Turkey, 6 with Italy, 5J with Russia, and rather more than 4 with Switzerland. It includes colonial goods, agricultural and garden produce, animals and animal produce, the produce _of the mines and manufactures, chemical products, machines, scientific instruments, wine, beer, brand} , &c. Besides these, there is a con siderable transit trade through the country, chiefly from the sea ports and the eastern borders, towards the north and north-west. It is estimated at about 12,000,000.
The internal trade consists chiefly of the exchange of the pro ducts of different parts of the country, more particularly of the agricultural products of the east with the industrial products of t he west. Important markets are held at fixed times in the principal towns for the different kinds of produce. Vienna, as being the capital and the seat of so many different branches of industry, and as having ready means of communication with all parts of the country, is the principal seat both of the home and of the foreign trade, and the great resort of merchants and capitalists.
Austria possesses a number of banks, the principal of which are the National Bank, founded in 1816, and having an active capital of 9,000,000 ; the Austrian Laud-Credit Institute, founded 1864, active capital, 960,000 ; the Austrian Trade and Manufactures Credit Institute, founded 1855, active capital, 4,000,000; the Anglo-Austrian Bank, founded 1863, active capital, 1,704,500 ; the Union Bank, founded 1870, active capital, 1,200,000 ; the Franco-Austrian Bank, founded 1869, active capital, 800,000 ;_tho Lower Austrian Discount Company, founded 1853, active capital, 700,000. The National Bank is the only company authorised to issue notes. There are also a number of savings banks and loan institutions of various kinds, as well as numerous societies formed with the view of furthering in various ways industry and commerce. In 1871 there were 3504 post-offices in Austria, and 1638 in Hun gary ; the number of private letters that passed through the former in that year was 125,614,538, and through the latter, 37,368,139 ; of newspapers through the former, 51,780,909, and through the latter, 22,303,771. There were also throughout the country 1081 tele graph stations, and 22,536 miles of lines transmitting upwards of 5,000,000 messages during that year.
Government. Govern- The head of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy is the ment. emperor and king, who is also the head of the army and of the executive. The succession is hereditary, in the order of primogeniture, in the male line of the house of Hapsburg-Lothringen, or Lorraine ; and failing this, in the female line. The monarchy comprises two distinct states a German or Cisleithan, commonly called Austria, and a Magyar or Transleithan, usually termed Hungary. Each of these has its own parliament, ministers, and government ; while the army and navy and foreign rela tions are common. These are under the direction of a controlling body known as the Delegations, consisting of sixty members for each state, two-thirds being elected by the Lower House, and one-third by the Upper House of each of the parliamentary bodies. They usually sit and vote in two chambers one for Austria, the other for Hungary ; but in the event of disagreement on any ques tion, they meet together, and without further deliberation give their final votes, and the decision thus arrived at is binding on the whole empire. Their resolutions require neither the approval nor the confirmation of the represen tative assemblies by which they are chosen, but only imperial assent. The executive is vested in three depart ments (1), A ministry of foreign affairs ; (2), a ministry of war ; and (3), a ministry of finance. These are respon sible to the Delegations. The Reichsrath, or Parliament of Austria, consists of an Upper and a Lower House. The former, the House of Lords, is composed (1), of princes of the imperial house who are of age (14 in 1874); (2), of the heads of noble houses of high rank, in whom the dignity is hereditary (56) ; (3), of the archbishops (10) and of bishops with the rank of princes (7) ; and (4), of life members nominated by the emperor on account of dis tinguished services (102). The Lower House, or House of Representatives, is composed of 353 members, elected to represent the different crown-lands by all citizens who are of age and possessed of a small property qualification. The emperor annually convokes the Reichsrath, and nomi nates the presidents and vice-presidents of each division out of the members. The business of the Reichsrath embraces all matters of legislation relating to laws, duties, and interests, except such as are specially excluded as belonging to other departments. It also takes up matters connected with trade, commerce, and finance, the post- office, railways, telegraphs, customs, the mint, raising of new loans, imposing of new taxes, budgets, matters relating to military service, &c. The members of either House have the right to propose new laws on matters within their province ; but the consent of both Houses, as well as the sanction of the emperor, is required to render them valid. The executive is vested in the president and ministries of the interior, religion and education, finance, commerce, agriculture, national defence, and justice. The ministers form also the Ministerial Council, which is pre sided over by the emperor or a minister-president.
In addition to the Reichsrath, there are seventeen pro vincial diets established in different districts of the country for the direction and regulation of local matters, taxation, education, religion, public works, charitable institutions, industry, trade, &c. Each diet is composed of the arch bishops and bishops of the Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches, of the rectors of the universities, and of representatives of the great landed estates, of the towns, of chambers of industry and commerce, and of rural com munes. The number of members varies according to the size and importance of the districts from 20 or 30 up to 100 for Moravia, 151 for Galicia, and 241 for Bohemia.
The Hungarian Parliament o^ Reichstag consists of an Upper and a Lower House, L;u former known as the House of Magnates, the latter as the House of Represen tatives. The Upper House, in 1873, consisted of 3 princes of the reigning house, having estates in the kingdom, 31 archbishops and bishops of the Roman Catholic and Greek Churches, and 381 high officials and peers of the king.- dom. The Lower House is composed of representatives elected for three years by citizens of age who pay a certain amount of direct taxes. The number of representatives, in 1873, was 444, of whom 334 represented the counties, rural districts, and towns of Hungary ; 75 represented Transylvania ; and 35 Croatia and Slavonia. The president and vice-president of the House of Magnates are nominated by the king from among the members ; and the president and two vice-presidents of the House of Representatives are elected by the members. The sovereign, though emperor of Austria, is styled "king" in all public documents. The executive is vested in a president and ministries of national defence, the court, finance, interior, religion and education, justice, public works, agriculture, industry and commerce, and for Croatia and Slavonia.
Finances. The revenue and expenditure are presented in three distinct budgets : (1), That of the Delegations for the whole empire; (2), that of the Austrian Reichsrath for Austria; and (3), that of the Hungarian Reichstag for Hungary. By an arrangement of 18C8 Austria pays 70 per cent., and Hungary 30 per cent., towards the common expenditure of the empire. The total expenditure for the whole empire, in 1873, was estimated as follows:
- Ordinary. Extraordinary. Total.
- 1. Ministry of Foreign Affairs 424, 629 11,181 435,810
fw ( Army... 8, 909, 356 989,962 9,899,318
- 2. Ministry of War j Nay ^ g3]>427 182)654 i >0 14,081
- 3. Ministry of Finance..... 192,098 105 192,203
- 4. Board of Control 10,409 ...: 10,409
- 10,367,919 1,183,902 11,551,821
The estimated Revenue for the same period was as follows :
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs 69,750
- " War 510,141
- " Finance 258
- Board of Control 83
- 580,232
- Carry forward, 580,232
