X. HOLSTEIN AND LAUENBURG.

Reigning Sovereign and Family.

Christian IX., King of Denmark and Duke of Holstein and Lauenburg, according to the Treaty of London of May 8, 1852. See 'Denmark.'

Frederick, hereditary Duke of Holstein, born July 6, 1829; the son of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg; succeeded at the death of King Frederick VII. of Denmark, after the renunciation of the Crown by his father, November 15, 1863; married, September 11, 1856, to Princess Adelaide of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, born July 20, 1835. There are issue two daughters and one son, namely, Augusta Victoria, born October 22, 1858; Caroline Mathilde, born January 25, 1860; and Earnest Günther, born August 9, 1863.

The ducal line of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg was founded by Prince Ernest Günther, born 1609, and who died in 1689, having built the castle of Augustenburg in the island of Alsen, in the Baltic. By the extinction of the two elder lines, of Franzenhagen and the Catholic, the house of Augustenburg became the eldest branch of the family of the ancient Dukes of Holstein. After the failure of the male line of the Kings of Denmark, the crown of Holstein-Lauenburg, according to the salic law in force in the duchies, is claimed by Duke Frederick of Schleswig-HolsteinSonderburg-Augustenburg. The duchy of Schleswig, given to the crown of Denmark at the Congress of Vienna, is also claimed as belonging to Holstein, through a union dating from 931. After the extinction of the old line of Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein, the citizens, in 1459, elected King Christian I. to be their duke. He declared in his letters patent of 1460, ' that the prelates, lords, cities, and inhabitant of Schleswig-Holstein having elected him by their own free will and out of good will to be their sovereign, and having sworn the oath of allegiance to him, not as King of Denmark, but as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, the order of succession in those two duchies shall not be altered, and belong exclusively to the male line.' The dynastic claims of Duke Frederick are based upon this document, confirmed by subsequent treaties.

Government and Population.

The Estates of Holstein are composed of 9 deputies of the Ritterschaft, or landed nobility, 16 representatives of towns, and 16 of rural districts, all elected by their respective constituencies.

Besides these 41 members, 4 more deputies of the Ritterschaft, 2 representatives of the clergy, and 1 representative of the university of Kiel, are nominated by the Duke. The Estates

meet every two years at the town of Itzehoe.

The budget of Holstein is granted by the Estates for a period of two years. For the year April 1, 1861, to March 30, 1862, the public income amounted to 1,770,573 thalers, or 265,586l., and the expenditure to 1,774,863 thalers, or 266,2291., leaving a deficit of 4,290 thalers, or 6431. To the income, direct taxes contributed 1,076,748 thalers, or 161,5127., and indirect taxes, 349,810 thalers, or 51,4721.

The duchy of Lauenburg, though forming part of the German Confederation, is under the immediate control of the crown of Denmark. The duchy, which formed part of Hanover since 1689, was ceded by Hanover to Prussia in virtue of a treaty of May 29, 1815, and by another treaty, of June 4 of the same year, Prussia ceded the duchy to Denmark in exchange for Swedish Pomerania and the island of Rügen.

The army of Holstein-Lauenburg is formed by conscription. During the period of the war with Denmark, on Jan. 1, 1850, of the duchies consisted of the following troops :

the

army

To the army of the German Confederation, the duchies have to contribute a total of 6,000 troops, namely, 4,559 infantry, 750 cavalry, and 691 artillery.

The area and population of the two duchies, according to the last census of Feb. 1, 1860, are as follows:

The population numbered 478,348 in 1834; 525,850 in 1845; and 573,003 in 1855. The whole of the inhabitants are members of the Lutheran Church, with the exception of 950 Roman Catholics, and 3,500 Jews.

: XI. LUXEMBURG AND LIMBURG.

Reigning Sovereign and Family.

William III., Grand-duke of Luxemburg and Duke of Limburg -King of the Netherlands-born Feb. 19, 1817, the son of King William II. of the Netherlands; succeeded his father as Grandduke of Luxemburg and Duke of Limburg, March 17, 1849.

Brother of the Grand-duke.-Prince Henry, born June 13, 1820; appointed Governor-General of the Grand-duchy of Luxemburg, Feb. 5, 1850.

For further details see 'Netherlands.'

Constitution, Revenue, and Population.

The Grand-duchy of Luxemburg, formerly a part of the Austrian Netherlands, was, at the Congress of Vienna, incorporated with the Germanic Confederation, under the sovereignty of the younger line of the House of Orange-Nassau, also filling the throne of the Netherlands. However, at the Belgian revolution of 1830, the whole of the Grand-duchy, with the exception of the fortress of Luxemburg, joined cause with the insurrection; and it was not until 1839 that, by diplomatic negotiations, a part of the country was again brought back to its allegiance to the Confederation and the King-Grand-duke. Under the new arrangement, about one-half of the former province was again united to the Confederation, to which was added, nominally, the duchy of Limburg. But the latter part of the treaty has never been carried out, and the duchy of Limburg has remained to the present moment an integral part of the kingdom of the Netherlands, neither politically nor socially connected with Luxemburg, or with the Germanic Confederation.

The constitution of the Grand-duchy of Luxemburg dates from 1815; but was altered by decree of July 9, 1848. The executive is in the hands of the Governor-General, Prince Henry, who has a salary of 60,000 francs or 2,4007., and is assisted by a Secretary for the affairs of the Grand-duchy, residing at the Hague. A Chamber of Deputies, elected under the same conditions as the Parliament of the Netherlands, exercises the legislative power. The ministry is divided into three departments, namely

1. The Ministry of State and of Foreign Affairs.—Baron V. von Tornaco, appointed February 5, 1860.

2. The Ministry of Finance.-Privy Councillor J. Ulveling.

3. The Ministry of the Interior and of Justice.-Dr. M. Jonas.

L

The post of 'Secretary for the affairs of the Grand-duchy' is filled by Count d'Olimart.

The ecclesiastical government of the Grand-duchy is under a Roman Catholic bishop, whose see embraces 13 archdeaconries, 231 rectories, 84 vicarages, and 93 chaplaincies.

The budget of Luxemburg is granted by the Chamber from year to year. The income for 1862 amounted to 3,029,100 francs, or 121,1647., and the expenditure, for the same year, to 3,042,300 francs, or 121,6897., leaving a deficit of 13,200 francs, or 525l. The chief items of public expenditure for 1862 were-Civil list of the Grandduke, 200,000 francs, or 8,000l.; army, 480,000 francs, or 19,2007.; education, 915,100 francs, or 36,6047.

The army is incorporated with that of the Netherlands, and formed in the same manner, partly by enlistment and partly by conscription. To the troops of the Germanic Confederation Luxemburg and Limburg contribute 2,706 men, of which 1,739 are infantry, and 967 cavalry. They form the second section of the ninth corps d'armée, and are destined chiefly to garrison the federal fortress of Luxemburg.

The area and population, according to the census of 1860, are as follows:

The part of Luxemburg torn off from the Germanic Confederation by the revolution of 1830, and incorporated with Belgium according to the international treaties of 1839, comprises an area of 1,695 square English miles, with a population of 187,978.

The population of the duchies has increased at the following rate since 1840:

The whole of the inhabitants are Roman Catholics, with the exception of 4,853 Protestants of various denominations, and 1,618 Jews.

XII. 1.-SAXE-WEIMAR.

Reigning Sovereign and Family.

Charles Alexander, Grand-duke of Saxe-Weimar, born June 24, 1818, the son of Grand-duke Charles Frederick and of Grand-duchess

Marie, daughter of the late Czar Paul I. of Russia. father, July 8, 1853; married, October 8, 1842, to

Succeeded his

Issue

Sophie, Grand-duchess of Saxe-Weimar; born April 8, 1824, the daughter of the late King William II. of the Netherlands. of the union are:-1. Prince Charles Augustus, heir-apparent, born July 31, 1844. 2. Princess Marie, born January 20, 1849. 3. Princess Elizabeth, born February 28, 1854.

Sisters of the Grand-duke.-1. Princess Marie, born February 3, 1808; married, May 26, 1827, to Prince Charles of Prussia. 2. Princess Augusta, born September 30, 1811; married, June 11, 1829, to Prince William, now King William I. of Prussia.

Cousins of the Grand-duke.-1. Prince Edward, born October 11, 1823, the son of the late Duke Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar, brother of Grand-duke Charles Frederick; entered the British army as ensign, June 1, 1841; captain, May 19, 1846; major, June 20, 1854; lieutenant-colonel in the Grenadier Guards and aide-de-camp to the Queen, May 18, 1855; married, November 27, 1851, to Lady Augusta Catherine, born January 14, 1827, the daughter of the late Charles Gordon-Lennox, Duke of Richmond. 2. 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 William I. of Würtemburg. Issue of the union are one daughter and four sons, namely, Pauline, born July 25, 1852; Wilhelm, born December 31, 1853; Bernard, born October 10, 1855; Alexander, born June 22, 1857; and Ernest, born August 9, 1859. 3. Prince Gustavus, born June 28, 1827, brother of the preceding; colonel in the Austrian army. 4. Princess Anna, born September 9, 1828; sister of the preceding. 5. Princess Amalia, born May 20, 1830; married, May 19, 1853, to Prince Henry of Orange-Nassau, brother of King William III. of the Netherlands.

The family of the Grand-duke stands at the head of the Ernestine or elder line of the princely houses of Saxony, which include SaxeMeiningen, Saxe-Altenburg, and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, while the younger, or Albertine line, is represented by the Kings of Saxony. Saxe-Weimar was formed into an independent duchy towards the end of the sixteenth century, when Elector Johann Wilhelm of Saxony divided his territory between his two sons, Frederick Wilhelm and Johann, giving the former Saxe-Altenburg and the latter SaxeWeimar. There were frequent divisions subsequently, until, by the extinction of branch lines, the original family estates were again obtained. At the Congress of Vienna a considerable increase of territory, together with the title of Grand-duke, was awarded to Duke Charles Augustus, the celebrated patron of German literature, and friend of Göthe and Schiller.

The Grand-duke has a large private fortune, part of which he