FINANCE — DEFENCE 1097
girls), with 10,020 pupils ; Vol lower iniddlc-class scliools (including 46 for girls), with 17,365 pupils ; 4,585 elementary schools (including 1,445 private schools), with 8,273 teachers (1,422 female) and 347,605 i»upils (101,194 girls) ; and IS special and technical schools (2 for gills), with 5,186 pupils. For education the State grants a yearly subvention which provides for half the cost, the remainder heing provided in townh by the municipalities and in villages by the communal authorities. Education is free and nominally obligatory for a ])eriod of four years (8-12). The jichcr parents arc, however, ic([uired to jtay 20 levs (16sh.)a year for each of their children atteniling the higher schools. There is a free public library at Sofia.
Finance.
The budget estimates for 1898 were : revenue, 84,445,713 francs ; exjienditure, 84,487,975 francs. For 1899 the}^ were: revenue, 84,097,195 francs ; expenditure, 84,035,514 francs. For 1899 the chief sources of revenue are : direct taxes, 33,836,000 Irancs ; indirect taxes, 32,451,000. The chief branches of expenditure are: Fublic Debt, 20,934,146; War, 22,623,224 ; Interior, 7,860,501 ; Instruction, 7,548,555 ; Public Works, 6,731,693. The public debt consists of a loan of 46,777,500 in 1888 for the purchase of the Varna Kustchuk railway (41,290,000 francs outstandijig in 1898); a loan of 30,000,000 Irancs in 1889 (26,975,000 francs outstanding) ; a loan of 142,780,000 francs in 1892, ol' which however only 93,980,000 Irancs have been issued to date, the outstanding balance being 88,825,640 francs ; there has also been received an advance of 10,000,000 francs on account of a further issue of this loan ; the Russian occupation del»t, of which the outstanding balance is 9,699,256 francs ; the East Kumelian tribute, for which no capital value has yet been iixed ; a debt to the Ottoman (.Jovernnient now amounting to 5,826,875 francs. The Bulgarian tribute, aufl tlie share of the Turkish debt, have never been determined. In Deceml)er, 1898, the government w^as authorised to convert the whole national debt into a 5 per cent, debt, and to effect this a new loan of the nominal amount of 290,000,000 francs will be issued.
Defence.
The northern frontier of Bulgaria is formed by the Danube, wdiich, ex- cept on the east (bordering on the Dobruja), separates it irom lUimania ; here are the three fortresses of Yidin, Rustchuk, and Silistria. Varna is a fortress on the Black Sea, and Shumla westward in the interior. These formerly important fortresses have not been maintained, but Sofia and A'idin are each defended by a circle of modern forts. On the west liulgaria is bordered by Servia, anil in the south-west and south by Turkey Proper.
^Military service is obligatory from the age of 20, but iMussulmans may buy themselves ofi'. Persons exenii)ted on account of bodily infirmity pay a special tax for ten years. About 40,000 are annually liable to be drafted, but of these, only about 16,000, as decided by lot, are called under arms. They serve either 2 years in the infantry, or 3 years in other ar)ns. The auuy, including the Eastern Kumelian forces, is organised as follows : — Infantry : on peace footing, 24 regiments of 2 battalions and train ; on war footing, 24 regiments of 4 battalions, besides 24 reserve regiments of 3 battalions. On a war footing the battalion numbers 1,050 officers and men. Cavalry : the Prince's bodyguard squadron, peace and war strength, 353 ; 3 regiments of 4 squadrons, and 2 legiments of 5 squadrons, peace and war strength. Artillery : 6 regiments of 9 batteries of, on peace strength, 4 guns;,
