and Jews, the latter numbering some sixty thousand, though their influence is, owing to their wealth and activity, larger than these figures would normally represent.  The leading religion of the country is Lutheran; but there are also many Catholics and persons of other faiths, all of whom are permitted the enjoyment of their creeds.  Holland was at one time second to no country in the extent of its colonies; and it still owns Java, the Moluccas, part of Borneo, New Guinea, Sumatra and Celebes, in the East; and in the West, Dutch Guiana and Curacoa.  In Roman times the Low Countries were inhabited by various peoples, chiefly of Germanic origin; and in the Middle Ages were divided into several duchies and counties—­such as Brabant, Flanders, Gelderland, Holland, Zealand, etc.  The present government is a hereditary monarchy, consisting of a king or queen and states-general; the upper chamber of fifty members, the lower of one hundred.  It is essentially a country of large towns, of five thousand inhabitants and upward.  The Frisians are in North Holland, separated by the river Meuse from the Franks; the Saxons extend to the Utrecht Veldt.  The Semitic race is represented by the Portuguese Jews; and there is an admixture of other nationalities.  In no part of the country do the Dutch present a marked physical type, but, on the other hand, they are sharply differenced, in various localities, by their laws, their customs, and particularly by their dialects; indeed the Frisians have a distinct language of their own.

The constitution of 1815, though more than once revised, remains practically much the same as at first.  The son of the monarch, the heir-apparent, is called the Prince of Orange.  The administration of the Provinces is in the hands of the provincial states; these meet but a few times in the year.  The Communes have their communal councils, under the control of the burgomasters.  There is a high court of justice, and numerous minor courts.

The population is divided between about two million two hundred thousand Protestants, and half as many Roman Catholics, together with others.  There are four thousand schools, with six hundred thousand pupils, and about fourteen thousand teachers.  Not more than ten per cent of the people are illiterate, and the women are as carefully educated the men.  There are four great universities:  Leyden, founded in 1575; Utrecht, founded in 1636; Groningen, in 1614; and Amsterdam, which has existed since 1877.  These seats of learning give instruction to from three hundred to seven hundred students each.  The total expenses of the universities average about six hundred thousand dollars.  There are also in Holland excellent institutions of art, science, and industry.