The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-06-21
.s:as.95aFss
strength of the COntendins Powers
of EurODe
PRUSSIA.


PRUSSIA. ~
The area of Prussia is at present 1Os,-
2l2 English square miles, or about
equal the combined territory of Georgia
and Florida. The population, accord
ing to the census of 1854, was 19i3O4,-
s43, falling but little below that of the
Northern States of the Union. The
great majority of the populatlon are
Germans; the total number OF persons
belonging to non-German nationalities
being 9, ,504, ,l79. A considerable portion
of the latter are feeble remnants of
small tribes. which are rapidly being
absorbed by the German nationality.
Within the last few years the govern
ment of Prussia made several lmport-
ant additions to the former domlnions,
acquiring first the two PrincipalitieS OF
Hohenzollern, next the important sea-
coast district of Yahde, which it pur-
chased from Oldenburg, and more re-
Gently the Duchy of Lauenburg, which
was ceded to it by Austria for pecu-
MARY consideration. 1t holds, more,
over possession of SchleSwig, and
avows its intention to permanently an
mex to Prussia both this Duchy and
that of Holstein. In point of admins
tration, Prussia is not inferior TO any
other country of the world. Its imam
ces, unlike those of Austria and Italy,
are in a sound condition; its army dis
the entire civilized world. The army,
on u war footing, numbers 100000, ana
its fleet consisted, in 1865, of 81 steam
ers, sailing vessels, 40 rowing vessels;
total, S5 war vessels. The reigning
King is William l., born in 1897, who
succeeded his brother Frederic Will
liam W., in January, 1861. n
AUSTRIA.
The Austrian Empire, as at present
10 1iUi1n6 intn ninntlnn
Provinces, the area of which is 236,3ll
English square miles, with Il total pop
ulation, according to computation, of
36, ,T95, 900 souls. This population is
divided, with respect to race and Ian
guage, into no fewer than twelve diff
ferent nationalities, namely:
Germans RpIg@5Isns RIas 25Ts c55SSS SSSS
SorsVlans, SS%sIHias 100000 itsilans5inciq-
SlSyacks' ooo ooo SISe ipsS Frtanlsis R @ o5o 900
Rnssians....2' So, 700 Eastern Ro- -, ~,
Slavenians 10000 mnns..---......- 21OO,OOO
59gS99 SS Memees et6ee Tsce ol 10000
Austria is one of the great military
powers of Europe, her army on the war
footing being over half million of
men. The navy, however, is compara-
lively small, consisting, in August,
1864, of 80 steamers with 6S9 guns, and
1I,73O horsepower, and 20 sailing YES
been made within the last few years TO
raise the Imperial navy to state of
high efficiency by the substitution
of steam for sailing vessels, and the
gradual formation of an iron-clad fleet
of war Austria has become consti-
tutional monarchy since lS49, the main
features of the constitution consisting,
first, of the Provincial Diets, represent
ing the various States of the monarchy
secondly, Central Diet, or Council of
the Empire; and thirdly, reduced
form of the latter, or Partial Council OF
the Empire, as it is called. THE public
debt of the Empire, which, at the COM
mencement of the French revolution in
1883 was Sl74. 800, 900, had grown in 1868
to 8, ,2lO, ,222 ,0S5.- From 1889 to the pres
ent time there has not been a single
year in which the revenue OF the State
has come up to the expenditure. The
present Emperor, Francis Joseph l.,
claimed Emperor and King in conse-
auence of the abdication of Lis uncle,
Ferdinand l., and the remuneration of
his father, Francis Charles, December
9 1913. He was Chief
of the Austrian army in the Italian
campaign of 1859. -
ITALY.
The Kingdom of Italy has an area of
9s, ,7s4 English square miles, with pop
ulaLlO0, uCGOTuluS ~ buC AS9C SCh9tlS'i
taken in the spring of 1864, of 81 l'1O3, 10
souls, being on an average 22O inhabit-
ants to the square mile; n figure higher
than, that of France and Germany, but
lower than that of England. There has
been in some of the Provinces a rapid
increase of population of late years; but
the increase of wealth has been much
more rapid within the last century than
the increase of population. The great
mass of the people are devoted to agri-I
cultural pursuits, and the town popu-
Iation is comparatively small 1t has
senfaring population of l5S,692 individ-
uals, nearly all of whom are liable to
maratfme conscription. The military
organization of the Kingdom is based
on conscription, and the standing army
consists of more than 100000 men on
peace footing, and more than 100000 on
n war establishment. The navy of the
Kingdom consisted in 1865 of 9S steam
ers of 2O.76O horsepower, with 2,l6O
guns, and IL sailing vessels with 20
guns; altogether, lis men of war with
2439 guns. Italy has public debt of
nearly eight hundred millions of dol
lars. The expenditure is largely in ex-
cess OF the annual revenue. The reign
ing Sovereign, Victor Emanuel II, was
born March IA, 1920, and is the oldest
son of King Charles Albert of Sardinia,
and ArchduCheSS Theresa of Austria.
He succeeded to the throne on the abdi-
cation of his father, March %, lS49, and
was proclaimed King of Italy by vote
of the Italian Parliament, March IL,
1861.
THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION.
The German Confederation was or
eauized, in 1915, upon the ruins of the
German Empire which had been dis
solved in 1906. The object of the Con-
federacy, according to the first article
of the Federal Constitution, is "the
preservation of the internal and ex-
ternal security of Germany, and the
independence and inviOlability of the
various German States" The organ
and representative of the Confedera-
tion is the Federal Diet, consisting of
Plenipotentiaries of the several Ger
man States, and permanently located
in the free city of Frankfort. The ad-
ministrative Government of the Fed
eraI Diet is constituted in two forms
Ist, AS General Assembly Of PtenILIl,
in which every member of the Confed-
Grafton has at least one vote, and the
larger States have two, three or four
votes each; and second, the Minor
Council, or Committee of Confedera-
ton, in which the eleven largest States
cast one vote each, while six votes are
given to the smaller States, number
| of them combined having a joint vote.
The Presidency is permanently vested
| in Austria. The General Assembly de-
cides on war and peace, on the admis-
sion of new members, on any changes
| in the fundamental laws or organic in
stitutions; but in all other cases the
Minor Council is competent to act both
as legislative and executive.
At the time of its establishment the
Confederacy embraced Sc members, but
of these four (Saxe-Gotha, Anhalt-
Bernburg, Anhalt-Koethen and Hesse-