Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1040

 684 GERMAN EMPIRE : — SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHAUSEN

SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHATJSEN.

(FiJRSTENTHUM SCHWARZBURG-SONDERSHAUSEN. )

Reigning Prince.

Karl Gunther, born August 7, 1830 ; succeeded his father. Prince Giinther Friedrich Carl II., July 17, 1880 ; married, June 12, 1869, to Princess Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, born June 28, 1845.

Brother and Sister of the Prince. — I. Prince Leopold, born July 2, 1832. II. Princess Marie, born June 14, 1837.

The princes of the house of Schwarzburg belong to a very ancient and wealthy family. The small territory of the house was left undisturbed at the Congress of Vienna. The civil list of the Prince of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen amounts to 500,000 marks, being nearly one fourth of the revenue of the country.

Constitution and Finance.

The Principality has a Constitution, granted July 8, 1857, under which restricted legislative rights are given to a Diet composed of fifteen members, five of whom are appointed by the Prince, live elected by certain highly- taxed landowners and others, and five elected by the inhabitants in general. The sole executive and part of the legislative power is in the hands of the Prince, who exercises his authority through a Government divided into five departments.

For the year 1898-99 the revenue was estimated to amount to 2,985,755 marks, and the annual expenditure to the same. There is a public debt (January 1, 1898) of 3,011,701 marks.

Area and Population.

The area of the Principality is 333 English square miles (86,404 hectares), and the population in 1895 was 78,074 (37,976 males, and 40,098 females). Population per square mile 234 '46. In 1890 the population was 75,510, of whom 74,615 were Protestant, 636 Catholic, and 228 Jews. The chief towns, Sondershausen and Arnstadt, have respectively 7,013 (1895) and 13,595 inhabitants. In 1896 there were 597 marriages, 2,619 births, 1,465 deaths ; surplus of births, 1,154. Of the births, 84 (3 '2 per cent. ) were stillborn, and 248 (9-5 per cent.) illegitimate. Emigrants:; 1893, 52; 1894, 9; 1895, 19 ; 1896, 11 ; 1897, 5. In 1896 there were 626 criminals convicted, or 115*3 per 10,000 of the population over 12 years of age.

Agriculture.

In 1895 there were in the Principality 11,786 separate farms, as follows: under 1 hectare, 5,616 ; 1-10 hectares, 5,006 ; 10-100 hectares, 1,128; over 100 hectares, 37. Their total area was 63,747 hectares. They supported a population of 25,064, of whom 11,212 were actually engaged in agriculture. In 1897 the cultivated area and produce were as follows :

Crop

Hectares

1,000 kilog.

Crop

Hectares

1,000 kilog.

Rye

Wheat ... Barley

5,540 5,560 5,641

8,644 11,047

9,578

Potatoes. ..

Oats

Hay

4,628 7,589 3,942

53,436 11,940 14,553

r There are 49 miles of railway.