The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-18
FACTS ABOUT COUNTRIES
ITALY.

FACTS ABOUT COON RlES
ITALY.
Area. 11o.55o square miles; population,
81, 475,259.
Area of Italy and her colonies. 4i9 $50
square miles; population, $500 5s.
Rome, the capital. was founded 1853 B.
c.. and has a population Of 4G2, 7s3.
Victor Emanuel III. the king of Italy,
was born November IL, 1869, and assembled
the throne July %. 1900.
Italy's present constitution is an ex-
pansion of the statute fondementale del
Regno," granted March 4, 1873, by King
Charles Albert to his Sandman subjects.
According to this charter executive pow
er belongs exclusively to the sovereign
and the Legislative authority lies eonjoint-
" in the king and parliament.
King Victor Emanuel receives an annual
compensation of $2,s5SOOo of which $780,
coo is for the maintenance of the royal
family.
Parliament is made UP of two chambers
the senate and the chamber of deputies.
The senate is composed of all the princes
of the royal house who are of age, and
an unlimited number of members, who
must be above forty years of age. Sena-
tors are nominated by the king and hold
their positions for life. Deputies must
be thirty. years old and are chosen by
electors who must be of age and are
under certain restrictions regarding edu-
cational qualifications, etc, before they
have voice in the elections.
Neither senators nor deputies receive
any salary or other compensation, but
they are allowed to travel free throughout
Italy
Ninety-seven 12-1OO percent of Italian
population are Roman Catholics, but the
immense wealth of the clergy has great
ly dwindled since 1880 when the siecardi
bill abolishing external ecclesiastical ju-
rsdction and clerical privileges. passed.
This law had the effect of diminishing the
number of clergymen as well as their
incomes.
Italys peace footing consists of EGO 454
officers and men; her war strength is es-
timated at 44,233 officers and 1,963424 men,
In naval strength she holds sixth place,
with first-class battleships, Il second
and third class ships, 4 coast defense 8
armored cruisers, II protected flrst-class
cruisers, q other cruisers, 10 seagoing
gunboats, river gunboats, 20 torpedo
boat destroyers. $50 torpedo boats. There
are 1906 officers and 26,95O men.
The nations wealth is estimated at 3d.
000 900, CO., and her national debt is $3.50,
6o5OOo, with an annual charge of $114422,-
SAC
1t was not until the beginning of the
empire that the name of Italy was en-
ployed as 1t now is to designate the whole
Peninsula, from the Alps to the Straits
of Messina. There were three primitive
races the Iapygian the Etruscan, and
that which is called the Italian. The last
Is divided into two main branches, the
Latin branch and that to which the dia-
lects of the Umbri, Marsh Volsci and
Samnites belong.
Ancient Rome was established by three
Latin and Sabine tribes the union of
these tribes formed the patrcan nu
cleus of Rome and established the Roman
citizenship. the full powers of which were
jealousy guarded by the patrieian fami-
lies. This infant city-state 1ourished and
conquered all her neighbors. But as the
city grew, the sturdy plebian populace
began the struggle for equality of rights.
. and b. c. 500 the republic with a purely
aristocratic constitution. was formed. The
struggle went on and the plebs instituted
q remarkable magistracy armed with
powers which never had been used In
governments before nor since. and by
means of this trbunican authority they
won equality In politics. property legis-
laton and social rights. But the health
of the great commonwealth waned as her
vastness grew, and after years of social
and civil wars, an imperial autocracy
was formed by Caesar, and the mighty
| fabric of the Roman empire. which dom
mated the world for centuries arose. The
Western Roman empire fell in 476 A. d.
| Rome's policy of expansion flourished in
| the years from PA b. G. to l46 b. c.
/ Sicily. Spain. Greece Macedonia, Asia
Minor, Gaul and Northern Africa sub
mitted as provinces to the proeonsuls of
the great city.
De Quincy gives an amusing account
of Nero's playful attempts to murder his
mother, Agrippina. He first resorted to
pcisons, but the willy dame anticipating
tricks of this kind, daily took antidotes
and prophylactics. The Emperor, who
took scientific delight in the matter,
next arranged some curious mechanical
| device, by means of which a vast weight
would fall upon the sleeper I'm the middle
! OF the night, but that scheme also
| reached the alert ears Of his parent and