Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1173

 GOVERNMENT — AREA — RELIGION — INSTRUCTION 1051

King Nicholas's nominal civil list amounts to 240,000 krone, while the two elder princes receive 30, 000 krone each. Russia contributes a large sum each year towards the military, educational, and hospital expenditure of Montenegro. The Austrian Government contributes 20,000 krone per annum towards the expense of conveying the mails to and fro between Cettinje and Cattaro.

Government.— Under the Constitution granted by the Prince of Monte- negro on December 19, 1905, it is now a hereditary Constitutional monarchy with popular representation. The first National Assembly or Skupshtina met in 1906 but was dissolved in July 1907.

An electoral law has been framed under which elections took place in September, 1906, and in 1911 for the present Skupshtina. That assembly is, in future, to be convoked yearly, on October 31, by the King. Its members are elected by universal suffrage for a period of 4 years. Each of the 56 districts or capitanats of Montenegro, and each of the 6 provincial towns, Cettinje, Podgoritza, Niksic, Kolashin.. Antivari, and Dulcigno, elect one representative. There are also 12 ex officio members, including the Montenegrin Orthodox Metropolitan, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Antivari, the Montenegrin Mussulman Mufti, 6 high officials of the State, and 3 generals, nominated by the Prince. There are thus 74 members in all.

Prime Minister. — General Mitar Martinovitch ; appointed June 20, 1912.

There are Ministries of the Foreign Affairs, Interior, War, Finance and Public Works, Justice, Worship and Public Instruction.

Area and Population.— Area estimated at 3, 630 English square miles^ Extreme length, from the northernmost point of Piwa to the Boyana, about 100, and width, from Grahovo to the Lim, about 80 English miles. It is bordered on the south or south-east by the Turkish Vilayets of Scutari and Kossovo (North Albania), on the east by the Sanjak of Novi Bazar, and on the north-west by Herzegovina. On the west it is separated from the Adriatic by the narrow strip of Austrian territory forming the extremity of Dalmatia (Bocche di Cattaro, Budua, Spizza), excepting in the recently (1878-81) acquired districts of Antivari and Dulcigno, where it possesses a seaboard some 28 miles in length. The total population numbers very roughly about 250, 000. The capital is Cettinje, with an estimated population of 4,500; Podgoritza, 10,000; Dulcigno, 5,000; NikSic, 5,000; Antivari, 2,500. The population is mainly pastoral and agricultural. The Monte- negrins belong almost entirely to the Servian branch of the Slav race.

Religion. — The Church is nominally independent of the State, except that the bishops are appointed by the Prince ; buf the personal authority of the latter is all -pervading. The principal monasteries are possessed of sufficient property for their maintenance. The rural clergy are maintained by a tax paid to the Government by every head of household. Orthodox Montenegro is divided into two dioceses, Cettinje and Ostrog. The former see comprises 8 sub-districts, called proto-presbyteries, with 84 parishes, and the latter into 9 such districts with 75 parishes. The Roman Catholic Arch- bishopric of Antivari contains 10 parishes, all of which are situated in the districts acquired from Turkey, in which there are likewise 10 Mussulman parishes. The Greek Orthodox church has about 223,500 adherents ; the Roman Catholic, 12,500 ; and the Mohammedan, 14,000.

Instruction. — Schools for elementary education are supported by Govern- ment ; education is compulsory and free. All males are supposed to be able 1 See note under area of Turkey.