Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1871.djvu/81

Rh The executive, acting under the king as president, and called the Royal Privy Council, consists of the following seven departments:—

1. The Presidency of the Council.—Count Holstein-Holsteinborg, appointed President of the Council of Ministers, May 28, 1870.

2. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs.—Baron Otto Rosenörn-Lehn, appointed May 28, 1870.

3. The Ministry of the Interior.—Christen Andreas Fonnesbech, appointed May 28, 1870.

4. The Ministry of Public Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs.—Carl Christian Hall, appointed May 28, 1870.

5. The Ministry of Justice.—Andreas Fredrik Krieger, appointed May 28, 1870.

6. The Ministry of Finance.—Carl Emil Fenger, appointed May 28, 1870.

7. The Ministry of War and Marine.—Colonel Wolfgang Haffner, appointed April 20, 1870.

The ministers are individually and collectively responsible for their acts, and in case of impeachment, and being found guilty, cannot be pardoned by the king without the consent of the Folkething.

The chief of the dependencies of the Crown of Denmark, Iceland. is divided, for administrative purposes, into four Amts or districts; these are again divided into syssels or sheriffdoms—a sysselman being a magistrate and receiver of the king's taxes in each of them. The governor-general is called stiftamtmand, and resides at Reikjavik. Besides him there are three amtmands for the western, the northern, and eastern districts. The affairs of the island are regulated by the althing, a council composed of 26 members, of which five are nominated by the crown, and the rest elected by the people—one for the town of Reikjavik, and one for each of the 20 syssels.

Church and Education.

The established religion in Denmark is the Lutheran, which was introduced as early as 1536, the Church revenue being at that time seized and retained by the Crown. The affairs of the national Church are under the superintendence of the seven bishops of Själland, Lolland, Fyen, Ribe, Aarhuus, Viborg, and Aalborg. At present the nomination of the bishops is vested in the king. The bishops have no political character; they inspect the conduct of the subordinate clergy, confer holy orders, and enjoy nearly all