rely
representative body, and is composed of 128 members elected triennially
by popular suffrage. Both chambers combine and form what is called the
Federal Assembly.

The chief executive power is exercised by the so-called Federal Council,
or Bundesgericht, which is elected triennially. Its governing officers
are the President and Vice President of the republic. International and
inter-cantonal questions are discussed before and adjudicated by the
Bundesgericht, which serves as a high court of appeal. The army consists
of 142,999 regulars and 91,809 landwehr; total, 231,808 men of all arms.
Every adult citizen is de facto liable to military service, and
military drill and discipline are taught in all the schools. The
Protestant faith forms the ruling form of religion in 15 of the cantons,
Roman Catholicism prevailing in the rest. Education is well diffused by
numerous colleges and schools of a high grade; and its upper branches
are cared for at the three universities of Berne, Basle and Zurich.

Denmark, whose home possessions comprise 14,789 square miles, is, by the
way, barely one-half the size of Scotland. It consists of a peninsular
portion called Jutland, and an extensive archipelago lying east of it.
It has a number of territorial possessions in the Atlantic ocean, among
them the islands of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe islands in the
north.

GERMAN AMBITION FRUSTRATED.

One of its possessions in the West Indies was purchased by the United
States almost at the time America entered the war, and created a
situation which was not calculated to inspire the friendship of Germany
for the little country, since it was intimated that Germany would liked
to have had the island for a base. The islands cost the United States
about $25,000,000. Including the colonial possessions, the total area of
the Danish possessions is 80,000 square miles, the population being
2,726,000 persons.

Copenhagen is the capital, the other chief cities being Odense, Aarhuus,
Aalborg, Randers and Horsens. For administrative purposes Denmark is
divided into 18 provinces or districts, besides the capital, nine of
these making up Jutland and the other nine comprising the island
possessions. On the south Denmark is bounded by Germany and the Baltic,
on the west it is washed by the North Sea; while to the north lies
Norway, separated by the Skagerrack, and on the east lies Sweden,
separated by the Cattegat and the Sound.

The line of seabo