Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/1041

 WALDECK

G85

WALDECK.

(FOrstenthum Waldeck.) Reigning Prince.

Priedrich, born January 20, 1865 ; the son of Prince George Victor and Princess Helena of Nassau ; succeeded to the throne at the death of his father, May 12, 1893 ; married, August 9, 1895, to Princess Bathildis of Schaum- burg-Lippe ; offspring: Prince Josias, born May 13, 1896; Prince Max, born September 13, 1898, Brother and sisters of the reigning prince are : — I. Princess Pauline, born October 19, 1855 ; married. May 7, 1881, to the Hereditary Prince Alexis of Bentheim-Bentheim. II. Princess Emma, born August 2, 1858 ; married, January 7, 1879, King Willem III. of the Nether- lands; widow, November 20, 1890. III. Princess Helena, born February 17, 1861 ; married, April 27, 1882, to Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany, son of Victoria, Queen of Great Britain ; widow March 28, 1884, IV, Princess Elizahcth, born September 6, 1873. V. 'PxiucQ Wolrad-Friedrich (^Tot]xQV on the father's side), born June 22, 1892,

After the war between Austria and Prussia, at the end of 1866, a 'Treaty of Accession' was signed by the Prince on July 18, 1867, by which he sur- rendered his chief sovereign rights to King Wilhelm I, for ten years, retain- ing merely nominal power, and renewed November 24, 1877, till January 1, 1888. A Treaty, made March 2, 1887, continued the arrangement for the future, making it terminable on notice given.

Constitution and Finance.

The charter of the Principality was granted August 17, 1852, It provided for a legislative assembly of forty-one members, but this number is now reduced to fifteen, with authority restricted to purely local affairs. In terms of the ' Treaty of Accession ' all public officials are appointed by the King of Prussia, and take the oath of fidelity to liim. Prussia also manages the finances of the Principality.

The estimated revenue and expenditure for three years are : — 1896, 1,414,179 marks ; 1897, 1,401,428 marks ; 1898, 1,401,428 marks.

The debt on July 1, 1898, was 2,004,300 marks.

Area and Population.

The Principality has an area of 433 English square miles.

It is thus divided for administrative purposes into circles: — Waldeck: Twiste, population, 16,588; Eisenberge, population, 17,686; Eder, popula- tion, 15,138; Pyrmont : population, 8,354 — total, 57,766 (27,932 males and 29,834 females) in December, 1895.

Marriages, 1896, 379 ; births, 1,838 (63, or 3 '4 per cent., stillborn, and 118, or 6 "4 per cent., illegitimate) ; deaths, 1,023 ; surplus, 815. Emi- grants, 1894, 25; 1895, 30; 1896, 43; 1897, 11, Criminals convicted in 1896, 175, or 44*1 per 10,000 of the population over 12 years of age. Except 1,700 Catholics and 696 Jews, the people are Protestants. The residence town, Arolsen, has (1895) 2,768 inhabitants.

On June 14, 1895, the number of separate agricultural tenements was as follows : —

Below 1 Hect.

1-10 Hect.

10-100 Hect.

Over 100 Hect

Total.

4,185

4,249

1,599

34

10,067