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 1 74 GERMANY SCifWARZBURG-SONDERSrrATTPT.N'.

April 21, 1821, which underwent several alterations in 1848, and again in 1854. For all legislative measures the Prince has to obtain the consent of a Qhamber of representatives of fifteen members, five of which are elected by the nobility, five by the inhabitants of towns, and five by the rural population. The deputies meet every three years, and their mandate expires at the end of two sessions.

There are triennial budgets. For the period 1864-66, the public income was settled at 2,582,322 florins, or 215,200/., and the expendi- ture for the three years was fixed by the Chamber at exactly the same sum. Former financial periods showed small deficits. There is a public debt of 1,848,000 florins, or 154,000/.

The popiilation numbered 75,074 in the year 1867, living on an area of 340 English square miles. The whole of the inhabitants of the principality are Lutherans, with the exception of 93 Eoman Catholics and 113 Jews.

XIX. SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHAUSEN.

(FlJRSTENTHUM SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHAUSEN.)

Reigning Sovereign.

Gunther II., Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, born Sept. 24, 1801 ; succeeded to the throne, in consequence of the abdication of his father, Prince Gunther I., Aug. 19, 1835 ; married, in first nuptials, in 1827, to Princess Marie of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, who died in 1833; and, secondly, in 1835, to Princess Mathilda of Hohenlohe - Oehringen, from whom he was divorced in 1852. Issue of the first marriage are: — 1. Princess Elisabeth, born March 22, 1829. 2. Prince Karl, born Aug. 7, 1830; major in the service of Prussia. 3. Prince Leopold, born July 2, 1832.

The princes of the House of Schwarzburg belong to a very ancient and wealthy family, which gave an emperor to Germany in the four- teenth century. It was partly on account of this lineage that the small territory of the house was left undisturbed at the Congress of "Vienna, instead of being 'mediatised,' like that of a number of other formerly sovereign princes. The civil list of the Prince of Schwarz- burg-Sondershausen amounts to 150,000 thaler, or 22,340/., being nearly one-fourth of the revenue of the country. The Prince is, moreover, in possession of very hu-ge income from private estates in Bohemia and Mecklenburg, purchased mostly by the late sovereign Gunther I., who exercised the sole trade of brewer in his dominions.