office, &c), of justice, of finance, of war, of marine, of the colonies and of foreign affairs There is a department of agriculture, but vvithout a minister at its head. The heads of departments are appointed and dismissed at the pleasure of the sovereign, usually determined, however, as in all constitutional states, by the vt1ll of the nation as indicated by its representatives. The number of members in the first chamber IS 50, South Holland send111g 1o, North Holland 9, North Brabant and Gelderland each6 Frieslanda Overysel Limburg a11d Gronm C11 7 ' 7 g

each 3, Zeeland, Utrecht and Dre11te each 2. According to the fundamental lan (G/onrlwet) of 1887, they are chosen by the provincial states, not only from amongst those vyho bear the greatest burden of direct taxation in each province, but also from amongst great functionaries and persons of high rank. I'hose deputies who are not resident in the Hague are e11t1tled to receive 165 8d. a day during the session The du1at1o11 of parliament Ib nine years, a third of the members retiring every three years. The retiring members are eligible for re-election. The members of the second chamber are chosen in the electoral districts by all capable male citizens not under 23 years of age, who pay one or more d11ect taxes, ranging fro1n a minimum of one guilder (1s. Sd) tovvards the income tax. The number of members is 100, Amsterdam returning 9, Rotterdam 5, the Hague 3, Groningen and Utrecht 2 members each. Members must be at least th1rty years old, and receive an annual allowance of £166 besides travelling expenses They only, and the government have the right of initiating business, and of proposing amendments 'Ihe1r term is four years, but they are re-eligible ll communications from the sovereign to the states-general and from the states to the sovereign, as well as all measures relating to 111ternal administration or to Ioretgn possessions, are first submitted to the consideration of the cou11c1l of state, which consists of 14 members appointed by the sovereign, who 1s the president The state council also has the right of making suggestions to the sovereign in regard to subjects of legislation and administration.

The provincial administration is entrusted to the provincial states, which are returned by direct election by the same electors as vote for the second chamber 'I he term lb for six years, but one half of the members ret1re every three years subject to 1e-elet £1011 or renewal 'I he president of the assembly 1s the royal comm1ss1oner for the province As the prov1nc1al states only meet a few [1lTl€'s in the vear, they name a committee of cleputv-states which manages current general business, and at the same t1me exercises the right of control over the affairs of the communes At the head of everv commune stands a communal council, whose members must be not under 23 vears of age They are elected for six years (one-third of the council retiring every two vears) bv the same voters as for the provincial states. Communal franchise is further restricted, however, to those electors who pay a certain sum to the communal rates The number of councillors varies according to the population between 7 and 45 One of the special duties of the council 15 the superyiszon of education, The president of the communal council is the lnirgomaster, who is named by the sovereign in every instance for s1x vears, and receives a salarv yarymg fr0m £40 to ovtr {600 Provision ls made for paying the councillors a certain fee-called “presence-money"-vxhen required. The burgoniaster has the power to suspend any of the council's decrees for 30 days The executive power 18 vested 1n a college formed by the burgomaster and two, three or four magistrates (wethouders) to be chosen by and from the members of the council. The provinces are eleven 1n number

Natzonal Defence -The home defence syste1n of Holland is a m.l1t1a w1th strong cadres based on universal service. Servlce 1n the “ mllltla " or 1st l1ne force 1S for 8 years, 1n the 2nd l1ne for 7. Every year 1n the dr1ll season contingents of m1l1t1amen are called up for long or short periods of trammg, and the 1nax1mum peace strength under arms 111 the summer 1S about 35,000, of whom half are permanent cadres and half m1l1t1amen In 1908 12,3OO of the vear's contmgent were tralnerl for e1ght months and more, and 5200 for four months. The war strength of the militia is 105,000, that of the second line or reserve o,000. The defence of the country 15 based on the h1stor1c pr1nc1pfe of concentratmg the people and their resources 1n the heart of the country, covered by a w1de belt of inundations The chosen line of defence 15 marked by a series of forts which control the sltnces, extendmg from Amsterdam, through Muiden, thence along the 'echt and through Utrecht to (, or1nchem (borkum) on the Waal The l1ne continues thence by the Hollandsche D1ep and olkerak to the sea, and the coast also lb fortified. The armx in the colonies numbers in all about 26,000, all permanent troops and for the most part voluntarily enllsted European regulars The military expenditure in 1908 vvas £2,331,255. The Dutch navv at home ancl in II'1(l1Hl1 waters conslsts (1909) of 9 small battleships, 6 small crtnsers and 80 other vessels, manned by 8600 officers and men of the navy and about 2250 marines Rec1u1t1ng ls by voluntary enhstment, vth co11t1ngent powers of conscription amongst the maritime population.

Justzce ~'I he aclmin1strat1on of justlce 1S entrusted (1) to the h1gh council (hooge mad) at the Hague, the supreme court of the whole kingdom, and the trlbunal for all h1gh government Of:l:lC13l§ and for the members of the states-general, (2) to the five courts of ]ust1ce established at Amsterdam, the Hague, Arnhem, Leeuwarden and 's Heitogenbosch, (3) to t11bunals established in each arrondissement; (4) to cantonal judges appointed over a group of communes, whose ]ur1sd1ct1on 13 restricted to cla1ms of small amount (under 200 gmlders), and to breaches of pollce regulations, and who at the same t1n1e look after the 1nte1cst of 1l1lI'101S The high council 18 composed of 12 to 14 councillors, a procurer-general and three advocates-general Crlminal and correctional procedure vere formerlv (l1V1(l€Cl between the courts of justlce and the arrond1sse-1H€llt U'1l)LII'1¢llS, but th1s d1st1nct1on was suppressed by the penal code of 1886, thereby 1ncreas1ng the importance of the arrond1ssement courts, which also act as court of appeal of the cantonal courts

Bes1des the prisons, which include one bullt on the cellular principle at Breda, the state supports three penal workhouses for drunkards and beggars. There are also the penal colonies at Veenhu1zen in Drente, wh1ch were brought from the SOC1Cty of Char1ty (Maatschappzj van Weldadfgkezd) 1n 1859. The inmates practise agriculture, as well as various industries for suppl ing all the requnements of the colony The objection raisedy against these establishments is that the prisoners do not represent the real vagabondage of the country, but a class of more or less voluntary inmates. Children under 16 years of age are placed ir' the three state reformatories, and there is an institution for Vagabond women at Rotterdam

Charitable and of/zer Insiziutzons -Pr1vate charities have alvtays occupied a distinguished pos1t1on in the Netherlands, and the pr1nc1ple of the law of 1854 concerning the rel1ef of the poor 15, that the state shall only 1nterfcre when private charity fails All private and religious 1nst1tut1ons have to be inscribed before they can collect public funcls In some cases these 1nst1tut1ons are organized and adm1n1stered conjointly th the civ1l authorities. At the head of the charitable 1nst1tut1ons stand the agricultural colonies belonging to the Soc1ety of Char1ty (see DRENTE). Of the numerous 1nst1tut1ons for the encouragement of the sciences and the fine arts, the following are strictly national-the Royal Academy of Sc1ences (1855), the Roy al Netherlands l/Ieteorolog1cal Inst1tute (1851), the National Academv of the Plastic Arts, the Royal School of A usic, the NE1t1O11211 Archives, besldes various other national collections and museums Provincial scientific SOLl€t1€§ ex1st at ll1ddelburg, Utrecht, 's Hertogenhosch a11d Leeuvsarden, and there are priv ate and mun1c1pal associations, 1I'1St1[Llt1Of1S and collections in a large number of the smaller towns. Among soc1et1es of general utility are the Society for Public /Velfare (Maatschappzj tat nut van? algcmeen, 1785), Whose cfforts have becn mainly 1n the d1rect1on of educational reform, the Lfeographlcal Society at Amsterdam (1873), Tey/ler's istichting or foundation at Haarlem (1778), and the societies for the promotion of industry Q777), and of sciences (17513 in the same town; the Institute of anguages, Geography and thnology of the Dutch Indies (1851), and the Indian Society at the Hague, the Royal Institute of Engineers at Delft (1848), the Association for the Encouragement of Music at Amsterdam, &c. Relzgwn -Religious conviction is one of the most characteristic traits of the Dutch people, and finds expression in 1 large numlver of

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